MOST SCARY Swamp Creatures
MOST SCARY Swamp Creatures
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00:00Hey everybody, today we're going on a journey into the world's swamps, where some of the
00:05most frightening creatures lurk hidden beneath the water's surface.
00:09Here are the top 15 scariest swamp creatures, each with its own eerie presence and haunting
00:13survival tactics.
00:15Let's start with number 15, the loa loa.
00:18Better known as an eye worm, the loa loa can be found in the tropical swamplands of West
00:23Africa.
00:24Usually, they'll infect people through a bite of a deer fly or a mango fly.
00:29Once inside you, they wander under your skin, feeding on fluids in your tissues.
00:34At night, they retreat into your lungs and from time to time will even cross into your
00:39eyes, causing intense pain.
00:41And while the loa loa can be removed through either surgery or anti-parasitic drugs, dealing
00:46with one is far from pleasant.
00:50Number 14, the mosquito.
00:53While their sting may not be all that painful, mosquitoes are the most dangerous animal on
00:58the planet by a large margin.
01:00They're responsible for spreading about 17% of all infectious diseases.
01:05Getting bitten by one can be bad news, especially in areas without good medical infrastructure.
01:10So if you plan to travel through any swamps and tropical areas, I'd suggest being certain
01:15of all your vaccines are up to date.
01:19Number 13, black flies.
01:22In North America, black flies are little more than a nuisance.
01:25While these small pests will bite you and cause you to bleed, they're not known to spread
01:29any diseases.
01:30However, in Africa, Mexico, Central America, Brazil, Venezuela, and Yemen, they're known
01:35for being far more nefarious.
01:38That's because in these regions, they can transmit roundworms that cause river blindness
01:42in humans.
01:43Oftentimes, infected people develop eye lesions, which can lead to visual impairment and permanent
01:48blindness.
01:49So if you happen to be in a tropical region with black flies, I'd recommend using a generous
01:53amount of insect repellent.
01:56Number 12, red-bellied piranhas.
01:59If you travel down the Amazon River and its adjoining swamps, you'll encounter packs of
02:03predatory fish.
02:05They're known as red-bellied piranhas.
02:07They come in at lengths of up to 50 centimeters and are known for their extremely sharp set
02:11of teeth.
02:12Now, while they usually use them to chomp down on small prey such as worms, crustacean,
02:17and fish, when food is scarce, piranhas will, at times, gang up together to take down large
02:23prey in what's known as a feeding frenzy.
02:26It only takes a few minutes for them to completely eat up this individual, and while the victim
02:30is usually a capybara or egret, humans are also at risk.
02:35Number 11, Cassius.
02:36Now, while most crocodiles live deep inside swamps, the largest one that can be visited
02:42today is Cassius, believed to have been born in 1903.
02:46In 2011, he entered the record books after being measured in at 5.48 meters long, making
02:52him the world's largest crocodile in captivity.
02:55Now, it's worth mentioning that despite being massive, he may have lost a few inches decades
02:59ago.
03:00At the time of his capture in 1984, he was notorious for fighting other crocodiles over
03:05territory and attacking boat engines, causing him to lose bits of his snout and tail.
03:10These missing body parts were not factored into his 2011 measurements and could have
03:14added another 15 to 25 centimeters to his length.
03:18Number 10, Levinsonnelia burdei.
03:22While this may be microscopic, they can cause a whole lot of pain.
03:26That's because they have the ability to turn other creatures into orange zombies.
03:30While they are thankfully far too small to infect humans, they can infect amphipods,
03:35which are a type of small crustacean commonly found in swamps.
03:38Now, most of the time, these amphipods are pretty low-key.
03:41With the help of their dull skin, they can easily camouflage in the mud and grass of
03:45the marsh, helping them avoid being snatched up by predators such as birds and frogs.
03:50However, once this tiny flatworm-like parasite takes over the brain, they turn bright orange,
03:56and rather than take cover in grass, they lounge out in the open at low tide.
04:01What's interesting is that the parasite's choice of prey is no accident.
04:04According to David Johnson, who's a co-author of a study on the infected amphipods, it all
04:09has to do with parasite reproduction.
04:11You see, in order to reproduce, the Levinsonnelia burdei needs to get out of the gut of a bird.
04:17To do that, it turns the amphipod into a suicidal neon sign that screams,
04:22eat me!
04:23These lazy bright orange amphipods then become easy targets for predatory birds.
04:28Researchers have noticed that these strange parasites have been on the rise, and after
04:31conducting tests at a salt marsh in Massachusetts, they found that nutrient pollution from excess
04:36nitrogen is likely to blame.
04:38You see, the salt marsh where the scientists track these orange amphipods is home to a
04:42long-running experiment on nutrient pollution.
04:46Scientists have been applying nitrogen to patches of the marsh since 2004, with this
04:49being done to mimic the excess nitrogen that ends up in the waterways polluted by agricultural
04:54runoff.
04:55That excess nitrogen can cause algal blooms, and based on this study, also lead to a rise
04:59in parasite populations.
05:01In plots with extra nitrogen, the parasite population was 13 times the size of the population
05:06in control plots.
05:08Now the researchers say that this is evidence of what happens at the bottom of the food
05:12chain can affect species further up.
05:14And while this parasite doesn't infect humans, changes such as increased nitrogen could also
05:19increase the population of parasites that do.
05:229.
05:24MACROBDELLA MIMICUS In 2019, a new species of leech was found
05:29in the swamps of southern Maryland.
05:30At first glance, the species sounds terrifying, after all, the blood-sucking olive green leech
05:36has three jaws and 59 teeth, making it more than able to feast on whatever crosses its
05:41path.
05:42Yet, despite being rather scary, there is a case to be made that it's much more helpful
05:46than harmful.
05:47You see, in the 1700s and 1800s, physicians used leeches to treat a wide range of ailments.
05:53The common belief was that by ridding a patient's body of bad blood, the parasites could cure
05:58headaches, fevers, and other conditions.
06:00Since most of the leeches used for bloodletting were imported from Europe, North America's
06:05leeches were mostly left alone.
06:08Macrobdella mimicus is one of those species, and incredibly, it's the first new leech
06:12species to be found in North America since 1975.
06:16The discovery process for this new species was pretty incredible too.
06:19Over a period of four years, Anna Phillips, who is the curator of the Smithsonian's Parasitic
06:24Worms Division, brought a team with her to well-known leech sites across the east coast
06:28of Canada and the United States.
06:30Wading into murky waters for days wearing shorts with bare legs and sandals, she would
06:36look for leeches under wood, grass, and trash in swampy, algae-covered ponds.
06:41The hope was to discover why leeches have such a broad geography, especially since they're
06:46not the most mobile of creatures.
06:48It was after collecting hundreds of samples of leeches that they found their answer, that
06:52at the very least, the Maryland leeches had developed separately as an entirely different
06:57species.
06:58Now, while the new species may be pretty cool, the million-dollar question is whether or
07:02not it's dangerous.
07:03For the most part, the answer is no.
07:06While leeches may suck blood, they're not known to be carriers of human diseases.
07:10However, if you remove one improperly, they can regurgitate blood back into your body,
07:15causing a minor infection.
07:16Similarly, if you allow a leech to feed on you until it's full, which takes about 30-45
07:21minutes, its powerful blood thinners can cause you to bleed for longer than usual.
07:26Therefore, while having one of these leeches on your leg is not a serious medical emergency,
07:30I still wouldn't recommend wading into a swamp without long pants on.
07:358.
07:36GUSTAVE
07:37Of all the creatures on this list, one of the most notorious is Gustave.
07:41Hailing from the African country of Burundi, Gustave is a male Nile crocodile that roams
07:46the Ruzizi River in the northern shores of Lake Tanganyika.
07:50Much of the knowledge we have of him is scant at best.
07:53He's believed to have been born about 69 years ago.
07:56He's believed to weigh over 910 kilograms and is believed to have brought down between
08:00200-300 victims during his lifetime.
08:04These numbers are hard to verify, after all, the documentation surrounding him is less
08:08than clear, and in many cases, it's not always certain whether or not Gustave is at fault.
08:13Importantly, it's also worth noting that he didn't get much international attention until
08:17the 1990s.
08:18However, in the early 2000s, he instantly became a celebrity of sorts.
08:22That's because Gustave starred on the show Capturing the Killer Croc.
08:26As part of the show, a group of scientists attempted to capture him over a period of
08:30two years.
08:31In order to get the job done, they created a 9-meter-long trap cage, and after locating
08:35him, soon got to work baiting the trap, installing hidden infrared cameras, and rigging the bay
08:40with three giant snares.
08:41However, the whole thing ended up being quite a failure.
08:44While other crocodiles were caught in the snares, Gustave was not.
08:48Furthermore, after finally putting a goat in the trap and trying to capture him, the
08:52area was hit by a thunderstorm.
08:53As a result, the camera failed to operate.
08:56The following morning, the cage was found partially submerged, and the goat was gone.
09:01Some believe that rising waters from the storm helped the goat escape, while others believe
09:05Gustave entered the cage, but the trap failed.
09:07However, the reality is that with no camera recording, nobody knows for sure.
09:12The other reality is that thanks to trouble due to an armed conflict in the region, the
09:16team had to return home, leaving Gustave to his own devices.
09:20Shortly after, National Geographic ran a report on Gustave and estimated that he could
09:24easily be more than 6.1 meters long, 910 kilograms in weight, and be over 60 years old, and allegedly
09:31still be growing.
09:33Yet since this show, interest in him has waned, and according to what is publicly available,
09:38he was last spotted in 2015.
09:40It is due to his nine-year disappearance from the public eye that many believe he may have
09:44simply passed away.
09:477.
09:48Willow the Wisp While the Willow the Wisp is certainly a
09:52folk tale, what's crazy about it is that there seem to be versions of the story across
09:56the globe.
09:57The basic premise of it is simple.
09:59In essence, it's an atmospheric ghost light seen by travelers at night, with it being
10:04especially prevalent over bogs, swamps, and marshes.
10:08The idea is that it's a trickster spirit of sorts, enticing you to go away from the
10:12main path and mislead you into the swamp, usually to your own demise.
10:17The Irish version of the tale features a sinful man named Drunk Jack.
10:21When his time is up and the devil comes to collect his soul, he tricks the devil into
10:25turning into a coin so he can pay for one last drink.
10:29When the devil obliges, Jack places him in his pocket next to a crucifix, preventing
10:33him from returning to his original form.
10:35In exchange for his freedom, the devil grants Jack ten more years of life.
10:40When the term expires, the devil comes to collect his due.
10:43However, at this point, Jack tricks him again by making him climb a tree and then carving
10:47a cross underneath it, preventing him from climbing back down.
10:51In exchange for removing the cross, the devil forgives Jack's debt.
10:54However, when Jack's time came and he tried to enter heaven, he was denied, similarly
10:59due to his past tricks.
11:00Hell denied him as well.
11:02As a result, the devil instead allowed him to have a fire to use on Earth, where he wanders
11:07around and misleads travelers to this day.
11:10In Bangladesh, the story is a little bit different.
11:13There's a common belief that when a fisherman passes, they sometimes turn into a ghost light.
11:18These ghostly lights hover over marshes and can be either good or bad.
11:22While some try to help those on the water avoid dangers, others instead lead boaters
11:26to their demise.
11:27Similarly, the Japanese, Koreans, and Chinese have similar stories, although the lights
11:32are usually not associated with swamps and are instead associated with other locations.
11:37Those in South America have stories that differ quite a bit from those in Europe and Asia.
11:41Rather than being located in a swamp, these lights are instead caused by evil spirits
11:45or creatures.
11:46The idea in most stories is that they roam around and wreak havoc on the people they
11:50come across.
11:51So, while the story of the Will-o'-the-Wisp may change from geography to geography, it's
11:55pretty cool that many parts of its story seem to be universal.
11:596.
12:00The Nile Crocodile While there are 26 recognized species of crocodile,
12:06the Nile one is the most dangerous by a large margin.
12:09Located in 26 countries across Africa, its range goes as far north as Egypt and as far
12:14south as South Africa, as far east as Somalia, and as far west as Senegal, making it a truly
12:20continental animal.
12:23Generally speaking, these crocs come in at a length of about 5 meters and weigh about
12:26225 kilograms, although they can grow to lengths of 6 meters and weigh up to 1,300 kilograms.
12:32For reference, that's about as heavy and just a little bit longer than a Honda Civic.
12:36It is an apex predator in its habitat.
12:38It generally takes down prey by ambush and can do this both on land and underwater.
12:43In fact, Nile Crocodiles are able to dive for a few minutes at a time and can swim underwater
12:48for up to 30 minutes if threatened, and if fully inactive, they can hold their breath
12:53for up to two hours.
12:55While they are fastest underwater with their swim speeds at 30 to 35 kilometers an hour,
12:59they're also pretty quick on land for short distances.
13:02They can gallop at speeds of up to 14 kilometers an hour, which is fast enough to catch an
13:07out-of-shape human.
13:09Most of the time, these crocodiles will eat fish, although it will attack almost anything
13:13unfortunate enough to come across it.
13:15This includes zebras, small hippos, porcupines, birds, other crocodiles, and at times, even
13:21humans.
13:22The main issue with this species is that much of its habitat is in close proximity to people,
13:27and this means that crocodile attacks are pretty common.
13:29While the numbers are sketchy, it's believed that they bring down up to a thousand people
13:33per year, and they are likely responsible for injuring far more.
13:38This is a terrifying number, although experts seem to believe that the problem may be with
13:42humans rather than the crocodiles.
13:45After all, most biologists who have engaged in months or even years of fieldwork with
13:49Nile Crocodiles have found that with sufficient precautions, their own lives and the lives
13:53of their local guides were rarely, if ever, at risk.
13:57Rather, it's likely the poverty of the people that forced them to come in close contact
14:01with crocodiles in ways that aren't safe, thus causing these incidents.
14:05It's also worth mentioning that for many years, these formidable animals faced the
14:09threat of extinction.
14:10From the 1940s through to the 1960s, they were hunted nearly to extinction, primarily
14:15for their high-quality leather and meat, which while relatively unappetizing, supposedly
14:20has curative properties.
14:22However, a new slate of national laws and international trade regulations helped bring
14:26back severely depleted crocodile numbers, and now they're considered to be a species
14:30of least concern.
14:325.
14:34SALTWATER CROCODILES While Nile Crocodiles are generally thought
14:38to be the most dangerous crocodile, Saltwater Crocs are a solid second.
14:43Located across southern and southeast Asia and Oceania, these guys are beefy, at up to
14:487 meters in length and 1,000 kilograms.
14:50They're about as heavy and long as two Fiat 500s.
14:54This gives them the title of being the world's largest living crocodilian, making them a
14:58truly formidable creature.
15:01As their name suggests, they're usually found in saltwater, and while they're generally
15:04found in swamps, their swimming skills are so good, they've often been found far off
15:09at sea.
15:11In order to bring down a victim, they'll wait in silence just until the right moment,
15:14then they'll explode from the water with a thrash of their powerful tails, grab the
15:18victim with their massive jaws, and drag it into the water where they'll feast on it.
15:22The victim can be practically any animal that comes across its path, and from time
15:26to time, even humans can be on the menu.
15:29Despite being incredibly powerful, it's worth mentioning that the Saltwater Croc was brought
15:33to the brink of extinction by humans.
15:35For years, it was often hunted for its meat, eggs, and skin, and in fact, unregulated hunting
15:40during the 20th century caused declines in population so severe, the species was completely
15:45wiped out in certain areas.
15:47However, by the 1970s, regulations began to be passed to protect it, and it's now considered
15:52to be a species of least concern.
15:54It's also worth mentioning that Saltwater Crocodiles have been behind some of the most
15:58unfortunate human-related attacks.
16:01In January of 1945, the British began an assault on the Japanese with the goal of being to
16:06take Ramree Island.
16:08The story goes that after a tough battle, the 36th Indian Infantry Brigade outflanked
16:12the Japanese position, splitting the enemy group in two and isolating about a thousand
16:17Japanese soldiers.
16:19While the British called on them to surrender, the Japanese refused, instead opting to wade
16:23through a 13-kilometer-long mangrove swamp to regroup with the other soldiers.
16:28As they ventured through the swamp, the troops came across a large colony of crocodiles.
16:33Stuck in thick mud and unable to fend them off, the Japanese soldiers quickly became
16:38lunch.
16:39Once all was said and done, just 520 of the initial 1,000 soldiers remained, and to this
16:45day, the event still holds the Guinness World Record for being the worst crocodile attack
16:49in human history.
16:51It is worth mentioning that this crocodile attack may have not happened at all.
16:54Rather, some reports seem to suggest that the Japanese troops fell in battle and that
16:58crocodiles only came to survey the scene later.
17:02However, to this day, nobody knows for sure.
17:054.
17:07The American Alligator There is little disagreement that the American
17:11alligator is one of the most feared swamp creatures in North America.
17:15Found across the southeastern United States and a small section of northeastern Mexico,
17:19it is actually one of only two alligator species left on the planet.
17:23The other is the significantly smaller Chinese alligator.
17:26Typically, the American alligator grows to sizes of 4.6 meters in length and about 500
17:31kilograms in weight.
17:33Yet there are unverified reports of American alligators coming in at a whopping 5.8 meters
17:38and over 1,000 kilograms in weight, making these creatures absolutely massive.
17:44They are also apex predators in their habitat.
17:47In order to hunt down their dinner, they'll lurk in the water with just their eyes and
17:50nostrils above the surface.
17:52Once their chin detects vibrations in the water, they'll quickly lunge at their unsuspecting
17:56prey, and by all accounts, they'll eat practically anything.
17:59However, if you do get in their way, get ready for a world of pain.
18:03After all, their bite is equivalent to about 15 times the bite force of a human.
18:08Now, given their armored, lizard-like bodies, muscular tails, and powerful jaws, they certainly
18:13look like they belong to the era of dinosaurs more than they do to the era of Taylor Swift
18:17and TikTok.
18:19And making that assumption is correct.
18:21After all, it's believed they developed more than 150 million years ago, about 85 million
18:25years before the extinction of the dinosaurs.
18:28Besides looking decidedly dinosaur-like in nature, the American alligator somehow managed
18:33to escape annihilation.
18:35Yet that didn't mean it was smooth sailing.
18:37While alligator populations were virtually undisturbed for millions of years, in the
18:411800s, American colonists began to encroach on their habitat.
18:45Due to the danger they caused, these colonists began to hunt them en masse, and as they developed
18:49roads, towns, and cities, alligator populations began to dwindle.
18:54In 1967, things got so bad that they were placed on the Endangered Species List, and
18:58thanks to legislation such as the Endangered Species Act of 1973, work was done to revitalize
19:04alligator populations.
19:06After years of protection from hunting and the creation of programs meant to conserve
19:10the species, it was taken off the Endangered Species List in 1987, and today, there are
19:15more than a million individuals in the wild.
19:17While this may seem like great news, it's also led to some tragic occurrences.
19:21You see, over the years, the wet and swampy Florida of the past has been turned into ponds,
19:26lakes, and canals.
19:28These new features attract alligators, and as a result, from 1948 through to 2015, there
19:32were 383 alligator attacks in Florida.
19:36As a result, state workers have had to routinely rid heavily populated areas of alligators,
19:40while education programs teaching the public about the dangers of these incredible animals
19:44are now commonplace in schools.
19:473.
19:48Lolong the Crocodile Saltwater crocodiles are nothing if not massive.
19:53They're generally known to grow to about 4.5 meters in length and weigh over 450 kilograms.
19:59They're large enough to take down practically any prey that crosses it.
20:03Lolong is easily one of the most notorious.
20:06For a period of time, he terrorized the people of the Philippines, allegedly committing horrible
20:11acts as an apex predator towards local fishermen and schoolgirls.
20:16This made Lolong public enemy number one, and in September of 2011, about a hundred
20:20people got together to bring him down.
20:23Rather than simply dispose of him, for some reason or another, the villagers decided to
20:27capture him alive.
20:29Making this prove to be difficult, after all, at 6.1 meters in length and over a thousand
20:33kilograms, he was far larger than your average croc.
20:37Unsurprisingly, this led to a lot of challenges.
20:40After all, even after Lolong was located and restrained, he managed to break out of the
20:43restraints twice.
20:45However, after a nonstop three-week effort, Lolong was finally captured and brought to
20:49land, likely starved and dehydrated from the ordeal.
20:54After being captured, Lolong's stomach was promptly examined.
20:56However, due to the surprise, there was nothing of any suspicion inside.
21:00There were no remnants of the water buffaloes or humans he allegedly ate.
21:04This sparked rumors that an even larger crocodile was the true guilty culprit.
21:09However, despite calls from animal rights activists to release Lolong, the local government
21:13ultimately refused.
21:15Once the inspection was through, the decision was made to display Lolong as the centerpiece
21:19of an ecotourism park.
21:21In a statement, the local mayor declared that, quote, we'll take care of this crocodile
21:25because this will boost our tourism and we know it can help in terms of the town's income
21:29and jobs to our villages and communities, end quote.
21:32And create income it did.
21:34In the first month, Lolong had already made the township about $220 a day.
21:39And given the fact that the average Filipino made roughly $280 per month at the time, this
21:44was a sizable sum.
21:45What's truly incredible about the story of Lolong is that at the time of his capture,
21:49he was the largest crocodile ever to be put into captivity.
21:53However, the sad reality is he didn't hold a record for long.
21:56Just a year and a half after being put on display, he sadly passed away.
22:00According to doctors, his passing could be attributed to pneumonia and cardiac arrest,
22:04which was aggravated by a fungal infection.
22:07While this was unfortunate, the legacy of Lolong still lives on in the hearts and minds
22:11of the villagers.
22:12Thanks to his fame, his legacy also lives on at the Philippines National Museum.
22:16That's because in a somewhat controversial move, the museum decided to put his preserved
22:20skeleton on display.
22:22If you'd like to see it, it can still be visited to this day.
22:252.
22:26Megalania While Australia may be beautiful, it's perhaps
22:30best known for being filled with dangerous species.
22:33Apparently, this was still the case in prehistoric times, as it was during this time period that
22:38a creature known as Megalania roamed the continent.
22:41It's believed that it first appeared on the planet at least 50,000 years ago, and they
22:45likely survived up to around 11,000 years ago.
22:48During this time, they were an absolute force to be reckoned with.
22:51Coming in at a length of 8 meters and weighing over 2,300 kilograms, it was closely related
22:56to the Komodo dragon, and weighed as much as 10 fully grown American alligators.
23:01This made it a terrifying predator, and it spent its days dining on large marsupials,
23:06flightless birds, and giant turtles, eating as much as 45 kilograms of meat per day in
23:11order to sustain itself.
23:13To overpower its prey, it would generally use its tongue to track its prey's movements,
23:17ambush it by running in short bursts, and then using its venomous bite to quickly put
23:21it out of its misery.
23:23It is worth mentioning that this venom was quite potent, similar to that of the Komodo
23:26dragon and the Nile monitor.
23:28It's believed that the venom would act as an anticoagulant.
23:31This would make it far harder for its prey's blood to clot, in turn leading to a rapid
23:35decrease in blood pressure and systemic shock.
23:38The Megalania also stands apart for its ability to live in a variety of habitats.
23:42While it spent a lot of time in marshlands, after all, the many Megalania remains have
23:46been found in nearby rivers or tributary beds.
23:49They are also believed to have lived in grasslands, forests, caves, and seemingly any environment
23:53where prey could be located.
23:55Yet perhaps what's craziest of all is the imposing figure did little to help it survive
24:00its greatest enemy, humans.
24:03Researchers believe that Megalania's body composition would have made it inefficient
24:06when attempting to outrun or outcompete early human settlers.
24:10This is especially true since unlike the Megalania, humans had access to spears and boomerangs,
24:15allowing them to more easily hunt than any animal ever could.
24:18However, while humans may have outcompeted the Megalania, that doesn't mean that it
24:22wasn't seen as a threat.
24:23Rather, the species would have had quite the impact.
24:26Such an impact, in fact, that to this day, some indigenous tribes have oral legends that
24:30likely feature this incredible creature.
24:33One of these legends also talks about the Megalania being able to swim for great distances.
24:37The story claims that one day, a Megalania went into the ocean, fought with a great white
24:42shark, won, and then brought it back to shore and ate it for dinner.
24:46Of course, there's good reason to believe that over time, this story may have been stretched
24:49out and amended.
24:50However, it was also the case that the story of Megalania may just be one of the oldest
24:55oral legends in human history.
24:57I'm sure you'd agree, the fact that it continues to be told is pretty incredible.
25:021.
25:03The Loch Ness Monster While most of the entries on this list are
25:08real, one that we aren't really all that sure about is the Loch Ness Monster.
25:13While most have written it off as being a fraud, the lore surrounding it is far older
25:17and perhaps far more intriguing than you might think.
25:20The first account of the Loch Ness Monster dates all the way back to 565 AD.
25:25In that year, a book entitled The Life of St. Columba documented a case of a man being
25:30dragged down to the bottom of the loch by an unknown monster.
25:34Things remained quiet for the next few centuries, however, in 1871, a sighting of the monster
25:39was reported.
25:40Another sighting in 1888 further stirred the pot, but in 1933, excitement was renewed once
25:46more when a slew of sightings were reported.
25:49Things really reached a head in 1934 when a surgeon and gynecologist by the name of
25:53Robert Kenneth Wilson took a famous picture of what he alleged was the monster.
25:58The extremely blurry image depicts what appears to be a dinosaur-like monster swimming through
26:03the water.
26:04Although it was upheld by many as genuine for about 60 years, scientists eventually
26:08proved that the picture was a hoax, and this supposed monster's head was just a 60-90
26:14cm object pointing out of the water, with the object likely being a piece of driftwood.
26:18Unsurprisingly, this wasn't enough to convince many of the true believers, and over the years,
26:23several other sightings have been recorded.
26:25For example, in December of 1954, sonar readings taken by a fishing boat picked up a large
26:30object keeping pace with the vessel at a depth of 146 meters for a period of 800 meters,
26:36yet later attempts to relocate the subject proved inconclusive.
26:39Later, a 1960 film taken by aeronautical engineer Tim Dinsdale seemed to have shown the monster,
26:46however later analysis showed that in all likelihood it was simply a boat in bad lighting.
26:51In subsequent years, everything from otters to algae blooms have been identified as the
26:56monster, yet nothing that is actually supernatural or monster-like has been found.
27:01It is worth noting that Loch Ness is not only the place where a large fictional monster
27:05is believed to live.
27:07One of the most famous counterparts to the Loch Ness monster is Nahuelito, allegedly
27:11located in Argentina's Nahuelhuapi Lake.
27:14The legend goes on that he is a long-necked swimming monster that can be found deep within
27:18the depths.
27:20According to reports, he has been spotted countless times from the banks of the city
27:23of San Carlos de Baroche in Patagonia.
27:26The first to have seen Nahuelito are the native Tehuelche people, who for millennia reported
27:30spotting a huge creature swimming.
27:33In the 16th century, early Portuguese sailors claimed they spotted the monster there as
27:36well and up until the 1920s, the iterations and stories surrounding it were constantly
27:41changing and evolving.
27:43However, in 1923 the story more or less firmed up.
27:46You see, during that year's carnival in the city, the Italian immigrant and timber merchant
27:50Don Primo Caparo built a model of Nahuelito out of wood and burlap.
27:55For a small fee, children could even ride on the monster's back and soon images of
27:59the event were published in a local newspaper.
28:01Ever since, Baroche has more or less become the spiritual home of this famed monster.
28:06Well, I bounce it back to you.
28:07You think the Loch Ness Monster or Nahuelito could be real?
28:10Or are they just elaborate hoaxes?
28:12Let me know down in the comments below.
28:14Thanks for watching.
28:15I'll see you guys next time.
28:18Thank you to our channel members.