When I wrote the Florida River Monster blog I mentioned this attack and I thought it may be an urban myth.Always ready to be proved wrong, I investigated further and in Tim Dinsdale's book The Leviathans" (1976 ed Futura London Paperback), I found the following, which I have scanned in (attached). You should be able to click on it and make it bigger to read comfortably.
It is a letter Tim Dinsdale received from the surviving diver, which tells the story of what happened. What they encountered could
Leopard seals are aggressive and one pulled a young researcher under the ice a few years ago and she perished. What it would have been doing in that area I have no idea. Some will say the survivor was hallucinating or traumatised because of the loss of his friends and so made the story up, not consciously but as an explanation to ease his pain. I don't know; all I can say is read it for yourself and come to your own conclusions. If it is true, it is a frightening episode.
If we are considering JUST the head shape, the resemblance of the Florida monster's to a leopard seal's head is actually quite close. I can do you a paste-up comparison if you like.
ReplyDeleteI had always considered the report problematical because the witness' drawing doesn't make sense either as a Plesiosaur or as a Giant eel for many purely anatomical considerations.
And yes f course I have a copy of the book, too. I got it as soon as the American edition showed up at the bookstores.
That would be good for everyone to see Dale. thank you.My first thought when I saw the drawing was Leopard seal and they do look like dinosaurs in the water.
ReplyDeleteEdward Brian McLeary, the only boy to survive the attack, said the head reminded him of a turtle but longer. It seems to me he was describing a reptiles of sorts. This need not be a long necked animal, it could just as easily be an elongate, serpentine beast, with it's front portion held out of the water.
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