Photo said to show Mossie
The Mossie is a fish cryptid reported from Lake Motosu in Yamanashi, Japan.
Sightings and Reports[]
Sometime before 1972, a person saw Kaiju (怪獣). The appearance of this Kaiju was not described in detail.
Mossie reported in newspapers in 1972
In late June 1972, a fish farmer saw a huge fish 30 meters offshore on the west shore of the lake. It was similar in appearance to a carp, about 3 meters long, yellow in color, with visible dorsal and caudal fins.
In 1975, an amateur photographer allegedly saw a crocodile-like backed creature at 30 meters. However, this is probably a misrepresentation of the 1987 case discussed below.
At around 4:00 p.m. on October 3, 1987, a group of amateur photographers visiting Lake Motosu from Tokyo saw a huge creature from the north shore of the lake. The creature was about 30 to 35 meters long, black in color, and had a craggy back like a crocodile.
A fisherman in Shizuoka Prefecture heard about this story and set a tuna net in the lake to catch Mossie, but when he pulled it up the next day, the net was in pieces.
Almost at the same time as this, a group of lake surfers testified that some of their members had seen fish the size of surfboards in the lake. Other local residents have also spotted huge shadows on their fishfinders, but information on these is scarce.
Original 2011 report
On September 18, 2011, a report was posted on the Internet in which an acquaintance who had dived at Lake Motosu testified to seeing a giant fish. According to the report, this was 2 to 3 meters in length and similar in appearance to an Arapaima.
Cryptid researcher Takeshi Nakazawa conducted research at Lake Motosu in 2006 and 2009, where he found the lake to be home to numerous fish, an environment that is fully capable of supporting giant organisms.
Explanations[]
Sketch that says it depicts Mossie
Mossie is reported to have a fish-like appearance and is therefore considered to be a fish of some kind.
Since sturgeon used to be released in Lake Motosu, some have suggested that sturgeon may be the true identity of Mossie. Although sturgeon never reach 30 meters, their backs are rugged like those of crocodiles, as was reported in a 1987 case.
On the other hand, this theory does not explain the "carp-like appearance" of 1972. In Lake Honsu, only common carp have been identified in the carp family, and there are no records of larger species such as grass carp or black carp being released.
It is possible that the sightings of large fish other than sturgeon were the result of someone illegally releasing fish from captivity.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
Products depicting the Mossie are sold to tourists, but these products differ from the reported appearance of the Mossie, portraying it as a dinosaur or plesiosaur-like in appearance.