Nahuelito
Encyclopedia
Nahuelito is a lake monster
reported to live in Nahuel Huapi Lake
, Patagonia
, Argentina
. Like Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster
, the Argentine creature is named after the lake she resides in and has been described as a giant serpent or a huge hump, as well as a plesiosaur
. Nahuelito has been allegedly shown through photos showing a hump, or a serpentine body.
in Patagonia began in 1922, but reports of Nahuelito date back just to the last decades of the 20th century. The Buenos Aires Zoo
has been attempting to collect evidence of a plesiosaur in Argentina's Patagonian lakes since 1922, under the patronage of Clemente Onelli, but no consequential evidence was found. The small lake where the presence of the cryptid was claimed is known today as Laguna del Plesiosaurio (Plesiosaur's lake).
Nahuelito has received much attention as of late due to Sci Fi Channel
's investigative TV show Destination Truth
airing a show about the creature during its first season. The show is hosted by a cryptozoologist named Josh Gates who investigates mysterious creatures using high tech gear in order to find evidence of the creature's existence or to disprove it entirely. According to the Sci Fi Channel's website one theory about the existence of the Nahuelito is that it "is the product of a nuclear experiment gone wrong."
On April 17, 2006 the local newspaper El Cordillerano reported that an anonymous photographer dropped off two pictures of what he said is Nahuelito with a note that read "It is not a twisted tree trunk. It is not a wave. Nahuelito has shown his face. Lake Nahuel Huapi, Saturday April 15, 9 o'clock. I’m not giving out my personal information in order to avoid future headaches".
Lake monster
A lake monster or loch monster is a purported form of fresh-water-dwelling megafauna appearing in mythology, rumor, or local folklore, but whose existence lacks scientific support. A well known example is the Loch Ness Monster. Lake monsters' depictions are often similar to some sea monsters...
reported to live in Nahuel Huapi Lake
Nahuel Huapi Lake
Nahuel Huapi Lake is a lake in the lake region of northern Patagonia between the provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén, in Argentina. The lake depression consists of several glacial valleys carved out along faults and Miocene valleys that were later dammed by moraines.Nahuel Huapi lake, located...
, Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Like Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster
Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next....
, the Argentine creature is named after the lake she resides in and has been described as a giant serpent or a huge hump, as well as a plesiosaur
Plesiosaur
Plesiosauroidea is an extinct clade of carnivorous plesiosaur marine reptiles. Plesiosauroids, are known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods...
. Nahuelito has been allegedly shown through photos showing a hump, or a serpentine body.
History
Press coverage for a cryptidCryptid
In cryptozoology and sometimes in cryptobotany, a cryptid is a creature or plant whose existence has been suggested but is unrecognized by scientific consensus and often regarded as highly unlikely. Famous examples include the Yeti in the Himalayas and the Loch Ness Monster in...
in Patagonia began in 1922, but reports of Nahuelito date back just to the last decades of the 20th century. The Buenos Aires Zoo
Buenos Aires Zoo
The Buenos Aires Zoo is an zoo in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Zoo contains 89 species of mammals, 49 species of reptiles and 175 species of birds, with a total of over 2,500 different animals...
has been attempting to collect evidence of a plesiosaur in Argentina's Patagonian lakes since 1922, under the patronage of Clemente Onelli, but no consequential evidence was found. The small lake where the presence of the cryptid was claimed is known today as Laguna del Plesiosaurio (Plesiosaur's lake).
Nahuelito has received much attention as of late due to Sci Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
's investigative TV show Destination Truth
Destination Truth
Destination Truth is a weekly American paranormal reality television series that premiered on June 6, 2007 on Syfy. Produced by Mandt Bros. Productions and Ping Pong Productions, the program follows paranormal researcher Josh Gates around the world to investigate claims of the supernatural, mainly...
airing a show about the creature during its first season. The show is hosted by a cryptozoologist named Josh Gates who investigates mysterious creatures using high tech gear in order to find evidence of the creature's existence or to disprove it entirely. According to the Sci Fi Channel's website one theory about the existence of the Nahuelito is that it "is the product of a nuclear experiment gone wrong."
On April 17, 2006 the local newspaper El Cordillerano reported that an anonymous photographer dropped off two pictures of what he said is Nahuelito with a note that read "It is not a twisted tree trunk. It is not a wave. Nahuelito has shown his face. Lake Nahuel Huapi, Saturday April 15, 9 o'clock. I’m not giving out my personal information in order to avoid future headaches".
