Dearth of Sea Monsters?
An old newspaper post (1961) about the lack of sea monsters in Ontario while Lake Manitoba and lakes in BC, seem to have several sightings.
Archive of
... ecological surrogacy, taxon substitution, and various forms of de…
... ecological surrogacy, taxon substitution, and various forms of de-extinction.
Found as the description for a group on Facebook.
All interesting topics. I didn't know what 'taxon substitution' was. These are all concepts around the idea of bringing back animals extinct from one area. Sometimes completely extinct animals (dinosaurs for example) through genetics and science. Sometimes through rewilding the same animals who have survived in and adapted to another location. Taxon substitution is about bringing another animal which could fit into the environment in a location. Not the same species, but maybe something close they hope will not cause an ecological disaster. (Think cane toads and others which did not turn out as hoped).
Mussie the Muskrat Lake Monster
This is a proposed image of Mussie, the Muskrat Lake Monster, from 2010 in Ontario, Canada. However, when it was seen by a man named Donald Humphreys in 1968, it was given another name. When Humphreys witnessed the strange creature, he gave it the name Hapyxelor (sometimes spelled Hapaxelor). He had no reason for dubbing it with this unique name other than that it “popped into his head” when he saw it. Sightings describe Mussie as a number of things. Witnesses claim that Mussie could have any or all of the following features: two humps on its back, a large fin, a long neck, walrus-like tusks, and three eyes. One eye witness described it as having “three eyes, three ears, one big fin halfway down its back, two legs, [and] one big tooth in front, is silvery-green in colour, and stretches for twenty-four feet.” It was first seen in 1916 and sightings have lasted up until present years. At one point in the 90s, there was a CAN$1 million reward for Mussie’s capture as long as it was still alive.
A Jaguar in Ontario?
A 2011 paper about cougar sightings and evidence in Ontario has this photo in it. Not much detail is given about the photo, but the author states that there were 51 credible “black cougar” or “black panther” sightings in the area between 1991 and 2010. Given the fact there never been a documented melanistic cougar, the author suggests these sightings are exotics, either jaguars or leopards. Link to the paper https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/.../1194/1187/4744
The Igopogo
Igopogo is a creature that is said to reside in Lake Simcoe in Southern Ontario. This lake monster is said to resemble a “stove-pipe” and have a head that is similar shape to a canine. Eyewitnesses also claim that the creature is around 30 to 70 feet in length with numerous dorsal fins along its back. This photo is said to have been captured in 1976, however there is not much information out there about it.
