Iliamna Lake Monster
Encyclopedia
The Iliamna Lake Monster is a cryptid
that allegedly lives in Iliamna Lake
in Alaska. Due to the lake's remote location and vast size, little exploration has been done to investigate the sightings. It has, however, been hypothesized to be a giant sturgeon
. The length of the creature varies by sighting from ten feet to thirty feet. There is no physical evidence to prove the existence of the creature. It may be a previously unknown giant fish or even an undiscovered whale. However, if it is a whale, it would most likely be seen much more often when it comes up for air.
, Jeremy Wade
investigated sightings of the alleged monster. In the end, he concluded that the White Sturgeon
was the culprit behind the disappearances of people: some sturgeon exhibit the unusual behavior of jumping out of the water, and a jumping white sturgeon could easily knock people out of their boat. Wade also surmised that it was possible that fishermen in small craft, on seeing the giant fish (which Wade asserts can grow to 20 feet in length) come to the surface, simply panicked and fell or jumped into the water; the low water temperatures of the lake result in very short survival times for swimming victims.
Earlier in the episode, Wade learned from a local man that after his parents were allegedly attacked while boating in Iliamna Lake, his father discovered what appeared to be tooth-marks on the propellers. Once he caught and examined a large sturgeon in the Columbia River, Wade suggested that the apparent tooth-marks could easily have been made by the bony plates protruding from the sturgeon's back when the boat's propeller struck the fish.
The Discovery Channel also featured the Hillstrand brothers, Johnathan and Andy, from the Deadliest Catch
, to catch the alleged monster. After viewing footage filmed at Nushagak Bay
by fisherman Kelly Nash in 2009, they talked to cryptozoologist Paul Leblond, who suggested the creature was a Cadborosaurus. In the end, the brothers possibly found the creature, and tried to catch it with a fishing pole. The creature broke the line and disappeared below to the depths of the lake. They described the creature as a big fish at least 12 to 15ft long, with a white stripe on its back.
Cryptid
In cryptozoology and sometimes in cryptobotany, a cryptid is a creature or plant whose existence has been suggested but is unrecognized by scientific consensus and often regarded as highly unlikely. Famous examples include the Yeti in the Himalayas and the Loch Ness Monster in...
that allegedly lives in Iliamna Lake
Iliamna Lake
Iliamna Lake or Lake Iliamna is a lake in South-West Alaska, at North end of Alaska Peninsula, between Kvichak Bay and Cook Inlet, West of Seldovia, Alaska Bristol Bay Low....
in Alaska. Due to the lake's remote location and vast size, little exploration has been done to investigate the sightings. It has, however, been hypothesized to be a giant sturgeon
Sturgeon
Sturgeon is the common name used for some 26 species of fish in the family Acipenseridae, including the genera Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus. The term includes over 20 species commonly referred to as sturgeon and several closely related species that have distinct common...
. The length of the creature varies by sighting from ten feet to thirty feet. There is no physical evidence to prove the existence of the creature. It may be a previously unknown giant fish or even an undiscovered whale. However, if it is a whale, it would most likely be seen much more often when it comes up for air.
In popular media
On the Animal Planet show River MonstersRiver Monsters
River Monsters is a documentary television series that airs on Animal Planet, hosted by Jeremy Wade and produced by Icon Films of Bristol, UK. The first season aired from 5 April to 17 May 2009. A second season began airing on 25 April 2010...
, Jeremy Wade
Jeremy Wade
Jeremy John Wade is a British biologist, television presenter, extreme angler and writer specializing in travel and natural history. He is best known for his television series River Monsters, produced by Icon Films...
investigated sightings of the alleged monster. In the end, he concluded that the White Sturgeon
White sturgeon
The white sturgeon , also known as the Pacific sturgeon, Oregon sturgeon, Columbia sturgeon, Sacramento sturgeon, and California white sturgeon, is a sturgeon which lives along the west coast of North America from the Aleutian Islands to Central...
was the culprit behind the disappearances of people: some sturgeon exhibit the unusual behavior of jumping out of the water, and a jumping white sturgeon could easily knock people out of their boat. Wade also surmised that it was possible that fishermen in small craft, on seeing the giant fish (which Wade asserts can grow to 20 feet in length) come to the surface, simply panicked and fell or jumped into the water; the low water temperatures of the lake result in very short survival times for swimming victims.
Earlier in the episode, Wade learned from a local man that after his parents were allegedly attacked while boating in Iliamna Lake, his father discovered what appeared to be tooth-marks on the propellers. Once he caught and examined a large sturgeon in the Columbia River, Wade suggested that the apparent tooth-marks could easily have been made by the bony plates protruding from the sturgeon's back when the boat's propeller struck the fish.
The Discovery Channel also featured the Hillstrand brothers, Johnathan and Andy, from the Deadliest Catch
Deadliest Catch
Deadliest Catch is a documentary/reality television series produced by Original Productions for the Discovery Channel. It portrays the real life events aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and C. opilio crab fishing seasons.The Aleutian Islands port of Dutch Harbor,...
, to catch the alleged monster. After viewing footage filmed at Nushagak Bay
Nushagak Bay
Nushagak Bay is a large estuary covering over 100 km2 in southwest part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It opens to Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the eastern Bering Sea north of the Alaska Peninsula....
by fisherman Kelly Nash in 2009, they talked to cryptozoologist Paul Leblond, who suggested the creature was a Cadborosaurus. In the end, the brothers possibly found the creature, and tried to catch it with a fishing pole. The creature broke the line and disappeared below to the depths of the lake. They described the creature as a big fish at least 12 to 15ft long, with a white stripe on its back.