Minisode 11 - Eight Tentacles and Seven Rows of Teeth

Hello, hello! Welcome back! On this week's episode, we're trying out another new thingy: the Creature Feature! We're highlighting a very special cryptid and giving them their moment in the spotlight. Join us as we discuss this sexy Caribbean beast...the Lusca!

TRIGGER WARNING: The following content contains photographs of deceased persons. Discretion is advised.

STOP! INSIDE JOKES AHEAD!

If you haven’t gotten to listen to the episode yet, spoiler alert! This post contains lots of stuff that will make waaay more sense if you listen to the episode before or while reading. So if you haven’t already, pump the brakes and listen to the episode or just click above to play so that you can be in on all the shenanigans to follow!

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/EQU8jVSH5G

Produced by Peter Woodward

Listener Story

via GIPHY

We got a listener story this week from none other than Peter’s dad, Peter 2! He told us about seeing a UFO when he was a teenager. Whaaaaa??

Out in the water of the Caribbean...

The Lusca

What’s scarier than a great white shark? How about a great white shark with tentacles that can scurry across shallow water and land and wants to eat you because you make noise?

Well, that’s the Lusca! Here’s some stats to start us out:

Origin: Caribbean

Ht/Wt: over 75ft long, can grow to over 250ft

Description: Several different descriptions:

-giant octopus/squid but it is shark-headed (great white), elongated jaw, razor-sharp teeth, black eyes

-giant octopus

-squid-eel combo

-multi-headed monster

-dragon-like creature

-evil spirit

But they all agree on the presence of huge, muscular tentacles!

Abilities: ‘jet-ski’ speed, spectacular vision even in darkest environments, can travel through small patches of land or shallow waters, camouflage by taking on colors of surroundings to hide and stalk prey.

How Do They Attack?
The Lusca is reported to attack either singularly or in a pod. It attacks swimmers, divers, and even entire boats! The hallmark of their attack is said to be seeing bubbles or swirling on the surface just before the victim gets sucked down!

They are described as “lightning-fast with a thirst for blood.” Reportedly, the Lusca can travel over small patches of land or shallow water due to its muscled tentacles. It is also able to squeeze into small crevices, caves, etc. and can camouflage itself to match its surroundings!

The trigger for attack is thought to be its fear of noise, prompting it to kill whatever disturbs it!

The legend and lore...

This guy is a Caribbean folkloric sea monster found several exotic locales:
Firstly, sightings originated in the blue holes region of the island of Andros in the Bahamas. What are blue holes? Glad you asked! These large marine caverns or sinkholes open to the surface of the ocean and are usually made of limestone or coral reef. Creatures and spirits are thought by ancient cultures to occupy them! They regard them as gateways to the underworld. Oooo, spoopy.

Locals say the strong tides around the blue holes are from the Lusca breathing!

Sightings are mostly reported in Belize, the Bahamas, and Florida. But there have also been reports from the Yucatan Peninsula in and around cenotes.
- What are cenotes? Glad you asked. These are inland sinkholes that have strong connections to the Aztec empire! Often found close to ancient temples, cenotes were utilized for religious rites and rituals. They were used as sacrificial altars for peasants, criminals and prisoners to present sacrifices to the Aztec gods!

What do we know?

As kooky as this thing sounds, modern sightings still continue to be reported. What a thing to see! What kind of documented sightings do we know of? Here are a few:

The St Augustine Monster

A decomposed body was found on Anastasia Beach in 1896 by two young boys. Referred to as the “St Augustine Monster,” reports described the carcass as very mutilated and in an advanced state of decomposition, but gave several details. The skin was pale pink, almost white with silver reflection in the sunlight. It was “composed of a rubbery substance with a hard consistency that could only be cut with great difficulty.” Several “arm stumps” were present, the longest measuring 23ft, and there were either seven of them plus a tail or eight total stumps. The entire “body” was measured at over 18ft x7ft and estimated to weigh about 5 tons or more. The head was described “as large as an ordinary flour barrel…shape of a sea lion head.”The arm stumps were described as like “elephant’s trunk and obviously were used to clutch in a sucker-like fashion any object within their reach.”

Photographs were taken at the time and were overexposed! The photos were thought to be lost, but miraculously, one resurfaced! Take a look!

According to one article, a group called The Skeptical Viewer conducted an independent investigation in 2009 in which they sent divers down to investigate a blue hole in Andros. The article stated that the two boat captains claimed to personally have seen the Lusca at that time! It was described as “brownish-gray in appearance and about 40-50 feet in length…emerge[d] from a blue hole long enough for [him] to see its tentacles then withdrew back in.”

Two sonar readings were captured that supported a large octopus-like creature’s presence. They group tracked and reported “something of great size has gone through the tunnel.” There was also video footage of what may have been a tentacle, but nothing it was inconclusive.

A more recent sighting was a body that washed up on Grand Bahama Island in 2011. It was described as a partial body with tentacles and only a portion of the head. However, we have been unable to find more information and photos of this report.

How do people feel about it?

As crazy as this creature sounds, it is very much embraced! Several companies and businesses are named for it in the regions with sightings. There is also the Lusca Fantastic Film Fest held in Puerto Rico every year.

An investigation was conducted by Jeremy Wade in the show River Monsters (season 8, episode 4) as well as Josh Gates in the show Expedition X (season 5, episode 7). A Lusca is featured in the video game Stranded Deep.

And of course, it was the inspiration for the film Sharktopus!

So...here's a question...

via GIPHY

Many theories exist on what the Lusca could actually be:

Is it merely a story, created as a deterrent to keep people away from blue holes or explain deaths around them?

via GIPHY

One story states it was a drowned woman transformed into a beast, and similar to a banshee or llorona, it is caught in an endless loop of grief or anger.

via GIPHY

A popular theory is that it is an as yet unidentified deep-sea creature in our largely unexplored oceans.

via GIPHY

Others think it is a mermaid or a lost dragon remaining from the Orient. Still others call it a remnant of an ancient civilization of massive beings now in exile and forced to hide from the world in underwater caves!

via GIPHY

Another theory is that it is an evil spirit that manifests as its victim’s worst fear. Think Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters or Pennywise from It.

Whatever its origins, the Lusca is a fascinating and fun creature and we’re happy to have it as part of the Strange Woods fam!

What Else Did We Discuss?

Jonathan is weak and can't open a sports drink bottle by himself. He blames some work named Frank, but, the fact is...he's just old and weak. Sorry, J.

via GIPHY

Um...what IS Squidward?

A squid? An octopus? Something all his own??? The world may never know…

Strange Woods Recommends...

If you haven’t seen it…what are you doing with your life? Graboids. Come on.

via GIPHY

Amazing! Hope you enjoyed this episode. Please let us know all your likes and dislikes…thoughts…opinions…hobbies…philosophies on life…secret ambitions…you, know, all the things. We want to keep you coming back for more!

Thanks again for stopping by!

Steer clear of blue holes, cave diving is one of the biggest nopes, and don’t forget…

STAY STRANGE! 😉