Creepy Tales of the Lizard Man
The mere mention of the Lizard Man conjures creepy images of mutant-like humanoid reptilians. Interestingly, despite possible disapproval from the grammar police, the term “Lizard Man” is used interchangeably to refer to a broad spectrum of bipedal hominid-like reptilian creatures (sometimes also referred to as “Homo-subterreptus) instead of just one specific cryptid. Thus, reported sightings of Lizard Man vary from scaly humans to large bipedal lizards, small dinosaurs and everything else in-between.
Possible Theories
It is no surprise that many theories have been put forward in an attempt to crystallise the undefined nature and origin of the Lizard Man. Essentially, there are two leading theories – one based on evolution and the other on extra-terrestrials.
The former is heavily premised on the continued biological evolution of pre-historic reptilians, even dinosaurs, and largely based along the same path as early primates. Of all the theories, the one put forth by Dale Russell, curator of vertebrate fossils at the National Museum of Canada in Ottawa, sparked much controversy.
In short, back in 1982, Russell presented a possible evolutionary path that might have been taken by the dinosaur Troodon had it not faced extinction, and theorised that it could have evolved into “Dinosauroid”, intelligent beings similar in body plan to humans. Since then, Russell’s theories have been met with many challenges from other palaeontologists, primarily on the contention that his “Dinosauroid” was overly anthropomorphic.
Dale Russell’s “Dinosauroid” theory was challenged to be overly anthropomorphic
The second theory renders the Lizard Man as being from out of this world, with links to extra-terrestrial beings coming to Earth for various purposes, from observing life forms on the planet to interbreeding purposes.
In summary, the nature and origins of the Lizard Man remain an open-ended question to date.
Appearances and Creepy Encounters
Ancient Historical Accounts
Intulo of Zulu Folklore
Common depiction of Intulo
For the Zulu, spotting an Intulo especially in the home is an ill-omen of impending doom. In essence, it was the Intulo’s swiftness that relegated it to a harbinger of doom.
According to Zulu folklore, Unkulunkulu (either a sky god or an ancestral spirit depending on which version you subscribe to) was in one of his generous moods and ordered Uwaba (a chameleon-like creature with humanoid traits) to deliver the gift of immortality to mankind.
However, unfortunately for mankind, Uwaba took his own sweet time in fulfilling his task, slowly trembling his way across the great distance and even stopping every now and then to feast on delectable shrubs called Ubukwebezane. In the meantime, Unkulunkulu had a change of heart and for reasons unknown, decided to retract his gift of immortality.
Unkulunkulu ordered Intulo to deliver his new edict that death would befall mankind. Intulo took his master’s instructions to heart and swiftly accomplished his mission. When Unwaba finally arrived, he was too late to deliver the gift of immortality to mankind.
Thus, Intulo became associated with death and mortality whilst the real culprit, Unwaba, got away relatively unscathed.
Cherufe Lizard Man
Generally accepted to be a large reptilian humanoid with hard skin resembling molten rock, the Mapauche legends are conflicted as to the nature of Cherufe. Early legends describe it as a reptilian humanoid or similar creature but later interpretations suggest it was a dragon-like monster. Other references describe the Cherufe as a giant snake that lives under the sea floor, generating seaquakes and tsunamis.
Literature on Cherufe
Notable Modern Sightings
Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp
Christopher Davis
Those who hail from Lee County in South Carolina may have heard a tale or two about the Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp. In fact, they might even have seen it or know someone who has encountered it before.
The first reported sighting was in 1988 by Christopher Davis, then a teenager. He was on his way back home from work and had to stop at Scape Ore Swamp due to a flat tire.
The swamp was eerie and deserted in the wee hours of the morning (around 2 am). Davis hurriedly replaced the tire and as he finished tightening the last bolt, he heard a thumping noise behind him, getting louder by the second. Instinctively turning toward the noise, he was shocked to see a horrifying creature, about 7 feet tall with red eyes, running towards him.
Based on his account, Davis jumped into the car and hit the gas in a bid to escape but the creature clung to the car door as Davis drove off and even crashed onto the roof before Davis got away.
According to Davis’ dad, Davis was so terrified that it took him close to two hours to calm down before he could speak coherently of his narrow escape. Upon discovering the scratch marks on the roof of his car and the damage to his side-view mirror, Davis and his dad reported it to the authorities and the local paper. The report sparked such a media frenzy that a nearby radio station (WCOS) even offered a 1-million-dollar reward to anybody who could capture the creature alive.
Christopher Davis’ rough sketch of the monster (left). On the right is a three-toed plaster cast of a footprint made in 1988
Following Davis’ report, many others came forward with purported encounters with the creature, and some had auto damage as well. For instance, on July 14, 1988, a “car mauling by a very strong animal” was reported by a woman. The deputies on call saw that the chrome moulding had been torn away from the fenders and parts of the car looked like they had been chewed on by an animal. In addition, clumps of hair were also found at the scene.
Based on analyses of the reported sightings and testimonies from various witnesses, the Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp would be about 7 feet 2 inches tall, bipedal, with a strong build, green scaly skin, and glowing red eyes. It is also likely to have three toes on each foot, three fingers on each hand and circular pads on its fingers that enable it to scale walls and hang from ceilings.
The hype about the Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp died down by the summer of 1998 with few credible reported sightings thereafter. It returned to the limelight briefly in 2015, when two individuals separately released recorded evidence of their Lizard Man sightings. In short, a woman revealed a single picture of the Lizard Man, shot with her phone camera after stepping out of her church. After the photo went viral, an anonymous hunter released a 25-second-long video, supposedly taken prior to the photograph but shot close by, showing a dark figure briefly moving through the trees in the distance.
A video shot by another local depicts a dark figure (circled in red) darting into the trees. The footage was shot in May 2015.
Lizard Demon of Wood County
This human-reptile hybrid cryptid, dubbed the Lizard Demon, shot to mainstream fame when it was featured in an episode of Mountain Monsters. For the uninitiated, Mountain Monsters is popularly described as “a show with professional hillbilly hunters that search for mysterious creatures that people have claimed to have seen in West Virginia”.
The hunters/investigators, with a camera crew in tow, sought to suss out the Lizard Demon reportedly lurking in the Ohio Waters and West Virginia. Based on eye witness accounts, the Lizard Demon is bipedal, water-based, has gills, three toes and a triple eyelid. It is also said to be 7 feet tall, weighing in at 300 to 400 pounds with a penchant for eating cows or similar livestock and a rather creepy habit of chasing as well as scratching cars.
The show highlighted a few interesting testimonies such as;
- “JayBob”, who produced a trail camera photo depicting a side view of something scaly, to back his story of seeing a 7 feet tall, fast-moving creature with dark green coloration.
- Mark, a local farmer who was adamant about having seen a large scaly humanoid and later finding a triangular print.
- Bob, a local auctioneer who claimed to have seen an upright green creature with a lizard-type head for a split second before it disappeared. He also reported seeing a dead cow in the river with a chunk taken out of it, near where he spotted the creature earlier.
Although baited traps were laid on land and in water and despite the discovery of a track almost a foot long on the land, the gruesome remnants of an animal rib cage in the water, and even footage of a chase which resulted in multiple gunshots, the hunters/investigators did not catch anything. Rather than concluding the show empty handed, they instead patted themselves on the back for scaring the Lizard Demon away.
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/LM_Mountain-Monsters-Lizard-Demon-of-Wood-County.mp4
New Jersey Gator Man
There is little information about the elusive New Jersey Gator Man save for the fact that this large, humanoid alligator was spotted by several eyewitnesses during the summer of 1973 around the New Jersey Newton-Lafayette area. Despite the absence of any physical evidence, its existence was acknowledged publicly by a city official.
The 1977 statement issued by New York City Conservation Naturalist, Alfred Hulstruck, about the state’s Southern tier being the apparent home of “a scaled, man like creature which appears at dusk from the red algae infested waters to forage among the fern and moss covered uplands” remains the only official statement issued to acknowledge the existence of this cryptid.
Loveland Frogman of Ohio
If several police officers individually report sightings of an unusual reptile with the face of either a frog or lizard getting up on two feet and running away, it will definitely be a case of interest to be investigated and monitored closely. This was what happened with the Loveland Frogman of Ohio.
In 1972, Officer Ray Shockey was the first to report encountering a 60-pound, 3-to-4-feet tall creature with a frog/lizard face sprinting away on two legs after lying beside the highway. A couple of weeks later, Officer Mark Matthews radioed in a similar encounter. There was also another report from an anonymous police officer of having seen a crouched frog-like creature when he was traveling down Riverside Road heading towards Loveland. The creature is said to have stood up on two legs and stared at the officer with illuminated eyes before escaping into the Ohio River. Another officer who went to the scene later that evening to investigate failed to see the Loveland Frogman, but discovered distinctive scratch marks on the guard rail that the creature supposedly scrambled over.
There were reported public sightings prior to the testimonies of the police officers, the earliest lodged in 1955 by a businessman. He went on record saying he had seen three creatures, approximately 3 to 4 feet tall, with wrinkles on their heads instead of hair, as well as webbed hands and feet.
To date, the Loveland Frogman phenomenon remains unexplained.
Artistic impression of Loveland Frogman
Milton Lizard
This lesser known cryptid was primarily sighted at Canip Creek, near the town of Milton, in Trimble County, Kentucky, in the summer of 1975. Spotted first by Clarence “Toughy” Cable, co-manager of the Blue Grass Body Shop, a junk and wrecking yard located north of Milton, it is said to resemble a 15-foot monitor lizard with “big eyes similar to a frog’s… Beneath its mouth was an off-white colour and there were black and white stripes cross ways of its body with quarter-sized speckles over it.” He also claimed that the creature hissed at him several times.
The second sighting was reported by Cable’s brother, Garrett, who also saw the creature whilst working in the junkyard. When he saw the creature’s lizard-head pop out from the debris, he fled to find his brother but when both of them returned to the site, they failed to locate the creature.
However, the very next day, the lizard (or one similar to it) appeared before Cable again, except this time it appeared to be larger — nearly 15 feet in length. Cable instinctively threw a rock at it before running to retrieve his rifle. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the lizard hissing at him before escaping into some nearby bushes. Cable fired multiple rounds into the bushes, but it is uncertain if he managed to kill or wound the creature.
A search party scoured the Blue Grass Body Shop junkyard as well as the surrounding area for any sign of the lizard, but they came up empty handed. To date, there has yet to be any physical evidence of the Milton Lizard.
Out of This World?
Whilst most of the Lizard Man’s sightings are limited to experiences on Earth, an article published by the Daily Star on 13 October 2015 claims otherwise. The article reported the revelations of one (ex)-United States Air Force woman under hypnosis wherein she “recounted” being abducted by the Lizard Man to a secret base on the far side of the Moon.
Niara Terela Isley claimed that over the course of several months when she was 25 years old, she was taken to outer space eight to ten times, where she was repeatedly raped, in front of different audiences ranging from other Lizard Men to the humans in cahoots with them and even other aliens of different species.
In addition to being used for sex, during her captivity in the underground lair, Niara Terela Isley claimed she was also forced to do hard physical labour as well as operate electronic machinery to excavate the darkest parts of the moon. She also claimed her memory was wiped out each time the Lizard Man sent her back to Earth.
Secret base of the Lizard Man on the far side of the Moon?
Conclusion
It is interesting to note that despite the lack of irrefutable evidence and, in some cases, the absence of any physical evidence, stories pertaining to the Lizard Man have gained quite a lot of traction. Judging from the continuous stream of reported sightings and eyewitness accounts, it appears to be a phenomenon with strong staying power. Whether this stems from real interest in the cryptid or is motivated by other reasons such as commercial gain remains to be seen. What is clear is that many sleepy towns which are relatively unheard of were given a boost and a new lease of life following sightings of the Lizard Man therein.
References:
- http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/469871/Lizard-man-hypnosis-US-Airforce
- http://cryptidz.wikia.com/wiki/Intulo
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_lizard
- http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/03/the-mysterious-kappa-of-japan/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizard_Man_of_Scape_Ore_Swamp
- http://cryptidz.wikia.com/wiki/Lizard_Man_of_Scape_Ore_Swamp
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3188604/Is-South-Carolina-s-Lizard-Man-New-images-claim-mythic-swamp-monster-prankster-lizard-costume.html
- http://www.inquisitr.com/2316435/south-carolinas-lizard-man-of-scape-ore-swamp-a-brief-history-of-the-humanoid-reptilian-cryptid/
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lizard-man-scares-south-carolina-residents_us_55c126ece4b05c05b01f67f4
- http://www.lyleblackburn.com/lizardman/
- http://www.reptoids.com/Vault/Bishopville.htm
- http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/TheBattery/archives/2015/08/04/4-things-you-should-know-about-the-lizard-man
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kappa_(folklore)
- http://ucmmuseum.com/honeyislandswampmonster.htm
- http://www.angelfire.com/la2/SwampMonster/
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There are many things in the world beyond the imagination of mankind, with science cannot explain clearly. These supernatural phenomena have been and persisted, and even many have happened around us including all others creatures。
The point is if you don’t see it, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist just like the bacteria in the water which only can be seen using microscope.Whatever these creature exist or not we need to be mindful and cannot be granted at all.
I do believe these are seen and unseen beings everything where. So is lizard man real? I would think it’s a lizard spirit rather than a creature. Or it simply being from another universe that dropped off to the earth to do some report. Heheh.. well the list can go on. To me nothing is impossible. It’s a matter of how we project it.
Being like Lizard man exitence just like other mystical creature hide and living in this planet. Whether they are alien or not is not important. I rather hope they remaind mystical. So human not try to hurm them for reserch. Mankind better focus more to respect other spiceses exitence in this world and not hunting them for enjoyment.
I never heard about the Lizard Man before and I don’t know if he exists. I believe that Sasquatch exists and there are accounts on different Cryptids.
I think that life becomes more difficult for these beings as men have developed so many areas and go further into the wild for different reasons. I believe that we should respect other beings and not disturb them. In the end, what right do we have to go and chase them.
Here is is another link on more Cryptids: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/science-mysteries/bizarre-cryptids.html
Lizard man is like an UFO, still under discover by scientists. Personally i don’t really it exist. Here’s another article that i read from other website : http://www.foxnews.com/science/2017/08/11/south-carolina-warns-citizens-lizard-man-sightings-during-solar-eclipse.html
The South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) is warning citizens in several of its counties to be vigilant of paranormal activity associated with the upcoming total solar eclipse. Considering that the eclipse is a space event, you might think the warning is simply an amusing alert to keep an eye out for UFOs, but that’s really not the cast. SCEMD is being quite specific about its advice, and it’s asking citizens to be wary of Lizardmen.
It might sound like an April Fools’ joke, but SCEMD’s warning is apparently completely legitimate, as South Carolina has a history of Lizard Man sightings. The agency tweeted out a handy map of where Lizardmen have been spotted in the past along with an overlay of the path of the solar eclipse.
I believe Lizard man did exist and it can be many reason why it is existed. There are many things in the world beyond the imagination of mankind, with science cannot explain clearly. These supernatural phenomena have been and persisted, and even many have happened around us including all others creatures。 I always believe that there are others sentient being out there which have not been discovered by us. The point is if you don’t see it, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist just like the bacteria in the water which only can be seen using microscope. We may look at each others as alien, and the issue here is to have a sincere respect for other sentient beings. Always chose to live harmony with each others.
Anything could be possible on Earth, there are numerousof life forms and plenty of them are still undiscovered.
Like what Ms. Li Kim from the Paranormal Zone says, “What we see may not be real, what is real we may not see.”
Li Kim
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/author/likim
Now living in this century, science technologies were much advance and men are very skeptical when come to new discoveries. Beings like insects, reptiles, mammals were their experiment. What I think failed experiment caused the mutation.
On the other hand, to believe of it existence strong evidence is needed to intact.
There are so many possibility of creatures that exist on earth.
I believe the posibility of lizard man in the sense the evolution from the dinosaur time or could be another alien form. From the sighting that people reported unfortunately there is no clear evident that can prove their existent. Personally just hope that if this creature really exist, it doesn’t hurt anyone and may they stay low to prevent being captured for scientific testing or examination which causes any suffering.
Frankly speaking, I don’t quite believe the existence of Lizardman, despite with all the theories stated in this article, but it doesn’t sound real to me, especially the part where Niara Terela Isley said she was brought to outer space and got rapped by the Lizardman. It’s kinda difficult to believe as many people always like to fantasize some “truth”. So to me, this may be some fantasy of Niara, just like many people talk about how they been taken to outer space by UFO, etc.
I will be more interested to see if in the future, there are more facts or witnesses about Lizardman.
It doesn’t come to my mind that Lizard Man do exist as biologically wise, it doesn’t seems to me will work but then again probably we are more able to imagine further given that we are brought to our wildest imaginations of modern times in X-men and superheroes stories.
My verdict is that I don’t believe in the existence of Lizard Man as the evidence supporting their existence is not strong compared to UFOs or Bigfoots. The very fact that we are even brought to this stage of our wildest imagination says a lot about what might have been the same predicament happened to our ancestors.
Conclusion: Show me one real fossil or skeleton of of Lizard Man and I will believe their existence.
Interesting theories of the existence of this reptilian creature. I don’t doubt that some people could have seen some sort of creature but their descriptions could have been distorted. Maybe someone saw a mutated lizard-like creature and described it out of proportion. It’s like a fisherman’s story, a 10 pounder catch became a 50 pounder when the story was told too many times to many people and by many people. Another theory may be cave men saw extraterrestrial intelligent life forms that look like lizards descending onto earth in their crafts and the cave men drew what they saw on their cave walls. And maybe ancient Egyptians too saw ETs that also look like lizards including other creatures not found on earth during their time, and the ancient Egyptians expressed what they saw in hieroglyphics.
There are indeed many creatures out there in the wilderness and deep abyss of the oceans that Man have not discovered. I always think, let them be, for Man may end their existence if they were discovered.
I don’t really believe in the existence of the above mentioned. The evidences are not as much as Bigfoot’s.
Our mind play a lot of tricks when we are scared and our imagination run wild. It could be some folklore stories that were told when young and subconsciously the mind tell the brain what to believe.
Or it could be an alien or some science gone wrong.
Either way, we will never until more evidences are presented.
The fear of the Lizard Man seem to me to be related to the Zulu Folklore of ancient times, when immortality could have been endowed but due to the inefficiency of Unwaba, a lizard man, this gift was not granted and instead the mortality of death by Intulo. So instead of the Lizard man being a bringer of good things became one who brings bad news. My point of view seems far fetched but then this is the way it can be analysed as there are no irrefutable evidence of the existence to the Lizard man.
When one have not seen such being, it is not fair to say it does not exist. I will choose to be open minded and as it does not harm anyone, to be interested on further news of sighting of this creature.
Strange though, that such sightings are mainly recorded in USA and also in swampy areas.
Dear friends,
This meme is powerful. Who you hang around with and the types of attitude they have is who you will be influenced by many times and who you will become in the future. Look at your friends and the people that always surround you to know who you will become.
Tsem Rinpoche
The old adage of “there is no smoke without fire” comes to mind after reading the testimony of the various witnesses. Maybe, these lizard men were seen in remote places because these places are just that, remote and easy for them to hide. I believe that there are mysteries that are yet to be solved y science and Man. This may well be one of those.
I remember the ‘V’ series, whereby lizards wear human skin, but if one peels away the human skin a lizard is right below. I am a strong believer that there is a race of reptilians that are technologically advanced and capable of hiding amongst human society. And these beings are in control of most of the world’s economy.
I believe that the Lizard Man does exist and I think it is very scary. The Lizard Man is like Bigfoot and all many creatures, we meet not personally encounter with them, but there are lots of evidence strongly show they are something created out from no place. Account of Christopher Davis’ car being smashed by Lizard Man and experienced a narrow escape was quite terrifying as the readers could imagine how scary it was. Thank you Rinpoche and Cindy for the sharing.
I think these kind of stories and folklore is interesting, and if I have to pick a theory, i would either say it is evolution or aliens, not so much the omen thing. Even though the chances are low for all I think when beliefs like “when you see it it means your doom is coming” come into the mix I see it as an interpretation of a sighting, all human input aside, I think that these theories could all point to a creature of this sort exists. I like to keep my mind open to this kind of possibility. Cool article.
It`s very interesting to read about urban legends on so called “monsters”. The creepy part about the video is that how fast the Lizard Man is and how it “attacked” the hunters who were trying to catch the beast. I can imagine how scary it is that a creature wandering around your area.Thank you for sharing….
Dear Cindy,
Thank you for the article. It is always mind boggling to note of extra-terrestrial or paranormal sightings. It is refreshing to know we are definitely not the only humanoid species on Earth.
Makes you think of Man In Black movies where aliens are always cleverly hiding amongst us.
Great read and great research.
Thank you.
Many theories have been presented in relation to the identity of Lizard Men,The Lizard Man is allegedly a reptilian humanoid cryptid which is said to inhabit areas of swampland in and around Lee County.south Carolina. The reptile is the oldest and most successful species on the planet and could hold secrets that have yet to come to light. This creature seem to be bulky, covered in dark green scaly lizard-like skin. It is said to have three toes on each foot and three fingers on each hand which has an incredible degree of strength This strange reptilian humanoid was reported on several accounts but not much evidence to support it. Any how its has attracted much attention in those areas pertaining to the Lizard Man so called.Whatever these creature exist or not we need to be mindful and cannot be granted at all.
Thank you Cindy Hew for sharing these interesting post.
Thank you Cindy for sharing.
I believe lizard man is real;dark green… as long as we do not disturb them ,they will not disturb us. They are beings just like us that needed merits as well whether they evolve from dinasour, aliens, unseen beings.
_/\_
Besides being known as Lizard man. There is another popular name for lizard man- The Reptilians. The Reptilians are link to conspiracy theory, popularized by David Icke, a conspiracy theorist who claims shape-shifting reptilian aliens control Earth by taking on human form and gaining political power to manipulate human societies. Icke has claimed on multiple occasions that many of the world leaders are, or are possessed by, so-called reptilians.
By reading the article, the sighting of lizard man described by peoples who spotted it is quite alike. We would not know whether the lizard man are the original species evolve from dinosaur time or from outer space, but I do believed when many people begin to describe same images perhaps the lizard man is real.
Thank you Cindy for this article.
Attached images of Ore Swamp popular sighting of the Lizard man
This post reminds me of The Lizard in Spiderman and The Were-Monster in The X-Files, not forgetting the local superhero comedy, Cicak Man. It brings to mind that these creatures exist as a result of mutation under the influence of an external factor, like chemical, radiation, aliens, etc. Or it can be another mytical shapeshifters.
As many of the recent sightings of shapeshifters, like the Werewolves, Beats of Bray Road, and even the ancient Goatman happened in the modern and technologically advanced United States, I can’t help but wonder what is the connection here.
However, the mythological relationship of men and reptile had a long and vast history across different cultures. For example, the Kraken in Greek mythology and the Nagas in Buddhism, which can interchanged into forms of frogs or lizards. Therefore, while we sit back and enjoy the creepy tales of these creatures, we must be respectful towards our environment, because we will never know with whom we are sharing the space with!
Thank you, Cindy, for this article.