That’s a fascinating question — many lake-side towns and cities around the world claim a legendary monster in their nearby lake. While an exact count is tricky (folklore travels and overlaps), here’s a more concrete summary based on documented “monster lakes” tied to inhabited places:
🌍 Notable lake monsters tied to lake cities or towns:
- Loch Ness Monster at Drumnadrochit / Inverness, Scotland — Nessie being perhaps the most iconic. (bootsnall.com)
- Champ in Lake Champlain — claimed by communities in Vermont, New York and Quebec. (Wikipedia)
- Ogopogo at Okanagan Lake, near Kelowna, BC, Canada. (Travel Associates)
- Storsjöodjuret in Storsjön, next to Östersund, Sweden. (Wikipedia)
- Flathead Lake Monster (“Flessie”) around Polson and Bigfork, Montana, USA. (Flathead Lakers)
- Turtle Lake Monster at Turtle Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada (small town nearby). (Wikipedia)
- Pepie for Lake Pepin, near Lake City, Minnesota, USA. (Visit Lake City MN)
- Moon Lake Monster (“Moonie”) at Moon Lake, near communities in Utah, USA. (Wikipedia)
- A long list of other American lakes tied to towns — e.g. Bear Lake Monster (Idaho/Utah), Lake Leelanau Monster (Michigan), Tahoe Tessie (Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada), Charles Mill Lake Monster, Lake DeSmet monster, Lake George “monster” hoax, Wallowa Lake Monster, Spin-offs like “Brown’s Lake Demon”, etc. (Wikipedia)
Lariosauro refers to both a legendary lake monster from Lake Como, Italy, and a real prehistoric reptile, a nothosaurid named Lariosaurus. The name translates to “Lizard from Larius,” the ancient name for the lake. The legend grew after a fossil of the reptile was discovered near the lake in 1830, with alleged sightings of the monster continuing into the modern era.
The legend of the Lariosauro
Origin: The legend stems from the discovery of the fossil of a prehistoric reptile in the early 19th century.
Mythical creature: The “Lariosauro” is the name given to a mythical lake monster, a reptilian creature said to inhabit Lake Como.
Sightings: Alleged sightings of a monster have been reported since 1946, describing it as a reptile-like animal with a long body and reddish scales, but skeptics suggest these sightings could be misidentifications of known animals or hoaxes.
The real Lariosaurus
Scientific name: Lariosaurus is the scientific name for an extinct genus of nothosaurid, a marine reptile from the Middle Triassic period.
Fossil discovery: Fossils were discovered near Lake Como in 1830, fueling the modern legend of the lake monster.
Size: Lariosaurus was a relatively small nothosaurid, with one complete specimen measuring about 70.5 cm long.