smallpups-blog

[smallpups-blog]

Cryptic Critters of New Brunswick

You may know New Brunswick for its beautiful autumn views or maybe its abundance of blueberry-themed food, but do you know about its cryptids? A 20-minute Bigfoot encounter, a 42-pound frog, and even a monstrous ogre! 

Welcome back guys it's time for more cryptids! We’ve covered Nova Scotia, so let’s explore the neighbour province New Brunswick next! This province has some fantastic folklore and spooks to offer. Here are some more maritime monsters..

If you don't wanna read, this post is in video form here!

Old Ned (Lake Utopia Monster) - Lake Utopia

The Lake Utopia Monster, lovingly known as Old Ned, is a lake monster that may live in Lake Utopia in Charlotte County, New Brunswick. Ned is said to be cetacean in appearance, similar to a whale. He is around 20 feet long, reddish-brown, and has a huge head. Some say he has scales like a reptile. The creature’s mouth is lined with razor-sharp teeth, and his body is undulating.

The first known human contact with the Lake Utopia Monster was in the 1700s. 2 Mi’kmaq people were on the lake in a canoe when they saw the animal. Old Ned chased them along the entire 7 km of Lake Utopia. The Mi’kmaq told the European settlers about the beast, and the settlers began hunting for Old Ned. Some believe that the Aboriginals told the white people this story to keep them from fishing in the lake, but that is just a theory. If this is true, then unfortunately it didn’t work.  

Cryptozoologist Norma Stewart suggests that Old Ned routinely travels between Lake Utopia and the Atlantic Ocean, making his trip every 3-5 years. Whether it be for breeding, feeding, or even migration is unknown. Lake Utopia connects to the Bay of Fundy in the Atlantic via underground tunnels and the Magaguadavic River. Norma Stewart also says that Old Ned “loves to bask” and is “never vicious either". I guess he chased those Aboriginals because he was having fun. 

Old Ned was sighted in 1996 by Roger and Lois Wilcox. The couple were out on the lake in their canoe when they sighted something break the water’s surface, roughly 100 meters away. Wilcox described it as 40 to 50 ft, and it was undulating upward. "I just don't know what it was." As usual, cryptid descriptions vary. Stewart claimed the lake monster was headed towards Cannonball Island, where Ned had been spotted many times before. 

What do you think about local legend Old Ned? Some theories include him being a giant sturgeon, but they don’t have teeth. Others believe he could be a giant eel, but they only grow to approximately 1-2 feet. The last theory is that Old Ned is an oarfish. Oarfish live deep in the ocean, and as we already covered, Lake Utopia is connected to the Atlantic Ocean. So possibly, yes, an oarfish could venture to Lake Utopia, but I assume it would’ve died in the freshwater? Oarfish can grow over 50 ft long so that checks out, but like the sturgeon, Oarfish do not have teeth.

Here's my interpretation of Old Ned! To be totally honest, I love how he turned out.

The Gougou - Miscou Island

The Gougou is a man-eating giant ogress from Mi’kmaq legends said to live on Miscou Island in Gloucester County. The Mi’kmaq Aboriginals feared and avoided Miscou Island because of this horrible monster. The Gougou is one of the oldest Mi’kmaq legends! 

The Gougou is 100 feet tall and hairy. She has the face of a bear but flat with no snout, large hands, and her body is covered in green fish-like shimmering scales. Some say her hair is made of seaweed. She is so gigantic that she shakes the earth with each step. She carries a hunting pouch to carry her prey in like humans carry rabbits. Take this physical description with a grain of salt, though, as it’s generally accepted that the Gougou was never actually seen but only heard. 

In 1603, Samuel de Champlain was exploring the Maritimes. He anchored his ship on Miscou Island, and his Mi’kmaq allies warned him about the gigantic beast. "They told me the GouGou had the form of a woman, but very terrible, and of such a size that they told me the tops of the masts of our vessel would not reach to his waist, so great do they represent him; and they say that he has often eaten up and still continues to eat up many [Mi’kmaq]; these he puts when he can catch them, into a great pocket, and afterwards he eats them, and those who had escaped the danger of this awful beast said that its pocket was so great that it could have put our vessel into it.” Despite being told this, Champlain decided to explore the Island anyway. 

However, Champlain did not do the exploring. He stayed on his ship and sent his priest, Sieur Prevert, along with a group of his men. Eventually, the group returned, and they were horrified. 

They told Champlain they heard the Gougou. “Sieur Prevert from St. Malo told me that . . . he passed so near the haunt of this terrible beast, that he and all those on board his vessel heard strange hissings from the noise she made.” “The [Mi'kmaq] with him told him it was the same creature, and that they were so afraid that they hid themselves wherever they could, for fear that she would come and carry them off.” Champlain had written in his diary. The Frenchmen quickly departed the area, and they too, began to avoid Miscou Island. 

Do you believe in the Gougou? Samuel de Champlain did. The Gougou seems pretty similar to a entry in my Cryptids of Nova Scotia, the Chenoo. They’re both legendary Mi’kmaq cannibalistic giant hairy monsters. Check it out if you haven’t. :)

The Gougou! Let her live! God forbid women have hobbies.

Ug Wug - Saint John River

Uggy Wuggy… The rapids of the Saint John River are known as Reversing Falls. This is because the tides are so extreme that twice a day, the current changes direction. This happens because the tide from the Bay of Fundy can push into the Saint John River when it’s high tide. When it’s low tide, the River empties into the Bay. So they go back and forth, from the river to the ocean, from the ocean to the river. These rapids have carved out caves in the river. Since the 1950s it has been rumoured that a cryptid named the “Ug Wug” resides in these caves.

The Ug Wug is described as a 100-foot-long salmon-seal hybrid "strange amphibian creature" with big red eyes and a huge appetite. That's HUGE. The size of a basketball court. Some have even reported that it ventures onto land! 

The Saint John Free Public Library card catalogue cites David D. Archibald’s article “Rio de la Vuelta” as the first record of the Ug Wug. Unfortunately, I cannot find a copy of this article, only different articles that mention it. “Mythological creature resembling both a salmon and seal which inhabits the waters near the Reversing Falls.” Archibald claims a group of hunters were the first to sight the monster. Here is one of the stories Archibald published.

A diver was diving in the River when he supposedly saw the Ug Wug. "When he was brought to the surface, his hair had turned chalk white from the experience of what he had seen in the murky depth!" We will never know what this man saw. “for he refused to tell what he had seen and died soon afterwards."

Archibald also claims “Ug Wug” is Inuit for “friendly animal” which is very cute, but there is no known language with that translation. Also, the Inuit have never lived in New Brunswick. The closest the Inuit have been to New Brunswick is the Nunavik in northern Quebec. This makes it quite confusing as to why this animal has this name. It is heavily theorized (possibly confirmed) that the Ug Wug was created to drive tourism to Saint John. There are no records of the mysterious creature before the 1950s, and the first time anyone even heard about the Ug Wug was when Reversing Falls Trading Post operator John Morris Robinson told Archibald the tales. The operator of a Trading Post would benefit greatly from tourism. 

“Once upon a time many years ago 

Lived a creature, so they say 

Hidden in the caves of Reversing Falls 

Who knows? He could still be there today 

Ug Wug, Ug Wug, lies in the sun or he goes for a swim 

Ug Wug Wug Wug, oh how I wish I could see him.”

-Frances Helyar

I may have drawn the Ug Wug too cute... I have an affinity for seals.

Dungarvon Whooper - Dungarvon River

No blog about cryptic NB folklore would be complete without mentioning the tale of the Dungarvon Whooper. He’s more of an entity than a cryptid. Maybe a ghostie ghoul.

A young Irish cook, most often called “Ryan” in the legends, began working at a lumber camp near the Dungarvon River, close to Miramichi in Northumberland County. Ryan had always worn a money belt around his waist and was unusually rich for a cook. Ryan would wake up early every morning to prepare the lumberjack’s breakfast (bread and salted pork yummers), and once he was ready he would wake up the loggers by loudly “whooping”. He was known for his boisterous whoops. 

One day, after breakfast had been eaten and the lumberjacks left the camp to work, the big bossman stayed behind with Ryan. The two were strangers to each other, so Ryan was slightly unnerved. And he had every right to be. The boss murdered Ryan and stole his money belt. When the workers returned and found Ryan’s body, the boss claimed Ryan had suddenly become deathly sick and collapsed. The lumberjacks noticed that Ryan’s money belt was nowhere to be seen. Under the orders of their boss, the men took Ryan’s body deeper into the forest and buried him. As they made their way back to camp, a terrible storm started and drenched them. Amongst the wind and rain, the men were horrified by deafening whoops and howls. When the sun rose, the entire camp packed up and left. The ghostly whooping was terrifying enough that they never returned. 

Whooping has been heard in the woods around the Dungarvon River to this day. It usually happens around sunset. Some even describe the smell of frying pork in the forests as well. They theorize this is Ryan’s ghost attempting to lure people to his grave, specifically his murderer. I wonder if Ryan ever got his revenge?

The story of the Dungarvon Whooper inspired the name of a Canadian Eastern Railway passenger train. Locals said the whistling of the locomotive reminded them of the Whooper and his whooping. The Dungarvon Whooper train travels from Newcastle to Fredericton, following the Southwest Miramichi River. 

Here's Ryan. Poor fella...

Sasquatch/Bigfoot - Kouchibouguac Provincial Park

The classic Sasquatch. Huge hairy humanoids similar to apes but more human in stature.

This entry is taken from the amazing Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization website, BFRO.net. A grey/brown sasquatch was sighted in Kouchibouguac (koo-shee-boo-gwack) Provincial Park. This was an extended sighting around 6-7 am and it lasted for roughly 20 minutes! Here’s the report:

“Hello,

My name is Steve and I would like to share my sighting with the group. Before I go any further I would like to say that this is a fantastic web site and if I would have seen it in 1998 I would have posted then. Having looked through the site I noticed other sighting in the New Brunswick area one around the same time as mine.

Durung the summer of 1998 (July or August?) I set out on a solo vacation from the Ottawa area to travel the eastern provinces. I first visited a friend in Red Banks N.B where I left my car and trailer. The next day I got on my motorcycle and headed to Kouchibouguac Provincial park on the recomendation of my friend.

The next morning I got up early and decided I would like to take avantage of what trails the park had to offer. I picked the bog. This was the largest bog I had even seen. It is something like 1.5km wide by .75km [across]. You walk along a short trail through the forest and then wow!, you are presented with this incredible bog.

I climbed this small viewing tower located at the start of the Bog and took in the spectular view. I remember saying to myself "Lets see what animals I can spot" and then seeing something and saying to myself "theres one".

I pride myself in having exceptional vision and I focused as best I could on this animal. It was directly in front of me at an estimated distance of 500'. It was a greyish brown colour from head to toe. It was walking away from me.

I never once thought is was a Man as it's colouring was too close to its surroundings and too uniform. The only problem I had was that it was walking upright. I watched it until it was out of my sight desperit to get an identifaction.

Once I couldnt see it anymore I decended the tower and walked along the boardwalk through the bog in the same direction as the creature. At the end of the boardwalk I thought about going into the bog to look for it and fear of the unknown caused me to turn back.

Before leaving the bog I went back up the tower and it was exactly where I saw it the first time except this time it walked right across my field of vision from right to left. It was close enough that I could see light between its legs as it walked and noticed its lower leg and arms seemed longer than a humans.

It appeared to be picking things up as it walked. It didnt need to bend over or stop as it picked up some kind of plants. I watched it for about 20 minutes and it seemed to me like I was looking at a shadow. I felt like it knew that I didnt have either my binocculars or camera to get a closer look at it. It was just out of my visual reach to make a definite identification.

During my vacation I walked alot of trails and on two ocassions I walked off the trail into the bush. I noticed a light from deep into the bush as if there was an opening and sure enough I found what appeared to be a natural road /trail about 20' wide and as far as I could see either way. Being in these openings felt strange so I would turn back and continue on the main trail.

At one opening I noticed an impression in the ground that appeared to be in the shape of a foot print. Athough it wasn't clear if it was a foot print it seemed odd because it was about 1" deep like an impression of a rock but there was no rock.

Well it feels good to add this to your web site. I have always thought that Sasquatch existed from a young boy in the growing up in the seventies but it was furthest from my mind when I woke up that morning.”

“Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Matthew Moneymaker:

I spoke with Steve at length and found out additional information about the incident.

In his report he said at one point during the 20 minute observation that he felt as though he was "looking at a shadow." I was particularly interested to find out what he meant by that.

He said I shouldn't read anything into that comparison and explained that he was only referring to the *uniformity* of color. It did not look like a shadow, but the fact that its greyish-brown color was so uniform from head to toe, at least from a distance, reminded him of the uniformity of color in a man's shadow.

The incident occurred in Kouchibouguac National Park (pronounced "KOOSH-i-BOOJ-u-wack"), on the Northumberland Strait. This is a protected natural reserve where absolutely no hunting is allowed at any time of year, in a country where any guns are scarce due to strict gun laws.

Steve mentioned that it would have been obvious to the animal that a human was present and observing it, especially when he was up in the observation tower about 500 feet away.

When Steve first went up to the observation tower the animal walked out of view. Then, after Steve walked along the boardwalk at ground level for a while and returned to the tower, the animal had returned to the part of the bog where Steve first saw it. This is when the long observation occurred, as the animal calmly walked around picking things from the plants in the bog.

Steve says the animal knew he was there in the tower. The tower only has a guardrail high barrier around it. People are visible from the waist up. Steve was wearing a black motorcycle jacket and jeans. He was not camoflaged or concealed on the tower in any way.

The animal went about its business without paying Steve much attention. Steve's sense was that it left his view initially not because it was frightened of him, but rather because it didn't want to cause a fear reaction in him. When it saw that Steve wasn't going to react with fear, it wasn't bothered. This was just Steve's feeling at the time, which he still stands by, and is entirely possible.

Regarding the grazing acitivity: The animal didn't reach down to the ground but rather to the low (approx. 1.5 foot high) flowering plants in the bog. It didn't bend over but rather bent its knees slightly when reaching for whatever it was grabbing, which was unclear. Steve now believes it was most likely grabbing for the berries and flowers on the plants. There is some unusual natural vegetation in the bog as well, including Venus fly traps (insect eating plants).

Other information provided about the bog area allowed me to identify it as "Kelly's Bog."

Kelly's Bog is located on the following map below the word "Source" in "La Source." This map doesn't mention the name Kelly's Bog but it is described elsewhere on this Canadian web site.

The following low-res map shows the central part of the park, where Steve had his sighting. You can see the words "the bog" below the caption for "La Source" in the center of this map. That's the location of Kelly's Bog.

Another map showing ecozones of the park reveals how large Kelly's Bog is.

This sighting is fairly important for various reasons:

1) It occurred in daylight, and the animal was feeding out in the open for an extended period, even after it knew it was being watched by a human.

2) It occurred in a remote Canadian national park (no hunting ever), but in an area developed for nature visitors. The park likely gets very few visitors each year. Steve was there at the height of summer, but his motorcycle was the only vehicle in the parking lot.

3) There's an observation tower that can be used for camera work for anyone who wants to return there to get photos/video.

4) Disclosing the specific location and encouraging public follow up doesn't create much risk for the animals because of the strict enforcement against hunting in this region. Merely entering the park with a long gun would lead someone straight into a Canadian prison.”

How interesting! Unfortunately, there's no proof of this encounter, but let’s suspend our belief like we always do. Bigfoot foraging is always intriguing since we don’t really know anything about them. I suppose we could assume they are omnivores as they are ape-like. Maybe this Sasquatch is vegan.

The elusive vegan Samsquanch. She is foraging her dinner.

Coleman Frog - Fredericton

YYYEEESSSS MORE FROGS! Love frogs <3 This big girl is the Coleman Frog. She’s (allegedly) a taxidermy of a real frog that was first discovered in 1885. When Mr. Fred Coleman was out on Killarney Lake, a friendly bullfrog jumped into his boat. It is said that this frog weighed over 7 pounds! (For reference, the average American bullfrog weighs 1-2 pounds). For the next 8 years, Coleman raised the frog and fed her a steady diet of whatever he was having for lunch- whiskey, baked beans, buttermilk, and cornmeal. She also occasionally fed on insects such as june bugs. Due to this upbringing, the bullfrog came to weigh an insane 42 pounds. The friendship between Fred and the frog grew nearly familial, and Fred had trained the frog to come at the sound of a dinner bell. Despite reportedly being shy, she entertained guests, and soon became a local legend. It was believed that touching her would bring good luck and prosperity. Over time, the huge frog was given the name “Cornelia Webster”.

Cornelia Webster was allegedly killed in an “accidental” dynamite blast around 1903 and her body was shipped off to Bangor, Maine, to be taxidermied. Once returned to New Brunswick, she was displayed in Fred Coleman’s “Barker House Hotel” office in Fredericton. In 1961, the frog was donated to the York-Sunbury Museum, which is now known as the Fredericton Region Museum. To this day, the Coleman Frog still stands on exhibit there.

Some believe the Coleman Frog is a hoax (gasp) and fake (gasp). They think the fake taxidermied model was created to promote cough syrup (the frog in your throat). In 1988, the frog was sent to the Canadian Conservative Institute. After two years, it was reported that the taxidermy consisted of canvas, wax, and paint. The Museum refuses to allow DNA testing on Cornelia. I don’t know you guys, it looks pretty real to me. 

However, there is a supposed reason for this frog’s funky look. After Fred Coleman’s death and before Cornelia was transferred to the museum, Cornelia’s protective glass was removed, and drunk hotel patrons began using her body as an ashtray. So, after she changed hands, she was “restored.” Do you think they did a good job? Let me know in the comments.

Ms. Cornelia with her daily baked beans and buttermilk.

Toteroad Shagamaw

This guy is a Fearsome Critter. (Fearsome Critters are strange animals from North American Lumberjack folklore and tall tales.) The Toteroad Shagamaw is also an amalgamation of animals. Its bottom half is that of a moose, and its top half is a bear. Both are very powerful animals. It's a satyr-like creature and can walk on either its hind legs or its front paws. It does this to confuse hunters by leaving different tracks. It specifically walks 440 steps on its paws, then 440 steps on its hooves. It is said the Shagamaw can only count to 440, as it learned by watching “lumber cruisers”. Lumber cruisers were the workers who estimated the amount of harvestable lumber in a quarter-mile radius. 440 paces is roughly a quarter-mile. It also follows the lumberjack’s tote roads, which it learned from the humans who used them (hence the name). It’s said that the Shagamaw is very simple-minded and dull, but in my opinion, this amount of observance is quite intelligent for an animal. 

The Shagamaw’s habitat is reportedly both New Brunswick and Quebec, along with Maine in the US. 

The Shagamaw is known to be shy, but also a trickster. The changing of the prints would cause infighting between hunters, as it was greatly insulting to say someone doesn’t know the difference between moose tracks and bear tracks. Its diet is mostly cotton clothing that it steals from logger’s clotheslines, but some say it also eats garbage and the occasional unattended pet. All around a pesky animal. 

Hal Johnson, a cryptozoologist and the author of “Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods (2015)”, allegedly encountered the Shagamaw. The two had an epic battle, but due to his superb hunting and fly-fishing skills, Johnson was victorious and the Shagamaw retreated into the forest. What a man. 

Fearsome Critters are generally accepted to be fictional, but what do you think? Could a crazy critter like this ever exist? I think the Shagamaw would be pretty cute.

Do you know of any other New Brunswick-based cryptids? If so let me know! These critters are so interesting to me, fake or not. The stories are full of wonder and mystery. I think our next stop will be Prince Edward Island, so look out for that! Thank you again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed. 

[smallpups-blog]

Cryptic Critters of Canada

What does the great white North have to offer regarding terrifying animals with dubious existence? Perhaps a humanoid beaver man? Lets find out :-)

Welcome back y’all, I have another cryptid list for you. This time we are taking a gander at some of Canada’s creepy cryptids! Canada has a variety of cryptic critters, ranging from lurking lake monsters to scary giant wolves. I’ve also added some doodles to the entries, like the last time. I hope you enjoy!

If you don't wanna read, this post is in video form here!

Ogopogo - Okanagan Lake, British Columbia

Ogopogo is Canada’s most well-known cryptid! I remember reading about him at several of my childhood book fairs! He’s a 40 to 50-foot-long serpentine monster that lives in Lake Okanagan, British Columbia. His green body is said to be thicker than a telephone pole, and we cannot forget the trademark horns on top of his head.

Ogopogo has deep ties to local Native mythology! He’s more of a folkloric mythical creature than a cryptid. To the Secwepemc (suh-Wep-muhc) and Syilx (see-yeel-x) natives of BC, Ogopogo is known as Nx̌ax̌aitkʷ (n-ha-ha-it-koo) or Naitaka. Naitaka could translate to both “water demon” or “water god”. He can be found in petroglyphs and various other forms of Native art. It is believed that Naitaka required a live sacrifice if the people wanted to safely cross the lake, so the First Nations people would sacrifice small animals. However, there was one man in particular who did not believe in Naitaka, chief Timbasket. He refused to sacrifice anything and even denied Naitaka’s existence. When he and his family got into the water, Naitaka created a whirlpool with his long tail and sucked the entire canoe and its occupants deep into the lake. Some believe this story to be a misunderstanding between the Indigenous people and the white people. When the settlers saw the natives give offerings to Lake Okanagan, they thought it was to appease the monster, but the Aboriginals were actually thanking Naitaka for providing them with food and water.

One of the oldest known sightings of Ogopogo was in 1873, sighted by BC pioneer Susan Allison at her home in West Kelowna. She was waiting for her husband to return from Okanagan Mission when she reported seeing a “snake-like creature” in the water of Lake Okanagan. Susan was familiar with the First Nations legend of Naitaka and feared the worst for her husband, but he eventually returned home. While her husband did not believe her story, a local mining superintendent, Thomas Smitheran, reported that he too had seen the monster that very day.

Altogether, Ogopogo has had over 200 sightings, which is a lot for a cryptid. Can such sightings point towards this myth being real? Is Ogopogo lurking in the depths of Lake Okanagan? Is he a prehistoric dinosaur that remains alive in the safety of the water or are these sightings simply misidentifications? Is he a real water serpent, or just a stray otter? Let me know what you think! This cryptid has a lot of history, so there's a good chance I might go into more detail in the future. Check this out; at the bottom of Lake Okanagan rests this sculpture.

Terrifying, isn’t it? Imagine wandering across this by chance! This Ogopogo statue is about 30 feet below the surface and is 8 feet tall and 14 feet long. It was installed in the early 1990s by Doug Lundgren and his team at Diving Dynamics, a local commercial diving company in Kelowna.

Old Yellow Top - Cobalt, Ontario

Old Yellow Top is a hairy humanoid aka Bigfoot sighted around Cobalt, Timiskaming District, in Ontario. The sightings spanned over 64 years, from 1906 to 1970. Mr. Yellow Top is approximately 7 feet tall and boasts a unique feature amongst sasquatches- he’s a blonde! From the shoulders up, his fur is a pale blonde that looks particularly striking in this one photo. He’s known as a “marked hominid”, which is a term created by (cryptozoologist) Loren Coleman in 1999 to describe any hairy biped creature with two-tone colouration. Another example being the “Mecheny” from Russia, who has a white marked forearm.

Old Yellow Top’s first appearance in September 1906 was at the Violet Mine. A group of workers who were there to build the framework of the mine sighted Old Yellow Top several different times. He popped up all over the work site. The men reported that the humanoid was curious and watching them from a safe distance.

In April 1947 he was back again. This time a woman and her young son were walking along the railroad tracks into Cobalt. The mother was wary of black bears as it was early spring and cub season. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a dark figure, but was shocked to see a man-like beast covered in brown fur with a “light head”. Old Yellow Top paid the two no mind and wandered off into the woods near Lake Gillies.

He was seen for the last time on August 4th, 1970. A group of 27 miners and 1 driver were driving down the rocky road to the Cobalt Lode Mine when Old Yellow Top crossed the road in front of their bus. The driver slammed on the brakes before losing control and going off the road. The bus just barely stopped before a dangerously steep cliff drop that would’ve been fatal. The driver described the figure the same as the witnesses before. Dark fur with light fur above the shoulders. At this point, Yellow Top would’ve been over 60 years old!

There haven't been any sightings of Old Yellow Top since the bus incident. Some believe he might have passed away due to his old age, but who knows the lifespan of a sasquatch? He would be a senior at least, for sure… I hope he's happy, he looks like a chill dude.

Ponik - Lake Pohenegamook, Quebec

Here’s another lake monster! This one’s name is Ponik, and he resides in Lake Pohenegamook, Quebec. His body is known to resemble an overturned canoe with ridges down its back and onto its tail. Some people say Ponik has 2 humps, some say 3, others report no humps! Descriptions vary. Ponik has the classic long neck and horse-shaped head look. He has short little legs with flippers for feet, and his body colour is usually described as black or brown. Ponik is estimated to be 30 to 60 feet long.

Ponik was first sighted around 1873, but details are scarce. Louis Berube, a lumberjack at the time, claimed to have seen something “huge” that might be a fish. Very convincing. Local man Benoit Levasseur also claims to have seen Ponik shortly after Louis. He says he saw a monster in the lake that was more than 25 feet long! It bobbed its head in the water before diving away. 

In 1957, local priest Father Leopold Plante was fishing at Lake Pohenegamook when he sighted something black with 2 humps in the water. As he reeled in his line, the unknown figure dove away into the depths. 

Mayor of Pohenegamook Guy Leblanc reported a possible Ponik sighting from 1990. He was out on the lake with his friends in his boat when they encountered an aquatic beast. “We saw a big big fish beside my boat. He was swimming. And he was very nice. He swam about ten seconds for us and that was incredible.” said Leblanc. While Leblanc personally believes he saw a giant sturgeon, others think otherwise! Sightings began to surge after this. 

Father Calixte Berube reported sighting what he believed to be Ponik sometime in the 2000s. Along with 15 other people, Father Berube observed the monster around 4 in the afternoon. “We saw the back with the dorsal fin. It frolicked like a fish and shimmered in the sun. It disappeared and reappeared further along; one moment it began to turn around and around as if it were amusing itself. There wasn't time to take photographs. People stopped on the road to watch." Sir, I think 1 photo of this magical moment would have been ok…This encounter must’ve taken several minutes!

Partridge Creek Monster - Partridge Creek, Yukon

The Partridge Creek Monster is a modern theropod dinosaur sighted in Partridge Creek, Yukon. It’s closest appearance-wise to a Ceratosaurus. It was first reported in a newspaper story by Georges Dupuy in 1908, which describes the creature as a bipedal black dinosaur with thick, bristle-y fur, 50 ft long from snout to tail, 30-40 tons, and with a large horn on its nose. A furry dino? Maybe feathered hmm? 

Georges Dupuy’s 1908 report in The Strand Magazine covered two different encounters with the Partridge Creek Monster. The first being in 1903. Two men, James Lewis Buttler and Yukon local Tom Leemore were out in the cold wilderness of the arctic hunting for moose. While tracking three moose, the prey suddenly startled and absconded. The men investigated and came across huge clawed tracks and drag marks in the snow. The drag marks being the beast’s tail dragging behind it. These pawprints were at least 5 ft long and 2.5 ft wide, the claws being a full foot each. They followed these tracks, but they eventually disappeared into a rocky gorge. Buttler and Leemore later met up with Georges Dupuy, Father Pierre Lavagneux, and 5 unnamed Indigenous people from the Klayakuk tribe. The group of men decided to search for the monster. Initially, they were unsuccessful, but later the group encountered the dinosaur near their campsite. The men were spooked by a horrifying roar. “The beast for which we had been looking—a black, gigantic form, the corners of his mouth filled with blood-stained slime, his jaws munching something, I know not what—was slowly and heavily climbing the opposite side of the ravine, making the large boulders roll into the valley as he went!” Apparently, they observed the dino for 10 whole minutes, so they got a great look. "A Ceratosaurus. It is the Ceratosaurus of the Arctic Circle". Said Father Lavagneux as they watched in awe and terror. 

The second encounter was on Christmas Eve 1907. Father Lavagneux along with 10 (once again) unnamed Indigenous natives claim to have seen the Partridge Creek Monster. This time, the dinosaur had a dead caribou in its maw, and the Father watched the beast crush ice as it crossed a river, then walked off into the wild with its dinner. 

Unfortunately, there are some issues with this frightening story. We now know that theropods did not drag their tails behind them, their tail naturally lay at a horizontal angle. Another problem is that Ceratosaurus was smaller than this monster. The largest known species of Ceratosaurus was roughly only 23 ft long. But you never know! The world of dinosaurs is forever evolving as we discover more! 

The Monster of Partridge Creek story was originally published as a true story, but these days it’s usually regarded as fictional. What do you believe? Is Georges Dupuy’s story a hoax? Or did he really see a living dinosaur in the Arctic Circle? Do modern dinos exist? 

Toronto Tunnel Monster (Memegweshi) - Toronto, Ontario

Did you know that deep beneath Toronto lies an abundance of rivers and creeks that have been built over and into the city’s sewer system? Now you do. Another fun fact is that the Algonquian tribes of Canada have records of a mysterious ape-like creature living near these waterways. It’s known as the “Memegweshi” to them, but it's also known as the “Toronto Tunnel Monster”, or the “Cabbagetown Tunnel Monster”.

In Native legends, Memegweshi are small furry cryptids similar to monkeys. They are water spirits that dwell in and aside rivers and streams, we are specifically talking about the ones that used to or still do live around what is now the neighbourhood of Cabbagetown, Toronto. Memegweshi are benign critters unless disrespected- then they would cause trouble by stealing from humans and interrupting their daily lives. Some Natives were even friendly with the Memegweshi and gave them gifts, such as tobacco.

So, after an entire city was built on top of them, what happened to the Memegweshi?

Well, in August, 1978, the more modern named “Toronto Tunnel Monster” was sighted for the first and only time. A kind man simply known as Ernest, and his wife Barbara, were raising a litter of kittens when one of the babies disappeared. Ernest was searching for the kitten around his apartment building when he came across what he described as a cave. He crawled inside, where he said “I saw a living nightmare that I’ll never forget.” A monster described as the following; “The eyes were orange and red, slanted … it was long and thin, almost like a monkey … three feet long, large teeth, weighing maybe 30 pounds with slate gray fur.”. The monster hissed at Ernest; “Go away! Go away!” It can talk?? The Tunnel Monster ran off into the maze of sewers and Ernest too got out of there as fast as possible. Barbara backed up Ernest’s story, saying “He was terrified when he came back to the apartment and he doesn’t scare easily.”.

In March of 1979, Ernest returned to this very same cave with the Toronto Sun and they found the carcass of a cat. It is unclear if this cat was Ernest’s lost kitten. The Toronto Tunnel Monster’s physical description is very similar to a more well known cryptid, the chupacabra. They are both small, monkey-like animals with red eyes that seemingly eat animals. Another theory is that the Tunnel Monster is an alien. The most widely accepted theory is that this monster was simply a human. Perhaps a homeless man, or child, given its size. If it was a chupacabra, would it be able to talk? Same question for the alien. Let me know what you think.

Great White Wolf - Nahanni Valley, NWT

The Great White Wolf, sometimes conflated with the Waheela, is a large, bear-like wolf located in Alaska and the Northwest Territories, specifically Nahanni Valley. The White Wolf has a wide face, broad shoulders, spaced paws, and long white fur. Her front legs are longer than her hind legs, she has a thicker-than-proportionate tail and smaller ears. A beast of a puppy. She is a solitary creature, so luckily you won’t come across more than one giant wolf at a time :).

In Native Legends, the White Wolf is an evil spirit that decapitates its victims. In fact, the White Wolf is said to be the monster responsible for Nahanni Valley’s nickname, “Valley of the Headless Men". The Valley obtained this nickname after a string of mysterious deaths in the area, of which the bodies were missing their heads. Did the Great White Wolf do this?

During the 1940s or 1950s, mechanic Frank Graves reported his White Wolf encounter to cryptozoologist Ivan T. Sanderson.

“An enormous white thing that I at first thought must be a Polar bear sort of wandered out of the trees. It wasn’t a bear; it looked more like a gigantic dog. It stood straight up on rather long legs, more like a dog or a wolf. I had seen plenty of wolves and some of them are enormous enough up there, but this thing was twenty times the size of any wolf I had ever heard of. By a sort of reflex action I fired at it- and it was less than twenty paces away and only partly screened by little bushes. I hit it with two barrels of ball shot. It didn’t even jump, but turned away from me and just walked back into the forest. I reloaded and fired again, and I know I hit it in the rear, but it just kept on walking.”

Now I will let you know that in 2018, Graves revealed that he believed the animal to have been a Mackenzie timber wolf, a Canadian subspecies of grey wolf. But I don’t think a regular wolf would be able to simply walk off two shots from a double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun.

I am refraining from calling the White Wolf “Waheela” because as far as I can find, the Great White Wolf of Nahanni Valley is not Waheela. Waheela is a different giant white wolf sighted in Northern Michigan. It is possible these two cases could be the same species of gigantic wolf.

I want to believe this pretty pup, the Great White Wolf, would sense I am of good nature and bring me no harm 🙏 #builtdifferent

Canadian Fur Bearing Trout

Sometimes the fish get cold. The fur-bearing trout is a trout that has grown fur to regulate body temperature in freezing water. These fish are found in northern North America, specifically Canada, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. They were discovered in the 17th century by Scottish immigrants. One man wrote a letter to his family telling of a plentiful abundance of furred animals and fish. Supposedly, he even sent one back home.

According to “The Canadian "Hairy" Trout” by Takeshi Yamada”, the Canadian fur-bearing trout can be found in most waters in Canada, except for Prince Edward Island and Manitoba. Sad for them.

A trout with thick white fur was caught in Lake Superior off Gros Cap in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Ross C. Jobe taxidermied the specimen and it was sold. The new owner presented the specimen to the Royal Museum of Scotland and it was revealed that this particular fur-bearing trout was a hoax. The white fur of a rabbit was reported as being "ingeniously" attached to the trout. It was revealed that Ross C. Jobe had previously seen a fur-bearing trout mount at a local lodge, and he made his own improved version. Jobe went on to sell these novelty “fur-bearing trout” with different stores such as the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Are fur-bearing trout a real rarity? Or are they all fishy frauds? They’re similar to jackalopes in a way. Widespread, they are taxidermied hoaxes and usually are classified as a “fearsome critter”. (Fearsome Critters are tall tale animals jokingly said to inhabit the wilderness in or around logging camps in North American lumberjack folklore.)

BONUS ENTRY not included in YT video VVV

Mishipeshu - Michipicoten Island, Lake Superior, Ontario

Mishipeshu is an underwater panther creature from Aboriginal legends of the Great Lakes region, specifically Lake Superior. Mishipeshu translates to “the great lynx”. It looks like a big cat and dragon/serpent hybrid. A scaly lynx. People usually depict Mishipeshu as a lynx or a cougar with horns of a deer or bison and a long fishy tail for exceptional swimming. It has both fur and scales. The Mishipeshu can have more features borrowed from different animals, but it really depends on which legend you’re reading. All the different Aboriginal tribes from Northeastern Canada have differing versions. Despite his name, Mishipeshu is generally known as a reptile, not a feline.

Okay okay, I admit that Mishipeshu isn’t really a cryptid, but a important cultural figure.

The Ojibwe (ow·jeeb·way) consider Mishipeshu to be the most important of the underwater beings. They say he can control all water animals and even the waves and whirlpools. He can bring stormy weather, and even break the ice in colder seasons. Mishipeshu is known for drowning people, but he doesn’t always bring bad news, as the Great Lynx has also provided humans with protection and medicine.

It is said that the Mishipeshu’s horns are made of copper and that he guards the copper in the region and on his home, Michipicoten Island. People view mining for copper in this area as highly forbidden, and if you were to take any copper from the Great Lakes or Michipicoten Island, it would be deemed as theft of Mishipeshu's copper.

Mishipeshu is known as a counterpart to the legendary Thunderbird. Mishipeshu is the master of the water while the Thunderbird is the master of the air, and the two are constantly engaged in eternal conflict. Water Panther VS ThunderBird gotta be one of the coolest matches of all time!

A Jesuit missionary named Claude Dablon told a story about four Ojibwa Indians who embarked on a trip to collect some copper from Mishipeshu’s home. They needed the copper to heat water. As soon as the men set off into Lake Superior on their canoe, the booming voice of Mishipeshu was heard, accusing the men of taking his children’s playthings. Mishipeshu killed three of the men and left the last one alive just long enough to tell others what had happened…

You made it to the end of the blog! I hope y’all enjoyed my video about my home country's cryptids and mythical creatures! To be honest, I wasn’t even aware of a couple of these fellows, so it was fun learning about them! Let me know your favourite cryptid of any country in the comments! Or if you know of any Canadian cryptids you’d add to my list! There are a lot more canuck cryptids, so expect to hear about them in the future! Goodbye~

[smallpups-blog]

Cryptic Critters of Nova Scotia

Hello guys. This is my first time making a blog like this. Very spooky, but very fun. This is a collection of Cryptids from or sighted in Nova Scotia, Canada, my home province. I love NS and have always had a passion for folklore and animal history. I hope you enjoy this entry, as I enjoyed making it. 

Obviously this is not every cryptid ever sighted in NS, but the more notable ones, at least. If you have any creepy tales that I missed, let me know in the comments! (or the replies I should say)

If you don't wanna read, this post is in video form here!

Werewolf of Lunenburg

Werewolves are a pretty common cryptid, and NS has its fair share of reports. Werewolves are generally known as animalistic half-man half-wolf creatures. They are usually bipedal and very hairy (or furry?). Some have the face of a wolf while others have a disfigured human face.

The Lunenburg Werewolf dates back to the 1700s, specifically 1755. 

A young woman named Nanette married a man by the name of Hans Gerhardt, who was known for his temper. They had a daughter together, but Hans grew jealous of his child. He was jealous of the time she spent with his wife. 

During this time, tales of a terrifying beast that kills lambs in the night spread. 

One day, Nanette returned home to find Hans and their daughter missing. She later found him, turned feral and soaked in his daughter’s blood. She was dead. Hans was arrested and sentenced to death, but avoided this by killing himself in his cell. It is said he tore out the veins in his arms with his teeth. 

This tale is commonly known as The Lunenburg werewolf, but for all we know, it could just be a crazy or feral man.

Bipedal Wolf

There have been 2 recent sightings of what is described as a bipedal wolf in Nova Scotia. They could very well be werewolves or dogmen, but, as with most Cryptids, we don’t really know. 

Our first sighting was in Pictou county in March 2012. A driver watched a deer be chased across the road by a dark creature. This creature stopped to stare at the headlights, its eyes glowing. And just like that, it was gone. 

The same weekend, a local farmer found one of his cattle mutilated, and bloody tracks lead away from the carcass. Nothing ever came of these tracks. 

Our second sighting comes from the r/NovaScotia subreddit, by user u/OhTheYearWas1778. In 2013, somewhere around Halifax, this redditor says they and their friends encountered a humanoid wolf-like creature. They claim it was slender and hunched over, but when it realised it had been seen, it stood up straight and glared at them. It was 8ft tall, and it had red eyes and a snout like a wolf. 

Here is my simple drawing of a werewolf, two forms. The more traditional full bipedal wolf style, and the more human “dog-man” style. I’m not a furry, BUT, I am a fan 🙂

Green Hill Creature 

Sasquatch or Bigfoot have been sighted in NS as well! The most reputable encounter is of the Green Hill Creature

This isn’t even really a sighting, but in 2003, some teenagers reported that something screamed at them and chased them through Green Hill Provincial Park. The boys can only guess it was a Sasquatch.

Bigfoot my man! I am a big fan of this cryptid. What if he’s just a hairy guy who likes to hike in the woods? Anyway, here’s my interpretation of foot boy. He’s just a guy.

The Chenoo

The Chenoo is a creature of Mi’kmaq legends. They are taller than any man, and grow bigger the hungrier they are. They don’t have lips, having chewed them off in hunger. They have large fangs that jut out of their mouths, and their bodies are unusually warm. 

Chenoos were originally human, turned into beasts by dark magic. They are cannibals who will only eat human meat. Chenoo have a human figure-shaped icy heart. It is said that they can be killed (or in some cases, saved) by melting their heart. This can be done by tricking them into eating salt, or letting them feed so much that they throw it up. Some legends say the only way to ensure a Chenoo is dead is to chop up its body into multiple pieces. 

There is one tale of a Chenoo being cured of its curse by the kindness of a Mi'kmaq girl. It’s called “The Girl and the Chenoo Monster.” The Chenoo becomes close with some children and coughs up his icy heart, allowing him to return to his former human form. It’s very sweet.

I suppose this is the Mi’kmaq version of the wendigo? Here's my drawing of the Chenoo, they sound pretty spooky, except for the girl story. He seems nice. Maybe he was accidentally turned into a Chenoo?

Cabbit

Thanks to this singular comment on reddit for teaching me about cabbits. As we know, they are not real, as rabbits and cats cannot produce offspring, but they have been reported in NS. They’re supposed to be cat-sized with long or short tails, but the back legs of a bunny, so they hop. Hopping cats. Big cabbit fan :) They’re mostly credited as Manx cats with birth defects. Manx cats are cats bred with short tails. They’re pretty cute as well. 

Here’s my cute lil cabbit drawing. Goofy ahh

Sea Monsters and Merfolk

Nova Scotia is a peninsula, so obviously, it is surrounded by water. This leaves many mysteries of sea monsters and merfolk scattered around the province. There have been 31 sea monster reports in Nova Scotia in the last 140 years.

These stories are somewhat ambiguous. For all anyone really knows, they could all be the same sea monster, but I made an attempt at separating them. 

Tcipitckaam [chih-pitch-kawm] (or Jipijka’m – the horned serpent)

This guy is actually from a lake, not the ocean. This monster is also known as the Lake Ainslie Monster. 

Wilson D. Wallis wrote of the Tcipitckaam [chih-pitch-kawm] in his book “The Micmac Indians of Eastern Canada”. 

This guy is wacky as hell. It’s about an inch long worm. BUT it can transform into a huge, horrifying monster. Wallis’ account is that there were 2 creatures, seemingly a male, that was black, and a female, that was brown. They had heads similar to horses, but much larger. 

The classic horse sea monster. They always freaked me out when I was a kid.

The Cape Sable Serpent

The cape sable serpent is a well known sea monster from, well, Cape Sable. There are several accounts of it, but most agree that it is around 50 ft long, has a head of a boar or horse, has sharp teeth that jut out of its mouth, has red, snail-like eyes, has frills on the back of it’s head, has snake like scaly skin, and is covered in barnacles.

I cannot get over the snail eyes. Look at him.

Gabarus Mermaid

Another legend from Cape Breton! Several fishermen on a boat off the coast of Cape Breton discovered what they thought to be a corpse. To their surprise, the figure began to move and escaped their gaze. They said it had the upper body of a human and the lower parts of a fish. The creature had long dark hair and elongated fingers. I bet she was pretty :)

You are not immune to pretty women. Neither am I. 

Sea Monster of Northumberland Strait

A fisherman named Millwright William Barry, in Arisag, which is on the coast of the Northumberland Strait, reported that he sighted an unknown creature in the water. It was around 18 metres long and had humps on its back. Barry says the humps were too close together to be bends in its body. This was in 1844.

Supposedly, this creature was sighted for a second time at a beach around Merigomish Harbour. Several people reported seeing a 24 metre long sea serpent with humps on its back. The beach goers say they watched the creature for up to an hour before it wandered away. This report is only one year after the first, so maybe our boy grew over the year. 

Not a whole lot of info on this guys appearance, but I tried my best.

Father of All Turtles

While not explicitly from Nova Scotia, the Father of All Turtles has been sighted off of the province. 

Originally spotted in the Dominican Republic, this monster was described as a whale sized turtle with a long finned tail. 

The NS sighting was in June, 1956. The crew of a cargo ship reported seeing the Father, and estimated that it must’ve been around 45 ft long. 

A common resolution for this monster is that it is simply a large leatherback sea turtle. Another theory is that it is the last remaining Archelon Ischyros, a Cretaceous-period animal that went extinct 70 million years ago. 

Big boye. Big father. Yuge.

Na Sithichean [she-ith-cahn] Fairies

Nova Scotia has a deep Gaelic culture. Nova Scotia itself means “New Scotland.” 

Gaelic fairies are not your typical fairy, they’re short and stumpy, often wear red hats, and they’re not too nice! They are quite mischievous and dastardly! These fairies look more akin to a western gnome. 

Inverness, a town in Cape Breton, NS, was originally named “An Sithean” [she-ahn] or “The Fairy Hill”. Fairy hills are where fairies reside, where they sing and dance to their heart's content.

Evil gnome lookin bastard. That's too harsh, wait.. Mischievous gnome fairy.

Devil's footprints in Beaver Bank

In Beaver Bank, a community part of the HRM, there is stunning evidence of.. uh.. something? Something, some say the Devil himself, left huge, deep footprints in solid stone! They’re too large to be human, and they span across an entire lake, disappearing on one shore and reappearing on the other! It is said the Devil walked this area in the 19th century. 

They’re apparently still there, so maybe I'll check it out on my next trip to Halifax? 

So, not really a cryptid, I guess, but still a funky mystery. Here is the literal devil. 

Phantom Kangaroos???

Kangaroos have been sighted in Nova Scotia! Obviously, NS is pretty far away from Australia, so what are they doing here? 

They’re called phantom kangaroos, and they’ve been sighted all over North America. 

The most well known sighting in NS was in Bridgetown in 1984. A man reported seeing an animal with short front paws, large back legs, and a “deer-like” head. Sounds like a kangaroo. 

Other sightings have been reported in Lunenburg County, Guysborough, Cole Harbour, and most recently, Antigonish in 2015. 

It’s just a kangaroo. 

The Phantom

This is a short one, and could possibly be a ghost or apparition rather than a cryptid. 

In 1969, in Berwick, NS, multiple reports came in of an eighteen foot tall, dark, creature. Many people claimed to have seen it, and it has been dubbed “The Phantom”.

A more direct approach of a hatman perhaps? Hmmm

Morden Dark Green Creature

In the small town of Morden, NS, three children encountered a strange green monster in the woods. It was a dark green humanoid creature, it was 4 ft tall with webbed hands and feet. It was sickly thin and followed the kids in the tops of the trees. When the children successfully ran from the cryptid, it let out a blood chilling scream. 

The children researched this creature and found it to be similar to a creature sighted in Dover, Massachusetts in the 1970s, the Dover Demon. 

While they do look similar, the obvious difference is the colour of this cryptid’s body. The Dover Demon is said to be flesh coloured. Maybe on it’s vacation to NS it got caught in a swamp?

Stinky green fella. I added some moss to fit our theory.

Alrighty that'll be it for me! This was super fun to research and I really hope you guys liked it as well! More of these types of posts will be coming soon! I may go province-to-province and possibly even country-based in the future. Thanks for your time! 

[This was my first ever scripted YouTube video, and WOW it is bare-bones. Future blog posts will have more detail than this!]

[smallpups-blog]

cat tax

CABBITS!! Based on my kitties <3

From my video "Cryptids of Nova Scotia"!

[smallpups-blog]

CABBITS!! Based on my kitties <3

From my video "Cryptids of Nova Scotia"!

[smallpups-blog]

Cryptids of Nova Scotia!

[smallpups-blog]

The Cape Sable Serpent ~~~ From my video "Cryptids of Nova Scotia"!

[smallpups-blog]

Welcome to my blog! Here you will find content relating to cryptids, spooky stuff, Genshin Impact, Identity V, and more! You can find my socials below! This page is mostly art and my videos in blog form :)