Mysterious Creatures : A Guide to Cryptozoology

Christopher Davis was changing a flat tire near
the Scape Ore Swamp southwest of Bishopville,
South Carolina, when he saw a green, 7-foottall,
scaly creature with red eyes and three fingers.
He jumped into his car and sped away, but
the creature leaped on top of the vehicle. The
report inspired many misidentifications and at
least one hoax over the following weeks, but
Davis stuck to his story and passed a polygraph
test in September.
Possible explanations:
(1) Except for its scaly texture and color,
Lizard man bears a certain resemblance to
Hairy Biped entities and North American
Ap es.
(2) Lizard man’s alien look suggests to some
an origin connected to the UFO
phenomenon.
(3) Folklore or hoaxes based on the Gillman
character from the 1954 movie Creature
from the Black Lagoon.
(4) A surviving Coelophysis, a small, meateating
dinosaur that lived in New Mexico in
the Late Triassic, 210 million years ago,
suggested by Erik Beckjord. However, this
species did not resemble a humanoid
(though it was bipedal), and it had an
unmistakably long, slender, balancing tail.
(5) Chris Orrick has suggested that the
1972 case involved a misidentified Great
gray owl (Strix nebulosa), though southern
Ohio is outside its normal range.
Sources: Leonard H. Stringfield, Situation
Red: The UFO Siege! (Garden City, N.Y.:
Doubleday, 1977), pp. 87–92; “Loveland Frog
Leaps Back,” Fortean Times, no. 46 (Spring
1986): 19; “‘Lizard Man’ Facts,” Columbia
(S.C.) State, August 15, 1988; Mark Opsasnick
and Mark Chorvinsky, “Lizard Man,” Strange
Magazine, no. 3 (1988): 32–33; Loren
Coleman, “Other Lizard People Revisited,”
Strange Magazine, no. 3 (1988): 34, 36; Paul
Sieveking, “Lizard Man,” Fortean Times, no.
51 (Winter 1988–1989): 34–37; Loren
Coleman, Mothman and Other Curious
Encounters (New York: Paraview, 2002), pp.
88–100.
LIZARDS (Unknown)
Lizards make up the Suborder Lacertilia of the
large reptilian Order Squamata, which also includes
Snakes and Amphisbaenians (Worm
lizards). In general, lizards are small- to
medium-sized scaly reptiles with four clawed
feet, elongated bodies, and tapering tails. Some
are highly arboreal, others specialize in burrowing,
and still others are occasionally bipedal.
There are four lizard infraorders: Gekkota, Iguania,
Scincomorpha, and Anguimorpha.
Infraorder Gekkota includes Geckos
(Gekkonidae and Eublepharidae) and Australasian
legless lizards (Pygopodidae). Geckos
are known for their ability to climb up walls and
across ceilings because of the microscopic suction
cups on the bristles of their toe pads. They
are widespread throughout tropical and subtropical
regions of both the New and Old Worlds.
Geckos can also vocalize, and their name derives
from an Asian species with a cry that sounds like
“geck-o.” The earliest unequivocal gekkotan fossil
is Hoburogecko from Mongolia in the Early
Cretaceous, 105 million years ago. Most geckos
are less than 6 inches long (not including the tail,
which frequently breaks off).
Infraorder Iguania includes Iguanas (Iguanidae),
Agamids (Agamidae), and Chameleons
(Chameleonidae). In general, they have robust
bodies, short necks, fleshy tongues, well-developed
eyelids, distinct heads, and overlapping
and noniridescent scales. Many species have
well-developed ornamental crests, spines, frills,
or colorful throat fans. Some, such as the Water
dragon (Physignathus), are bipedal and run rapidly
on only two legs. Others, such as the Flying
lizards (Draco) of Asia, have ribs modified for
arboreal gliding. The first unequivocal iguanian
fossil is Pristiguana from South America in the
Late Cretaceous, 80 million years ago.
Infraorder Scincomorpha includes Spectacled
lizards (Gymnophthalmidae), Night lizards
(Xantusiidae), Wall lizards (Lacertidae), Whiptails
and Tegus (Teiidae), Spinytail lizards
(Cordylidae), and True skinks (Scincidae). In
general, these animals have slim bodies, with
heads not clearly differentiated from the neck; if
the scales overlap, they are iridescent. Except for
the wall lizards, this group has a definite ten-
LIZARDS 297