Nahuelito
Patagonia's long-necked lake monster.
- Region
- Lake Nahuel Huapi, Patagonia, Argentina
- Documented sightings
- 4 on map →
Overview
Nahuelito inhabits Lake Nahuel Huapi, a deep glacial lake on the eastern flanks of the Patagonian Andes near Bariloche, Argentina. Sightings extend back to 19th-century Mapuche tradition and entered the international press in 1922 when American gold prospector Martin Sheffield reported a long-necked creature to the director of the Buenos Aires Zoo.
Identification
Reported as 5 to 15 meters in length with a serpentine or plesiosaur-like profile — a long neck rising 1 to 2 meters from the water and a smooth dark hump. Skin coloring is dark gray to black. The creature is most often observed in deeper water near the south shore and has been reported moving against wind and waves in a manner inconsistent with floating debris.
Lore & Origin
The 1922 Sheffield account prompted Dr. Clemente Onelli of the Buenos Aires Zoo to mount a formal expedition that drew international press coverage. A widely circulated April 2006 photograph submitted anonymously to the local newspaper El Cordillerano renewed regional interest. The creature has become a tourist symbol of the Bariloche region.