What is Ogopogo?
Ogopogo is an unidentified creature said to live in Okanagan Lake in British Columbia in western Canada. It is said to have a long, snake-like body over 10 m long with several humps on its back, swimming in undulating waves across the lake.
Indigenous folklore and Ogopogo
The Indigenous peoples who have lived around Okanagan Lake believed that “Naitaka” (N’ha-a-itk, an evil spirit of the lake) lived in it. When crossing the lake, they are said to have offered small animals to Naitaka and prayed for safe passage. Later, sightings of a lake monster spread among European settlers as well, and it came to be called “Ogopogo” after a song popular in the early 20th century.
What is Ogopogo really?
Proposed identities include driftwood, beavers or otters swimming in the lake, sturgeon (a large fish), and waves or tricks of light. In the lakeside city of Kelowna, a statue of Ogopogo has been erected, and it is loved as a local mascot. Along with America’s Champ, it is one of North America’s best-known lake cryptids.
