He Followed me Home...

Of all the claims of strange phenomena perhaps the most actively researched are the reports of elusive monsters. Aside from the general fascination people have for folklore, the prospect of encountering a cryptid or some other mysterious creature in the remote areas of the world generates particular interest. For the most part, the existence of these unknown beasts has been discredited as hoax or otherwise biologically explainable, like the cases of re-discovering animals that were thought to be extinct. Experts are sometimes sent to the region where the story originates to report their findings but this has rarely resulted in the discovery of previously-unclassified species. There are at least twenty legends of lake monsters worldwide, and many of them describe similar characteristics: usually long-necked, aquatic creatures, sometimes scaly or serpent-like. The local people will soon report their monsters to whatever travelers or tourists are within earshot, and the story is thereafter associated with the area.

Tales like this are also prevalent in ancient mythology, as heroes and adventurers would be waylaid by a vicious storm on their voyages, only to find themselves in the sights of a hungry or generally ill-tempered leviathan of unknown origin. With great difficulty and cleverness they would slay this beast and eventually return home and attempt to explain where they had been for several decades. The experience would not only serve as an excuse for extreme tardiness and bad sense of direction, but it also reveals the necessity of discovery as humans develop zoology. Since an organism is not said to exist until one of them is documented by authorities, the location of such animals is awaited before they can be widely accepted as fact and no longer fiction. Until then, the account is deemed questionable, as was the case with some species of whales.

A whale is a fish, right?