North America

    This section covers credible reports of apparent living Dinosaurs, Pterosaurs and Marine reptiles presumed to be extinct for many millions of years that have been reported in the territories of North America and Canada.

Plesiosaurs

Champ. Also known as Champtanystropheus.

There have been over 500 reported sightings of a creature known as Champ in Lake Champlain, Vermont. Champ is believed to be either Plesosaur such as an Elasmosaur or perhaps a Tanystropheus. The sighitngs go back to at least 1819.

In 1819 a railroad crew saw what they described a large serpent sticking out of the water and moving towards the shore they were on. Around the same time many farmers near the lake reported missing livestock as well as large sliding marks going in and out of the water.

In 1883 Sherrif Nathan H. Mooney sighted a giant water serpent 50 yards away. He said the creature was about 25-30 feet long.

In 1886, a man was duck hunting on Lake Champlain when he saw a large serpent type animal curled up on shore, he said it had legs. After disturbing the animal, it rushed violently through the bushes.

In 1887 a group of soldiers disovered a 14 inch lizard like animal swimming in Lake Champlain while they were fishing.

In 1945 an animal fitting Champ's description was seen in the middle of the lake by people on the ship S.S. Ticonderoga.

In 1954 a 14 inch reptile was trapped in Shelburne Bay. It is believed to have been a baby. It is unknown what happened to the specimen.

In 1977 Sandra Mansi took what is believed to be the best Photographic evidence of Champ still known. She was with her family at the beach of Lake Champlain when the animal surfaced near shore and she snapped a picture. The photo remains the most famous piece of evidence yet for Champ.

In 1984 80 people aboard the steamship "The spirit of Ethan Allen" saw a creature in the water that was estimated to be 30 feet long.

In 1993 a baby Champ was reported to have swam between two women bathing in the lake in Button Bay state park.

In 1995 Dennis Hall of Champ Quest videotaped a Champ.

On July 11, 2001 a man name Mr. Drapes said he and his family saw two large creatures surface at about 1,000 feet away. He said one looked as if it was cleaning itself or trying to get something off of itself. He said it looked as if one had "breathing tubes" on it's head.

On August 5, 2001 several people aboard the Fort Ticonderoga ferry saw a creature estimated 20-22 feet long. It was leaving a swampy area near shore.

On August 9, 2002, two people saw what is believed to be a juvenile Champ for about 20 seconds. It had a long, thin neck that was about 7-8 inches long and it's overall length was about 18 inches.

On August 23, 2002, in Bulwaga Bay, two people saw a large dark shadow about 20 feet long just under the surface of the water about 30 away.

Ogopogo

Nearly 1,200 people have claimed to see what is known as Ogopogo. The animal lives in Lake Okanagan in British Columbia and is believed to be a Plesiosaur such as an Elasmosaur.

The first recorded sighting of Ogopogo by a caucasian was in 1872 by Mrs. Susan Allison, a British Columbia pioneer and author.

In 1926 people in 30 seperate vehicles reported seeing Ogopogo.

In 1935 a large animal resembling a log was seen on shore by Audrey Gellatly. He watched it slither into the water.

In 1947 a number of boaters all saw the creature at the same time. One of the witnesses, a Mr. Kray, described it as having "a long sinuous body, 30 feet in length, consisting of about five undulations, apparently separated from each other by about a two-foot space, in which that part of the undulations would have been underwater.There appeared to be a forked tail, of which only one-half came above the water. From time to time the whole thing submerged and came up again.".

In 1948 John Greig was bicycling one at night under a full moon. He heard hissing noises and then saw a large reptile on land. After watching it quitely it eventually went back into the water.

In 1959 Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Miller and Mrs. Pat Marten said they saw a "tremendous creature with a snake-like head and a blunt nose swimming some 250 feet behind their motor boat". They watched the animal for 3 minutes before it submerged.

In 1964 a photo was taken by a member of the Parmenter family.

In 1976 a photo was taken by Ed Fletcher of North Vancouver.

In 1977, on July 8, Erin Neely was water skiing when she saw an Ogopogo nearby. She said the waves the animal made caused her to fall. She said she saw the animal swim under her a few feet as she floated in the water.

In 1978- Bill Steciuk was crossing the bridge from the west side of Okanagan Lake in October of 1978 towards Kelowna. He caught a movement in the lake and immediately stopped his car. All the traffic behind him also stopped and he was soon joined at the rail by about 20 other onlookers. All 20 or so people saw what appeared to be a head with three black humps behind it perhaps 60 metres away protruding out of the water. Bill and the onlookers watched the creature 'swimming' for nearly a minute, after which time it disappeared beneath the water's surface, leaving a substantial wake. This sighting made a believer out of Bill and he vowed to try to one day search for Ogopogo.

On August 15, 1980, Frank and Jim Rieger were fishing on Lake Okanangan when a large reptilian animal followed their boat for 40 minutes. They said it moved it's 8-10 foot neck side to side while scooping up fish. It had four legs or flippers and usexd its back ones to push itself through the water. They said it had a long tail and it's overall length was around 40 feet.

In 1978, 1979, 1981 photos were taken by Arlene Gaal.

In 1981 a picture was taken by someone in the Wachlin family.

"It was right around Regata time, July 24, 1981, around 1:00pm. We were in a rented ski boat and were running on the west side of the lake in the vicinity of Peachland, just a bit northwest of the tip of Rattle Snake Island. A waterskier had just passed us going fast in the opposite direction to us when suddenly a creature surfaced directly in front of us facing a northeasterly direction. We saw no head, just a body, my thoughts being that the head might be laying flat just below the surface. At first I thought it was the wake of the other boat, but then realized that the boat's wake was going the other direction. As we came closer, the creature broke into a fast-paced undulating motion. I pointed our boat directly at it but as we neared it, the creature dove, causing a large frothy whirlpool. I turned the boat around and could see the creature two or three feet below in the water. It moved at great speed at least half-way across the lake before it dove deeper and out of sight. The creature was at least 50 feet long and seemed to be either very dark green or black. "

In 1984 a member of the Svensson family photographed whta they believed to be Ogopogo.

In 1989 a hunting guide named Ernie Giroux and his wife said they saw a "bizzare animal" emerge from the still waters of the lake. They said it was about 15 feet long and swam very gracefully and fast through the water.

John Kirk had several sightings between 1987 and 1990.

In 1998, someone who went by the title "Tom" saw an Ogopogo while working on a cruise ship, the Okanagan Princess. He said it swam 18 feet under the boats sonar. He could make out its flippers and long tail.

In 2000, 11 people saw a 12 foot long Ogopogo at midnight. They said it had foru flippers and moved somewhat like a catepillar.

On Spetember 9, 2000, two people named Andy and Vince were on board the Mysis when they saw a 40 foot long animal break into thier fishing net full of shrimp.

In 2000, a marathon swimmer named Daryl Ellis saw two 20-30 foot long animals while he swam across the lake. he said one animal swam near him and he could clearly see it's eyes that were grapefruit sized.

This following sighting was apparently made in 2002 and posted by the individual on Cryptozoology.com.

"It was 9:30a.m. and I just landed in Penticton B.C. airport to pick up passengers to fly to Calgary on my way home to Lethbridge,
Alberta. It didn't take long as it was a 19 seat plane, I was sitting by the window as we took off from Penticton. It was 21 degrees and no wind, as the plane started to climb I could see the Okanagan Lake shoreline of sand and it looked like a border of whitesand to the dark blue of the water as the plane started to turn I could see the other shoreline directly below me. I noticed a large sandbar sticking out in the lake and thought that would be a nice place to fish. Suddenly, I saw three large long necked creatures, one was 70feet,the other 60feet and the other 30feet. This all happened in seconds but what I saw was three creatures with long necks,whales body and manatee tails,and there were no fins and the skin looked froglike. (I would like to add that if I could drop a rock from the plane it would make circled ripples in the water thats how calm the water was.) I started to draw a picture or map of what I had seen and about ten minutes into the flight the pilot said the #1 engine light came on and we had to turn back. I was glued to the window of the plane as we headed back the same course and as we were approaching the Penticton airport I looked below and saw what seemed to be a periscope coming out of the water and leaving ripples like a boat would then I saw the 30foot creature come out to the surface and I grabbed the elderly man in front of me and said "look out the window" and I saw the creature lift his neck and tail and it looked similar to a viking ship shape and it turned 90degrees and dove faster than anything I have seen and the elderly man saw it diving. The plane landed and everyone on the plane knew that I had seen something huge like a dinosaur, but I just got off the plane and there was a native with long braids unloading carry on bags and I asked him whats out in the lake thats bigger than the plane and he said "you saw Ogopogo" and I said "I saw three of them" and he said "my grandfather has seen it" and we shook hands and were jumping up and down we were so excited. Then when I went into the airport in the restaurant the place was a buzz and I was told that the radio station would like to interview me on the phone and I was Interviewed by the Penticton radio and I have never heard the interview and would like to very much.Also, one year later I faxed my drawings of the two aerial views to Japan and was invited to Kelowna,B.C. by Mrs.Arlene Gaal and I had the experience of a lifetime meeting the Japanese scientists as well as the nicest lady and expert on Ogopogo in the world, and I would love to go back to the Okanagan to search for Ogopogo, God willing. And my belief is that the creatures have access to channels under the Lakes and oceans to go to their areas it bothers me to think that as humans pollute the waters of our beautiful planet that not only are we killing plants and animal kingdoms we are killing life itself! Thank God that we are all going to see the coming of the lord past and present."

 Other Lake monster sightings

The following sighting was reported on Cryptozoology.com

"In September of 1985, myself and my friend (both police officers) had decided to go fishing for flounder in the Chesapeake Bay. It was a beautiful day, sunny and clear, just a few clouds in the sky. The high temperature in the 80's. My friend had a small runabout boat with a 35 h.p. motor. We left for our trip from the public ramp at Willoughby Spit in Norfolk, VA. We rounded the point at Willoughby and headed into the Chesapeake Bay through the main channel of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. We passed near the old Fort Wool manmade island adjacent to the South Island of the tunnel. This island had been used during the Civil War to fire cannon on the Monitor and Merrimac (the infamous Iron warships, first to battle during the Civil War). We stopped our boat a couple of hundred yards east of the island, on the southside of the main channel, and begandrift fishing for flounder, using stripes of squid for bait. After catching more than 20 flounder, we were looking back toward Fort Wool, when suddenly, something large rolled over in the water in an eddie near the rocks. The current was coming out toward us (eastward), and the swirling water in this area had some trash and debris in it. Whatever it was it didn't resurface. All we could see was it's back, with no fins, or other protrusions. Nothing else appeared for about 10 to 15 minutes. Then, my friend called my attention to look off the northwest stern of the boat. I did so, and was startled to observe the long neck of a sea creature protruding out of the water, about 75 yards away from our boat, out in the main channel. This was about 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon. There was considerable traffic on the tunnel bridges, about a 1/4 mile away. The animal was looking away from us, at an angle, toward the northeast. I could clearly see its profile. It's head looked much like a horses head, with a short snout, and no ears. I remarked to my friend that I thought I could hear it breathing, a sound like watery mist. He said he thought it might be a turtle, but I dismissed that notion, saying, "what kind of a turtle has an 8' ft. neck?" We could not see the bulk of its body, and it submerged. Surely that was the end of it...right? No! About 10 minutes later, while I was baiting my hook, my friend shouted at me, "I got something!" I looked up to see his rod bent over double, the strain on his face, as something big appeared to be on his hook. It was moving from our right to left, behind the boat, steadily. Suddenly, the beast broke the water, it's long neck shooting from the water like a spear. Two large diamond-shaped fins thrust forward in the water, propelling its motion. My friends line draped across its chest, above the flippers. My friends line snapped! The animal flailed wildly for about 15' to 20' ft., and then dove back into the water. The sheer size of the animal (all we could see was about 12' to 15' ft. of it) caused a large series of waves to crash against the stern of our boat. In a state of shock, I jumped up and rushed for the anchor, which wasn't even down (we were drift fishing). My friend cranked feverishly on his motor, starting it, and lunging for the motor controls. We sped away, not stopping until we reached a point near the Ocean View shoreline, at the end of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (Norfolk side). We stopped and looked at each other, hearts pounding, blood pumping, with heavy breathing, and my friend asked if we should report this? I shouted back, "No way! Our credibility as police would be over!" We said nothing until about 2 yrs. later. At that time I made a report to the Smithzonian Institute. They, in turn, forwarded my report to the International Institute of Ichtozoology. In reflecting back on the incident, the animal appeared to be a Plesiosaurus. I have seen many skeletal remains of these animals and this looks most similar to what I saw. It's skin was a greenish, patchy greenish yellow, and had a number of small barnacles on it. It's neck tapered from about 10" to 12" inches at the base, to about 8" inches at the back jaw. I only saw the front diamond-shaped flippers, and the front of the animal. I did not see if it had a tail, or flippers on the back end of it. I still get goose bumps when I relive this event. I have often thought of trying to organize some effort during the months of August and September, to set up a side scan radar on Fort Wool, and observe everything that moves through the main channel between the Fort Wood and the North Island of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. I know this animal passed through this channel once, and probably would again! It would be seen on side-scan radar set up on Fort Wool!"

"Sometimes, I wish I had never seen it! It's not easy to see something that isn't suppose to exist........A LIVING BREATHING DINOSAUR!"

Theropod's

Mountain Boomer

 In the Big Bend area of Texas there have been rports of strange bipedal lizards locally known as Mountain Boomers. They are said to resemble small Theropod dinosaurs havin long back legs and small front legs and there overall length is said to be between 5 and 6 feet.

In the 1970's a person reported having been run off the road in their vehicle by a "dinosaur". More information is needed on this sighting.

In 1993 someone reported to investigator Jimmy Ward that they had recently seen a Mountain Boomer scavenging roadkill along the side of the road. The person said when their vehicle approached the animal it ran off.

Midwest U.S. Theropods

Along the borders of Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, there have been sightings of bipedal reptilian creatures that resemble Theropod dinosaurs. They have often been called Mini-rex's or Colorado River dinosaurs. They are said to be about 3 to 4 feet long, bipedal (walks on two legs), and lives near creeks and rivers.

In 1996 a woman living in one of these areas (actual location needed) said that in March or April, while she was looking out her door at home she saw a 3 1/2 foot tall reptile run very quickly from a nearby pond. She said it ran on only two legs, had a tail about two foot long and it's snout was cone shaped.

In 1998 Two people riding dirt bikes said they saw a 3 to 4 foot long creature walking on its hind legs. They said it was a shade of green in color with black markings on it and it had a small "knob" over each eye. The front arms had 3 or 4 claws on the "hands". It's tail never touched the ground. The animal made a high pitched cry when it saw the boys and apparently ran off. The boys took a picture of one of it's tracks after the animal left. It is unknown whether the picture is a hoax or not.

In 2001 a woman and her daughter said they saw a bipedal reptile run across the road at night. They said it appeared to be about 5 feet long, had an elongated neck, thin bird-like legs and had no feathers on it.

On July 5, 2002 a girl named Yetsund and her friend said they were driving at night when a large lizard ran across the road. They said it stood almost vetical and ran on it's hind legs. Yetsund said it "looked like a miniature dinosaur".

Pterosaurs

 In the United States there have been 1,400 documented sightings of animals that are described as Pterosaurs. It is also estimated that this is only a minority of the actual sightings that have taken place since many people that see strange or unexplainable things are reluctant to report what they have seen because they fear ridicule. Below are some U.S. Pterosaur sightings.

 In 1892 three men were traveling through north central Washington when they stopped at Lake Chelan. While one of the men was several inches into the edge of the lakes water, something suddenly grabbed his foot and started pulling him further into the lake. The two other men pulled him out of the water but the creature was still holding onto him. The animal took flight with the man in his grasp to a height of 200 feet. The animal dove into the lake and the man was never seen again. The animals' wings were described as leathery and batlike, and thta they were brightly colored. Though this story sounds fantastical it is suspected that pterosaurs could dive into water like some seagoing birds. Also, some reptiles ahve been known to sleep underwater.

In 1964 or 1965, Charlie Knight said that early in the morning in Wshington state, he saw two large Pterosaurs on his fathers ranch. He said they had a horn on the back of their heads. He called them "Pterodactyls".

In 1966 a huge, long necked bird was seen flying above the Ohio River. It was estimated to have been flying around 70 mph. One man shouted "It's something prehistoric!".

On July 18, 1966, a giant bird the size of a plane was spotted circling over a Mormon community in Salt lake City, Utah. Many people ran for safety and others ran to make telephone calls.

In the summer of 1967 A huge bird was seen near Middletown, Ohio by several people. Mrs. Fames Morgan, one of the eye witnesses, said the wingspan was about 15-20 feet. The animal was sighted by 4 other people.

Sometime in the 1960's a large "bird" later described as a Pterosaur was seen by a couple while they were driving through Trinity National Forest, California. They said the wingspan was roughly 14 feet.

In 1969 one person out of a group of 5 saw a large Pteranodon in Park Forest, Illinois. It was perched on a telephone pole with it's wongs folded tightly against it's body. The witness said it had samll claws at the top of each wing and a long tail with a "tuft of hair" on the end (possibly a flange). It had a long and narrow beak full of large teeth. It tossed it's head back and made a terrible screech then flew off south towards a swamp.

In June of 1972, Ron Moteleonewas driving near Maxwell, New Mexico early in the morning when suddenly a 25-30 foot wingspan Pterosaur flew out of a nearby ravine. He said he did not see a tail but it had long legs.

Between 1975 and 1982 there was a rash of Pterosaur sightings along the Mexico/Texas border ending on September 14, 1982.

On December 26, 1975, rancher Joe Saurez of Raymondville, Texas discovered his goat torn apart and partially eaten. He said it must have been a flying creature because there were no tracks. (Possibly another animal but no one can be certain).

 Not even a month later, in the same area, Armando Grimaldo was attacked by a giant flying animal with large claws and big red eyes. While in his mother-in-laws backyard the animal swooped down and tried to grab him. He said the creature was about 6 foot tall with a 12 foot wingspan, had no feathers and was blackish brown. As the animal attempted to grab him, Armando tried to run but fell. The animal was still trying to grasp him with it's talons so in an attempt to save his life, Armando dove under a bush close by. After the creature flew off Armando went in the house and was taken to the hospital where he was treated for minor wounds and shock.

In 1976, Jackie Davis and Tracy Lawson saw a 5 foot tall bird, The said it had a 6 inch long beak (possibly misjugded as smaller than it was), they later identified the animal as a Pteranodon. The girls' parents later investigated where the animal had been seen and found 3 toed tracks, 8 inches across.

In the 1970's a woman and her daughter living in Multnomah County, Oregon said they found a large Pterosaur lying in their backyard. They said it left a few days later.

Sometime between 1974 and 1976, 4 people in Multnomah County, Oregon reported seeing a Pterosaur like animal with a 20 foot wingspan. They said it had leathery wings, a long tail and a 2-3 foot long beak.

On Febuary 24, 1976, 3 school teachers in San Antonio saw 2 "giant birds" with wingspans of 15-20 feet. They said the wings were leathery. After researching animals they concluded what they had seen Pteranodons. One of the teachers said "It's just unreal. I don't know how it could have survived all those millions of years and still be flying around."

In 1983, Richard Guzman and a friend were in Houston. While looking uo at the sky they saw an animal about 40 yards away with a wingspan of about 5 feet. He said it had 2 foot long snake like tail and it had no feathers and the animal looked leathery. On the back of its head it had a horn and it looked like a Pterodactyl.

In San Benito, a police officer saw a huge bird with an enormous wingspan just before dawn, later that day, another officer reported seeing the animal saying it had a 12 foot wingspan.

In 1983 on a farm in Thermal, California, two sisters said they saw a 6 foot tall flying animal with leathery skin like an elephant. They said it had a very muscular body and bulging red eyes and that it had a bone coming off the back of it's head. One of te girls said she could hear it fly away.

In Brownsvile, Texas, Alverico Gaujardo was eatinf supper in his mobile home when something large smacked into the side of his home. He slowly opened the door and saw a huge, terrifying "bird". He said it seemed as if it liked the lights on his mobile home, letting out a loud, rumbling call. He said "It's like a bird, bu it's not a bird".

On September 21, 1988, 25 year old Kevin F. was looking out the window Elmbrook Memorial Hospital in Wisconsin when he saw a large flying object going in and out of the clouds. At first he thought it was a plane but then realized it was a huge "bird" with a 12-15 foot wingspan. He said it did not flap it's wings but looked as if it glided on air currents with it's bat-like wings. He said when it saw him it flew into the clouds. He said "It was noGreat Blue Heron". He also said the head was aerodynamically shaped and pointy. He believed it was some kind of prehistoric bird (Pterosaur).

In 1993 near Orin, Wyoming, a couple driving to Nebraska saw a 5-6 foot tall animal in a field. They said it looked liek a Pterosaur. It's beak wasn't like a hawk or eagle, the animal had no feathers and it's skin was thick and leathery. They said nothing about the animal looked frail and it appeared very powerful. Everyone they told laughed at them.

In Arizona, people living on the edge of the desert say there are Pterosaur like animals living in the desert. They call them "things that fly out of the desert". The animals fly out in the evening. More investigation is needed.

Kevin Meixner of Brampton, Ontario said he saw a small Pterosaur about 20 feet away from him.  He sad it had a wingspan of about 4 feet and it had a long tail with a diamond shaped flange on the tip.

This following sighting was posted on Cryptozoology.com:

"This account has two different segments. I live in Camden, ME, a small coastal village with a huge tourist population in the Summer, and quite a few in the autumn, then nothing from October until May. It was October 2001, and I was walking up the street on the left side, towards my house. I was walking along, when I suddenly heard a squeaking noise, as though a mouse of some form. I immediately looked down onto the leaves, which I remember distinctly, and looked for the tell-tale shiver of a mouse. (Mice are very common in autumn in Camden, they run across the street and along the sidewalk often enough. Little field mice.) Well, I didn't see one, and it was loud enough to warrant one being right there. I started to walk again, and I heard it again. Looking up, past the electric lines, I saw a large... thing. It was a flying creature, with wings that were leathery from the appearance and the light that shone through them. (Sunlight went through them, underneath the "arm".) It swooped across the street, and flew over my apartment, turning to fly parallel past the roof. This was what gave me perfect comaprison for size. Judging from my roof size, I figured that it had a wing span of at least 24', perhaps more. It then swooped off into the woods behind my house.
Huh, I thought. Isn't that odd. A giant bird just flew behind my house".

Well, later on, in the winter, I was walking home again, same street up towards my house, when it flies by again! Same exact situation, only it goes straight over my house. No sqeaky noise this time though.

Just thought I'd share the story.

-Stevenson Fisher

On July 19, 2007 at 2 A.M. Scott Norman made the following sighting:

The animal I saw had an 8-10 foot wing span, the wings were bat-like in shape, the inside had that wavy type of look. The body was about 5-6 feet in length, the neck about 1-2 feet in length, the head was about four feet in length, and the head was key for me: it has a crest that was about 2 feet in length, fit that of a pteranodon, don’t know how else to describe it. Our contact had a similar type of sighting three years ago in daylight. In his sighting he saw a long tail, I did not see one, and all of the pteranodon pictures I’ve seen show a real short stubby one. The animal I saw was stockier compared to some of the drawings of pterosaurs I’ve seen.

In May of 2008 the following sighting occured by someone named Studa:

In May of 2008 I was in Oxnard, Ca, and I had my telescope out to look at the sky at dusk. During a break, I observed 2 flying creatures, they looked to be around 1000 feet up. They didn't have a profile I could attribute to any known bird. They weren't really flying like birds. They were in an extended glide, no wing movement at all. What stood out about these creatures was that I could clearly see two feet trailing behind them, the head was odd, and the pattern I could see on the bottom of theoddly shaped wings sort of reminded me of the patterns you might see on the wings from the bird-like creatures that Native-American Indians of the North-West would carve into the Totem Poles. After days of research, I was quite convinced that what I saw were two Pterodactyls. Let me just say that I would not intentionally spread false information knowingly, and I am quite certain that I have reasonably confirmed this sighting, as best as possible considering the circumstances.