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The Labynkyr Devil is a creature said to live in Lake Labynkyr, a deep, remote lake in Yakutia near Oymyakon, one of the coldest inhabited places in the world. Local stories tell of a large dark animal living in the lake.
The earliest written mention is from geologist Viktor Tverdokhlebov, who wrote in 1953 about the lake and the ideas people had about it, from a giant pike to a surviving reptile. Later visitors reported large objects on sonar.
In 2013 a Russian expedition dived under the winter ice and set a record for depth under ice. Divers saw nothing larger than fish, though some press reports claimed a scan had picked up bones. A giant pike is the usual explanation.
What witnesses report
- A dark shape surfacing in a cold lake
- Large objects on sonar
- Strange waves on calm water
Famous cases
- 1953Geologist Viktor Tverdokhlebov writes about the lake creature
Lake Labynkyr - 2013Expedition makes a record dive under the lake's ice
Lake Labynkyr
Seen the Labynkyr Devil?
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