Ogopogo in Okanagan Lake

Since the publication of my article Ichthyosaurs In Okanagan Lake?, I have received quite a response. I have been told that Okanagan Lake is considered to be the Cryptid Capital of Canada, a regular ”hot spot” for cryptid sightings. Many people who consider themselves to be ”cryptid scientists” are trying very hard to find proof of the existence of the animal.

They have drawn my attention to a video which was recently posted on the internet, of an animal which they insist is the animal referred to as ”ogopogo”. After carefully reviewing the video, I strongly suspect that it is authentic. The reason for this belief is quite simple. It is too ridiculous to be a fake! No self respecting forger would fake a huge animal with seven humps, and seven sets of fins protruding from each hump, all working in tandem, much as a set of oars on a huge canoe, propelling the animal through the water.

The individual who took this video estimates the length at 120 feet, or 36 meters. Other sightings have estimated the length of this animal to be ”as long as two city busses.” A city bus is 35 to 40 feet, or 14 meters, so the length of the animal could be 70 feet or 28 meters. Either way, that is one huge animal.

I should add that for the purposes of this article, I am expressing the length in metric as well as imperial measurements, for the benefit of those who are not used to metric.

All of those who have seen this animal up close -and there is no shortage of them- swear that the animal has a huge set of eyes. The one and only swimming animal which has such a huge set of eyes is the ichthyosaur, with eye sockets of 25 centimetres or 10 inches. The scientists swear that this animal went extinct 80 million years ago. I suspect the scientists are mistaken, the eye witnesses are correct. Now there is the not so little matter of proving this.

For the moment -strictly for the moment- all we have to go by, aside from eye witness accounts, is fossilized remains. With that in mind, the scientists assure us that in Germany, there are Holzmaden shale quarries with 180 million year old marine fossils, including ”dolphin like reptiles”, or ichthyosaurs. These are referred to as ”fish lizards”. Their remains are in remarkably fine shape as the animals were buried in deep sea with low oxygen content. It is thought that the animals evolved from lung breathing, land dwelling reptiles. They were thought to have leathery skin, slender jaws and bodies built for speed. They are considered to be the ”dolphins of the Mesozoic age”. Remarkably, there are ”chemical clues” that suggest these prehistoric animals had whale like blubber.

The largest such fossil discovered so far was in the United Kingdom, with a length of 85 feet, or 25 metres. Other fossilized remains make it clear -at least to the scientists- that the animal was viviparous, in that it gave birth to live young. It is thought that it usually gave birth to several young, and very likely on land, as the youngsters were born head first.

This is most significant, at least in terms of proving they exist, as giving birth can be a long and tortuous experience. Any woman who has gone through the experience can testify to that. In the case of dolphins, the calves are born tail first, and after several minutes the whole body emerges, the calf immediately swims to the surface and gets its first whiff of fresh air. The point is that the only reason the dolphins can give birth in the water is because the calves are born tail first. If they were born head first, the calf would drown.

The ichthyosaurs, otherwise known as ogopogo, do not have the option of giving birth in the water. As the youngsters emerge head first, they have to give birth on dry land. It is very likely that they use the same beach each year, and that could explain the sightings of the animal on beaches. Assuming that to be the case, it is simply a matter of identifying those beaches. At least, it is a pleasant thought. Then cameras can be set up to catch them in the act. Also, it is almost certain that the animals will leave behind a good bit of DNA.

As they are related to dolphins, I did some research on dolphins. They are intelligent animals, remarkably so. Also complex, far more so than most other animals. They are capable of breeding at several times each year, and the gestation period for bottle nose dolphins is twelve months. In the case of places such as Florida, this is not a problem, as it is always warm. On the other hand, in such places as Okanagan Lake, it is a problem. Mating season must be adjusted to fit the gestation period of the female, as otherwise calves could be born in winter, with no chance of survival.

That begs the question of the length of the gestation period of the ichthyosaurs. On this subject, the fossils are silent. There is only so much we can learn from fossils. The orca, otherwise known as the ”killer whale”, is the largest species of dolphin in the world, and the gestation period of that animal is 16-17 months. So it is reasonable to assume that the gestation period of the ichthyosaur is considerable.

Further eye witness accounts of the cryptid researchers suggests that the animals move around in pods -assuming that is the correct word- much as orcas travel in pods. As Okanagan Lake is 135 kilometres or 84 miles long, and 4 to 5 kilometres or 2.5 to 3 miles wide, it is a rather large lake. Further, it is an average of 76 metres or 249 feet deep. Most of the fish in the lake are rainbow trout and salmon, no doubt the main supply of food for the animal. Equally without doubt, as the animal is a carnivore, it also preys upon other sources of food. In fact, it almost certainly preys upon any and all animals that stray into the water. So how is it that no one has reported any people being attacked by this animal?

They may be more intelligent than the average reptile, possibly instinctively aware that it is not a good idea to prey upon our species. The alternative, that they are really mammals which are classified as reptiles, is dubious. The fact is that mammals, pound for pound, require ten times the nourishment of reptiles. In order for that lake, large as it is, to support a population of mammals that size, is to stretch the imagination to the limit. It is far more likely that these are reptiles with characteristics of mammals.

That may not be quite as strange as it sounds, as monotremes are mammals which have characteristics of reptiles. The platypus and the ichidna lay eggs, as do reptiles. Or at least most reptiles lay eggs. The ichthyosaurs give birth to live young, and they do so on land.

That is the key to proving they exist.