Philippino Longneck

philippine_mythology__bakunawa__i__and_haliya__j__by_binibinieyebagstotz-d4zbpog

There is apparently one main catchall category for Sea Monsters in the Philippines generally, and it is the exact equivalent to "Taniwha" and literally means "SHARK." It basically means the Whale-Eater but in this case ,the  Long-Necked Sea Serpent is depicted but using the same name as used by the whale-eater (the creature serves mythologically both as the Lord of primordial Chaos and as the snake that swallows the sun during a solar eclipse. I imagine the last myth is the original for Jonah and the "Whale." The  composite SeaMonster equivalent to Taniwhas is presumably the same as Tompandrano also and there might also be a linguistic connection. In this case, though, we are talking about a standard "Periscope" sighting such as elsewhere seen the whole world over.

The creature has an unusual-looking thing in its mouth which to me resembles a large crab. As far as I am concerned it actually IS a large crab the creature is attempting to eat. The best candidate would be the blue swimming crab or flower crab as it is known in the orient, and this can be something like eigh inches across the carapace: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portunus_pelagicus

The scale is shown as if the Longneck was about 60 feet long with a head two feet wide and three feet long. The head is shown in a correct shape and proportion for a Longneck, my personal preference is that the size represents a theoretical maximum and not a commonly achieved size. The representation is similar to what is called a Naga further to the West of the Philippines. I am assuming the illustration is based on older traditional prototypes. The size and the shape of the creatures head (Plus the confirmation that Longnecks are observed to feed on squids, octopi, lobsters and crabs as well as fishes) are statements which can be found in the conclusions section of Oudemans' book The Great Sea Serpent.

The Large End of "Merhorse" Reports

Bernard Heuvelmans recognized that there was an ambiguity in his division of Sea-serpent reports and the determining features he used. He mentioned that his super eel category could be divided up into two different size range categories, one peaking around 30 feet in length and the other about 100. Fairly early on I realized that the same thing also worked for Merhorses,
Manes turned out to be non-determing factor in sorting since most kinds o f Sea Serpents seem to have some sort of a medial backfin or backbone ridge accentuator. But in this case the larger "Merhorses" were associated with other features such as a much shorter and thicker neck and an enormous eye a foot across or "The size of dinner plates"
Below  I'm   outlining several features from several distinct  reports WORLD-WIDE

Above and below, large Mosasaur reconstructions by Charles R Knight, including the medial backfin. The medial fin does have a reason to be there, to provide stability in a very long body swimming, even as Bernard Heuvelmans had argued  for a long low stabilizer down the middle of the back for Basislosaurus (zueglodon)



Dart SS_sighting_by_Pristichampsus (Tim Morris) on Deviant art

Above the Merhorse variant sighting from the Dart/Captain JM Dawson/ Dundee 1878 report which was said to be suspicious by Heuvelmans in that it was .said to be like no other report.(In the Wake of the Sea Serpents, p 363) But for the fact that it was said to have had a mane down its back, on the contrary, it sounds very much like the famous Rotomahana report that Tony Lucas thinks is a Mosasaur (On the bais of the plan drawing  above I would tend to go along with that interpretation now) Below is the Grangense SS used to represent the usual run of "Marine Saurian" reports.


 Grangense SS_sighting_by_Pristichampsus (Tim Morris) on Deviant Art

The U28 and U108 Sea Serpents in World War I were most likely the same type,
Seen in cold waters of the North Sea and North Atlantic in the summer, and said to be about 100 feet long

http://laist.com/2009/01/11/weird_los_angeles_7.php

Weird Los Angeles: The San Clemente Sea Monster

Believe it or not, Southern California's San Clemente was once a sea serpent haven. The June 1934 issue of Esquire Magazine For Men featured an intriguing article by a Ralph Bandini who spoke quite openly of his two encounters with the San Clemente Monster. In his article "I Saw A Sea Monster," Bandini commented, "San Clemente Island is a lonely, wind-swept bit of rock and sand lying some fifty miles south of Los Angeles Harbor. It is little frequented except by fishermen. Its waters are lonely too...The Thing itself appears to like this remote bit of ocean - that windy channel between San Clemente and Santa Catalina."

During the early 1900s there were rumors that a strange creature was roaming the Avalon waters, and that some thirty people had seen the monster, but spoke little of it. Baldini was tuna fishing in the southern Californian channels when he first spotted the leviathan. He was ten miles off Catalina when the beast emerged from the water about a mile away. It was no whale. No sea elephant. It was a monster. It was a glistening, dark beast that rose out of the water, and remained exposed for a minute or so before sinking majestically back into the depths.
Baldini chose not to speak of the sighting, despite the possibility of some publicity and small fortune. He respected others who'd seen the beast, and all witnesses he could track down sketched a monster that matched every other sketch he'd seen. Then, in the September of 1920 Ralph had a very close encounter with possibly the same form.

He was swordfish fishing with a Mr Smith Warren. They'd been positioned at Mosquito Harbor and were passing White Rock when something caught Baldini's eye. Just three-hundred yards away he saw what he described as, "A great barrel-shaped Thing, tapering toward the top and surmounted by a reptilian head strangely resembling those of the huge, prehistoric creatures whose reproductions stand in various museums. It lifted what must have been a good twenty-feet. Widely spaced in the head were two eyes - eyes such as were never conceived of even in the wildest nightmare."
These eyes were around a foot in diameter, like dinner plates, belonging to some great, hulking monster seemingly spewed from one of H.P. Lovecraft's fictional terror tales. But this was real.
The men headed for the creature and got to within one-hundred feet. It appeared as though it was covered in [had a mane they thought was made up of] short, dark bristles, (with) a reddish hue. All that protruded from the water was a huge neck and head. Goodness knows what length and mass lurked beneath the waves it frothed around it. And then it was gone...slipping back into the murky domain.
Only a few witnesses to the San Clemente sea monster remain today. Many have surely never spoken of the great beast, and others died with their secrets. However, what we do know is that out there, somewhere, there still may be one, two, or more sea serpents eluding science, and stirring the waves of legend.
Sources: Strange Ark

Contact the author of this article or email tips@laist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

[When Tabitca Cape ran this story on her Crypto-osicty blog I immediately saw it was no typical Merhorse sighting but it did also have several measurements in common with the following famous report, and to the Sea Serpent said to have been killed and flensed by the crew of the Monongahela--]

 

http://www.thebookofdays.com/months/aug/6.htm

 

On the 12^th of December 1857, the ship Castilian, bound from Bombay to Liverpool, was, at six in the evening, about ten miles distant from St. Helena. A monster that suddenly appeared in the water was described by the three chief officers of the ship—Captain G. H. Harrington, Mr. W. Davies, and Mr. E. Wheeler; the description was entered by Captain Harrington in his Official Meteorological Journal, and was forwarded to the Board of Trade. Nothing can be more plain than the honest good faith in which the narrative is written. The chief facts, in the captain's own words, are as follows: 'While myself and officers were standing on the lee-side of the poop, looking towards the island, we were startled by the sight of a huge marine animal, which reared its head out of the water, within twenty yards of the ship; when it suddenly disappeared for about half a minute, and then made its appearance in the same manner again—shewing us distinctly its neck and head, about ten or twelve feet out of the water. Its head was shaped like a long nun-buoy [a conical shape]; and I suppose the diameter to have been seven or eight feet in the largest part, with a kind of scroll, or tuft of loose skin, encircling it about two feet from the top. [The Mane in this case was recognized as a continuous  frill of skin and it turned over, hanging down two feet from the top/median line of the spine]
The water was discoloured for several hundred feet from its head: so much so, that on its first appearance my impression was that the ship was in broken water, produced, as I supposed, by some volcanic agency since the last time I passed the island; but the second appearance completely dispelled those fears, and assured us that it was a monster of extraordinary length, which appeared to be moving slowly towards the land. The ship was going too fast, to enable us to reach the mast-head in time to form a correct estimate of its extreme length; but from what we saw from the deck, we conclude that it must have been over two hundred feet long. The boatswain and several of the crew who observed it from the top-gallant fore-castle, state that it was more than double the length of the ship, in which case it must have been five hundred feet. Be that as it may, I am convinced that it belonged to the serpent tribe; it was of a dark colour about the head, and was covered with several white spots.' Captain Harrington, some time afterwards, strengthened his testimony by that of other persons.

 

 

In Swedish ecclesiastic and writer Olaus Magnus's Carta Marina, many marine monsters of varied form, including an immense sea serpent, appear. Moreover, in his 1555 work History of the Northern Peoples, Magnus gives the following description of a Norwegian sea serpent:

Those who sail up along the coast of Norway to trade or to fish, all tell the remarkable story of how a serpent of fearsome size, 200 feet long and 20 feet wide, resides in rifts and caves outside Bergen. On bright summer nights this serpent leaves the caves to eat calves, lambs and pigs, or it fares out to the sea and feeds on [octopus and jellyfish*], crabs and similar marine animals. It has ell-long hair hanging from its neck, sharp black scales and flaming red eyes. It attacks vessels, grabs and swallows people, as it lifts itself up like a column from the water.

[*since the jellyfish species named can grow up to three feet in diameter and  with tentacles trailing for 15-20 feet, we are talking a rather substantially-sized prey item. Other versions of the sea-serpents' prey list includes mention of squids and cuttlefish, seals, dolphins and small whales. The livestock items would have gone missing and were more than likely consumed by other humans while the sea-serpent was blamed for the neighbours' thefts. "Standing up like a Pillar" would mean as in the case of the Rotomahana mentioned in the passage above [And presumably also refers to the Physeter of antique maps]. In this case the dimensions would be doubled and the "Hair" a continuous backfin at about a foot or 18 inches high (Depending on the length of the ell as being used at the time-the ell is originally a cubit or 18 inches but several countries use the "Double ell" or yard as the standard and that would have been the "English Ell" at the time Olaus Magnus was originally writing.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ell  ]

Physeter, Heuvelmans calls a Longneck.
Incidentally the large "Whale-eater" Marine Saurians are also reported to "Blow like a whale" when surfacing.

[It would seem that the largest "maned" sea serpents of tradition were of this type, and that the early Sea serpent reports commonly estimated as 100 to 500 feet and upwards were of this type. Heuvelmans does mention that some of the reports in his category were of this great length and it seems that the length could have been exaggerated because the animals were also seen around pods of whales and the estimates of length counted the whales along as part of the same body]

 

 Combined map for "Marine Saurians" around the world, less the Crocodiles

More on Mosasaur Sightings

http://kriis.com/Mosasaur/mosasaur.html

Message #5154 of 8203 from the Yahoo group Frontiers of Zoology:

Russian Antarctic Sea Serpents from Pravda
Posted by Dale Drinnon, January 9,2010  9:30 PM

There have been several reports of Sea Serpents in waters of the Southern Indian Ocean made by Russian whalers and exploratory vessels, and they are uniformlydescribed as snake-shaped, laterally-undulating and an overall light browncolor. They are supposed to be of very large size and they chase whales: thatwould mean about a hundred feet long and chasing small-to-medium-sized whales,in schools of about 30 individual whales. They are suspected in other areas such as East of Australia and around Tierra Del Fuego: and some accounts make them out to be the culprits chasing herds of small whales ashore to beach themselves en masse. I was looking for some good representative sightings on the internet but what I was turning up was clouded by some very bad speculation about the Sea Monsters driving the whales ashore by mental telepathy, by thinking bad thoughts at the whales. They are called Leviathans at one site and one of the other sources listed in the CFZ archives calls them "Sea Lions" but that source assumes they are like vastly enlarged  ordinary sea lions.At any rate, I think this is the same big-mosasaur that the U-Boat captains wereseeing aroundthe North Sea and Irish sea. Early reports of this type were listedin Ivan Sanderson's archivesat the SITU, but they were routine press clippingsreprinted from the Soviet sources such asPravda was then. The more interesting part is that they are big, snakelike, laterally-undulating creatures and their feeding behavoir had been observed. RARE observations also made byJapanese ships also confirm these observations. They are called Sea Dragons and JamesSweeney has an account in his book on Sea Monsters. Best Wishes, Dale D.

Item from Ivan Sanderson's files
#21. Off Soviet Research Station, Antarctica. "Sea serpent". 49' long. Light brown. Moved like
snake with "convulsive movements". Labelled a "sea snake".
http://thebiggeststudy.blogspot.com/2011/05/peeking-at-ivans-situ-files-meaningless_31.html

A later Russian reference said that "a dozen" report of the same type in Antarctic waters were known,
 and there seem to be similar reports of creatures made in the cold waters North of Iceland and up to Spoitzbergen: there is however the pretty good counter-claim that such stories in the arctic are based
 on rotted corpses of big sharks and whales looking like "Dinosaurs" since the mention is made that
 some of them are "Furry"



Message #5017 of 8203 at the Yahoo Group Frontiers-of-Zoology

Patagonian Monsters, Additional
Thu Dec 17, 2009 7:49 am

Some of Austin Whittall's illustrations are quite interesting since they seem to
indicate a type of Patagonian crocodilian or caiman. I suppose this might be one
of the "Dragons" reported by early explorers. Needless to say it would be quite unusual to find
ordinary crocodilians in such a cold place. Are they describing the type of
Sea-Serpents Heuvelmans called Marine Saurians? Some of the illustrations show
rounded foreflipper-like "Wings" and perhaps they are meant to represent
Mosasaurs.

Best Wishes, Dale D.

From Dale Drinnon's Amended Cryptozoological Checklist:
Marine Saurian;
Heuvelmans created the category but did not make several important internal distinctions. There is the standard version which he describes as 40 to 60 feet long and which seems likely to be a mosasaur, but there are also reports of a larger form with a head characteristically 10 feet long or longer, and with a total length of 75 to 100 feet reported. This could be a different species, and also has different physiology and behavior, being a deeper-diver, more cold-tolerant and apparently at least sometimes a specialist predator on small whales. Russian whalers have evidently seen it chasing pods of smaller whales in Antarctic waters. I would include the one killed by the crew of the Monongahela in this category: I have subsequently found that this is also Shucker's opinion. Incidentally, the original version of the Monongahela report, verifiably in the captain's correct name and in his handwriting, is preserved in a New England shipping museum and differs from the version that Heuvelmans had access to.





Bakunawa

Bakunawa is the Phillipine version of the Taniwha and here it is represented as the cosmological dragon which swallows the sun during an eclipse, something which possibly relates the Southern Asian Rahu with the Hebrew Rahab (=Leviathan) at any rate the real creature that sightings are based on is the local type od whale-eater and likely to be a large mosasaur from the reports.

Another Example of a Plesiosaurian Taniwha

http://www.worldstampnews.com/2012/06/matariki-2012-maori-rock-art-stamp-issue/#more-7423

Matariki 2012 – Maori Rock Art, Stamp issue

Matariki is celebrated throughout New Zealand, but in the south, Puaka (Rigel, part of the Orion constellation) appears in the sky at the same time as Matariki, and is widely acknowledged.

Māori rock art is visible throughout the country and the stamps in this issue depict examples of rock art documented in Te Waipounamu (the South Island) where more than 500 sites have been recorded to date.
Rock art is applied to a variety of stone types, and while the common perception is that rock art was created using a burnt stick, the majority of the ‘drawings’ in Te Waipounamu appear to have been applied as pigment in solution. The style of Māori rock art is similar to that from wider Polynesia, suggesting that it was a practice brought to New Zealand by its earliest people.
Māori rock art gives a glimpse of New Zealand’s history and culture, and the drawings included on the six self-adhesive stamps in this issue portray animals now long extinct, representations of everyday life and depictions of the supernatural.
The rauru (spiral design) on the stamps pays respect to Rangi and Papa, and the light and knowledge that came about from their separation. The colours used in the rauru reflect the land and environment, and the koru represent growth and life and pay respect to the past, present and future.
Source: New Zealand Post
Matariki 2012 - Maori Rock Art, Stamp issue, 3.7 out of 5 based on 7 ratings

published June 1st, 2012

These include further examples of the "Thunderbird" petroglyph (which looks to have a body the size of a human being) and the Plesiosaurian Taniwha once again. The latter does turn out to have a small head indicated by a loop on the front: once again this is a male with a single penis and limbs indicating the plesiosaurian flippers' bone structure. It is much bigger than the two-man canoe and a guess at its total length could be 40 or 50 feet. The eagle's wingspan would be about the size of the canoe.

Best Wishes, Dale D.

NZ: Down Central Hawke's Bay way thar be a Monster in the Marshes.

Via Chad Arment:
Roger Moroney: Monster tales from deep dark past

ROGER MORONEY - AT LARGE | Tuesday, February 7, 2012 17:06

ROGER MORONEY

Down Central Hawke's Bay way there be a monster in the marshes.

A monster which (and this is not a figment of my misfiring imagination) led none other than pioneering William Colenso to offer a young witness of this beast the sum of five pounds "for the creature in any form."

Five quid, back in 1893 - the year of the sighting of the great water-borne beast, was a lot of serious dosh and I daresay the young chap could have done with it.

But then again, he probably figured risking his life was worth more than a fiver.

It is a wonderful tale, and a tale which convinced the learned and wise William Colenso that something mysterious was living in the still waters of the Weber district.

Being a champion of the unknown and the unidentified, especially creatures in deep seas and lakes and desolate forests and frozen wastes, I was delighted to receive a note from Dannevirke historian Phillipa Nelson last week.

She had spotted my words a few weeks back about the unknown creatures of lochs and lakes and it rang a bell.

For the Dannevirke Gallery of History had received a transcript, through the Friends of Colenso group, of a letter the wandering reverend had written to a close friend by the name of James Hector in 1894.

Here is part of the transcript.

"I had very nearly troubled, or surprised you, with a letter while here (Dannevirke) re a living taniwha! I closely examined the young man who saw it, and who fired at it to save his dog swimming after a duck shot in the lagoon - but as it occurred in the shooting season of '93 - and had not been seen since - I dropped the enquiry. I may however mention, that the young fellow's story was a very coherent one, he too, being respectable, quiet and of good report."

Good report ... I like that.

So anyway, as Colenso continued ... "He had told me the tale last year at the time, and now with the shooting season coming on it was revived, to warn sportsmen concerning that spot.

"It is a lagoon, or deep swamp surrounded by high cliffy banks with an outlet to the river Manawatu and not far from the bridge over that stream - the road leading to the Weber district."

On this note of location, Phillipa wonders if the "lagoon" was in fact the Kaitoki Lake which is off the Weber Road.

Locals, she said, had long spoken of a taniwha in the Manawatu Gorge, but this was a different story altogether.

Now this is where it becomes intriguing fellow creature unearthers.

For Colenso went on to describe how two other chaps, who had been out riding the same area some time before the young duck shooter had gone there, had come across a "beast" in the water.

All that poked out above the surface was a dark grey head, about 18 inches long - that's close to half a metre.

The young shooter who also sighted it said he got one shot away at it, and believe he may have struck it "about the angle of its mouth."

"It retreated to the raupo on receiving the shot, and the dog returned in fear ... sans duck."

Many people in the area had heard about it - among them (quote from Colenso) "the Rev. E Robertshawe (stout and strong), Hill the inspector of schools and Bamford, solicitor, went hither to the said haunt in search - they had a time of it!"

The intrepid trio scrambled down steep cliffs to get to the area, arriving home late. They all agreed they would never go back there again.

All very colourful and intriguing, and I am delighted to learn that there be monsters in our own backyard. Pound to a penny though - the Aussies are likely to claim it as one of their's that lost its way from a billabong up Mullumbimby way.

The aborigines spoke of such creatures - bunyips.

Only last year a strange shape was spotted, and photographed, up Darwin way in Lake Alexander.

Oh yes, there be monsters and they be everywhere ... even down CHB way.

Anyone out there also heard the stories of the sightings Colenso was on about? If you have, drop me an email. If we can pinpoint the spot then I be going monster hunting!

Roger Moroney is an award-winning journalist for Hawke's Bay Today and observer of the slightly off-centre.

--This being New Zealand it is of course entirely proper to speak of Taniwhas and incorrect to use the Australian name Bunyip, even if we would be talking about the same thing in both places. The head of the creature being eighteen inches long would be normal if it was a "Nessie" sighting (a head eighteen inches long and a foot across would correspond to a 30-foot long Plesiosaur-shaped creature at Loch Ness,according to reports of that type) BUT some people will probably prefer to say it was a large seal, perhaps a leopard seal. A leopard seal's head would more ordinarily be a foot long. So perhaps we did have an appearance of a classic "Lake Monster" type in New Zealand as of the late 19th Century?

Best Wishes, Dale D.

 

More on Taniwhas, New Zealand Dragons

Taniwha

http://www.unknown-creatures.com/taniwha.html

Location of Taniwha Sightings
in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers

Earliest - Latest Reported Taniwha Sighting

Ancient times to modern day

Description of the Taniwha

Taniwhas come in many different forms. If the Taniwha appears in the seas or oceans, it takes the form of either a very huge shark or a whale. When it is spotted in lakes or other inland waters, the Taniwha comes in the form of a gecko or a spined lizard. In some encounters it appears as a log or a “wheke” which means octopus”.

Interesting Sighting Details of the Taniwha

The waters of the earth offer many mysteries to men. Among these mysteries is the Taniwha. Based on legends of the Maori people, the Taniwha is a great water creature that acts as a protector or guardian of a certain tribe or place. Based on the legend, each tribe has its own Taniwha. Taniwhas come in many different forms of sea creatures. If the Taniwha appears in the seas or oceans, it takes often takes the form of either a very huge shark or a whale. When it is spotted in lakes or other inland waters, the Taniwha comes in the form of a gecko or a tuatara. In some stories, the mystic creature appears as a log or a “wheke” which means octopus”.
The name taniwha generally came from the word “tanifa” which refers to “a kind of shark”. For the Maori tribe, “Mango Taniwha” is used to refer to the great white shark. In the case of other tribes such as the Samoan, Tongan and Niuean, “tenifa” or “tanifa” refer to a sea monster in the form of a shark which feeds solely on human flesh. Based on the legends, the Taniwhas inhabit deep pools in rivers, or in the sea. They prefer areas with dangerous currents. However, some Taniwhas are said to live in dark caves.
Because of its size and strength, it is said that Taniwhas are capable of tunneling through the ground, uprooting trees and overturning houses in the process. Some Taniwhas have been credited as creators of certain harbors that form channels to the sea. Among these harbors is the Wellington harbor. According to the story, the said area was created by two Taniwhas. Aside from channels, natives point out that the bends in the river of Waikato were made by Taniwhas. Landslides in the area are often regarded as the works of Taniwhas as well.
Based on the local legends of New Zealand, Taniwhas are often regarded with an odd combination of respect and fear. As guardians of a tribe, offerings are often brought to the lairs of the Taniwhas. Whenever somebody passes through the known lairs of a Taniwha, a green twig and an incantation is offered as a sign of deference to the creature’s power. During harvests, the first “kumara” or sweet potato, or other forms of root crop is brought to the Taniwha as well.
However, a Taniwha is regarded as a very dangerous creature for the people who do not belong to the tribe that it guides. According to the local people of New Zealand, there are many stories of battles against Taniwhas.
Among the most popular Taniwhas in the area is Hotu-puku, the protector of Rotorua. Based on the legend, Hoto-puku waged many wars against people who dared to disturb the area and the tribe it protects.


CULTURAL ICON: Carvings depict the taniwha at AUT's Nga Wai o Horotiu marae



http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/news/latest-news/5125859/Train-taniwha-gets-Twitter-account

John Key: 'I don't believe in taniwhas'

MICHAEL FIELD Last updated 08:04 10/06/20

The Prime Minister says he is "not a great believer in taniwhas".
Horotiu the taniwha made news this week when Maori Statutory Board member Glenn Wilcox said the taniwha lived in the area of Auckland's proposed rail loop route. 
He said Ngati Whatua had not been consulted about the plans.
When asked this morning if he believed in the Maori mythical creature, Key replied: "I’ve got to say not overly, no. I respect people’s spiritual beliefs but I’m not a great believer in them."
Key was also dubious about Auckland Council’s plans to build a $2.4 billion rail tunnel in central Auckland.
"I think they’ve got a lot of factors to consider when it comes to the CBD rail tunnel. The reality is that the Government report shows there’s a lot more work to be done," he said.
Horotiu, the taniwha potentially blocking the tracks of Auckland's multi-billion dollar rail dream, is the latest celebrity to open a Twitter account.
The taniwha has also gone global, with London's Daily Telegraph headlining: "'Swamp monster' threatens Auckland railway project".
Drawing on a Stuff story, the Telegraph quotes Glenn Wilcox, a member of the Auckland City Council's Maori Statutory Board, demanding protection for Horotiu.
"As kaitiaki, or guardians, they protect people, but they also get up and bite you if they do not like what you are doing," Mr Wilcox said.

On Twitter the debate has sparked two new accounts - TaniwhaHorotiu and HorotiuTaniwha.

The first carries an early complaint that taniwha do not make an international list of mythical creatures.
The griffin and the phoenix topped the list, followed by unicorns and satyr, but no taniwha.
Politicians have climbed into the twitter taniwha with National's Tau Henare chimming in "another day, another taniwha. Build a viewing platform."
Labour MP David Shearer asked: "What about Transmission Gully - don't like Wellington though - too many politicians skunking up the sewers."
Veteran Auckland art writer Hamish Keith added some useful history: "Revealing a taniwha in the Ligar canal/Horotiu stream should be no surprise - its where the Plague arrived in Auckland in 1901."
In the blog-sphere the taniwha has been fair game, with Labour MP Phil Twyford saying the real threat to rail is not Horotiu: "It is a roads-mad Transport Minister determined to sink the plan for a modern rapid transit system in our biggest city. If there is a taniwha threatening the rail link its name is Steven Joyce. "
A proposed $2.4 billion tunnel which would increase rail capacity by turning Britomart into a through station rather than a dead-end, is already controversial with the Government saying it is much less economic than Auckland Council does.
But a new potential rail-block appeared when Glenn Wilcox, who sits on the council's Maori Advisory Board, said nobody had considered Horotiu the taniwha.
Mr Wilcox said Horotiu's area roughly covered the old Waihorotiu Stream, which ran roughly along what is now Queen St before it was sealed over.
Transit New Zealand in 2002 agreed to slightly reroute the Waikato Expressway near Meremere after a local hapu said the planned route cut through the domain of the taniwha Karu Tahi. A Northland iwi was later that year unsuccessful in stopping getting a prison built at Ngawha because of a taniwha.
- Stuff



In_The_Shadow_Of_The_Taniwha_by_tyrannus



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taniwha

Taniwha

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ureia, guardian taniwha of the Hauraki people. Carving from the meeting house Hotunui, 1878

In Māori mythology, taniwha (pronounced [ˈtanifa]) are beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers. They may be considered highly respected kaitiaki (protective guardians) of people and places, or in some traditions as dangerous, predatory beings, which for example would kidnap women to have as wives


Etymology and Pacific analogues
Linguists have reconstructed the word taniwha to Proto-Oceanic *tanifa, with the meaning "shark species". In Tongan and Niuean, tenifa refers to a large dangerous shark, as does the Samoan tanifa; the Tokelauan tanifa is a sea-monster that eats people. In most other Polynesian languages, the cognate words refer to sharks or simply fish.^[1] Anthropologists such as A. Asbjørn Jøn have recognised that the taniwha has "analogues that appear within other Polynesian cosmologies".^[2]

Characteristics

At sea, a taniwha often appears as a whale or as a large shark; compare the Māori name for the Great white shark: mangō-taniwha. In inland waters, they may still be of whale-like dimensions, but look more like a gecko or a tuatara, having a row of spines along the back. Other taniwha appear as a floating log, which behaves in a disconcerting way (Orbell 1998:149-150, Reed 1963:297). Some can tunnel through the earth, uprooting trees in the process. Legends credit certain taniwha with creating harbours by carving out a channel to the ocean. Wellington's harbour, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, was reputedly carved out by two taniwha. The petrified remains of one of them turned into a hill overlooking the city. Other taniwha allegedly caused landslides beside lakes or rivers.
Taniwha can either be male or female. The taniwha Araiteuru is said to have arrived in New Zealand with the early voyaging canoes and her eleven sons are credited with creating the various branches of the Hokianga Harbour (Orbell 1995:184-185).^[3]

As guardians

Most taniwha are associated with tribal groups; each may have a taniwha of its own. The taniwha Ureia, depicted on this page, was associated as a guardian with the Māori people of the Hauraki district. Many well-known taniwha arrived from Hawaiki, often as guardians of a particular ancestral canoe. Once arrived in New Zealand, they took on a protective role over the descendants of the crew of the canoe they had accompanied.^[4] The origins of other taniwha are unknown.
When taniwha were accorded the appropriate respect, they usually acted well towards their people. Taniwha acted as guardians by warning of the approach of enemies, communicating the information via a priest who was a medium; sometimes the taniwha saved people from drowning. Because they lived in dangerous or dark and gloomy places, the people were careful to placate the taniwha with appropriate offerings if they needed to be in the vicinity or to pass by its lair. These offerings were often of a green twig, accompanied by a fitting incantation. In harvest time, the first kūmara (sweet potato) or the first taro was often presented to the taniwha (Orbell 1998:149-150).
Arising from the role of taniwha as tribal guardians, the word is also used to refer in a complimentary way to chiefs. The famous saying of the Tainui people of the Waikato district plays on this double meaning: Waikato taniwha rau 'Waikato of a thousand chiefs' (Mead & Groves 2001:421).^[5]
Witi Ihimaera, author of "The Whale Rider" says that he has a female kaitiaki (guardian) taniwha named Hine Te Ariki who lives in the Waipāoa River.^[6]

As notorious monsters

In their role as guardians, taniwha were vigilant to ensure that the people respected the restrictions imposed by tapu. They made certain that any violations of tapu were punished. Taniwha were especially dangerous to people from other tribes. There are many legends of battles with taniwha, both on land and at sea. Often these conflicts took place soon after the settlement of New Zealand, generally after a taniwha had attacked and eaten a person from a tribe that it had no connection with. Always, the humans manage to outwit and defeat the taniwha. Many of these taniwha are described as beings of lizard-like form, and the some of the stories say the huge beasts were cut up and eaten by the slayers.^[7] When Hotu-puku, a taniwha of the Rotorua district, was killed, his stomach was cut open to reveal a number of bodies of men, women, and children, whole and still undigested, as well as various body parts. The taniwha had swallowed all that his victims had been carrying, and his stomach also contained weapons of various kinds, darts, greenstone ornaments, shark's teeth, flax clothing, and an assortment of fur and feather cloaks of the highest quality.^[8]
Many taniwha were killers but in this particular instance the taniwha Kaiwhare was eventually tamed by Tamure. Tamure lived at Hauraki and was understood to have a magical mere/pounamu with powers to defeat taniwha. The Manukau people then called for Tamure to help kill the taniwha. Tamure and Kaiwhare wrestled and Tamure clubbed the taniwha over the head. Although he was unable to kill it, his actions tamed the taniwha. Kaiwhare still lives in the waters but now lives on kōura (crayfish) and wheke (octopus).^[9]

Relationships with people

Sometimes, a person who had dealings with taniwha during their lifetime might turn into a taniwha after they died. This happened to Te Tahi-o-te-rangi, who had been a medium for the taniwha, and had been rescued at one time by one of the creatures. Tūheita, an early ancestor who drowned, became a taniwha despite the fact that he had no prior dealings with the mythical beasts. Sometimes relationships are formed between humans and taniwha. Hine-kōrako was a female taniwha who married a human man, and Pānia was a woman from the sea who married a human and gave birth to a taniwha (Orbell 1998:150).
In the legend "The Taniwha of Kaipara" three sisters went out to pick berries. One of the sisters was particularly beautiful. The taniwha caused havoc on their walk back and the sisters fled. The taniwha caught the sisters one by one, trying to capture the beautiful one. On succeeding, he then took her back to his cave. Many years passed and the woman bore the taniwha six sons, with three like their father and three fully human. She educated all her sons and in particular taught her human sons the art of war, helping them to fashion and use weapons. The human sons then killed their three taniwha brothers, and eventually their father. They all went back to their homes.^[10]

Modern controversy

Beliefs in the existence of taniwha have a potential for controversy where they have been used to block or modify development and infrastructure schemes.
In 2002, Ngāti Naho, a Māori tribe from the Meremere district, successfully ensured that part of the country's major highway, State Highway 1, be rerouted in order to protect the abode of their legendary protector. This taniwha was said to have the appearance of large white eel, and Ngāti Naho argued that it must not be removed but rather move on of its own accord; to remove the taniwha would be to invite trouble. Television New Zealand reported in November 2002 that Transit New Zealand had negotiated a deal with Ngāti Naho under which "concessions have been put in place to ensure that the taniwha are respected".^[11] Some like controversial journalist Brian Rudman have criticised such deals in respect of 'secretive taniwha which rise up from swamps and river beds every now and again, demanding a tithe from Transit New Zealand'.^[12]
In 2001 "another notable instance of taniwha featuring heavily within the public eye was that of a proposed Northland prison site at Ngawha which was eventually granted approval through the courts."^[13]
Māori academic Dr Ranginui Walker, in a detailed letter to the Waikato Times, said that in the modern age a taniwha was the manifestation of a coping mechanism for some Māori. It did not mean there actually was a creature lurking in the water, it was just their way of indicating they were troubled by some incident or event.^{[citation needed]}
In 2010 there was an episode of Destination Truth where Josh Gates and his team went looking for the taniwha, but turned up no good evidence.

Notes

1. ^ Polynesian Lexicon Project Online, entry tanifa
2. ^ A. Asbjørn Jøn, 'The Road and the Taniwha' in Australian Folklore 22 (2007), pp.85-94 (p.85). http://www.une.edu.au/folklorejournal/ ISBN 1-86389-831-X
3. ^ "A white dolphin that regularly met ships in the French Pass region became known to Pakeha as Pelorus Jack, but was recognised by Maori people Tuhirangi".Orbell,M.`The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Maori Myth and Legend`(1995),p225
4. ^ One Maori legend mentions taniwha, in the form of wheke (octopuses), escorting two canoes in the Ngāti Toa migrations of the 19th century. Another story concerns three taniwha that escorted (Ngāti) Ruanui and Ngā Puhi on the journey from Hawaiki after the people called out to the atua (spiritual overlords) seeking a means of safe passage. Two taniwha oversaw the safety of Ngā Puhi and the other guarded Ruanui.^{[citation needed]}
5. ^ A fuller version of the saying, "Waikato taniwha rau, he piko he taniwha, he piko he taniwha" (Waikato of a hundred taniwha, a taniwha on each bend) implies that there is a taniwha, that is, a powerful chief, on each bend of the Waikato River.
6. ^ Keane, Basil (1 March 2009). "Taniwha Today: Taniwha and identity". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/taniwha/8. Retrieved 23 December 2010. 
7. ^ The Maori As He Was : A Brief Account of Maori Life as it was in Pre-European Days Folk-lore P.49
8. ^ Orbell 1998:149-150, Reed 1963:299. Reed makes the comment that Hotu-puku's stomach contents constituted a fairly standard list that was repeated in many other taniwha stories.
9. ^ Reed A,W.,`Reed book of Māori mythology`(2004), pp.288-289
10. ^ Reed A,W.,`Reed book of Māori mythology`(2004), pp.285-286
11. ^ Taniwha roading concerns eased, TVNZ, 12 November 2002.
12. ^ Brian Rudman: Suffer, little children - and watch out for the spaceship - New Zealand Herald, Wednesday 06 June 2007
13. ^ A. Asbjørn Jøn, 'The Road and the Taniwha' in Australian Folklore 22 (2007), pp.85-94 (p.86). http://www.une.edu.au/folklorejournal/ ISBN 1-86389-831-X

 References

• H.M. Mead, N. Grove, Ngā Pēpeha a ngā Tīpuna, The Sayings of the Ancestors (Victoria University Press: Wellington) , 2001.
• M. Orbell, The Concise Encyclopedia of Māori Myth and Legend (Canterbury University Press: Christchurch), 1998.
• M. Orbell, "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Maori Myth and Legens" (Canterbury University Press: Christchurch), 1995.
• M. Orbell, "Traditional Maori Stories (Reed Publishing: Auckland), 1992.
• A.W. Reed, "Reed book of Maori Mythology" (Reed Publishing: Auckland), 2004.
• A.W. Reed, Treasury of Maori Folklore (A.H. & A.W. Reed:Wellington), 1963.

 External links

• Te Ara (Encyclopedia of New Zealand): Taniwha

In many cases, The Taniwhas are described as being lizardlike and in some specific instances the term can be understood to mean the Indopacific or "Saltie" crocodile, which occasionally wanders down as far as the North Island. On the other hand, many accounts insist the animal is as big as a whale and it seems that Giant Great White sharks are included in this category, as well as what must be some truly enormous crocodiles (see illustration below). One specific meaning is also pretty well identified: the name applies to the local version of the "Whale-Eater" or "Dr Shucker's Leviathan" pictured at left.

Other reports seem to refer to something pretty definitely much like the Komodo dragon in size and shape, and it is noted for the habit of sticking out its tongue (The Komodo dragon uses this for tracking things by scent in the same way as snakes do, by carrying dust particles to the Jacobson's organs in the roof of its mouth)



Tattoo Version



I had mentioned before that some of the rock-art Taniwhas appear to be Plesiosaurs. Here are a couple of others. The long neck is exaggerated into doing corkscrew turns as above, and the oddly enlarged "Head" on the version shown on the stamp seems to be showing the same loops" The eye is not the big circle but one of the smaller circles nearer to the mouth-the big circle appears to mean a loop of the neck on the stamp version, much the same as the more elaborate one above. This is probably meant to show typical seaserpent "Humps" and the effect is oddly like the Spicer's description of the Loch Ness Monster.


It also seems true that using Taniwha to mean generally reptillian monsters, usually sea monsters, but also great sharks, is the same usage you get in the Philippines and possibly throughout all of the Malayo-Polynesian languages generally if sporadically. I gather the usage for the Malagassy "Tompandrano" is also the same.


Some commentators have noted that some of the representations of lizardlike Taniwhas (Mananias) seem to be upright walking humanoid creatures, hence Reptoids. And an additional Maori legendary creature is the Marakai-Hau, described as a gigantic merman with two extra-lathe tusks or fangs, or "Tubes" coming out of its mouth. It has been postulated that this myth commemorates a past knowledge of the Walrus whren the Maori had contact with more Northerly waters and Thor Heyerdahl quotes the legend in that sense when he makes mention of it in the book American Indians in the Pacific.It could however mean a sort of native walrus, or even possibly a tusked whale.

Best Wishes, Dale D.

More Possible Pterosaurs From New Guinea

Back when I was writing to Ivan Sanderson and Bernard Heuvelmans, I mentioned a certain sort of wood-carving I had found in a book about the Asmat of Irian Jaya (Indonesian New Guinea) called an Ambirak, which I thought might represent some sort of a surviving Pterosaur. In this case, the proportions and posture were right: the figures were shown hunched over on all-fours on the ground with an outsized head and a prolonged beak in front, large forelimbs and small crooked or kneeling hind legs.


It seemed to correspond to certain designs on shields, which could depict winged creatures larger and of a different design to flying fox bat.


On this shield there seems to be a recurring pattern of the sort: a creature with a very large head, widespread wings curled up at the ends and with very abbreviated legs and hindquarters. I did also learn that the S-shapes were meant to represent sea serpents or the local version of the Australian rainbow serpents. The design was akin to some of the long-necked sea serpent (Plesiosaurian?) Taniwhas of New Zealand. I learned later that they were named Okom (possibly related to the name Moko or Mo'o for the Polynesian dragons known in Hawaii and in Tahiti). The regular alternation between the two has some sort of symbolic reference to the spirits of the dead going to the Land of the dead, on special sorts of ritual canoes. Below is a map of Asmat territory. There are also carved wooden representations of giant Komodo-dragon-like lizards in this area, but that shall have to await another discussion. I have already mentioned those separately and the discussion will refer back to the earlier mention instead.




As far as the Ambiraks go, I find their depictions interesting but they seem to be entirely mythological at present and invoked only for ritual reasons. If they actually were based on Pterosaurs (which most experts would say was a doubtful premise) they could be entirely extinct by now.





This map illustrates the Asmat territories in Irian Jaya, the Indonesian section of the Island of New Guinea. The Asmat are a populous and prosperous people, and the menfolk are known for wearing long gourds to accentuate their manhood.










The Ambiraks are rather odd little figures, hunched over with massive arms and elongated claw-like fingers but little hind limbs sometimes looking as if the feet were turned backwards. The ritual canoes they are carved on are called Wuramon, and it seems that the Ambiraks are spoken of as harpy-like creatures that haunt the rivers, thought of as being all-female, hostile and prone to fouling foodstuffs.





The row of Ambiraks in this representation even have bits of fur stuck on them, thus possibly meant to indicate the originals are furry. On the other hand, this also tends to make them look more like conventional vultures.

The centre of the Wuramon canoe carvings is always occupied by a fertility-figure giant softshell turtle named Bu or mBu. The Ambiraks sit in the canoe both before and behind the turtle

This is from another site in the Dutch language and it is called a 'Dangerous Female Ancestor figure' but said to be comparable to the Ambirak. The position with the bent elbows and knees is said to connect to myths of the ancestors, but in this case it might be meaningful if the Ambirak is a Pterosaur and sits that way on the ground. This would be like the view-from-below of an Ambirak, and it is notable that the hands and feet of the Ambirak would be curled-up claws; the arms are also elongated with a separate ridge or blade along the outside of the forearm and I mentioned that ridge in my reports to both Sanderson and Heuvelmans. On this representation, I made the eye redder so that its position would be more obvious. Ambirak is supposed to have a bird-like or snake-like head, according to this source site.

Another canoe with a clearer mBu turtle and below, some of the Ambiraks from that carving.

Here is a link to another site, which gives a clearer explanation of the Wuramon canoes:

http://library.wichita.edu/colldev/asmat/images.htm

Asmat Soul-Ship ("Wuramon"): Soul-ships are bottomless wooden dugout canoes used to hold a variety of spirits. The spirit passengers represent recently deceased ancestors while the bird-like figures, "ambirak", are dangerous female spirits that live in rivers. A carved turtle, "mBu", symbolizing fertility is always found in the center.
In the past, soul-ships were used in a ceremony to promise vengeance for the dead. Today, they are mainly used to honor the ancestors during male initiation ceremonies.

Reference Sources:
Schneebaum, Tobias, Embodied Spirits: Ritual Carvings of Asmat. 1990. Peabody Museum of Salem.
The World of Asmat, Singapore Zoological Gardens, 2003, http://www.szgdocent.org/ff/f-asmat.htm


Some Wuramon carvings

This is an example for sale on Ebay
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/49773875/Asmat-people-New-Guinea
31
THE WURAMON AND INITIATION 1,2,3,4,5,6

When there are enough boys in a village of the appropriate age, an initiation ceremony
is begun. At this time, a special temporary house, called an Emaktsjim, is constructed so
that the initiates will be isolated from the rest of the village. Here they stay for several
days as the final preparations are made. They are not allowed to eat during their wait.
Traditionally, the head of a slain victim of battle was placed in each boy’s lap, and he
would remain sitting with it for the duration of the ceremony. The boy would take on the
name and character of the victim as a part of himself. In the future, when visiting the
victim’s family in another village, he would be called by the victim’s name and
welcomed by the victim’s family. It is unknown what substitutes for the head now that
headhunting is no longer practiced.
During the boys’ isolation, a wuramon (soul ship) is constructed to aid in the ceremony, as well as to help the spirits of recently deceased ancestors pass to Safan – the Asmat afterworld. A wuramon is a hollow-bottomed canoe with many carved figures. It is carved behind the temporary house during the day, and hidden by sago leaves at night. In the middle is a turtle figure, called a bu [mBu], which is a symbol of fertility because of the large number of eggs it lays. Next to the turtle is a Z-shaped figure called okom. It represents a sea monster, which is the most evil of all spirits. The remainder of the canoe is filled with figures called ambirak. They represent the spirits of the ancestors who have recently died.
They may be in human or bird form. Then the outside of the wuramon is painted white with red stripes – the coloring of their working canoes. Lastly, the figures are painted and adorned with braided sago leaves, seed beads or feathers. It is then taken into the temporary house until the ceremony.
32
On the day of the initiation ceremony, villagers go out to the jungle to collect sago
grubs and other foods to share. When they return, two women decorated with feathers in
their hair and red ochre paint on their faces, enter the temporary house. They represent
the ancestral mothers of each clan of the jeu (upriver and downriver). They unwrap the
wuramon and unseal the main door of the initiates’ house. The men then lift the wuramon
and poke the prow in and out of the door twice. The third time it is taken out to the river
and symbolically launched to take the spirits of the dead to Safan, as their families weep
for them. It is brought back up to the porch of the temporary house, and a boy of the
village who is too young to be initiated is taken in the house and held up by his ankles.
Village men pretend to shoot him with arrows and poke him with spears.
Next, the chief drummer comes out and puts his foot on the okom as the women hiss in
disgust and disapproval of the sea monster. The initiates then emerge single-file and put
each of their feet in turn on the okom as well. The boys are laid down on the porch with
their heads facing the wuramon and their uncles paint their bodies red, black and white,
and decorate them with feathers. The boys are struck with banana stalks to encourage
physical growth, and then all go home to eat, coming back together to drum, sing and
dance all night.

The next morning, the initiates are taken out on the river by canoe. As their elders row,
the boys mimic growing old and dying – symbolic of the death of their former selves.
Each boy’s uncle then immerses him in the river, and he is reborn. On the way back
home, they go through the actions of being infants, toddlers and young children, as their
elders instruct them in all they need to know about life as an Asmat. By the time they
return home, the boys are back to their true age. They gather food, then go home and feed
their families to symbolically show they can provide for the village. They are now
considered men. The wuramon is taken to the jungle and left to decay to fertilize the sago trees the Asmat will someday eat of.

CFZ REPOST: Article on NZ Cryptids by Richard Freeman, including input by Tony Lucas and Dale D.

This time I must repost one of Richard Freeman's blogs because the discussion between Tony Lucas and myself regarding Taniwhas develops from it. In particular I would like to draw attention to the remarks about Surviving Mosasaurs this time:

Sunday, May 10, 2009
RICHARD FREEMAN: Mystery Animals of New Zealand 1. Delcourt’s Giant Gecko (Hopolodactylus delcourti)

Known from one type specimen that was languishing, unlabelled in a French Museum of Natural History in 1986, this was the largest known gecko that ever lived, at 3 feet long. It was native to the North Island of New Zealand. The Maori spoke of a large tree dwelling lizard in their folklore and called it Kawe Kaweau. The gecko is supposed to be extinct, but continued sightings suggest it still lurks in the forests of the North Island.

In 1986 rumor abounded of a population of giant geckos near Rotorua. More recent sightings have centred on Gisbourn, the Waipoua Forest and the Waoku Plateau.

2. Moehau

A sort of ape-man supposed to live in the Coromandel region of the North Island. Moehau is tall, hair covered with long arms and sharp talons. It is supposed to be highly aggressive. There are tales about humans of gigantic stature that are supposed to represent crossbreeding between Maori and maero. This trait is said to run in families, such as the Kaihai family of Waikato and the Haupapa family of Rotorua. Although these families produce big people today, it is said that these are nothing compared to the specimens they once produced - gigantic, muscular men who were said between 8 feet and 11 feet tall.

Two early murders were blamed on these creatures. In 1882 a headless and partially devoured cadaver of a prospector was found in the Martha Mine area. The Moehau was held responsible. Further into the foothills a body of a woman was found. She had been alone in a shack whilst her family were away. Something had broken in, dragged her out and broke her neck. No known animal in New Zealand is capable of doing this.

In 1903 a set of footprints larger than a man’s were found at the Karangahake Gorge in Cromandel. In 1971 another set were found in the snow by a park ranger. A third set was found in 1983 running along the Heaphy River. In 1991 a group of campers abandoned heir camp after finding huge tracks around it. This was in the Cameron Mountains on the South Island

In 1970 a group of campers were attacked by a 2 metre tall ape man who hurled rocks at them in the Cameron Mountains on the South Island.

In 1972 a hunter in the Coromandel ranges watched a hairy man beast, 2 metres tall, lumbering through bushes. He later found footprints.

3. Taniwah

The New Zealand dragon. A huge, savage, man-eating reptile. Taniwahs were supposed to dwell in caves, seas and lakes. Many were fought by Maori heroes and shamans. They were very hard to kill. They may be based on memories of the giant Indo-pacific crocodile or crocodiles that turn up outside of their range. Alternatively they might be an unknown species.

Creatures like the Taniwah have been encountered by the white man as well.

On August 1, 1889 Mr Alexander Lindsay Kerr, chief officer of the union steam shipping company ship Rotomahama, was shocked to witness a "huge conger eel, with the exception that it had two fins about 10ft long" rise out of the ocean almost 30ft, 9 metres, off the Portland Light between Gisbourne and Napier. He later described how when he saw pictures of eels in books later he thought the serpent he had seen had a far more crocodilian head.

Theo Hazelwood recalled the time he was on a fishing boat in 1926 near the entrance to Wellington harbor, when a 16 year old boy shouted out to him from the back of the boat. He rushed over, and saw a thin long thin neck drifting on the water surface, topped with a small head and a mouthful of vicious fangs. It circled the boat five times before swimming away.

In April 1971 the crew of the Kompira Maru saw a bug eyed monster about 30 km off Lyttleton. It was said to resemble a large crocodile, though they saw it had fins rather than legs when it leaped under the water.

In 1972 in Temuka, three women at the mouth of the Orari River watched a huge monster wallowing in the breakers barely 30 metres away. They described it as a dark gray lizard like creature, though it was around 5 metres long. At one point it opened a huge gaping mouth full of small, sharp, teeth.

An anonymous woman claimed that in 1983 she had witnessed a gigantic Mosasaur-like sea creature circling the small raft she was in far off the coast of Picton. She said the animal she saw was almost 7 metres in length and that its snout occasionally emerged from the water, showing some very grisly looking teeth.

In 1990 two young woman sun bathing by a lagoon near Taupo were amazed to see a 'Giant lizard' swimming around in the shallows. It emerged its upper body at one point and attempted to catch a bird in its jaws, but was unsuccessful. It then submerged again and swam into the depths. The girls said it was the most incredible experience they'd ever had, and their description was of a 4-5 metre long, green water lizard.

Three years after the incident in the lagoon a large sea monster was spotted by Earl Rigney of Canterbury via telescope. He claimed he saw what he thought was a whale in the distance, so he looked through his telescope at the animal and was surprised to see that it was a colossal crocodile, breaching on the surface of the water. He said it was roughly 30ft (9 metres) long.

During the summer of 2001 a group of teenagers boogey-boarding in Paekakariki were terrified when an enormous monster exploded out of the water in front of them.

In 2006 Ivan Levy was left shocked and boatless after a dramatic encounter with a vicious pair of reptilian animals, which rammed into and attacked his boat when he was out enjoying the sun on the deck. He claimed that they were "like lizards with fins" and were about 6 metres long, although he did say they may have been slightly shorter or longer. After over an hour of attacking the boat the pair of creatures swim away.

Ivan Levy returned to shore with a wrecked boat. Some said he had deliberately damaged the boat for insurance money, but unfortunately for him the boat was not insured and he gained very little other than a few local headlines for his story.

In the most recent account of sea monsters in New Zealand, a Raumati mother and infant daughter saw a sea monster the size of a small whale in 2007 splashing in the shallows.

New Zealand paleontologist Alan Marks founded the theory that a population of Mosasaurs, giant, flesh eating, marine lizards of the Cretaceous period, still exists, albeit a very small one, that live in the depths of the Pacific ocean, though occasionally areas such as the Atlantic and Indian oceans where they are sometimes spotted

4. Kumi Lizard

A large lizard reaching a length of around five to six feet. The Kumi Lizard was supposed to inhabit streams, and was proficient at burrowing. It had a serrated dorsal crest and large teeth, which caused the upper lip to protrude. Possibly a form of monitor lizard.

5. Lakey

The monster of Lake Coleridge near Canterbury on the South Island. The monster is supposed to drag away fishermen’s rods.

In 1972 the beast was blamed for the disappearance of a fisherman. His upturned boat was found but no body ever turned up. Many locals refused to fish on the lake after that.

In 1975 two women reported seeing the monster’s head rise up from the lake. It was described as wolf like but hairless. In the same year a teacher and his wife saw he creature grab and eat a large water bird.

In 1976 a farmer on the west side of the lake began losing considerable numbers of sheep when they went to drink by the waters edge. Investigating noticed a dark shadow just below the surface of the water where a lamb was moving to take a sip. He shouted, and the huge shape shot off.

In 1977 several witnesses see a large monster, 16 feet long, rolling around on the surface, snapping its jaws. News of the sighting spreads like wildfire. The creature is described as gray, with four visible flippers and no obvious dorsal fin. Overall it was quite "fish-like".

After this a hunter from Otago decided to finish off the monster once and for all. He set off at dawn on a boat rigged with radar, harpoons. He was out on the Lake for two weeks but failed to uncover anything but the occasional big blip on the radar.

Deciding to have one last shot at it, he put on his wetsuit and dived under. When beneath the water, he found his boat was directly above the wreck of a yacht, which was lying on the bottom of the lake. Curious, he investigated the yacht. As he turned back up to resurface, he was struck in the ribs by a huge force. Not staying around to see what it was, he got back to his boat and left.

In 1979 a group of fisherman on the lakes western most shore saw the creature. The animal was seen to stare at them with its head partially above water. For some time it swam in slow circles, not taking its eyes off the men, then left to beneath the water. The next morning a huge, snake like trail was found in the mud.

Overall the descriptions sound like a big leopard seal.

6. The moa

World famous, flightless birds. The last of them supposedly died out several hundred years ago. There have been reports of moas surviving even today in remote areas. Tracks have also been found and a blurry photo purporting to be a moa have been taken. January 20, 1993, in the Craigieburn Range. Three individuals sighted and one of them photographed what they insisted was a six-foot-tall bird. They swore it was a moa, not an emu, ostrich, red deer, or any of the other expert-proposed or media-suggested animal candidates.

Paddy Freaney, current hotel owner and former instructor with the SAS, and his companions Sam Waby and Rochelle Rafferly were walking in the Canterbury high country when they came upon a large bird. “The minute I saw it, I knew what it was,” Freaney said soon afterwards. “I believe it was a moa.”

It was about a metre off the ground, with a long, thin neck of another metre’s (three feet’s) length, ending in a small head and beak. It was covered in reddish-brown and gray feathers. The large, thick legs were covered with feathers almost to the knee joint, with bare legs below, and huge feet.

The large bird ran off across a stream when the witnesses disturbed it. Freaney dashed after the animal and took a photograph of it at a distance of 35 to 40 metres. He also snapped a picture a minute later of what he thought was the bird’s wet footprint on a rock. He also took photographs of similar prints in shingle by the river bed.

The out-of-focus view of the bird has a rock formation obscuring its legs. From what can be seen, the moa appears to be medium brown, with a horizontal body, a tall, erect neck, and a head which may have been looking toward the camera. An image-processing group at the University of Canterbury’s electrical and electronic engineering department spent three days analyzing the blurred photograph.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Kevin Taylor said the analysis had gone as far as it could go, but in his judgment it confirmed that the object was a large bird.

7. Waitoreke

Maoris and early colonists on the nation’s South Island frequently reported a small otter like animal known as the waitoreke. Captain Cook himself reports the sighting of one described as a cat sized, short legged animal with a bushy tail.

In the 1840s Walter Mantell - son of naturalist Gideon Mantell reported an animal known to the natives that was as big as a cat, short legged and bushy tailed. It laid eggs.

Around 1855 the Rev. Richard Taylor interviewed a man who claimed repeated observations of an animal in the Middle Island, near Dusky Bay, on the southwest coast. The witness called it a muskrat from the strong smell it emitted. He said its tail was thick and resembled a beaver’s tail.
Another witness, Tamihana te Rauparaha, judged it to be more than double the size of the Norway rat and to possess a large, flat tail. A man named Tom Crib said he himself had not seen the “beavers” but on several occasions had come upon their habitations. He had seen little streams dammed up as well as houses like beehives erected on one side, having two entrances, one from above and the other below the dam.

A decade or so later Ferdinand von Hochstetter wrote: “From certain terms occurring in the Maori language, and from the most recent observations we may infer beyond doubt, that New Zealand still harbors some few sporadic mammalia, which have thus far escaped the searching eye of science. Besides these names we find the name Waitoreke, which has been only lately clearly defined, having been hitherto applied sometimes to an otter-like, and sometimes to a seal-like animal. According to the reports of Dr. J. Haast, the existence of this animal has been recently established beyond a doubt; it lives in the rivers and lakes in the mountain ranges of the South Islands, is of the size of a large cony with glossy brown fur, and is probably to be classed with the otters.”

More recently the creature has been reported in the Steveburn Stram, near he Wakea River, Southland. It resembled an otter, this was in 1968. In 1971 an otter like beast was seen sliding down a river bank and scrambling back up again as if playing. This was on the Hollyford River. The witness observed the creature for a quarter of an hour.

The most recent sighting was in Gisbourne during the 1980s.The creature was 1.5 m long and displaying sea otter like behavior by smashing shells on its chest. The sighting lasted a good 20 minutes with the creature about 10 m away showing total disregard for the witness.
Maori words for this animal have a root meaning “bone spur”. This may be a reference to the poison spurs that monotremes have. Perhaps the waitoreke is one of these primitive egg laying mammals.

8. Huia

An exquisite bird found only in New Zealand with black glossy feathers and orange wattles. Their beaks were sexually dimorphic, the males having stout beaks and the females curved ones. The males used their beaks to chisel into wood in search of insects whilst the female used hers to winkle out prey.

The Maori hunted the huia for it’s feathers but white settlers hunted it on mass as well as introducing predators and cutting down the forests were he bird lived and fed. It is thought to have died out in the early 20th century. However throughout the 1920s there were continued sightings that suggests the bird may have survived.

On October 12th 1961 Margaret Hutchinson saw a huia at Lake Waikareti in the Urewera State Forest. More recently the CFZ’s Danish representative Dr Lars Thomas saw a huia in the Pureora Forest.

9. The New Zealand Big Cats

Just as in the UK there are many reports of big cats living wild in New Zealand.

Sightings began in 1996 when a large black cat, about the size of a Labrador was seen by a woman who was mountain biking in the Twizel area. The cat was seen at a distance of about 30 metres. In August 1998 another large cat resembling a Mountain Lion was observed in the Dunstan Ranges near Cromwell, once again the animal was described as the size of a Labrador and having a dark orange – mustard coloured pelt.

July 1999 and another sighting of a large black panther was reported, this time however in the Mackenzie Country.

A report also came in from a Pest Destruction Officer from Banks Peninsular.
Also in July, a Mountain Lion was photographed crossing a paddock near Omarama.

December of 1999 saw sightings of what has come to be known as the “Moeraki Mountain Lion”. This cat was seen by Canadian tourists as it sunned itself on rocks near Moeraki, South of Omaru. It was described as being distinctly Mountain Lion-like, which these tourists had themselves seen in their native habitat, about 3 metres long and golden coloured. The cat on being spotted sauntered from the rocks and disappeared from view. The tourists were met with some ridicule; the sighting was however given some serious consideration by a local restaurateur, who offered a reward for conclusive proof of the creature’s existence, none was ever forthcoming.

Another cat to gain fame and a name was a large Mountain Lion-like animal seen in the Lindis Pass area in 1999. It was hiding in the undergrowth and photographed by a pair of British tourists and came to be known as the “Lindis Lion”.

Early 2001 and the Ashford Black cat was once again seen in the Bushside area of Ashford Forest.

The winter of 2001 brought renewed sightings on a farm in the Winterslow area of the Ashford Forest, it was another sighting of the big black cat, this time it was seen in a deer enclosure at twilight.

A similar animal was also seen in the Anama area, and made this area its home for the next two years, creating sporadic sightings until 2003.

A Black cat was also sighted in the Mayfield area near Ashburton in October.
2001 also saw the Fairlington area become the home of a large Black Cat.

2003 and yet again another sighting of the mystery cat in the Ashford forest area, this time however the owners of the property where the cat was sighted had noted strange behavior among the stock on their property at the time the cat was sighted.

November once again saw a team of investigators and an Orana Wildlife Park cat expert descend on the area and look for signs of the big cat’s presence, but nothing conclusive was found.

October 2003 also brought renewed sightings of the Fairlington Cat, which was seen lurking behind a fence near the stockyards of the PPCS Meat works.

2005 and a new sighting of another large Black Panther and it was seen and photographed at Lake Clearwater, in the hills which overlook the Clearwater settlement.
May of 2005 produced yet another Mountain Lion sighting, this time in Queenstown, by an Australian Tourist, the cat was seen in some scrub near the Heritage Hotel, described as being the size of a Golden Retriever Dog, but it moved and walked like a cat.

On May 29th 2008 at 5 pm during a rescue exercise staged at a quarry a large cat described as possibly being a lion was seen at a quarry in Kaiwaka.

The cat was seen on the edge of the Parker Lime Quarry on Gibsons Rd, at a distance of about 30 metres standing on a ridge by Volunteer Fire fighter Carl Swanson (18) during a Search and Rescue exercise.

During the exercise Swanson played the part of a victim in a car in the quarry, as he was waiting to be rescued he look up the hill and saw the Cat.

He described the cat as being about the size of a Labrador and about two metres long.

He commented: " I told my colleague and it (the lion) was actually looking at us... like staring for a good one minute before it stood up and started walking on the edge of the quarry".

He also said "That was the walk of a lion.... really soft.

The cat was described as massive and kept walking around and eventually disappeared.

There have apparently been no reports of cattle or sheep maulings in the area.

John Bomar - Volunteer Fire Brigade chief began investigating the incident and came across a local man who is now a Minister.

Bowmar said, "He’s no idiot. (He) saw it years ago, he was out duck shooting. It was a huge cat. There was no point in me shooting it. I turned tail and ran".

Bomar had been told the fireman reported the incident to the police

Parker Lime Company Quarry Manager talked to staff about the incident and they felt it may be one of the extremely large cats that prowl the bush around the quarry site.

10. The Laughing owl

The Laughing Owl was a moderate sized Owl 14 – 15” in height and with a wingspan of 10.4”.
It had reddish brown plumage streaked with darker brown and a white face. It was so named because its call sounded like maniacal laughter.

The North and South Island birds were of different sub-species.

The birds only called while on the wing, calls were mainly heard on dark, drizzly nights or preceding rain.

The South Island birds were larger than the smaller North Island species; males were generally smaller than females.

Abundant until around 1845, within 40 years this charming little bird had disappeared.
However, the call of the Laughing Owl has been heard often since and there are those that believe it may not be so extinct as thought.

This species preferred open country for hunting, and rocky areas for shelter and the rocky areas of the Southern Alps were very much suited to its needs, as were areas of Canterbury and Otago. They showed a preference for low rainfall areas of the country.

Nelson and Fiordland were also areas favoured by these birds and remains were found on Stewart Island in 1881. In the North Island they were said to inhabit the Ureweras, inhabiting holes in the cliffs, in the upper reaches of the ranges. They also inhabited the Hakoke Cliffs.

It fed on Lizards, insects and small birds for the plentiful fossilised pellets that have been discovered give clear indication of their diet. It was a ground feeder with sturdy legs that preferred to run its prey down. Nesting was generally on bare ground and in rocky crevices. The nests were made of dry grass and two white eggs were laid.

This bird was known to the Tuhoi People in Te Ureweras in the North Island. Birds were said to be found in the Albany area near Timaru in pre-European times.

A North Island bird was collected from Mt Egmont in 1856 and Wairarapa in 1868; around this time birds were also reported from the Porirua area and Te Karaka.

Mr W.W Smith managed to breed some of these birds in captivity in February of 1882. Several fine specimens along with eggs were dispatched to Buller, along with letters describing the breeding behaviour and care.

July 1914 saw the last sighting of a Laughing Owl; a specimen was found dead at the Blue Cliffs Station in Canterbury.

The only physical proof of these birds that remained was 57 type specimens and 17 eggs in public collections (Worthy 1997).

It seemed however, the Laughing Owl was not totally through. Unconfirmed sightings of Laughing Owls came in from the North Island in 1925 and in 1927 one was supposedly heard at Lake Waikaremoana when it flew over giving a weird cry, almost maniacal in nature.

In the 1940’s a Laughing Owl was reported spotted in the Pakahi near Opotiki (Parkinson).

1950 saw a sighting at Manapouri.

In the South Island in February of 1956 eggshell fragments were found at Saddle Hill in Fiordland.

The most recent hope for this species came from the Canterbury region in 1960 when what appeared to be reasonably fresh eggshell fragments were found.

Various expeditions have been mounted to try and find the Laughing Owl and the results have often been inconclusive. There have been possible calls heard and occasional pellets and egg fragments, but never any glimpse of this elusive bird.

Why these birds became extinct is somewhat of a mystery. Their decline over 40 years has puzzled many. It is believed the invasion of weasels, stoats and feral cats may have spelt their doom. Rats were no problem to these species as they actually provided a new food source for this bird as evidenced from pellets that have been found.

Whatever the reason for their decline unconfirmed reports still continue to come from areas such as Fiordland and various areas of New Zealand. But still no photos or live birds. Perhaps in the remote areas of Fiordland the damp night sky still rings with the maniacal laugh of this enigma.

Hopefully perhaps the Laughing Owl may have not yet had the last laugh.
Posted by Jon Downes at 2:52 AM Labels: new zealand cryptozoology, richard freeman

2 comments:
Jon Downes said...

DALE DRINNON WRITES: "
"Taniwha" is a generic term for "Sea monster" and is related to the Polynesian word for "Shark". I do not know what the name is in the Phillipines but it is exactly parrallel and rendered in Spanish as "Chacon". There are definite crocodilelike and Mosasaurian Taniwhas, bigger than C. porosis and said to be as large as a whale, but also unknown sharks and giant eels in the category. There are also "Taniwha" Longneck depictions in rock art that show definitely Plesiosaurian anatomy. (It is here that the New Zealand type comes in along with the Australian ones, and there are parallel examples in the Phillipines) These are illustrated in the photo section of this group[Frontiers-of-Zoology, where this discussion had been posted before added here].

There is another size range for suspected giant monitor lizard between the Kumi lizards and the Taniwhas, and they are called Ngarana lizards. The name is also in use to the north and it is supposed to be about the size of a Komodo dragon.

Commentators frequently fail to make the distinction that there are at least three categories in Moa sightings at small, medium and large categories. The smaller one is about the size of a turkey and the medium one about the size of an emu. One of the first and largest "Moa" sightings was something like 20 feet tall on the shore of a lake: that was possibly a confused sighting of a longnecked water monster.

Other water monsters reported in the area are probable elephant seals."

7:20 AM
stormwalkernz said...
Dale I tend to agree with your comments regarding the Moa, what is also not generally recognised is that there are at least six species of Moehau commented on in this country as well. A future article and I am writing also makes comment on the Taniwha enigma. Some say they are the result of ancestral memories of crocodiles from the Maori homeland, I firmly believe that these could be oral traditions other species of crocodile that once dwelt here, which a piece of fossil was found not so long ago, and may have died out during early Maori occupation.

There is substantial proof of the existence of the Ngarana lizard and this comes from a ramus of the lower jaw and rib of a pleurodont lizard from the Ernscleugh Cave in Central Otago and mentioned in a paper presented by Mr W.F. Hutton to the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1875 (Hutton, 1875)
I recently followed up one of these reports of these magnificent lizards which I accidentally came across while reading a history of the Napier aquarium Society, apparently a large monitor like this was seen on the coast and members from the Society sent out a search party to try and find the lizard regrettably to no avail.

my wife who Maori is also told me that among her people the Taniwha is more a spiritual link with the natural world personified.

Interestingly a friend of mine was was pursuing reports of a lake monster in Lake Taupo and came across a perfectly good geological reasons for the wakes and boiling disturbed water sometimes encountered on the lake.
They may actually be due to underwater subsidence in these very hydrothermal eight active areas.

4:46 AM

[-Lake Taupo is indeed in a geologically active zone and in the crater of an exploded volcano or several volcanoes in the same area.
Tony Lucas and I later exchanged information on specifically Mosasaurian sea-monsters in the area and we concluded that there was an unusual situation with reports of such creatures including the unusually small-sized and unusually large-sized creatures in this category. We also both agree that there is good evidence for BOTH large monitor lizards and saltawter crocodiles in New Zealand, with the most likely explanation being that they had swum down from warmer, more tropical waters nearer to New Guinea. -DD]

Tony Lucas' New Zealand Cryptozoology Blog:
http://nzcryptozoologist0.tripod.com/index.html


And here is the reprint of the Mosasaurs page, which is one of the matters Tony and I have corresponded on and which contains much potentially valuable information:

Mososaurs

An interesting Artilce on NZ Mosasaurs, do they still inhabit our oceans.
This is kindly presented here with the Permission of Sam Yivano, a budding Cryptozoologist, who I am sure will go far in the Field.
Sam does however give the following disclaimer.
"I must add a disclaimer that I am not in the habit of accepting exclusively stories with a strong background of evidence, therefore many of my tales are likely urban legends or just plain superstitions"
Thank you Sam for allowing the publication of "JAWS".




Jaws

On April 27, 1977, an incredible carcasse of some deep sea monster was trawled up by the japanese fishing boat, the Zwiyo Maru, off the coast of Canterbury, New Zealand. Immediately newspapers were ablave with headlines such as "Loch Ness Monster found in New Zealand!". There were claims from respected professers that it could mean only one thing, the prehistoric sea reptiles, the Plesiosaurs, lived on in a small colony in the waters of New Zealand. The area was searched repeatedly for any sign of more monsters, but none were found. Worldwide sightings of sea creatures similar to the carcasse cropped up, and then abruptly stopped three months later, when it was officailly anounced that the corpse was that of a basing shark, albeit a badly decompsed one. The sightings dropped, the newpapers returned to criminal activity and Canterbury lost its deep sea monster forever.

Or did it?

The Mosasaurs were a group of sea reptiles that officially died out in the cretaceous period around 65 million years ago.
And yet every year at least one report of an incredibly similar sea creature comes in from the waters of New Zealand. The stories of Mosasaur-like monsters in NZ outnumber almost every other country, they are so numerous that some paleontologists argue that New Zealand is "A breeding ground for Mosasaurs"

On August 1, 889 Mr Alexander Lindsay Kerr, cheif officer of the union steam shipping company ship Rotomahama, was shocked to witness a "huge conger eel, with the exception that it had two fins about 10ft (3 metres) long" rise out of the ocean almost 30ft, 9 metres, off the Portland Light between Gisbourne and Napier. He later described how when he saw pictures of Eels in books later he thought the serpent he had seen had a far more crocodillian head.

Theo Hazelwood recalled the time he was on a fishing boat in 1926 near the entrance to wellington harbour, when a 16 year old boy shouted out to him from the back of the boat. He rushed over, and saw a thin long thin neckdrifting on the water surface, topped with a small head and a mouthful of viscious fangs. It circled the boat five times before swimming away. That would have to be a perfect description of a plesiosaur.

In 1939 a Christchurch couple in Totaranui where the famous basking shark carcasse was found, said they stumbled across a large rotting animal, which they later described as resembling the Zwiyo Maru corpse.

In April 1971 the crew of the Kompira Maru saw a bug eyed monster about 30 km off Lyttleton. It was said to resemble a large crococodile, though they saw it had fins rather than legs when it leaped under the water.

In 1972 in Temuka, three women waitbaiting at the mouth of the Orari river watched a huge monster wallowing in the breakers barely 30 metres away. They described it as a dark grey lizard like creature, though it was around 5 metres long. At one point it opened a huge gaping mouth full of small, sharp, teeth.

An anonymous woman claimed that in 1983 she had witnessed a gigantic Mosasaur-like sea creature circling the small raft she was in far off the coast of Picton. She said the animal she saw was almost 7 metres in length and that its snout occasionally emerged from the water, showing some very grisly looking teeth.

In 1990 two young woman sun bathing by a lagoon near Taupo were amazed to see a 'Giant lizard' swimming around in the shallows. It emerged its upper body at one point and attempted to catch a bird in its jaws, but was unsuccesful. It then submerged again and swam into the depths. The girls said it was the most incredible experience they'd ever had, and their description of a 4-5 metre long, green water lizard is again irresitably Mosasaur reminescent.

Three years after the incident in the lagoon a large sea monster was spotted by Earl Rigney of Canterbury via telescope. He claimed he saw what he thought was a whale in the distance, so he looked through his telescope at the animal and was suprised to see that it was a collosal crocodile, breaching on the surface of the water. He said it was roughly 30ft (9 metres) long. His report is similar to that of Alexander Kerrs giant conger eel.

During the summer of 2001 a group of teenagers bogey boarding in Paekakariki were terrified when an enormous monster exploded out of the water in front of them. All of the five perfectly described a Mosasaur when they reported their tale.

In 2006 Ivan Levy was left shocked and boatless after a dramatic an encounter with a viscious pair of Mosasaur resmbling animals, which rammed into and attacked his boat when he was out enjoying the sun on the deck. He claimed that they were "like lizards with fins" and were about 6 metres long, although he did say they may have been slightly shorter or longer. After over an hour of attacking the boat the pair of creatures swim away.
Ivan Levy returned to shore with a wrecked boat. Some said he had delibrately damaged the boat for insurance money, but unfortunately for him the boat was not insured and he gained very little other than a few local headlines for his story.

In the most recent account of sea monsters in New Zealand, a Raumati mother and infant daughter saw a sea monster the size of a small whale in 2007 splashing in the shallows.


These are only 11 of the stories of Mosasaurs from New Zealand; in comparison to elsewhere in the world the amount of New Zealand sightings is incredible.

NZ paleontologist Alan Marks founded the theory that a population of Mosasaurs still exists, albeit a very small one, that live in the depths of the Pacific ocean, though occasionally areas such as the Atlantic and Indian oceans where they are sometimes spotted. He argues that the ridiculous amount of little known NZ sightings may mean that New Zealand is a breeding ground for Mosasaurs.

Some paleontologists from overseas have apparently become very interested in the theory and stand by it strongly, although generally it is either unknown or simply disregarded by Paleontologists. Respected NZ cryptozoologist allegedlly agree's with Marks' theory and believes that its only a matter of time before a living Mosasaur is discovered in our waters, but I can find no evidence to this claim.

It seems more likely that sightings of Mosasaurs are mis-indentifications of whales or sharks, or simply just made up stories. Personally I would like to believe that it is mis-indentification and imagination, but the fact that there are so many stories from one place makes me think.

Maybe we should be afraid of a lot more than sharks in our waters...



[I do not consider the Zuiyo Maru carcass to be a Plesiosaur and what is more important, I do not NEED to resort to it to prove the theory of persisting Plesiosaurs-I have what I consider to be better evidence on that score. The matter of possible Mosasaurs around New Zealand is very interesting because it is a place where statements had been made that there were two kinds-the one unusually large and the other unusually small. The smaller one might well be the same as Gambo, and the bigger one is the creature known the world over as The Great Sea Dragon or The Whale-Eater, Best Wishes, Dale D.]