Case file · Cryptid
Lake Van Monster
A lake monster said to live in Lake Van in eastern Turkey, which a local man claimed to have filmed in 1997.
1997 CE · 38.66, 42.81 · status: claim
The account
Armenian chroniclers wrote of vishaps, water dragons, in the lake. Ünal Kozak's video drew international attention.
The sceptical view
Critics asked whether the video was framed to hide a boat and noted breathing that looked like an air hose; Kurds in Van told one writer the monster was a commercial ploy.