The Crawfordsville Monster or Twister Worm is an Atmospheric Beast that was sighted over Crawfordsville, Indiana in 1891. The cryptid, as described by witnesses, suggests an otherworldly creature.
Description[]
The citizens of Crawfordsville described a violently flapping "thing" with a flaming red "eye", twenty feet long and eight feet wide. Descriptions of the creature vary, with some accounts suggesting that it had no head, and others describing it as having glowing red eyes and hot breath. Accounts generally agree that it is a large rectangular creature, possibly eel like in appearance, with several undulating fins down the sides of its body.
During a reported second appearance, witnesses described the creature as writhing and squirming, and producing a wheezing sound as if it were in pain. One of the strangest accounts was when a Methodist pastor named Rev. G. W. Switzer and his wife also saw the animal. The creature writhed as though in great pain, "squirmed in agony" and sounded a "wheezing, plaintive noise" as it hovered at 300 feet.
What is strange about the creature is that it has an eye in its mouth, three jaws, and it appears to be a cyclops. It also seems to be eel-like in shape, with feathery protrusions coming out of its sides and back.
In his 2024 book; Living UFOs, The Ocean Above Our Heads, A Study of Atmospheric Biology, author Justin England recounts a sighting of a similar creature known as the Twister Worm, seen in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on May 3rd 1999, by residents of the city. The account below is that of area resident and avid storm chaser Danny Romero.
"Danny was a resident of Oklahoma City, who was an avid storm chaser. One evening, he experienced something he's never experienced before. May 3rd, 1999, a tornado touched down with the fastest speeds recorded on Earth. Danny watched from his porch as the tornado approached, and it was at this time he started recording. He witnessed, during a lightning flash, what appeared to be a long piece of corrugated tubing alongside the tornado. Upon further inspection, it appeared to be a living creature, with a long translucent worm-like body, and a wide head like a hammerhead shark. He speculated the length of the creature to be at least 150 feet long. It appeared to be swimming in and out of the tornado, accompanied by smaller similar creatures near it."
England notes that it is likely that the creature was not swimming through the tornado per say but actually got sucked into the storm system.
Artist's Interpretation.
In Popular Culture[]
- In the world of Dungeons and Dragons as well as related games, the Crawfordsville Monster has been depicted as an ooze-like creature that resembles an amoeba.
- In Atmos Monsters, the Crawfordsville Monster has been depicted as a descendant of Anomalocaris that took to the skies along with many other creatures 560 million years ago, just after the Cambrian Explosion.
- A fanmade My Singing Monsters island called cryptid island features a monster based on the Crawfordsville monster named eyiebel, who was created by YouTuber shoosh bros for the #createacryptidcontest and ended up winning.
- The Crawfordsville Monster is featured in the popular trading card game MetaZoo: Cryptid Nation.
The Crawfordsville Monster as depicted in MetaZoo: Cryptid Nation.
The Twister Worm in Spore.