the-cryptid-kid-but-lame: Cryptid #2Altamaha-haThe Altamaha-ha or “Altie” is a lege
the-cryptid-kid-but-lame: Cryptid #2Altamaha-haThe Altamaha-ha or “Altie” is a legendary creature from Georgia. It lives in the Altamaha River, which is where it got its name. The Altie legends originate from the Muskogee tribe. There have been sightings of this creature and a lot of speculation, still it has not been classified as a species we are aware of and has not been studied. Altamaha RiverThe Altamaha River has had many names in history; A-lot-amaha, Alatahama, Allama, Frederica River, Rio Al Tama, Rio de Talaje, and Talaxe River. It is a major river in Georgia and flows toward the Atlantic Ocean, spanning over 137 miles. It is almost completely untouched by man. The Nature Conservancy designated it as a bioreserve in 1991. In Oliver Goldsmith’s poem “The Deserted Village” he talks about the depopulation of English villages and the Altamaha is mentioned.“ Ah, no. To distant climes, a dreary scene,Where half the convex world intrudes between,Through torrid tracts with fainting steps they go,Where wild Altama murmurs to their woe.Far different there from all that charm’d before,The various terrors of that horrid shore;Those blazing suns that dart a downward ray,And fiercely shed intolerable day;Those matted woods where birds forget to sing,But silent bats in drowsy clusters cling;Those poisonous fields with rank luxuriance crowned,Where the dark scorpion gathers death around;Where at each step the stranger fears to wakeThe rattling terrors of the vengeful snake;Where crouching tigers wait their hapless prey,And savage men, more murderous still than they;While oft in whirls the mad tornado flies,Mingling the ravaged landscape with the skies.”SightingsThere have been many sightings of the Altie. So many that it confuses me as to how no one has captured and researched this creature. The first non-native sighting was by on April 18th, 1830. The Savannah Georgia newspaper reported several sightings of a sea monster. (I am not sure why they use this terminology though because it obviously is in a river.) One of the sightings was by a Captain Delano who reported a large creature on St. Simons Island. Describing it as around 70 feet long, the circumference to be as round as a barrel, and a head like an alligator. Almost 100 years later we have our next reported sighting. Timbermen riding the river reported to see a large snake-like creature in the water. Then in 1935, a group of hunters spot a “giant snake” swimming around.Boy scouts in the 1940′s say they saw a creature in the river.Two officials from the Reidsville State Prison in the 1950′s also reported seeing a creature. In 1969 we have a more detailed sighting by two brothers. They were fishing in the Altamaha River at Clarks Bluff. They reported seeing what at first they thought was a sturgeon, but upon further scrutiny changed their minds. Describing it to be about 10 to 12 feet long, a snout like an alligator, and a horizontal tail. With a triangle ridge along the top of its body, sharp, pointy teeth, and a “gun-metal” gray in color.Two men in 1980 saw an Altamaha-ha stranded on a mud bank. Saying the animal was lying half in the water and half on land. It was thrashing around desperately trying to get back into its home. They described it as being dark colored, with rough skin, and 20 feet long. The creature did free itself and make its way back into the river. Later that year another man said to see what he thought was an Altamaha-ha in Smith Lake. His description said the animal was 15 to 20 feet long, snake-like, with two brown humps, and left behind a trail that appeared like a speed boats wake.One more report in the 80′s by a crab fisherman saying he saw the “worlds largest eel”.More recent sightings happened in 2002 and 2010. The former being a reported sighting by a man pulling up a boat in the river near Brunswick, seeing something over 20 feet long and 6 feet wide break the water. And then the latter year being a video by an amateur photographer. We can see something very large swimming in the channel off Fort King George Historic Site in Darien.https://youtu.be/LNEfs1u0OMYLogical ConclusionsMany people have thought the Altie to be an Alligator Gar. The Alligator Gar is a ray-finned, euryhaline fish. It can grow up to 10 feet and weigh up to 350 pounds. An interesting thing about this fish is it has special gills that allow it to breathe in water and air. Commonly seen coming up to surface to take gulps of air! Their eggs are a bright red and poisonous to humans when consumed. Another thought that could be true is the Altamaha-ha is actually an unrecognized river dolphin seeing as it swims like one. Without actually seeing one in person and studying it one can not know what this river monster truly is.Physical ProofThe only physical proof that has been found turned out to be fake. In 2018 remains were found on a beach in Wolf Island National Wildlife Refuge which matched the Altie perfectly. The artist Zardulu (the Mythmaster) came clean about making the remains from a stuffed shark and paper mache.Final ConclusionNo one can be sure what the Altamaha-ha truly is, but one thing I do know is something is most definitely out there! -- source link
#altamaha-ha