Classification: Mythical Beasts & Cryptids

Temporal Range: 19th Century to present

Geographic Range: Okanagan Lake, Kelowna, Canada

Diet: Anything foolish enough to threaten the lake and local area

Horde: North American

Lurking in the waters of Okanagan Lake is the Ogopogo, Canada’s own Loch Ness Monster, which can reach around 10 to 12 meters (about 40 to 50 feet) long. Its long, narrow body curls and snakes through the water and is most recognizable when it surfaces. Many people have described seeing between two and five distinct humps breaking the surface of the water from time to time.

The Ogopogo is described as having dark flesh, often compared to that of an otter, suggesting it may be a furred creature rather than scaly like many amphibians. Granted, this has led some skeptics to suggest that the creature is just a group of otters swimming together, but that feels like a bit of a stretch to us, a 10 to 12 meter stretch, in fact. Speed is a surprising feature here, and it has been described as moving incredibly quickly through the water despite its size.

In the 1980s, a million dollar reward was offered to anyone able to provide substantial evidence of the creature, and Greenpeace even named it an endangered species. The creature is revered by the local Indigenous population, who argue that the Ogopogo is, in fact, the spirit of the lake rather than a fearsome monster. They paint a picture of a protector. Needless to say, this is not a creature anyone should seek to capture, but one that should be respected (and maybe occasionally feared).