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Altamaha-ha |
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The South Georgia coast is riddled with tiny islands, canals, waterways, deep rivers, abandoned rice fields, and a plethora of inter-crossing creeks and streams. This is the region which supports the Altamaha-ha. The first recent sighting took place in 1969, and after that the creature has appeared more and more, right up to the present day. Similar animals have also been observed in Florida. The Altamaha-ha has always been described as having a horizontal tail, like that of a porpoise, and moving with up-and-down undulations of the body, like a porpoise. It is always said to be around 20 feet long, except for some smaller individuals which are presumed to be juveniles, and to be as big around as a man’s body. In appearance the creature is said to look somewhere between an alligator, an eel, and a dolphin. It is said to have large, protruding eyes and a pronounced alligator-like snout armed with large conical teeth. It has a serrated ridge across the back, like a series of small dorsal fins next to each other, and a true dorsal fin which is rather low. It is very elongated. It is said to be metal grey on top and pearly white on the bottom. The Altamaha-ha dwells in the Altamaha River and the surrounding waterways and marshes. This creature has often been seen stranded on the banks of the river, trying to free itself franticly, and has also been observed cavorting on the surface in the manner of a dolphin or porpoise. There have been times when people have been approached in a menacing way, and there is one report of the Altamaha-ha attempting to enter a boat, with no avail. The horizontal tail, dolphin-type dorsal fin and the fact that it only has front flippers suggests the Altamaha-ha may be some kind of cetacean; either an archaeocete such as a zeuglodon or a freshwater dolphin of the family Platanistidae. - entry provided by Kyle Whitney
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