The Oklahoma Octopus is a cryptid that inhabits a few of the freshwater man-made lakes in Oklahoma, including Lake Thunderbird & Lake Tenkiller, where it attacks and kills unsuspecting swimmers. It is a cephalopod, about the size of a horse, with long tentacles and leathery, reddish-brown skin. There have been numerous reported sightings, which typically involve fairly-large tentacles just at the surface of the lake, but there is no physical evidence that the Oklahoma Octopus exists. Many point to the high mortality rate and dramatic rise in unexplained drownings that occur in these lakes as the evidence of the octopus’s existence.
Even though the drownings are most likely the result of people getting drunk and not paying attention while swimming, there are some that believe that the Oklahoma Octopus may have extraterrestrial origins. There are scientists that theorize that because the genome of an octopus has a staggering level of complexity, compared to a human being, that they most likely originated somewhere other than Earth.
What is the Oklahoma Octopus? Is it Cthulhu’s cousin, an alien trolling the various Oklahoma lakes, or just a convenient excuse? Joins us on episode 135 to hear more about this cryptid and the many theories about it!