Caddy the Sea Serpent

This weeks episode of Beast Hunter will include a creature called Caddy the Sea Serpent. Here is some information on the creature.

Facts Behind the Cadborosaurus
Sightings and tales of an alleged sea serpent off the coast of British Columbia have dated back to over a century ago, before the arrival of the Europeans. Depictions of sea serpents are common in native petro glyphs seen along the coast of the Pacific Northwest. The Cadborosaurus, or, as it's been nicknamed, Caddy, has been described by witnesses as more or less fifty feet in length with a large snake-like body. Beast Hunter Pat Spain travels to Vancouver Island, British Columbia to seek out the truth behind this legendary creature. Below are some interesting facts related to his hunt.

The name for the alleged local sea serpent Cadborosaurus, Caddy for short, was coined in the Victoria Daily Times on October 11th 1933 in honor of Cadboro Bay in Victoria, Vancouver Island where the creature was allegedly first sighted.

Despite being called "killer whales," Orcas (Orcinus orca) are in fact the largest members of the dolphin family, and are highly sociable creatures, living in pods and clans ranging from 5 to 40 individuals. Sizes range according to different geographical locations, and researchers often divided them into resident and transient pods as well. Active and opportunistic, killer whales are without a doubt one of the top predators in the ocean. In fact, they are one of the largest warm-blooded predators ever known.

There are four species of oarfish, but it is the Regalecus glesne or "King of Herrings" that is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest bony fish alive; the maximum reported length of the oarfish is 36 feet, though there have been unconfirmed reports of ones 56 feet long. They are very rarely sighted as they live at depths of around 600 to 3,000 feet, and are only found at the surface when sick or dying.

The oarfish swims by undulating its long dorsal fin while its body remains straight — referred to as an amiiform mode of swimming. It was also recently filmed by an ROV in the Gulf of Mexico swimming in a vertical position, in what is believed to be a method that the oarfish uses when searching for its prey.

The Census of Marine Life is a ten year study across the globe deploying a network of researchers in more than 80 nations in a definitive effort to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the oceans.

Since the Census of Marine Life began in 2000, researchers have added more than 5,600 species to the lists. The census already includes a total of more than 16 million records. Census officials estimate there may be over a million more sea plant and animal species yet to be discovered. By contrast, biologists have described only about 1.5 million terrestrial plants and animals in total.

The Lion's Mane jellyfish, Cyanea capillata, is described as the largest jellyfish in the world, sometimes reaching eight feet in diameter.

Despite its size and reputation, a sting from the Lion's Mane jellyfish can not kill a human (unlike certain species of box jellyfish) but merely causes a painful rash and a burning sensation. In fact the best treatment for the stings from a Lion's Mane jellyfish is simply an application of vinegar.

The coastal waters around British Columbia are famous for their abundant marine wildlife. Seals and sea lions are a familiar sight including the stellar sea lion — the world’s largest — which can grow to nearly 10 feet long. Orcas, porpoises, dolphins and many species of whale, including the blue whale, can also be found in the North Pacific.

The Basilosaurus (Basilosaurus cetoides) belonged to an extinct group of whales that lived 40 to 34 million years ago. It grew 40 to 65 feet in length, and was the largest known animal of its day. With an elongated body and sharp teeth, it's been described as the closest a whale ever came to a snake, and its bones were first mistaken for a sea serpent's.

Just over 70% of our planet is covered in water, but we've only explored about five percent of our oceans. Oceans cover 140,000,000 square miles out of a total surface area of just under 200,000,000 square miles. The average depth of the ocean is about 12,000 feet. It is at these depths that many new species remain undiscovered.

The deep sea is the Earth's largest continuous ecosystem and largest habitat for life — it is also the least studied.