Atlantis Rising Mgazine Redasign

1. The Coelacanth
More Living
than Fossil P.3
Hook Island
Sea Monster P.5
Loch Ness Monster
Hunt for Scotland’s Slipperiest Beast P.7
G
iant Squid:
Still a deep Mystery P.9
1234567890 Lake & Sea Monsters

2. Racetrack Playa,
California P.3
Easter Island’s mystical
statues, Chile P.5
Stone Spheres of
Costa Rica P.7
The Skeleton Lake of
Roopkund, Uttarakhand,
India P.9
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Giant Squid:
Still a deep Mystery
Hook Island
Sea Monster
Loch Ness MonsterHunt for Scotland’s Slipperiest Beast
Lake & Sea Monsters

3. 1234567890
Lake and Sea
Monsters
Coelacanth · Hooklake Sea Monster
Loch Ness Monster · Giant Squid
Lake and sea Monsters
Coelacanth p3
Hooklake Sea Monster p5
Loch Ness Monster p7
Giant Squid p9
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4. 10
9
7
5
3 CONTENTS
Coelacanth
Hooklake
SeaMonster
LochNess
Monster
Giant
Squid
What’s
Next?
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5. The Coelacanth
More Living
than Fossil
C
oelacanths (seel-
a-canths) were
once known
only from
fossils and were
thought to have
gone extinct
approximately
65 million years
ago (mya), during
the great extinction in which the dinosaurs
disappeared.The most recent fossil record
dates from about 80 mya but the earliest
records date back as far as approximately
360 mya.At one time coelacanths were
a large group comprising about 90 valid
species that were distributed worldwide in
both marine and freshwaters.Today, there
are two known living species
AN UNEXPECTED
DISCOVERY
The first living coelacanth was discovered in
1938 and bears the scientific name Latime-
ria chalumnae.The species was described
by Professor J.L.B. Smith in 1939 and was
named after its discoverer, Miss Marjorie
Courtenay-Latimer.Although Latimeria is
a genus distinct from the fossil forms, all
coelacanths share numerous features and
are easily recognized by their distinctive
shape and lobed fins. For many years, living
coelacanths were known only from the
western Indian Ocean, primarily from the
Comoros Islands, but in September 1997
and again in July 1998, coelacanths were cap-
tured in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia, nearly
6,000 miles to the east of the Comoros.The
Indonesian discovery was made by MarkV.
Erdmann, then a doctoral student from UC
Berkeley studying coral reef ecology in In-
donesia.Although the Indonesian specimens
superficially resemble those in the western
Indian Ocean, analyses of DNA from tissue
samples from one of the Indonesian speci-
mens revealed significant genetic differentia-
tion from the Indian Ocean population.The
authors of two studies have suggested that
the two populations have been separated
for at least several millions of years.The
Indonesian form was described as a new
species, Latimeria menadoensis, in April
1999, by L. Pouyard and several Indonesia
colleagues.
WHAT MAKES
COELACANTHS
UNIQUE?
Numerous characteristics are unique to
the coelacanth among living fishes.Among
them is the presence of a “rostral organ” in
the snout that is part of the electrosensory
system, and an intracranial joint or “hinge”
in the skull that allows the anterior portion
of the cranium to swing upwards, greatly
enlarging the gape of the mouth. Neither
character exists in any other living verte-
brate. Other unique anatomical features
include a hollow fluid-filled “notochord” (a
primitive feature in vertebrates) underlying
the spinal cord and extending the length of
the body, vertebrae that are incompletely
formed or totally lacking bony centra, an oil-
filled gas bladder, fleshy “lobed” or limb-like
fins that are internally supported by bone,
and paired fins that move in a synchronized
tetrapod-like pattern.
WHERE DO
COELACANTHS
LIVE?
Coelacanths are known primarily from the
Comoros Islands, which are situated in the
Western Indian Ocean between Madagascar
and the east coast of Africa, but also live
elsewhere along the east African coast and
in Indonesian waters. In the Indian Ocean,
only one capture (the original one in 1938)
is from South Africa and this specimen
was long thought to be a stray from the
Comoran population. However, resident
South African coelacanths have been sighted
in deep canyons, initially by divers using
mixed gas “rebreathers,” and subsequently
by scientists using a submersible. Elsewhere
in the Western Indian Ocean specimens
have been captured off the west coast of
Madagascar and off Mozambique and Kenya,
the latter representing the northernmost
locality record along the African coast.Two
confirmed captures (only one specimen
preserved) occurred in Indonesia, off the
island of Manado Tua at the northeastern tip
of Sulawesi.These captures were followed
by sightings of two more specimens from
a submersible approximately 225 miles
Preserved adult coelacanth or Latimeria chalumnae, SAIAB 34464, currently on display at the NMNH Ocean Hall Exhibit. Photograph by Don Hurlburt.
Known distribution of Latimeria chalumnae and
Latimeria menadoensis.
WHAT IS TYPICAL
COELACANTH
HABITAT?
Coelacanths live in temperate waters in
the “twilight zone,” generally between
500-800 feet (152-243 m), off steep rocky
slopes of volcanic islands. In the daytime
the Comoran specimens are known to
cluster together in “caves” in submarine
lava deposits, from which they venture at
night to feed.The two specimens observed
from a submersible in Indonesia were in a
deep carbonate cave at about 500 feet.The
sightings off South Africa were at shallower
depths, between 300-350 feet (91-106 m),
beneath ledges and in shallow caves.
Page 4Atlantic Rising #110 March Issue

6. Page 6
Hook Island
Sea MonsterBy Darren Naish
T
he Hook Island Sea Monster, also known as the tadpole creature, is the name given to a 70-foot sea monster sighted off the coast
of Hook Island. It resembles a giant tadpole, has a gaping mouth with small teeth and eyes placed on top of it’s head.
The Sighting
The monster was sighted by
Robert Le Serrec and his family
in 1964 when it moved towards
his ship with its mouth open as
if to attack. He spotted its tail
was injured, probably by a ship’s
propeller or by a larger creature.
He described that “ It was only
when we got to within 20 feet
of the serpent that we could
see its head clearly.The head
was large, about 4 feet from
top to bottom, with jaws about
4 feet wide.The lower jaw was
flat like that of a sandfish.The
skin was smooth but rather dull,
brownish-black in color, the eyes
seemed pale green, almost white.
The skin looked more like that of
a shark than an eel.There were
no apparent scales. Nor did we
Real or Fake?
The evidence that it is fake
and that it is real are equally
balanced out. Some say it was
photoshopped, but that wasn’t
invented back then. Others say
it was a large sheet of plastic
weighed down by sand but even
still, who would put so much
effort into a hoax? The evidence
that it is real is that it looked
very lifelike, some shots up-close
showed that the eyes looked to
detailed to be modeled out of
plastic. In their book, Field Guide
to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents,
and Other Mystery Denizens
of the Deep, Loren Coleman
and Patrick Huyghe stated the
case was hoax. Either way, many
people are reluctant to swim in
the waters of Hook Island.The
Robert Le Serrec’s Hook Island sea monster, supposedly photographed December 12th 1964.
“It was only when we got to within 20 feet of
the serpent that we could see its head clearly
”
skin looked more like that of a
shark than an eel.There were
no apparent scales. Nor did we
see any parasites around.We
supposed the flexible tail would
have shaken any off.There were
no fins or spines, nor were there
any apparent breathing openings,
although there must have been
some. Perhaps we didn’t see
them because our attention was
focused mainly on the creature’s
menacing mouth, the inside of
which was whitish.The teeth ap-
peared to be small.A fragment of
some dark substance hung from
the upper row of teeth, possibly a
fish.As the monster was lying on
the sandy bottom, we could not
see the colour of its belly.
see any parasites around.We
supposed the flexible tail would
have shaken any off.There were
no fins or spines, nor were there
any apparent breathing openings,
although there must have been
some. Perhaps we didn’t see
them because our attention was
focused mainly on the creature’s
menacing mouth, the inside of
which was whitish.The teeth ap-
peared to be small.A fragment of
some dark substance hung from
the upper row of teeth, possibly a
fish.As the monster was lying on
the sandy bottom, we could not
see the colour of its belly.
Atlantic Rising #110 March Issue

7. Although accounts of an aquatic beast living in Scotland’s Loch
Ness date back 1,500 years, the modern legend of the Loch
Ness Monster is born when a sighting makes local news on May
2, 1933.The newspaper Inverness Courier related an account of
a local couple who claimed to have seen “an enormous animal
rolling and plunging on the surface.” The story of the “monster”
(a moniker chosen by the Courier editor) became a media
phenomenon, with London newspapers sending correspondents
to Scotland and a circus offering a 20,000 pound sterling reward
for capture of the beast.
In 1933, a new road was completed along Loch Ness’ shore,
affording drivers a clear view of the loch.After an April 1933
sighting was reported in the local paper on May 2, interest
steadily grew, especially after another couple claimed to have
seen the beast on land, crossing the shore road. Several British
newspapers sent reporters to Scotland, including London’s
Daily Mail, which hired big-game hunter Marmaduke Wetherell
to capture the beast.After a few days searching the loch,
Wetherell reported finding footprints of a large four-legged
animal. In response, the Daily Mail carried the dramatic headline:
“MONSTER OF LOCH NESS IS NOT LEGEND BUT A FACT.”
Scores of tourists descended on Loch Ness and sat in boats
or decks chairs waiting for an appearance by the beast. Plaster
casts of the footprints were sent to the British Natural History
Museum, which reported that the tracks were that of a hippo-
potamus, specifically one hippopotamus foot, probably stuffed.
The hoax temporarily deflated Loch Ness Monster mania, but
stories of sightings continued.
A famous 1934 photograph seemed to show a dinosaur-like
creature with a long neck emerging out of the murky waters,
leading some to speculate that “Nessie” was a solitary survivor
of the long-extinct plesiosaurs.The aquatic plesiosaurs were
thought to have died off with the rest of the dinosaurs 65 mil-
lion years ago. Loch Ness was frozen solid during the recent ice
ages, however, so this creature would have had to have made its
way up the River Ness from the sea in the past 10,000 years.
Loch Ness MonsterHunt for Scotland’s Slipperiest Beast
Atlantic Rising #110 March Issue

8. Atlantic Rising #110 March Issue
The giant squid remains largely a mystery to
scientists despite being the biggest inverte-
brate on Earth.The largest of these elusive
giants ever found measured 59 feet (18
meters) in length and weighed nearly a ton
(900 kilograms).
However, their inhospitable deep-sea habitat
has made them uniquely difficult to study,
and almost everything scientists know about
them is from carcasses that have washed up
on beaches or been hauled in by fishermen.
Lately, however, the fortunes of scientists
studying these elusive creatures have begun
to turn. In 2004 researchers in Japan took
the first images ever of a live giant squid.
And in late 2006, scientists with Japan’s Na-
tional Science Museum caught and brought
to the surface a live 24-foot (7-meter)
female giant squid.
Giant squid, along with their cousin, the
colossal squid, have the largest eyes in the
animal kingdom, measuring some 10 inches
(25 centimeters) in diameter.These massive
organs allow them to detect objects in the
lightless depths where most other animals
would see nothing.
Like other squid species, they have eight
arms and two longer feeding tentacles that
help them bring food to their beak-like
mouths.Their diet likely consists of fish,
shrimp, and other squid, and some suggest
they might even attack and eat small whales.
They maneuver their massive bodies with
fins that seem diminutive for their size.They
use their funnel as a propulsion system,
drawing water into the mantle, or main part
of the body, and forcing it out the back.
Scientists don’t know enough about these
beasts to say for sure what their range is,
but giant squid carcasses have been found in
all of the world’s oceans.
Fast Facts
Weight: 440 lbs (200 kg)
Did you know?A giant squid’s eye can
be as big as a beach ball.
Size relative to a bus:
Giant Squid:
Still a deep Mystery
Page 10

9. Atlantic Rising #110 March Issue
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Can you find “MYSTERY” ?
Let us find it for you.
Just read it!
It’s easier!
NEXT ISSUE: Mystery Places in the world
Racetrack Playa,
California
Easter Island’s mystical
statues, Chile
Stone Spheres of
Costa Rica
The Skeleton Lake of
Roopkund, Uttarakhand,
India
1234567890
Racetrack Playa,California
Easter Island’s mysticalstatues, Chile
Stone Spheres ofCosta Rica
The Skeleton Lake ofRoopkund, Uttarakhand,India
1234567890
Racetrack Playa,California
Easter Island’s mystical
statues, Chile
Stone Spheres ofCosta Rica
The Skeleton Lake ofRoopkund, Uttarakhand,
India
1234567890