The Trout Lake Monster is an animal claimed to inhabit

Big Trout Lake Big Trout Lake is a large lake in Northern Ontario. The Fawn River (Ontario), Fawn River flows into it from the west and drains it from the east. The Indian reserve, reserve of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation, also known as Big Trout ...

in northern

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 ...

. In 2010, photographs of an unidentified carcass prompted Internet speculation of a "mystery creature" and retellings of local

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

legends of an animal said to presage bad news. According to a University of Toronto professor, the animal carcass was likely an ordinary

mink Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...

in a state of decomposition.

History

After photos were published of the carcass of an unidentified animal discovered near a lake on the

Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (Oji-Cree language, Oji-Cree: ᑭᐦᒋᓇᒣᑯᐦᓯᑊ ᐃᓂᓂᐧᐊᐠ (''Gichi-namegosib ininiwag''); unpointed: ᑭᒋᓇᒣᑯᓯᑊ ᐃᓂᓂᐧᐊᐠ or ᑭᐦᒋᓇᒣᑯᐦᓯᐱᐎᓂᓂᐗᐠ (''Gichi-n ...

reserve by two hikers in May 2010, they "spread around the Internet, sparking intense speculation about the creature's origins, ranging from the conceivable to the far-fetched". The photos appear to show an animal described as "more than 20 centimetres long, with a bare, gargoyle-like face and furry body". According to Kitchenuhmaykoosib tradition, it is an oomajinakoos ("the ugly one") that feeds on beavers, lives in swampy creek areas and is a

bad omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient times, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages fr ...

. Zoologist Mark Engstrom of the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

examined the photos and suggested that the carcass was a mammal of the

mustelidae The Mustelidae (; from Latin ''mustela'', weasel) are a family of carnivorous mammals, including weasels, badgers, otters, ferrets, martens, minks and wolverines, among others. Mustelids () are a diverse group and form the largest family in ...

family, which includes otters, minks and weasels: “What has happened is that some of the hair has come off in the water...It is silly. This is a dead carcass that has fallen in the water.”

References

Canadian legendary creatures Culture of Northern Ontario {{Ontario-stub