An Octopus is terrorizing Oklahomans

Or is it Oklahamen? Oklahomites? Oklahomai? Just focus on the octopus, okay?

Hey Conspirators!

Today is our first dive into cryptids (a creature whose existence is unsubstantiated.) Take a look at the map below that features some of the more famous North American cryptids. I’m sure we’ll cover a fair amount of them. The one that caught my eye immediately? The Oklahoma Octopus… sound tentaculizing??? (I’m here all week.)

Calamari? More like CalaSCARY (I promise that’s the last bad joke)

There are three lakes in Oklahoma that are the “home” of this week’s cryptid: Lake Thunderbird, Oolagah and Tenkiller. The legend is that, just like catfish, the reddish brown Oklahoma Octopus is capable of growing as large as its environment will allow. Considering just Lake Thunderbird is 8.4 square miles… that would be a mighty large Octopus. 

Though there have been numerous reported sightings, there is no physical evidence of the creature. However, Oklahoma lakes have a higher than normal mortality rate and a large number of unexplained drownings, including some this year. 

Time for our cryptozoologist hats…

Now I know what you’re thinking - “Guys, there’s no way this one is real because as EVERYONE knows, octopi are saltwater animals.” (Yeah, yeah, you’re brilliant.)

But there are some species of saltwater creatures, like jellyfish, that have been able to adapt to freshwater conditions. And that means this same adaptation could occur for a cephalopod that was trapped in an inland lake once coastal waters receded (Oklahoma was once a shallow sea.) In fact, “In its hundreds of millions of years on this planet, the octopus has managed to populate just about every corner, crevice, and water column of the sea - from the warm shallows of the tropics to the deep frigid waters off the coast of Antarctica. It can even occasionally walk on land.”

The other theory is that one single octopus couldn’t do this by itself; it would have to be an entire species of octopi living in this freshwater environment and multiplying to adapt, growing larger and larger each generation…

Has this cryptid suction-cupped your attention?

There’s a lot of information about this particular creature. Take a little swim and tell us what you think!

• The Famous Comic strip “The Oklahoma Red Octopus”

• An article in Scientific American

• A report from Animal Planet

So what do you think? Giant killer octopus or just a fun myth? Let us know in the comments! See you next week for our Nibble on gigantic geoglyphs in Peru known as the Nazca Lines.

As always, stay ‘spicious. 

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