| Moha-Moha | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Naming | |||
| Others | Moka Moka | ||
| Binomen | Chelosauria lovelli | ||
| Morphology | |||
| Body type | Chelonian | ||
| Average length | ~ 9.1 meters | ||
| Intelligence | |||
| Sentience | Sentient | ||
| Sapience | Non-Sapient | ||
| Ecology | |||
| Place of origin | Queensland, Australia | ||
| Habitat | Sea | ||
| Locomotion | Swimming | ||
| Status | DD | ||
| Behind the Scenes | |||
| Universe | Real | ||
The Moha-Moha, a.k.a. Moka-Moka, is a large oceanic cryptid famously spotted in the late 19th century by a woman named S. Lovell and six other witnesses at Sandy Cape, Fraser Island, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The story was published in a local newspaper on January 3rd, 1891.
According to Lovell's letters, this creature figures in the mythology of aboriginal tribes of the area, who recognized the beast she had seen and provided the name "Moha-Moha". A scientific binomen, Chelosauria lovelli, was proposed by naturalist William Saville-Kent, from London's Natural History Museum, in The Great Barrier Reef of Australia (1893).
Biology[]
According to Miss Lovell's description, the beast has a dome-shaped, vaguely turtle-like body, measuring about 8 ft. (~ 2.4 meters) in width and 5 ft. (~ 1.5 meters) in height. Its neck and tail are both elongated (the tail alone described as 12 ft. in length), with white spots visible on the neck, whereas the tail is scaly and fish-like, complete with a couple of fins. Its total length is estimated as 30 ft. It is slate-grey in coloration and doesn't appear to have legs or nostrils. Its mouth contains "either teeth or serrated jaw bones". A curious detail is that the scales on its tail are positioned perpendicularly to the axis of its body.
Additionally, it seems to have a peaceful disposition, as it allowed Lovell to remain in close proximity for several minutes while she sketched it, before finally turning around and disappearing into the sea. She did report, however, that when she showed the sketch to the natives (which identified it as the creature they called Moha-Moha), they claimed that it was dangerous.
The Moha-Moha described by the natives' folklore differs considerably from what Lovell and the other witnesses saw in 1890. In the legend, the Moha-Moha has legs and is actually amphibious, capable of standing on its hind legs and attacking villages, although it may also be hunted for its meat.
Given its turtle-like carapace in contrast with its scaly fish-tail, Bernard Heuvelmans has commented that the beast could possibly be related to extinct placoderm fish such as Pterichthys, although he does point out that no fish has ever had a long neck, or scales growing perpendicularly to the body axis. To this day, the real identity of the Moha-Moha has remained a mystery.
Notes[]
- Lovell's first report names this creature as Moka-Moka, although it was later changed to Moha-Moha. Since the name allegedly comes from an aboriginal language, it's possible that both spellings may be valid.
- The scientific name proposed by Saville-Kent is grammatically incorrect, as the suffix used for honoring Miss Lovell should have been the feminine -ae; i.e. lovellae rather than lovelli.