For many years, I have been searching for various orders of prehistoric reptiles. Within each order, there are no doubt numerous species. The flying reptiles are referred to as pterosaurs, and are divided into those with long tails, called rhamphorinchus, and those with short tails, called pterodactyl. The long tailed species are far more numerous. All are predators, as well as nocturnal, which is to say that they avoid the light, spending all the day light hours in caves. They hunt in darkness, and as is characteristic of all predators, they have a keen sense of smell. As is also characteristic of predators, they are far more likely to attack when they smell blood. For that reason, they frequently prey upon females of child bearing age. They also prey upon children, as youngsters are easier to pick up and carry away.
These flying reptiles did not go extinct sixty five million years ago. They are very much alive and preying upon us, to this day. That is a fact, just as it is a fact that there are four orders of swimming reptiles which are also very much alive. They also prey upon us. These include the mosasaurs, ichthyosaurs, long necked plesiosaurs and short necked plesiosaurs. Within each order there are numerous species. Now it is just a matter of proving they exist.
I am sure that the various species of swimming reptiles have adapted to life in fresh water as well as salt water. I am also sure that the freshwater reptiles are nocturnal, and I strongly suspect that the same is true of the salt water reptiles. At the same time, I am no longer sure that all of the swimming reptiles lay eggs. The scientists suspect that at least some of them give birth to live young.
In particular, the animal in Okanagan Lake, also known as ogopogo, matches the description of the ichthyosaur. It is the scientific opinion that this reptile went extinct eighty million years ago. It is my opinion that they are completely mistaken.
I was also of the opinion that almost all reptiles lay eggs. The exceptional ones carry eggs inside their bodies until they hatch, then give birth to live young. Of course most reptiles are not exceptional, so it logically follows that the easiest way to prove the existence of these swimming reptiles is to locate the eggs they lay. As they lay eggs in sand, the easiest way to locate this nesting site is to keep an eye out for birds of prey, which gather immediately before the eggs hatch. Locate the flocks of birds of prey and locate the nesting sites. These birds of prey are referred to as raptors. All quite simple, or so I thought.
My investigation into the Okanagan Lake monster, opopogo, has left me puzzled, at least at first. Numerous eye witness accounts agree on the size and shape of the animal, among other things. Videos support these accounts. Yet people who live around the lake, swear that the only sand on the beaches has been trucked into the sites. There is no naturally occurring sand on those beaches, merely gravel. As that is the case, there is no way the ichthyosaurs can lay their eggs in gravel. The one and only alternative is that it must give birth to live young.
That being the case, the animal must either be a mammal, or perhaps a reptile with characteristics of mammals, in that it gives birth to live young. It is extremely unlikely to be a mammal, as pound for pound, mammals require ten times as much nourishment as reptiles. As this is a very large animal, it is very unlikely that one lake could support a population of such mammals. I am still convinced that it is a reptile.
Further research has revealed that there are fossils of the ichthyosaur which suggest the animal gives birth to live young. Even more surprising, it is clear that the animal gives birth head first. In that case, it is necessary for the animal to come out of the water to give birth, as otherwise the youngster would drown, in the process of being born.
Now the problem is one of locating the beach where the animal gives birth. This may not be as difficult as it sounds, as in this case also, it is very likely that birds of prey will gather. Not that the raptors are likely to prey upon the youngster, but the act of giving birth is bound to give rise to other material, referred to as afterbirth, which is merely food for predators.
It is possible that this lake is exceptional in that there is no naturally occurring sand along the beaches, and that is the reason the ichthyosaur can survive here. Perhaps the other apex predators, mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, lay eggs and therefore require sandy beaches. If that is the case, then this animal has no competition, at least not in Okanagan Lake. That remains to be seen.
From the fossilized remains of mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, it is not clear how they reproduce. It is very likely that they lay eggs, as do most reptiles, but that has yet to be determined. Either way, it is still my opinion that the best way to locate these animals, in fresh water or salt water, is to look for their nesting sites. The gathering of birds of prey, raptors, is sure to take place. As far as these raptors are concerned, there is no difference between freshly hatched eggs and the ”after birth” of an animal. Both are food.
From our viewpoint, that of humans, it is every bit as urgent to prove the existence of these swimming reptiles, as it is of proving the existence of the flying reptiles. All are predators, they prey upon us, and it is vital that the members of the public be notified. To be fore warned is to be fore armed.
For this reason, I am appealing to the members of the public to assist in locating these reptiles. The scientists either cannot or will not do this. Now it is up to us. Countless lives are at stake. Together, we can make a difference.
Gerald McIsaac Science Project 