Nahuelito
 Supposed photo of Nahuelito | |
| Grouping | Cryptid |
|---|---|
| Sub grouping | Lake monster |
| First reported | 20th century |
| Other name(s) | Nahuel Huapi Lake Monster |
| Country | Argentina |
| Region | Nahuel Huapi Lake, Patagonia, |
| Habitat | Water |
Nahuelito is a lake monster reported to live in Nahuel Huapi Lake, Patagonia, Argentina. Like Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, the Argentine creature is named after the lake she resides in and has been described as a giant serpent or a huge hump, as well as a plesiosaur.[1] Nahuelito has been allegedly shown through photos showing a hump, or a serpentine body.
History
Press coverage for a cryptid in Patagonia began in 1922, but reports of Nahuelito date back just to the last decades of the 20th century. The Buenos Aires Zoo has been attempting to collect evidence of a plesiosaur in Argentina's Patagonian lakes since 1922, under the patronage of Clemente Onelli, but no consequential evidence was found. The small lake where the presence of the cryptid was claimed is known today as Laguna del Plesiosaurio (Plesiosaur's lake).[2][3]
Nahuelito has received much attention as of late due to Sci Fi Channel's investigative TV show Destination Truth airing a show about the creature during its first season. The show is hosted by a cryptozoologist named Josh Gates who investigates mysterious creatures using high tech gear in order to find evidence of the species' existence or to disprove it entirely. According to the Sci Fi Channel's website one theory about the existence of the Nahuelito is that it is "the result of nuclear waste dumped into the lake".[4]
On April 17, 2006 the local newspaper El Cordillerano[5] reported that an anonymous photographer dropped off two pictures of what he said is Nahuelito with a note that read "It is not a twisted tree trunk. It is not a wave. Nahuelito has shown his face. Lake Nahuel Huapi, Saturday April 15, 9 o'clock. I’m not giving out my personal information in order to avoid future headaches".[6]
Purported Photos
References
- ↑ Mark Chorvinsky. "NAHUELITO, PATAGONIAN LAKE MONSTER". NESSIE and Other Lake Monsters. strangemag.com. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
- ↑ The Plesiosaur at Laguna Negra
- ↑ The Patagonian Plesiosaur – Photographs
- ↑ "Destination Truth website".
- ↑ "El Cordillerano website" (in Spanish).
- ↑ "Breaking News: Nahuelito Photographed". Cryptomundo. Retrieved 2010-01-05.