Manipogo photograph, Lake Manitoba
In August 1962 Richard Vincent and John Konefell, fishing near Meadow Portage between Lakes Manitoba and Winnipegosis, photographed a dark humped shape in the water.
1962 CE · 51.85, -99.60 · status: disputed
The account
It is the only photograph of Manipogo, a creature named in 1960 by blending 'Manitoba' and 'Ogopogo' after a run of sightings from 1957. The University of Manitoba's James McLeod led searches in the early 1960s.
The sceptical view
The photo is blurry; Vincent himself said he was not sure what it showed. A log or a pair of large fish fits.
The researched reading
The only photograph of Manipogo is blurry and its own author was unsure of it. A log, fish or animal is the likely subject, framed by a monster name borrowed from Ogopogo.
| Explanation | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Something known, misidentified | 50% | The photograph is blurry and the photographer himself was unsure; a floating log, a large lake sturgeon, a swimming moose or a group of pelicans or otters fits the humped shape. Lake Manitoba holds large fish. |
| A cultural story | 18% | The creature was named in 1960 on the model of Ogopogo after a run of local sightings; the name and legend shaped what fishermen expected to see. |
| A hoax or fabrication | 12% | A staged object in the water is possible; Manipogo lore later included tourist-friendly embellishment. |
| Perception, memory or mind | 7% | Expectation built by recent sightings and searches turns a dark shape into a monster. |
| Undetermined | 6% | The share a generic explanation had beyond what has been shown for this case: it fits many cases like this one, but has not been demonstrated for this one. |
| An unknown or out-of-place animal | 5% | A shallow, once-glaciated prairie lake system offers no plausible home for a large unknown reptile or plesiosaur. |
| Genuinely anomalous | 2% | A blurry photo of humps needs nothing beyond known objects. |
Official position: No official finding; University of Manitoba searches in the early 1960s found nothing.