Tahoe Tessie
Encyclopedia
Tahoe Tessie is a cryptozoological
creature which supposedly resides in North America's largest alpine lake Lake Tahoe
, Nevada
/California
. Tales of the lake-dwelling creature can be traced to stories told by members of the Washoe
and Paiute
tribes in the mid-19th century, stating that the creature resides in an underwater tunnel beneath Cave Rock
, and sightings have continued into modern day.
According to an anonymous witness on Weird California.com , "Myself, along with 3 others watched a large serpent-like creature feeding/hunting in a school of large trout. It was in the middle of winter of 1979 off the dock at Homewood. It was about as big around as a telephone pole and maybe 30'-60' in length from what we could see of it. It didn't swim like a snake (side to side). It was diving up and splashing down with its head/neck? into the school of fish, which were leaping out of the water ahead of it. We were speechless for several minutes afterwards."
In the 1980s, two fishermen reported seeing a 15 feet (4.6 m) serpent pass underneath the surface of the water, near Cave Rock.
Several weeks after, two divers reported finding an underwater cave, and a creature shot out, leaving the silt stirred. Where the creature had been, there were two large fin-prints.
Sometime in the late 1990s, a kayaking instructor reported seeing a glance of what looked like a green two-person kayak flip over and immediately sink. When he approached the area in a speedboat, there were no traces of the kayak, and his students did not report flipping over at any time.
In 2004, an off-duty bartender on the Tahoe Queen took a picture of a black hump in the water, which he claims is the top of the creature's head.
There has been rumored Tessie footage, which is reportedly being analyzed before being released to the public.
, Icthyosaur or a Mosasaur
, due to fossils of the creatures being found in the Surrounding Nevada Desert, and Sierra Nevada mountains. These theories are quickly dismissed by many Tessie experts, stating that the lake was formed in the last Ice Age, long after the creatures went extinct. Other theories say that it may be anything from a population of Sturgeon
, to a new species of Freshwater eel.
Purported sightings continue in modern times.
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...
creature which supposedly resides in North America's largest alpine lake Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
/California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Tales of the lake-dwelling creature can be traced to stories told by members of the Washoe
Washoe people
The Washoe are a Great Basin tribe of Native Americans, living in California and Nevada. The name "Washoe" is derived from the autonym waashiw meaning "people from here" in the Washo language .-Territory:Washoe people have lived in the Great Basin for at least the last 6000 years...
and Paiute
Paiute
Paiute refers to three closely related groups of Native Americans — the Northern Paiute of California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon; the Owens Valley Paiute of California and Nevada; and the Southern Paiute of Arizona, southeastern California and Nevada, and Utah.-Origin of name:The origin of...
tribes in the mid-19th century, stating that the creature resides in an underwater tunnel beneath Cave Rock
Cave Rock Tunnel
The Cave Rock Tunnel is a dual bore highway tunnel on U.S. Route 50 along the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe approximately seven miles north of Stateline, in Douglas County, Nevada, USA...
, and sightings have continued into modern day.
Description
Sightings describe Tessie as being between 10 and 80 feet long, having a large, serpentine body "as wide across as a barrel," and coloration ranging from jet black to turquoise. Its skin is usually described as smooth, despite having reptilian features.Sightings
In the 1950s, two off-duty police officers out on the lake reported seeing a large, black hump rise from the water, and keep speed with the boat, going over 60 mph (27 m/s).According to an anonymous witness on Weird California.com , "Myself, along with 3 others watched a large serpent-like creature feeding/hunting in a school of large trout. It was in the middle of winter of 1979 off the dock at Homewood. It was about as big around as a telephone pole and maybe 30'-60' in length from what we could see of it. It didn't swim like a snake (side to side). It was diving up and splashing down with its head/neck? into the school of fish, which were leaping out of the water ahead of it. We were speechless for several minutes afterwards."
In the 1980s, two fishermen reported seeing a 15 feet (4.6 m) serpent pass underneath the surface of the water, near Cave Rock.
Several weeks after, two divers reported finding an underwater cave, and a creature shot out, leaving the silt stirred. Where the creature had been, there were two large fin-prints.
Sometime in the late 1990s, a kayaking instructor reported seeing a glance of what looked like a green two-person kayak flip over and immediately sink. When he approached the area in a speedboat, there were no traces of the kayak, and his students did not report flipping over at any time.
In 2004, an off-duty bartender on the Tahoe Queen took a picture of a black hump in the water, which he claims is the top of the creature's head.
There has been rumored Tessie footage, which is reportedly being analyzed before being released to the public.
Theories
There have been many theories surrounding Tahoe Tessie, the most popular being that it is either a PlesiosaurPlesiosaur
Plesiosauroidea is an extinct clade of carnivorous plesiosaur marine reptiles. Plesiosauroids, are known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods...
, Icthyosaur or a Mosasaur
Mosasaur
Mosasaurs are large extinct marine lizards. The first fossil remains were discovered in a limestone quarry at Maastricht on the Meuse in 1764...
, due to fossils of the creatures being found in the Surrounding Nevada Desert, and Sierra Nevada mountains. These theories are quickly dismissed by many Tessie experts, stating that the lake was formed in the last Ice Age, long after the creatures went extinct. Other theories say that it may be anything from a population of 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...
, to a new species of Freshwater eel.
In the media
Tahoe Tessie is a popular logo for many Tahoe-based companies, with a cartoon version being in many children's picture books, and a popular character featured in local newspapers. There even used to be a local museum and hotline, but both recently closed.Purported sightings continue in modern times.