MonsterQuest

MonsterQuest: Ogopogo

Ogopogo "Lake Demon of Okanagan"

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BEHAVIOR

Ogopogo is said to move at great speed, coiling its body in vertical undulations and propelling itself forward with a powerful tail. It is believed that the creature prowls the depths of Lake Okanagan and preys on the lake's 22 known species of fish, such as salmon, trout, burbot and chub.

WHEREABOUTS

Located 300 miles northeast of Seattle, Canada's Lake Okanagan is said to be the home of a mysterious creature, the Lake Demon of Okanagan. Known to locals as "Ogopogo" and to Native Americans as N'ha-a-itk, it is believed that the creature makes its home in the part of the lake called Squally Point.

VITAL STATS

Eyewitness accounts report that the beast is a huge serpentine creature with smooth dark skin, large eyes and an elongated head. Ogopogo has been estimated to measure about 60 feet in length and its body is said to be thicker than a telephone pole.

RELATIVES

The Ogopogo is believed to be related to a mega serpent discovered by Captain Bill Hagland in 1937. Discovered in the stomach of a sperm whale off the Pacific Coast, the specimen is thought to be one of the few of its kind that has been seen by humans.

HISTORY

Local residents of the Okanagan Valley have claimed sightings of the Lake Demon for more than 300 years. When European settlers arrived in the late 1800s, they also began telling stories of an ominous creature living in the lake. As sightings increased, the settlers patrolled the lakeshore at night to protect their families. These early pioneers translated the Native American name N'ha-a-itk into "Lake Demon." Later, many photographs and even film was taken of the creature. The earliest footage of Ogopogo was taken in 1968 and shows a dark mass, approximately 60 feet long and 3 feet in diameter.

MOST RECENT SIGHTING

There are more reported sightings of the Ogopogo than of any other lake beast in the world, including the Loch Ness monster. Sightings of the Lake Demon are reported by eyewitnesses as many as five to seven times per year. In 2008 avid photographer Sean Viloria took a photograph of what he thinks was Ogopogo, and independent sources verify that the image was not doctored. The picture shows what is thought to be the creature's head and neck poking out of the water. Other images of the alleged monster are eerily similar.