Lake monster terrifies villagers in Ukraine

[Olga]

25.06.2007

A huge monster with the head of a serpent and the body of a crocodile is rumored to lurk at the bottom of a lake in Western Ukraine. The monster has been frightening residents of a nearby village for more than one hundred years. Now and again the gruesome creature comes ashore and attacks domestic animals. At times it harms humans too. As a rule, locals steer clear of the lake. Researchers keep gathering information in an attempt to unravel the lake mystery.

Quite a few bloodcurdling stories about the monster of the lake circulate through the village. It is said to attack animals and humans. The hideous monster is also said to moan and wheeze at night. The local elderly say that the “lizard” was last seen on the lake shore some 30 years ago.

“The monster assaulted Stepan, a groom. He was tending horses near the lake on that day. Actually, Stepan had too much of a drink so he stretched himself out on the grass and fell asleep. A crocodile-like creature crept on to the bank out of the water, moved up to the guy, and sniffed at him. Mushroom pickers came from the wood at the very moment. They saw that thing and started shouting out loud to scare it off. The monster reportedly opened its month and there wasn’t a single tooth inside,” said the 84-year-old Ivan Kovalchuk, a resident of the village.

It is believed that the first stories about the monster hiding in Lake Somin near the village of Lukiv appeared at the turn of the 19th century. The reference to the monster can be found in a report sent by a village chairman to Warsaw. He wrote that the villagers had not paid a tax on fishing because of a “serpent” which lived in the lake, eating the fishes. The unknown predator also harassed the livestock and locals, said the letter. The authorities had plans to dispatch an expedition to the area to investigate the case. But those plans fell through due the outbreak of World War I.

The German military made an attempt to solve the mystery of Lake Somin during World War II. The Germans used diving equipment and nets for exploring the bottom of the lake. However, their efforts to capture the creature ended in failure, reports Gazeta Po-ukrainski.

Some researchers believe that the lake monster is a huge cat fish. Lots of cat fishes can be found in numerous lakes and ponds located in the area. “Cat fishes can use their big strong fins for dragging themselves ashore. Several cat fishes caught around here were really big. They weighed about 100 kilos each, measuring up to two meters in length,” said Valentin Lyupa, a researcher of “the Somin Monster.”

Other scientists claim that the creature could be a prehistoric freshwater shark which somehow survived the Ice Age. “The archeological finds discovered in the area can back up this version. There’re many reports on fossilized teeth and bones of ancient fishes dug out by locals in their gardens,” said Valentin Volontai, an adviser with the Institute of Archeology under the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.

Lake Somin is located in Polessie lowlands, which formed at the bottom of an ancient freshwater sea. About 300 lakes scattered around the area are the remainders of the sea. Those karst lakes interconnect by means of underground passages and rives.

Lake Somin is 56 meters deep. A number of karst caves lie at its bottom. That is where the monster lies in wait, according to locals. The Polish researchers are reportedly going to give it another try and solve the lake mystery. A special research party is expected to commence work on location in the near future.

Translated by Guerman Grachev
Pravda.ru http://english.pravda.ru/science/mysteries/25-06-2007/93964-monster-0

[ForgeMaster]

My brother was a diver when he was younger.  He went into different kinds of places for certifications.  One such place is what we call gravel pits.  These were big holes dug to take out gravel to build buildings or bridges.  When water fills the gravel pit, they must stop taking out gravel and get it someplace else.  Some of these pits have water that is more than 200 feet deep.  People have brought catfish from other places to live in these pits and they grow bigger and bigger.  The smart ones (can a catfish be smart??) live a long time. 
  My brother stopped diving there when he saw a catfish that was big enough to eat him.    He said the fish was about 8 feet long and the mouth was 5-6 feet wide.  He didn't know whether to swim quickly and be eaten or sit still and hope it would not see him or his bubbles.
  He is still alive today.  I guess the fish was not hungry.  I hate it when lake monsters terrify villagers!!

FM

[Maxx]

This one weighed a 1/3rd of the weight of the largest Sturgeon ever caught, a Beluga Sturgeon from Russia




Maxx

[kleeb]

     I read in a magazine that a man was drowned by a catfish. He knew of a big catfish in a river. His plan was to attach a large hook to his hand and dive in and hook the big fish. The big fish was too big for him to handle and he couldn't free himself after hooking it. They found his body still attached to the fish. Believe it or not.  Lee

[kleeb]

     Maxx, what is the weight of the fish in the picture. I just searched and found the the biggest offically was 1800 lbs. That would make it 600 lbs.  Lee

[Chris]

Thai fishermen netted a catfish as big as a grizzly bear, setting a world record for the largest freshwater fish ever found, according to researchers who studied the 646-pound (294Kg) Mekong giant catfish as part of a project to protect large freshwater fish.

Others have made claims of finding larger sturgeon, but the International Game Fishing Association says the largest sturgeon on record is 468 pounds. That fish has also held the record for largest freshwater fish caught.

'Largest fish species disappearing'
Hogan said his study of giant freshwater fish "is showing a clear and global pattern: the largest fish species are disappearing. "The challenge is clear," he added, "we must find methods to protect these species and their habitats. By acting now, we can save animals like the Mekong giant catfish from extinction.”

Zeb Hogan project leaders project includes two-dozen other species, including the giant freshwater stingray, the dog-eating catfish, the dinosaur-like arapaima, and the Chinese paddlefish – "all of which remain contenders for the title of the world’s largest fish," the researchers stated, pending the final results of their work.

"Long shots for the title include caviar-producing sturgeon, goliath Amazon catfish, giant lungfish, razor-toothed gars, massive cods, and Mongolian salmon," they added.

Didn't survive capture
The Mekong giant catfish was caught and eaten in a remote village in Thailand along the Mekong River, home to more species of giant fish than any other river in the world, the researchers said.

Local environmentalists and government officials had negotiated to release the fish so it could continue its spawning migration in the far north of Thailand, near the borders of Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and China, but the adult male later died.

The researchers said the Mekong giant catfish is declining as a species due to habitat destruction and upstream dams.

The Mekong River Basin is home to more species of massive fish than any river on Earth, they added, and Mekong fish are the primary source of protein for the 73 million people that live along the river.

[Chris]

The Mekong giant catfish is listed by The Guinness Book of World
Records as the Earth's largest freshwater fish. Reaching a maximum size of three metres in length and 300kg, the species is unique to the Mekong River

This one is 153kg only half the size they grow too!!

I am guessing, but I think the reason they are not always recorded is because they can be classed as living in fresh and/or salt water. By measuring Otoliths in the heads of the fish they can determine how old the fish are. However the ratio of Strontium to Calcium in an Otolith records whether the fish has been living in fresh or salt water. Strontium levels/concentrations in saltwater are one or two magnitudes greater than in rivers or streams. Thus they are never sure whether these fish have migrated from the ocean even though they have been caught sometimes up to 1000km inland.

[Maxx]

     Maxx, what is the weight of the fish in the picture. I just searched and found the the biggest offically was 1800 lbs. That would make it 600 lbs.  Lee

"Four anglers took turns for six hours reeling in the 11-footer that weighed more than 1000 pounds."
http://www.floridasportsman.com/casts/060602/

The largest sturgeon caught (if you believe Russian fishermen) was a Beluga sturgeon in the Volga River, 3221 lbs (source below) and 26, 28 feet long (from other sources)
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/600-699/nb663.htm (see last sentence)

I can see such a beast be mistaken for a sea monster.


Maxx