Sporting fins, scales, and sometimes horns or fur, a riot of unidentifiable water creatures have poked their dripping heads above the waves throughout recorded history to shock grizzled sailors and hardy fisherfolk alike. But survivors of water monster encounters are usually left as puzzled as they are terrified, questioning the origins and elusiveness of the creatures. Most people can describe what a typical sea monster looks like, yet no museum boasts a skeleton—or even an irrefutable photograph—of a sea serpent or the legendary Loch Ness Monster. Lake and Sea Monsters thoroughly explores humanity's fascination with Nessie, sea serpents, and all the other wet wonders of the world, separating fact from fiction by examining ancient legends and myths, contemporary eyewitness stories, and the latest scientific discoveries.
Chapters include:
Swimming Through Time: Birth of the Sea Monster
Merfolk and Other Scaly Humanoids
Kraken, Giant Squids, and Octopuses
Nessie: Scotland's Sea Monster Superstar
Mistake or Fake: Natural Creatures and Hoaxes.

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Excerpted from Lake and Sea Monsters by Linda S. Godfrey
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