Bessie of Lake Erie
The shallowest of the Great Lakes has its own serpent, reported for more than two centuries.
What was reported
Lake Erie lies between the United States and Canada. Since at least the 1790s, people have reported a long, dark, serpent-like creature in its waters, nicknamed Bessie or South Bay Bessie.
A wave of reports in the early 1990s led a company in Huron, Ohio, to offer a large reward for its capture, and the creature became a local mascot.
Explanations offered
Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes, which some say makes a large unknown animal unlikely. Suggested explanations include lake sturgeon, which can grow over 2 metres, large catfish, floating logs and waves. No evidence has been found.
- When
- Reported since the 1790s
- Where
- Lake Erie, off Ohio, USA
- Witnesses
- Sailors, fishermen and beachgoers
- Status
- Unconfirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.