Thetis Lake monster

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The Thetis Lake monster is a reptilian humanoid claimed by many proponents of cryptozoology to have been seen in 1972 by Thetis Lake, near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The legend has been attributed to the mistaken identification of an escaped Tegu lizard, and remains mostly unknown to locals.

[edit] Location and original sightings

Thetis Lake was the first regional conservation area in Canada, established in 1958, and spans approximately 831 hectares of protected forest and parkland. Approximately 20 minutes from Victoria, and located next to the Old Island Highway and a regional trail, it is a popular spot for hiking, swimming, fishing, and boating.[1][2]

However, on 22 August 1972 the Victoria Daily Times reported two local teens claimed to have been chased from the beach at Thetis lake by a creature which roughly resembled the eponymous Creature from the Black Lagoon.[1] One of the teens claimed to have been slashed across the hand by the creature, which displayed three toes and fingers along with a barbed fin on its skull, prompting an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. At the time, the officer stated that "the boys seem sincere, and until we determine otherwise we have no alternative but to continue our investigation."[3][4]

A day after the story was reported, two other men claimed to spot the creature on the opposite side of the lake from its first appearance. According to one, "it came out of the water and looked around. Then it went back into the water. Then we ran!"[3] The men described the creature as "shaped like an ordinary body, like a human being body but it had a monster face, and it was all scaly [with] a point sticking out of its head [and] great big ears." They believed the creature had a humanlike face, although it appeared to have scaly and silver-coloured skin.[3]

[edit] Mystery solved?

A Tegu lizard — an explanation for the monster
A Tegu lizard — an explanation for the monster

On 26 August 1972, The Province received a call from a man claiming to have lost a pet Tegu lizard in the area the previous year. The carnivorous Tegu, indigenous to South America, can grow up to four feet in length and are commonly kept as pets though they are considered aggressive. The investigating police officers believed the lizard matched the description the creature and the case was closed.[5]

Despite the sensational claims, repeated in some cryptozoology literature which portray it as a genuine cryptid and relative of the Loveland Frog, no other sightings have been reported since leading the monster sighting to be "a fact widely unknown among swimmers."[1] Local historian Ross Crockford remarks that the advice given in Haden Blackman's 1998 Field Guide to North American Monsters to carry a flaming torch to defend oneself from the monster is probably more dangerous than any monster, given the tinder-dry nature of the park.[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Mason, Alister (2006-06-22). Dragons in the Water. The Epoch Times. Retrieved on 2008-04-13.
  2. ^ Thetis Lake Regional Park. Capital Regional District (2007). Retrieved on 2008-04-13.
  3. ^ a b c Coleman, Loren (2002). Mothman and Other Curious Encounters. Cosimo, Inc., 90-91. ISBN 1931044341. 
  4. ^ Godfrey, Linda (2003). The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin's Werewolf. Big Earth Publishing, vi. ISBN 1879483912. 
  5. ^ a b Crockford, Ross (2006-04-07). The Gill Man of Thetis Lake. Unknown Victoria. Retrieved on 2008-04-13.