Sea snake (cryptozoology)

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A sea serpent attacks ship and crew (Olaus Magnus: Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus , Rome 1555)

In cryptozoology, a sea ​​snake is a series of snake-like animals that live in the water. Despite numerous alleged eyewitness reports, their existence has not been proven. According to reports, these sea ​​monsters are said to have been seen particularly frequently on the east coast of North America and in the larger bays of the coast of Norway .

Reports

In the Aeneid, the Roman poet Virgil describes two sea serpents with red-hot eyes and crimson crests that devour Laocoon and his sons. The Swedish priest Olaus Magnus is 1555 in his works Carta Marina and Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus next to the Norwegian Sea Serpent and numerous other sea monsters in word and image is, the description of which was taken over by later authors. Magnus' sea monsters can also be found in Conrad Gessner's important work Historia Animalium, for example . According to Magnus, the sea serpent is said to have been about 7 meters long and 60 centimeters in diameter. The sea serpent is also said to have had "glowing like fire" eyes, a body covered with brown scales and a head surrounded by a mane. In addition to octopuses , lobsters and crabs, it should also feed on cattle in the pastures.

At the beginning of the 18th century , the German adventurer Martin Wintergerst described the large sea snake that he claims to have seen on fishing trips in the North Atlantic. In 1977 the Japanese fishing trawler Zuiyo Maru recovered a ten-meter-long, kite-like , badly decomposed carcass off the coast of New Zealand . Due to the unusual shape of the remains, it was partially suspected that the carcass could have been a plesiosaur . However, based on a tissue sample, the carcass could be identified as a basking shark .

interpretation

Drawing of a belt fish from 1860 on a Bermuda beach , which was called a sea snake

During the process of decay of basking sharks , grotesque forms sometimes arise, which have been proven to be the carcasses of sea monsters in many other cases . Numerous publications appeared between 1984 and 1997 which, based on contradicting evidence, finally called the find an "unsolved mystery".

For the possibility of the existence of elongated, snake-like sea animals, the existence of similar extinct animals such as Hydrarchus or Zeuglodon is cited, but the above information can be based on the fact that rows of dolphins , large sharks , basking sharks swimming in groups or even the giant kelp were thought to be sea snakes.

The most likely model for alleged sightings of mystical sea ​​snakes should be the strap fish Regalecus glesne , a deep sea fish up to 8 meters long with an elongated, snake-like body. It has a horse-like head and a comb that resembles a mane. This look is very similar to what most reports of alleged sightings describe. Every now and then the animal gets caught in fishing nets or is washed up on beaches, dying.

literature

Web links

Commons : Sea Serpents  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Richard Ellis: Sea monsters . Pp. 42-51.
  2. ↑ P. Werner Lange: Sea monsters . Pp. 71-72.
  3. ↑ The lauff passing through Europam, propelled by Asiam, anländende of Americam and Africam and in the East Indies remained long Schwabe. Memmingen 1712, 1713; quoted from Viktor Hantzsch:  Wintergerst, Martin . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 43, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1898, p. 496 f.
  4. ^ Joseph S. Nelson: Fishes of the World . Pp. 230-231.