I failed my drawing a day because finals are coming soon and ive been stressing BUT i did do a cryptid poster for my brothers upcoming birthday so that counts . Gonna have it printed to give to him along with a different one i made for my mom to give him.
Altamaha is one of the largest rivers in Georgia, broken up by islands, marshes, and old rice fields it eventually empties into the Atlantic sea.Â
Itâs a beautiful spot, but many people report seeing a terrifying creature in itâs waters.Â
This is the river monster Altamaha-ha.
The Altamaha-ha is described as being about 20-30 feet long, 2 front flippers and no hind ones, bulging eyes, and dozens of sharp teeth. Itâs said to be a gray/green color with a white/yellow belly. Itâs body is described as being sturgeon like, long, smooth, and covered with 5 sidelong rows of boney plates. Unlike a sturgeon it is said to have a long neck and snout resembling a crocodile.Â
Itâs said that sightings go all the way back before the first settlers came. The local native american tribes spoke of a large snake in the river that âhissed and bellowedâ. Supposedly they told settlers about this creature and they recorded it, but there isnât much information on this.Â
The second sighting happened April 18, 1830, a writer for the local newspaper wrote of a captain and his crew reported seeing a large creature at the mouth of the river, it was described as 70 feet long with a head like an alligator, they said the head came about 8 feet out of the water. Workers nearby also reported seeing the creature.Â
That same year it appeared again in St. Simons Sounds, another similar description. People were able to look through telescopes and get a good look at it.Â
In the 1920s timbermen reported seeing a large creature that looked like a giant snake. In 1935 some hunters also reported a large snake swimming in the river. Then in the 1940s a group of boy scouts reported seeing a large creature in the river.Â
Later in 1959 officials from a nearby prison reported seeing a large river monster. They said it was about 30 feet long and swam like a snake.Â
In 1969 two fisherman caught a flash of what they thought was a sturgeon, but when they creature surfaced they changed their mind. They said it was about 10-12 feet in length, with a long tail, ridges along itâs back, a head like an alligator, and was a gray color. They also reported seeing itâs razor sharp teeth.Â
Many people came forward with sightings in the 1970s. One man reported he saw a monster at a point called âtwo wayâ at the river. He said the monster was about 15-20 feet long and had a long neck with a serpent-like head.Â
In the summer of 1980 two fishers saw a large creature in the river. It was about 20 feet in length and a dark brown color. It was caught on the bank, thrashing around trying to free itself. Eventually it managed to get back in the river and swam away.Â
In December of 1980 two fishermen saw a similar creature, 15-20 feet in length and a dark brown color. One of them said it had two humps on its back and left a wake like a speedboat. The creature swam quickly away from them.Â
Also in 1980 crab fisherman reported seeing a giant eel in the river.Â
In May of 1998 three boys saw the monster, they had been swimming in the river when they saw it. They described it as being a gray/brown color, 20-30 feet, and covered in plants. The creature swam in close to one of the boys, at first he was completely unaware. The other two, closer to shore, started yelling at their friend to get out of the water. The boy turned and he saw the large creature swimming only a few feet away from him. The boy swam away quickly, and the creature seemingly paid him no mind.Â
In July of 2000 two kayakers had a rough run in with a large creature. They were paddling when one of them noticed a large creature surface a few feet away from them. They described it as a dark gray monster with a large hump on its back. As they were watching the creature dove underneath and smacked the small boat with its tail. When they recovered they got out of there quickly.Â
In 2002 a man reported seeing a creature 20 feet in length surface, and in 2010, someone took a video of a strange creature swimming around.Â
The most recent sighting was in 2018 when a man found a strange looking corpse that looked almost exactly like the descriptions of Altamaha-ha. It also happens to look exactly like the display statue of Altamaha-ha in the local visitors center. Unfortunately someone called Zardulu claimed it was their art piece and a complete hoax.
There are a few theories about Altamaha-ha. Some have suggested itâs an evolved relative of a prehistoric whale, suggesting itâs a type of marine mammal. Some people think itâs a prehistoric creature that somehow survived millions of years. Others have suggested itâs a mutated dolphin or fish, possibly even an alligator. One theory is that it is itâs own unique species, which would explain why sometimes it as seen as larger or smaller and in different colors.Â
Though whether Altamaha-ha is an over 200 year long hoax or a unique species is up for you to decide!
Altamaha-ha (Altie): Named for its habitat of the Altamaha river estuaries and rice fields in Georgia, Altie is a plesiosaur-like cryptid similar to the Loch Ness Monster. It is said to have features like an alligator, eel, and dolphin or porpoise. Sightings of Altie range from 1830 to as recent as 2010 (although it wasnât named until around the 80s).Â
[edit: I have learned that my rendition of Altie in fact resembles a mosasaur, not a plesiosaur! The traditional view of Altie is definitely more plesiosaur-ish!]
