Malaysian Bigfoot ?

 

Hantu Sakai

The bigfoot of Malaysia.

 The Semang people of Malaysia reported sightings of a tribe of hairy-ape like creatures  called the Hantu Sakai. They are described as 5ft 10in tall (almost 2 metres), with long hair and some wearing loincloths made of tree bark. They live in trees and walk bipedally. Hantu means devil. One was captured in the  1870s and sketched by Aug Frederickson. Its fate is unknown. In 1953 several witnesses on a rubber plantation near Terolak in Perak State saw two males and a female. They said there was a strong smell. It seems there are types of bigfoot in most parts of the world. Descriptions are often similar : strong smell,hairy ,family groups. Could they be the missing link in evolution, these wild people?

Monsters or Giant Eels?

 Giant Eels

In The Monsters of Loch Ness by Roy P Mackal (1976 Futura London) he wrote about the investigations in Ireland. The Loch Ness investigation teams did not confine themselves just to Loch Ness but also looked at Loch Morar and a couple of loughs in Ireland. .Some of the information that lead them to look at Irish loughs is detailed in the book( p37-39 in the edition cited above)) and includes:

Teige O’Donovan reporting sightings going back to 1914 from Lough Abisdealy (which translated means the lake of the monster). The descriptions of the creature were that it had a small flat head , along neck and three large loops sticking out of the water. Size was estimated at 25 feet( 8 metres) and the creature was dark brown. Interestingly one of the observers said the creature swung a portion of it’s body out of the water and described it as “looking exactly like the tail end of a huge conger eel”.

Lough Fadda In Ireland is known for it’s salmon and trout fishing, and also reports of an unknown creature seen in the lake. For generations the locals of the Connemara area spoke of strange creatures called Horse Eels that inhabited the surrounding bog waters and children were warned to stay away from the loughs as Horse Eels dwelt there. In the 20th Century a lot of people dismissed it as folklore. Then there was a sighting in 1954. Four members of the local Clifden community saw the creature and two were reported to be very disturbed by the experience, so much so that when they returned to Clifden they insisted men armed with rifles be sent to the scene.

In June 1954 Georgina Carberry and three friends cycled down to Lough Fadda. They took a boat owned by the Clifden Angling Association and set out to fish. Later in the afternoon they decided to set the boat ashore along a finger of land that almost splits the lake in half to have some refreshments. They were sitting down with their tea when one of the group pointed out an object moving from "an island" which she assumed was a man swimming. The object was approaching them and as it got closer it was obviously too big to be a human swimming . They began to get concerned and when it reached within twenty yards (18 metres) Georgina made the first move and jumped back, the others followed and moved away from the waters edge. The movement must have disturbed the creature and it swung right around a rock near the shore and dived. In two minutes it was up to the island again where they were watching and reappeared. When the creature came close to the group on shore it opened its "huge great mouth". Two big humps were noticed sticking above the water behind its head. Georgina said she spotted a forked tail when it swung around the rock. (Another witness "Ann", didn't recall seeing one, when interviewed later). Georgina likened the creature’s mouth to a shark's and described the animal's skin as "wormy" or "creepy". (She explained to F.W. Holiday when interviewed that the "body seemed to have movement all over it all the time.)The witness called “Ann” recalled later on being interviewed that it had prominent eyes to the front of the head. “Ann”,( one of the two surviving members of the group) was interviewer in 2001 by a local historian and the details of the sighting she told him matched the details from nearly 50 years previously, it was still so clear in her mind.

There was apparently was an earlier sighting of some sort by two men in a boat during the 1940s but no details have been forthcoming and a search was conducted in Lough Fadda during the early 1980s that was mentioned in the local newspaper but again no details have been forthcoming about what was found.

The Loch Ness Investigation bureau came to search the lough in 1965. The team included Captain Lionel Leslie, Dr. Roy P. Mackal , and David James, founder of the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau. Captain Leslie set off 5 lbs of explosive along the shore of Lough Fadda in an attempt to lure the creature out.( a similar thing had been tried at Loch Ness in an attempt to imitate the 1933 road blasting to lure out Nessie, the police at Inverness however made them stop). It was recorded that about ten seconds after the blast, a long black object broke the surface and began violently thrashing about. Cameras were on hand but apparently failed to capture any footage. The creature thrashed so wildly no identification or conclusions could be made of the brief sighting. Nets were left across the lough but no further evidence was obtained.

There was strange sighting at Lough Claddaghduff by a Mr. Michael Coyne in 1956 who reported seeing a creature like looked like a large eel with ten feet showing as it turned over to display it’s lighter underbelly.

There was the story of the large eel stuck in a gully between Loughs Gowlan and Derrylesa from 100 years ago , which died.

In Lough Neagh in 1956 fishermen reported their nets damaged “by a thing like a giant eel”

You may wonder how this was connected to Loch Ness. There were stories that Roy Mackal mentions(p68) from older residents of Loch Ness that claimed eels of 10 feet(3 metres) to 16 feet( 5 metres) long had been caught in the loch years ago. I also heard the same stories from an elderly fisherman in 1972. He said when the eel fishing had been at it’s peak many years ago ,very large eels had been caught . I have been unable to substantiate this but I have seen it mentioned in other books about the Loch( I believe Tim Dinsdale mentions it in his books). Eels live in the loch in large numbers but are the normal European eel who don’t normally grow to enormous sizes. There have been reports of eels with manes being seen in the loch and divers reporting eels thicker than a man's leg, but no proof has been forthcoming. The theory that the lake monsters are giant eels is not a new one but when you look at reported sightings the descriptions of many say “eel like” . Eels tend to dwell near the bottoms of lakes and would only occasionally appear on the surface, perhaps when chasing fish. The manes reported could be a frill such as some fish like the Oar Fish have and a very large eel would indeed be very thick around the middle to be almost as big as a man’s thigh. There is a history ,this report was printed in The  London Times  March 6, 1856:

The Sea Serpent in the Highlands

The village of Leurbost, Parish of Lochs, Lewis, is at present the scene of an unusual occurrence.  This is no less than the appearance in one of the inland fresh-water lakes of an animal which from its great size and dimensions has not a little puzzled our island naturalists.  Some suppose him to be a description of the hitherto mythological water-kelpie; while others refer it to the minute descriptions of the "sea-serpent," which are revived from time to time in the newspaper columns.  It has been repeatedly seen within the last fortnight by crowds of people, many of whom have come from the remotest parts of the parish to witness the uncommon spectacle.  The animal is described by some as being in appearance and size like "a large peat stack," while others affirm that a "six-oared boat" could pass between the huge fins, which are occasionally visible.  All, however, agree in describing its form as that of an eel; and we have heard one, whose evidence we can rely upon, state that in length he supposed it to be about 40 feet.  It is probable that it is no more than a conger eel after all, animals of this description having been caught in the Highland lakes which have attained huge size.  He is currently reported to have swallowed a blanket inadvertently left on the bank by a girl herding cattle.  A sportsman ensconced himself with a rifle in the vicinity of the loch during a whole day, hoping to get a shot, but did no execution.

. Anything is of course conjecture but then science starts with conjecture and observation and then tries to prove or disprove a theory , which is what cryptozoologists are actively doing.It gives some credence to those who believe Nessie is a giant eel.

 

storms and consequences.

 I am finally back online after a month with no phone or landline after the storm .So apologies once again for lack of posts .Thank you for your support in reading the blog x

Monster Man Eating Lobster?

 

A Monster Tale?

In April of 1863, the Montreal Ocean Steamship Company’s ship Anglo Saxon, stuffed with emigrants from England and cargo, ran ashore in thick fog on the southeastern tip of Newfoundland, where wind and waves battered it to pieces and claimed nearly 300 lives.

Not long after, three divers were sent down to try to recover valuable items.

One of those divers told the Bangor Commercial newspaper in 1893 what happened next.Diving alone, he said he was inside the wreck moving some bales around when he saw “a huge creature moving toward the vessel” I had never seen anything like it before,” he said. “It seemed to be several feet high and about eight feet long and it had on each side an enormous arm.”

He said it had countless little legs, a mottled brown color and two shining black eyes, along with two “supple horns, each resembling an enormous whip.”

 “A numb terror seized me,” the diver said, and he quickly moved to depart from the ship so he could be hauled back to the surface.

“But, as if knowing what I intended, this brute, looking straight at me with its frightful, motionless eyes, walked or rather crawled directly at me,” he said.

As he stepped onto the rocky floor beside the wreckage, the diver said, “the two writhing horns were twining about me and untwining. Then he would touch me with these and sweep them up and down as if feeling what kind of prey I was.”

“Suddenly and without any warning,” he said, “the monster threw out one of its arms and seized me below the shoulder. I felt as if my bones were being crushed.”

He resisted, but the more he struggled, the worse the pain he felt. At the end of each arm, the creature had a claw that “opened and shut convulsively,” he said, adding that he could see “two rows of shining white teeth” in its mouth in front of him.

He said he pulled a knife from his belt and tried to thrust it into the beast, but its shell was too hard.

“Those terrifying eyes” then moved, the diver said, and the huge lobster’s arms closed around him.

Desperate, he plunged the knife into one of the eyes. Inky fluid poured out, he said, and the creature stopped its attack, but held on.

The diver then sliced into the other eye, blinding the creature.

It still held on. The diver said the pain grew unbearable and he blacked out.

The next thing he knew, he was in a skiff on the surface, hauled out by his comrades who had dived down after getting worried at his absence. They told him they’d sliced the creature’s arm off to free him. 

The diver said his rescuers told him they had seen “an awful, deep-sea lobster.”

Did it really happen? There is no way to know.

 

Source:

https://www.sunjournal.com/2025/02/15/deep-sea-diver-insists-a-huge-lobster-nearly-killed-him/

 

Humboldt River Monster

 

Humboldt River Serpent

The Humboldt River Basin is in north-central Nevada and  runs east-to-west terminating in the Humboldt Sink in northwest Churchill County. It  is approximately 330 miles in length.

There has been reports of  a sea serpent in the river.

In The West Coast Signal August 19, 1877

I have been requested to write you the following for publication. I had first thought that I would not for the reason that I didn’t like to have my word doubted when I speak only the truth. Although this may not be believed by some of the readers of the SIGNAL, it is something that can be sworn to by three or four different parties.

About three months ago as I was on my way to Garberville, not far below what is know as Phillip’s Flat  I saw what I thought was a foot log coming down the South Fork of the  river, and was not a little surprised to see such a thing adrift at that season of the year.

I was on a cliff of rocks, about 50 feet above the river, and stopped to watch the curious looking object, when I saw to my surprise it was a large serpent. The monster was at least 20 feet long in the water, and its head was raised about 3 feet above the surface of the stream, and was about as large as a dog’s head. It saw me, but did not seem to be alarmed, for it headed for the last cliff on which I was standing.

It was one of those hot days that we are accustomed on the South Fork, and the monster seemed to be hunting shade. It was about a foot in diameter; its color a dark brown, with large light and yellow spots. I watched him until he came under the cliff where the rocks hid him from view. It was seen twice more at the same place and once again further up the river. It seems to go to the woods for food, as there can be no other inducement.

It was signed a SOUTHFORKER

It was not the end of the matter .An article appeared in 1911.

Elko Free Press  July 14, 1911:

"While fishing on the Humboldt river a few miles east of Elko a few days ago, G.P. Griffith and Alex Hay had an experience that is still haunting them in their sleep. Both are reliable men and not given to 'seeing things,' and their report carries weight with their friends.

"They left town early for an all day's fishing trip, and had proceeded up the river to where the big dam backs up the river in the Fernald field, just opposite the road on the south side of the stream, near the bluffs. Here for several yards the stream is wide and quite deep. Mr. Griffith said he saw something coming down stream, which he thought at first was a flock of wild ducks, following one another in a long line. Being a sportsman, he was interested in the sight, and stepped back into a clump of bushes to watch them pass, and called to his companion. But to his wonder and amazement, when the object got opposite them, it was a huge serpent, swimming on the surface of the water, with it's head, or heads, held high and its long, huge, black, glistening, undulating body, gracefully cleaving the pure, limpid, mountain water, the reptile searching the banks of either side for prey.

"About twenty-feet was visible, and the monster had four heads, shaped something like a dog's head, the body of a black color, and as large as a man's leg. Fascinated, they watched the huge snake, but as soon as one of them spoke it disappeared on the instant. Mr. Griffith hurriedly left for his gun, and Mr. Hay remained to watch for its reappearance. A few minutes later it again came to the surface and Mr. Hay declares it was at least thirty feet long, with a tail like a fish, and the four heads, showing clearly, but when the man with the gun returned it had gone, and did not appear again, although they waited and watched a long time.

"Since it was seen, quite a number of our fisherman have gone to the place, but no one has had a glimpse of the monster."

That seemed to be the end of the story. There was one curious incident.The local indigenous people left the river on hearing the story.They believed in a river serpent that could swallow a child.

Large snakes are not unknown though they normally are found in South America. Could this have been one brought from there and released  ? It would explain why there were no more sightings as it probably passed away.

 

Hells Gate Sea Serpent

 

Hells Gate Sea Monster

Hells gate is a drainage system in the New York area. City Island is located at the extreme western end of Long Island Sound, south of Pelham Bay Park.

Long Island Sound off the shores of Pelham  had been the source of sightings of a mysterious sea serpent for a few years.There were so many reports during that two or three year period in the late 1870's that the respected scientific journal Scientific American collected, analyzed, and published  eyewitness accounts. No definitive proof was found.

Captain Banta ,the river pilot, rowing a small boat off the waters of City Island shortly before daylight in August 1895 on his way to meet a vessel that he was  to guide through the treacherous waters of nearby Hells Gate. Suddenly  a huge  creature with "big black eyes, which gleamed like dark lanterns" and that made a noise that "resembled that of a big steamer turning about in midstream" rose from the deep and struck his boat, raising it out of the water and nearly capsizing it.  Captain Banta dropped his oars and held onto the sides of the boat for dear life. 

The sea monster sank beneath the waters  and  then rose again  striking the boat a second time and lifting it out of the water  The monster was then attracted by the sound of a steamer and headed away leaving Banta to steer his damaged boat to shore

Three members of the United States Military also sighted the  Sea Serpent in 1895, the large beast had a head covered with "a big shock of hair."  It could lift that massive head out of the water on a long neck that writhed in the air.  Its neck was "at least four feet in diameter" and had skin that was scaly and "spotted white in places."  The face of the beast had great whiskers.."  It had a green beard and bright blue eyes with big flippers that it used to propel itself along.  Most frighteningly, when the beast dove into the depths of the Long Island Sound, its tail would shoot upward into the air "clad in rattles exactly like a rattlesnake."  When the tail reached its highest point out of the water, the rattles would begin to clang before the beast disappeared into the deep.

  A  few days after this a twenty-five foot long snake thought to be a boa constrictor floated out of the Sound and onto the shores of an island near Hell Gate, It was reported in local newspapers.

 The snake's back was badly torn as if it had  been killed by the paddle wheel of a steamer."

Some reports cite Banta’s experience as 1902 which would be after the snake was found. If that is the correct date then the dead snake was not responsible for the sightings.

 

 

2024

 A Merry Cryptid Christmas 2024.

I hope you all find some joy in your day. 

Thanks for reading the blog.It will continue in 2025. xx