The Monster of Lake Khaiyr
In 1964, a Soviet scientist said he saw a creature with a small head, a long neck and a fin on its back climb onto the shore of a lake in Siberia.
What was reported
Lake Khaiyr is a small lake in the far north of Yakutia, in Siberia. In 1964, a biologist working at a research station there reported seeing a dark creature come out of the water onto the bank to eat grass: it had a small head, a long shining neck, and a tall fin along its back.
When the story appeared in a Soviet magazine, expeditions came to look. Some members said they saw a head in the water; others saw nothing.
Explanations offered
The lake is small and freezes deep in winter, which would make it hard for a large animal to live there. Later investigators doubted the original report. Siberia has several famous lake monster stories, including Labynkyr.
- When
- 1964
- Where
- Lake Khaiyr, Sakha (Yakutia), Russia
- Witnesses
- A Soviet biologist at a remote research station
- 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.
More from Sakha (Yakutia)