Labynkyr Devil
A lake monster of one of Earth's coldest inhabited regions.
- Region
- Lake Labynkyr and Lake Vorota, Sakha Republic, eastern Siberia, Russia
- Documented sightings
- 3 on map →
Overview
The Labynkyr Devil inhabits Lake Labynkyr and the nearby Lake Vorota in the Oymyakon district of Yakutia (Sakha Republic), among the coldest inhabited regions on Earth. Geologist Viktor Tverdokhlebov's 1953 East Siberian Soviet Academy expedition produced the first scientifically documented account, describing a large dark animal moving through the lake surface in an arc toward the observation party.
Identification
Reported as a large aquatic creature with dark gray skin, the size of an orca, with a wide flat head, a jawline approximately one-third the length of the body, and a horn-like protrusion above the brow. Lake Labynkyr has a near-constant 2°C surface temperature in a region where all surrounding lakes freeze solid — an unexplained anomaly that has prompted speculation about subterranean thermal sources.
Lore & Origin
Yakut oral tradition forbids fishing in the lake's deepest central section due to "the devil." Tverdokhlebov's expedition diary, scientific reputation, and the team's discovery of an unidentified large jawbone on the lakebed gave the report unusual credibility. Biogeographer Ludmila Emeliyanova's 2012 Moscow State University diving expedition documented multiple large underwater sonar targets, the largest published modern investigation of the lake.