The 'Captured Naga' Photograph
A photograph shows soldiers holding up a giant sea serpent, said to be a naga captured in the Mekong in 1973.
What was reported
A photograph widely shared across Thailand and Laos shows a group of American servicemen holding up an enormous silver serpent, over 7 metres long. A caption claims it shows the 'Queen of the Nagas', captured by the US Army in the Mekong River in Laos in 1973.
The naga, a great serpent of Buddhist and Hindu tradition, is believed to live in the Mekong, and the photo became a celebrated piece of 'evidence'. Copies hang in shops and temples.
Explanations offered
The photograph was actually taken in 1996, when US Navy trainees found a dead giant oarfish washed up near San Diego, California. Oarfish are real fish that can grow longer than 8 metres and rarely come to the surface, and they may explain many sea-serpent sightings around the world.
- When
- Photo taken in 1996; claimed to be from 1973
- Where
- Mekong River, Laos (as claimed)
- Witnesses
- No witnesses in Laos
- Status
- Hoax
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.