There is something in the water...

Something Real

    Hello there, my friends. News concerning sightings of a creature resembling the fabled Loch Ness Monster has recently been making the rounds. However, this news comes from the beautiful continent of North America! I have provided a link below to the full article. As always, I certainly hope you find this information to your liking. :)

Dinosaur-like creture reportedly spotted in North Carolina lake!

Ultrazero80

Interesting. I've never heard of this cryptid until now.

I Meme Everything

^^

Sci-Fi King25

^^^

Maybe it was a large snake, crocodilian, or fish (gar, arapaima, etc.) that someone bought and later released into the wild?

Ultrazero80

SFK- You could be right.

Something Real

SCI-FI KING25 - That is a possibility! However, I believe it was a monster! :)

The Hooded Figure

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Something Real

G:KOTM - It might have been...Goldberg...

Something Real

G:KOTM - Hahaha! :)

The Hooded Figure

^Double post SR, you're banned now!!!

Something Real

G:KOTM - Hahaha! I understand. Are you absolutely positive it was not Goldberg dressed as Godzilla? :)

Something Real

G:KOTM - Hahaha! I knew it! ;)

Alphadino65

North Carolina?  Dinosaur-like?  10-15 feet long?  Sci-Fi King25 is on to something...

The two problems with this report is that there is no photographic evidence, and the eye-witness accounts state different size's of (presumably) the same creature.  I know how they feel:  I find it very difficult to estimate length or height of something by sight alone.

It's almost certainly an American alligator.  A good size for a male gator is about 10 feet, and they are the only gators who could attain lengths of 14-15 feet (though it's so rare to find them).  And they are common in North Carolina.

But if it's not an alligator, it's most likely a Burmese python.  The southeastern United States has a problem with them, where people released them into the wild once they saw that they don't make good pets.  They adapted quickly to the environment, and are now these feral snakes rival the American alligator for the title of the region's apex predator.  They can attain lengths of 20 feet, so they are within that size range (presumably this specimen was a juvenile), and they are also common in North Carolina.

Something Real

ALPHADINO65 - Saints alive! How much do you suppose a snake of such size would weigh? :)

Alphadino65

Something Real - a wild female of 20 feet would probably weigh 180-200 lbs.  Males weigh slightly less, and are slightly shorter.

Also, I was wrong about presuming that a 10 foot Burmese python was a juvenile.  After further research, the average length of a Burmese python in the wild is about 12 feet, while individuals over 13 feet are uncommon.  So, if this 10 foot creature was a Burmese python, it wasn't a juvenile.  It could have been a small adult, or a sub-adult, but certainly NOT a juvenile.

I remember holding an albino Burmese python at a reptile zoo (with some help from 2 keepers and 4 other kids) when I was 10, and it was HEAVY!  That individual was about 12-13 feet long, and it was said to have weighed over 100 lbs.  I don't remember the exact dimensions of that specimen though, because it was such a long time ago, and to a 10 year old, things always look BIGGER than when you get older.

Something Real

ALPHADINO65 - Oh, goodness! That is an extremely heavy reptile! Thank you ever so much for this information!

Alphadino65

Something Real - Yes, it is a relatively heavy snake.  But it isn't as heavy as one would think.  The 22 year old, 10 foot male gator at that same facility currently weighs 400 lbs, so it wouldn't be a surprise if this gator in North Carolina currently weighs that much.

Something Real

ALPHADINO65 - Hahaha! I am a 5'1", 105lb woman. A 200lb, 20ft-long snake, to me, is a monster! :)

Alphadino65

Something Real - Fortunately, you won't find many Burmese pythons of that size, mass and length-wise.  Reticulated pythons and green anaconda's on the other hand...

Something Real

ALPHADINO - Hahaha! Oh, how marvelous! I believe I shall remain distant from areas with such animals! :)

Alphadino65

Something Real - Just make sure there's either glass between you and the snake, or someone with experience handling these reptiles has control of the head.  As long as one of those scenarios occur, you'll be fine.  I was smaller than you when I helped hold that captive albino, and I had no fear, because I trusted the keepers who held the snake's head.  I was holding the mid-section too, which was the most stout (if not heaviest) part of the snake.

And reptiles don't like glass.  They don't like how it feels, and they can hurt themselves if they collide too hard into it.

Something Real

ALPHADINO65 - I shall certainly keep your advice in mind! I do not mind snakes and other reptiles - as a matter of fact, I once owned multiple African Golden Skinks. They were such sweethearts! :)

Xenotaris

I thought there already was a North American Loch Ness Monster. Champ and Bessie(Lake Erie Monster)

Something Real

XENOTARIS - I am familiar with Champ; however, I have never heard of Bessie. What is that creature, may I ask? :)

Something Real

G:KOTM - I have no doubt that you will! :)