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The Lake Champlain Monster - "Champ"

The Lake Champlain Monster - known affectionately as Champ - has been described as the American version of the Loch Ness Monster. Like Nessie, Champ's existence is unproven and the subject of much disagreement.

Lake Champlain sits largely on the border between the states of Vermont and New York. Although not as large as Loch Ness it is impressively big - 109 miles long, up to 13 miles wide with a maximum depth of 400 feet.

History

Recorded sightings of Champ go back to the 17th century. The lake itself is named after the explorer Samuel de Champlain, who claimed to have seen the weird creature in 1609. He described it as a "20 foot serpent thick as a barrel with a head like a horse".

There are also suggestions that the creature might have been known to the native people - in particular the Iroquois and the Abenaki - before the arrival of the settlers.

The first relatively modern recorded sighting of Champ comes from 1883. Sheriff Nathan Mooney reported seeing a huge serpent some 25 to 30 foot long rise out of the water. This report began a wave of sightings.

Since then there have been many Champ sightings, well over 200 recorded to date.

Probably the most famous Champ sighting was the 1977 Mansi Photograph. This has achieved an iconic status akin to the famous Nessie "Surgeon's Photo". The photo was taken by Sandra Mansi whilst a picnicing on the lake shore. Mansi was alerted to the monster's presence by the screaming of her children who were paddling in the lake. Whilst her fiance moved the children to safety, she took her famous photo. This later appeared in many places including Time magazine and the New York Times.

What Is The Lake Champlain Monster?

The existence of Champ is unconfirmed, and as always there are many people who doesn't believe that it exists. To them, Champ is simply the result of misreporting and over-active imaginations.

But if Champ does exist, what is it?

One of the most popular suggestions is a dinosaur type creature that has somehow survived. A plesiosaur or similar is the choice of many people.

Others believe that Champ is more likely to be some more ordinary form of large water creature which appears strange from certain angles with certain lighting. Sturgeon and eels have been suggested.

Whatever Champ is, it should be safe from monster hunters. The state of Vermont has placed it on the endangered species list.