Most well-loved fictional stories that we read in books are inspired by true to life experiences that may be hard to understand and accept. This is exactly the case with the Loch Ness Monster that people nicknamed Nessie and the Argentinian Lake Monster called Nahuelito.
The creature is named after the lake where it can be found that is the Nahuel Huapi Lake which is located in Patagonia, Argentina. Tourists have been pouring in the said "lake monster hotspot" since the sighting of the creature a few years ago. An anonymous photographer dropped off three unedited pictures of the monster in the office of El Cordillerano, a local newspaper last April 17, 2006. Along with the picture is a note that reads in English as, "It is not a twisted tree trunk. It is not a wave. Nahuelito has shown his face. Lake Nahuel Huapi, Saturday April 15, 9 o'clock. I'm not giving out my personal information in order to avoid future headaches."
The picture shows a nahuelito swimming with its head raised above the water. The creature is like a giant eel that also exhibits fast movement. Nahuelito is described by many as a dark giant water snake. Others even describe the sea monster with swan-like neck, fins and humps. It is estimated that the creature is 25-45 feet long.
According to locals, the monster surfaces during clear weather so many tourists pour in to Bariloche resorts during the summer to catch a glimpse of this wonder. Sightings are often in March. It is even observed by some that the nahuelito is present and will surface from the lake when the water suddenly swells followed by a shooting spray.
This encounter with the popular lake monster started way back in the early 1900s. Patagonian Indians have been telling stories about this great creature that lives in their so called "Lake of the Tiger's Island". During the 1920s, an American named Martin Sheffield claimed that he saw "an animal with a huge neck like a swan, and the movements made me suppose the beast to have a body like that of a crocodile.
Argentinians do not want their popular sea monster disturbed for they treat it with respect. They honor the nahuelito through t-shirts, posters and other souvenir items. The country even has a nahuelito stamp issued. Though several expeditions were launched years ago to learn more about this sea creature, all failed for these expeditions were controversial to the government of Argentina.
There is a website that describes the Nahuelito and numerous other creatures of Cryptozoology in detail, this website is called: Unknown Creatures and it may be found at this url: http://www.unknown-creatures.com
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