31 Days of Monsters: Megalania

Ah. Australia. Home of the most poisonous snakes, spiders, fish, and ants in the world. That's not how it used to be though. It used to be worse.

Name: Megalania, Giant Ripper Lizard.

Size: Estimates from remains mark the creature anywhere between 4.5 to 7 meters in length (15 to 23 feet.)

Appearance: This is effectively, a monitor lizard, similar to the Komodo Dragon and probably looks much the same, only much, much bigger.

Threat: High. This is a predator. No if's, ands, or buts. It WILL track you, catch you, kill you, and eat you.

This isn't just an animal which people have caught glimpses of, and which MIGHT be out there. We know for a fact, this creature used to be there and in fairly significant numbers. The real question is whether or not the animal is actually extinct like the Australian government would probably like us to believe. (Disclaimer: I am not a hardcore conspiracy theorist. Unless it comes to aliens and UFO's.) Though, why they would think something like this would scare people away after everything else Australia has to offer, is beyond me.

Taxonomy, the science of classifying animals, puts Megalania in the same group of animals as the Komodo Dragons, and, if this is accurate, indicates that on top of being a 30 foot long, 2-ton lizard, it was probably poisonous as well. Why a 30-foot, 2-ton lizard needs to be poisonous, I don't know.

Of all the creatures I'm going to go over this month, this one probably has the best and most direct evidence for it's existence. For a start, we know it used to exist already. We know this is a real animal. In 1979, a farmer in Central Queensland, Australia, discovered a collection of bones in a corner of his property. Upon taking them to the University of Brisbane, they were identified as Megalania bones. That was quite a find in and of itself already, but the real kicker was when the bones were dated. It was determined that the bones were actually only 300 years old! Merely the blink of an eye in geologic time and almost a thousand years after Megalania was thought to have been extinct.

In addition to fairly recent remains, footprints have been found, and sightings have even been made by respected scientists as in the case of Herpetologist Frank Gordon. There are even some aboriginal tribes who insist that even to this day, they know of, respect, and fear these monstrous creatures, claiming sounds in the jungles where they live are made by them.

Surprisingly, there aren't many stories which include the Megalania in their work, as a monster or even as a creature of interest. The Animal Planet series Lost Tapes, included an episode based on Megalania called "Devil Dragon" where we never actually see the animal, only the dumb guy who got bit being dragged off camera into the scrub. As well, the animal was featured in an episode of the History channel's Monsterquest. The sad fact of the matter is that despite Megalania's fearsome size, power, and poisonous bite, it just doesn't compare to the awe inspired by Tyrannosaurus Rex, or the small, deadly quickness of Velociraptor. While some people don't like any kind of reptile, most people aren't going to be afraid of an over-sized lizard. Even if it is the size of a bus.

So. I'm packed. Anyone else want to head down under?

~ Shaun

31 Days of Monsters: Megaconda

It's a given, that the South American rain forest is teeming with animals and plants yet to be discovered by science. Most are small, like this cricket discovered in a cave in Venezuela, which can swim and eats flesh. The idea that larger animals could be slinking through the trees, ground-litter and the murky water, is one that is easy to accept.

Name: Giant Anaconda, Megaconda, Titanoboa

Length: 40 - 60 feet

Appearance: Reports are of a common Anaconda, easily found in the amazon rain forest, but in sizes that are not accepted for the species. The common anaconda is accepted to reach lengths of up to 18 feet, far from the 40 - 60 feet claims which come out of the jungle every two to three years.

Threat: High. Snakes are known to be opportunistic carnivores, eating whatever they can swallow. The width of a human's shoulders generally impedes a large snake's ability to devour a person, though it is known through several reports that Anaconda's and even some large Boa's have attempted to eat people. A snake the size of the giant anaconda, would have no difficulty in catching, killing, and devouring a human adult whole

Sightings are mostly anecdotal, stories from native tribes and the rare glimpse of a serpent with nothing around to help judge its size accurately. The fact that these snakes are aquatic, and the murkiness of the Amazon river can make it very difficult to determine a snake's size. You may be able to see the head and ten feet clearly, but there is really no telling how much of the snake is still hidden in the water. It could be six feet, or it could be another twenty. That the issue is a matter of size of a known animal rather than a new species, coloration doesn't vary either between the common and the giant anaconda.

Outside of sightings, the only other evidence are skins, shed and whole. Shed skin can give some hints, from the size of individual scales, but shed skins are very fragile and a whole shed skin the size of a giant anaconda would be extremely difficult to find. The other option would be a real skin, but those can be lengthened out to up to 50% longer than they were in life through the tanning process. So for a real skin to be accepted to be from a giant anaconda, it would probably have to reach 60 to 80 feet long or more.

While the giant anaconda is limited to the Amazon rain forests of South America, there is a current problem in the Florida Everglades with Reticulated and Burmese Pythons. The perfect climate and the lack of any natural predators means a lot of these snakes are quickly growing to threatening sizes that, while they may not be able to devour an adult human, they could still easily kill one, and it would be very possible that smaller children could disappear, only to turn up inside a large snake.

As far as movies go, it would be remiss to discuss this monster without the movie that bears its name. Giant snakes have been a common movie monster, and have seen several incarnations, from Anacondas to Boas, Cobras and Dragons. In a few lesser movies, they even fought each other. They seem to be much less popular in books, however, being trumped by more threatening reptiles such as alligators, crocodiles and dinosaurs.

While most scientists will dismiss the idea of snakes that big, there are ones that size and larger in the fossil record, and reports of sightings continue to this day. Two facts which support the possibility of such large serpents. Snakes can continue to grow throughout their lives, based on the amount of food available, so with a constant supply of food, as is provided by farming communities in the Amazon now. Also, there is a large amount of the Amazon which remains to be explored in the current age, between 60 to 80% depending on some sources. So it's very likely there are large animals left to be discovered.

So if you travel to the Everglades or down to South America, be aware if you go swimming in the rivers. These ambush predators aren't picky about what they grab, even if they don't find out they can't eat their prey until after it's dead.

~ Shaun

31 Days of Monsters: Chupacabra

If you live down in the southern US and Mexico, you probably know about this curious critter. Stories started in the mid-1990's in Puerto Rico of goats and chickens being attacked and drained of blood. Thus the name Chupacabra, which means goat-sucker.

Name: Cupacabra

Height: 3 - 4 feet tall

Appearance: There are currently two differing descriptions of the Chupa. Initial descriptions was a 3 - 4 foot tall, bipedal creature with short, quill-like hairs or smooth, scaly skin, large eyes that glowed red, and a row of spines running down its back. Some sightings suggested the ability to fly by membranes under its arms or at least the ability to jump long distances. The other description is of creatures which have been seen much more recently, animals which look like small canines, almost hairless, with excessively large canine teeth.

Threat: Low to moderate. While there are no actual attacks on people reported, the Chupa has been seen to make threatening gestures when disturbed, including hissing and making advances, though it doesn't pursue when people flee.

Sightings are primarily in the south, along the US/Mexico border. Stretching from Florida to California, down into Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Panama, and up into Georgia, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. Full sightings are rare, as the creature is expressly nocturnal. More common are the signs of its passing, chickens, goats, and similar small stock animals found dead in the morning, their bodies drained of blood and the only visible wounds being one or two small puncture wounds in the neck. Most sightings occur when someone interrupts it feeding, leading to short, but intense confrontations before it flees into the darkness.

One of the interesting things about the Chupacabra mythos, is that it happened so recently and so quickly. In March of 1995, 8 sheep were found dead, their bodies completely bloodless in Orocovis, Puerto Rico. Over the course of the rest of the year, it was sighted 35 times and was blamed for the death of over 150 animals on the island. Earlier attacks have been attributed to the creature since, but even those don't pre-date the 1980's. Since then sightings and evidence of its passing have spread out, in a pattern very consistent with the expansion of an invasive animal species.

Theories about its origins vary. It has been suggested to be a stranded alien creature, a genetic experiment which escaped from a lab, or even a creature which has always been there and simply been pushed into our backyards through deforestation and the destruction of the rain forests. The canids which have been getting caught most recently and branded as Chupacabras have been genetically tested and most are determined to be coyote hybrids, either with wolves, domestic dogs, or foxes.

Being a more recent and lesser-known cryptid, it hasn't been used as much in movies and books as creatures such as Sasquatch and lake monsters. That is not to say it hasn't been used though. Generally, it is portrayed as the monster, a hideous predator, looking for fresh meat.

Sadly, most works including this creature have been B-movie fare at best. Trying to entertain through gore and through being bad as opposed to trying for real scares or portraying the Chupacabra as anything other than a bloodthirsty beast.

If movies are bad, books are even harder to find, though they are out there. Most of them follow the same ideas as the movies, however, hoping for the same level of entertainment, or basing their hopes of success on other aspects of the story.

So, if you find yourself down south on vacation. It might be a good idea to not wander too far out into the desert for reasons other than the heat, scorpions, venomous snakes, and lack of water. You also might want to bring your pet goats and chickens inside after it gets dark, too.

~ Shaun

31 Days of Monsters: Kraken

The idea of giant monsters lurking in the depths of the ocean has probably been around since the first pre-humanoid saw the form of a shark swimming through the shallows before disappearing out to sea. Since that time, we've explored the oceans some and we know it isn't teeming with creatures just waiting for us to unwittingly swim into their reach. However, we've also discovered that, in some cases, there really are creatures we should be very afraid of.

Name: Giant Squid, Giant Octopus, Kraken

Size: Actual size estimates are hard to come across, but it's generally accepted that a real Kraken would stretch hundreds of feet across, from tentacle tip to tentacle tip.

Appearance: 8 - 10 tentacles, extending from a central mass, which can be bulbous like an octopus, or pointed like a squid. Occasionally, it also has humanoid features.

Threat: High. The Kraken is a predator, attacking ships, smashing them apart and devouring the crew as they flail about in the water.

The Kraken can be found anywhere in the ocean, though the deeper, the better, and reports stretch across all the seven seas, from the coast of the UK, to the Caribbean, to the Philippines. It is more common on the open ocean than close to shore, but there is nowhere off-limits to its reach.

In recent years, proof of the existence of Giant and Gigantic Squid have given credence to the idea of the Kraken. While such creatures don't stretch to the size stories report, they prove that giant animals can still exist undiscovered on this world we claim to rule. Giant and Gigantic Squid have been put forth as the reason for the Kraken legends, with the extra size attributed to exaggeration, due to primitive sailor's panic at having seen such creatures. They certainly possess the size to be terrifying creatures, and they are undoubtedly dangerous creatures. If they have the same aggressive disposition as their smaller cousins the Humboldt Squid, than they would be almost eager to come across a diver or swimmer in the water to grab and devour.

Reports of the range of the smaller, aggressive Humboldt increasing both North and South along the Western coast of the america's offers more problems than just dealing with the these smaller creatures. Squid are cannibalistic, and it has long been suggested that Giant and Gigantic squid regularly feed on their smaller cousins. The show Monsterquest went on an expedition to test such theories and managed some very impressive footage of an extremely large squid that they were unable to identify. With the spread of the Humboldts,  it's very conceivable that the larger versions will spread out as well, following their food sources as they cover more and more of the ocean.

The Kraken has long been a creature of myth and legend, appearing in Greek stories, and books such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It has had no shortage of appearances in movies and even television shows about its exploits. Most recently in the remake of Clash of the Titans and the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Though it has other movies it stars in as well, which are, thankfully, less well-known.

So, while you shouldn't be too worried. It never hurts to be aware of what might be lurking in the dark abyssal depths below you if you happen to go out swimming in the ocean or out on a little day sailing trip. After all, when you're talking about something as massive and powerful as the Kraken, it's very possible that many sightings are never reported, purely because there are almost never any survivors.

~ Shaun

31 Days of Monsters: Sasquatch

I live in the pacific northwest, where camping, hiking, and nature walks are commonplace and can be found within a half-hour trip from even such a major city as Seattle. So it makes sense to start with the most local "monster" on the list.

Name: Sasquatch, Bigfoot

Height: 6-10 feet tall

Appearance: Humanoid/ape, walking upright, coarse black or brown hair covering the entire body.

Threat: Low. Reports of sleeping campers being carried off and held captive have been made, but are rare and never include violence.

Sightings are most common on the West coast, stretching from California up to British Columbia and Alaska, with the majority of sightings being in Washington state. They mostly include quick glances through the brush or along streams and rivers, with the rare dash through semi-open terrain. More common and more famously, are the footprints found in mud other soft terrain. Stretching anywhere from 10 - 16 inches, most commonly with five toes, though more or less have been seen.

The nature of sasquatch being so human-like, leads it to be an easy target for hoaxes and pranks, and a lot of sightings and prints are easily debunked as such. Shoes which leave prints the size and shape of Sasquatch are easy to make, and there is no shortage of gorilla costumes available on the internet. In 2012, a man attempting to create a Sasquatch hoax, died in the attempt. Wearing a ghillie suit, he attempted to dash across a busy highway, was hit by one car (undoubtedly seriously traumatizing the 15-year-old girl driving), and ran over by a second (this one being a 17-year-old boy). Apparently, nobody thought he was bigfoot either.

Despite the ease with which it can be done and how common hoaxes are, there are still a lot of people that believe in Sasquatch. While the scientific community claims there just isn't enough evidence to prove the existence of such a creature, there are enough credible sightings, unexplained photographs, and footprints to enforce the idea that there may still be something out there which is not recognized. One of the biggest helpers to proving the idea that it may exist, is the fact that almost all native american tribes in the areas where bigfoot sightings have occurred have stories and legends of large, humanoid creatures living in the forests and mountains. The word Sasquatch actually originates from the Halkomelem language word sásq’ets. A language common to native tribes in northwestern Washington and southwest British Columbia. Conflict between tribes was common, but I doubt they'd be going around leaving fake giant footprints around each other's campsites.


The figure of Sasquatch has been used fairly commonly in books and movies. Sometimes he is the monster, shredding tents and people alike with fangs, other times he is an intelligent, misunderstood animal, caught up in people's greed for fame and fortune. Most recently, he's been seen in a series of comedic commercials where he is the butt of practical jokes and warns of the dangers of provoking people who shouldn't be provoked.

So if you're going out camping for the 4th of July or for your summer vacation. Keep your camera on you and keep your eyes and ears open. That large dark form moving through the brush off to your left on the trail might just be a large deer. It also might be a bear. Or, it may be something else entirely...

~ Shaun