MONETA, Va., March 4 -- Lake monsters have captured imaginations for centuries. Lakelubbers.com tells tales of 17 such creatures in the USA, Canada, Scotland, Ireland, Costa Rica and Argentina. Loch Ness's "Nessie" is best known. Muckie, Ogopogo, Memphre, Champ, Illies, Tarpie, Nahuelito and nine others are less familiar.
Most lake monsters look like serpents, dragons or giant fish. But Canada's Thetis Lake monster has been described as a scaly, gilled humanoid - similar to Hollywood's "Creature from the Black Lagoon." Most are relatively harmless, but North Dakota's Devil's Lake Monster destroyed an entire Sioux army and killed all of its fish. Serpent of the Manitou uses tentacles to seize wild game.
Few lake monsters are scientifically documented, but recent sonar evidence showed a serpentine USO - Unidentified Swimming Object - 80 meters long in Ireland's Killarney Lakes.
Lakelubbers documents these legendary creatures at:
Lakelubbers.com features tourism and historical information on 1,330 vacation and recreational lakes in 50 USA states and 50 countries. Homeowners and real estate professionals can advertise vacation rentals and homes for sale. Ten writers research and profile 100 new lakes each month.
Lakelubbers identifies the size, depth, shoreline length, fish species and lake activities that enable visitors to find lakes for their vacations or retirement. Visitors can also find lakes close to their hometowns or zip codes, ideal for weekend getaways.
"Lakelubbers" is a play on both "landlubbers" and "lake lovers."