In Canadian folklore, the Igopogo is a mythical creature said to dwell in Lake Simcoe,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. The creature's name is ostensibly based on the Ogopogo, of

Lake Okanagan Okanagan Lake ( oka, kɬúsx̌nítkw) is a lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. The lake is long, between wide, and has a surface area of 348 km2 (135 sq. mi.). Hydrography Okanagan Lake is called a fjord lake as i ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, and also the title of the 1952 book ''I Go Pogo'', a slogan often mentioned in the comic. Other nicknames for the Igopogo include Beaverton Bessie, after

Beaverton, Ontario Beaverton is a community in Brock Township in the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario, Canada. History Beaverton was first settled in 1822. The settlement is located on Lake Simcoe at the mouth of the Beaver River. It was called Calder's M ...

, and "Kempenfelt Kelly" after the bay that extends from the lake into the city of

Barrie Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically i ...

, Ontario. The city of Barrie erected a sculpture of the Igopogo at the waterfront.

Appearance

Descriptions of the Igopogo vary. Writer George M. Eberhart describes the Igopogo as a gray seal-like animal, 12-70 feet long, with a dog- or horse-like face, prominent eyes, gaping mouth, dorsal fins and a fishlike tail, and most alleged sightings describe similar-looking creatures. Another witness, E. J. Delaney, described it as a creature with two long antennae, four octopus-like arms, three pairs of legs, and six gill-like appendages with feathers. Some writers have speculated based on this appearance that the sightings were actually of

pinniped Pinnipeds (pronounced ), commonly known as seals, are a widely distributed and diverse clade of carnivorous, fin-footed, semiaquatic, mostly marine mammals. They comprise the extant families Odobenidae (whose only living member is the walru ...

s, such as

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

s or seals.

Alleged sightings

David Soules, an early settler, is credited with the first alleged Igopogo sighting in 1823. While tending sheep, Soules reportedly saw a long creature leaving a wake in the water and a trail in the mud. Another major sighting took place in 1952 by four witnesses including Wellington Charles, chief of the Georgina Island First Nation. In 1983, sonar operator William W. Skrypetz reported spotting a large animal with a long neck, although some have disputed this account, claiming the reading could have instead been a school of fish. Other alleged sightings include reports in 1903 and 1906, and a 1991 video recording of "a large, seal-like animal." In 2016 John Kirk of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club claimed on ''The Shirley Show'' to have a tape of the creature, though he did not show it.

References

{{reflist Canadian folklore Canadian legendary creatures Water monsters Lake Simcoe Cryptids

Appearance

Alleged sightings

See also

References