Woman Captures Eerie Picture of River Monster With Enormous Claws
This woman captured an eerie image of what looks like some sort of river monster with giant claws sitting just below the surface of the water while out enjoying her vacation. Soon, the image went viral online as many people were stunned by what they saw.
When Shala Holm and her daughter Avery were out fishing in their tandem kayak on the Mississippi River, they had no idea they would be about to experience something that would terrify them. Avery’s words of warning – “Mom, be quiet. I can hear something breathing” – set the tone for what was to come.
Instead of a deer or a beaver, they instead saw a nose in the water and some type of clawed river creature swimming up to the fishing basket hanging off the side of their kayak. It began to scratch at it before eventually leaving when Shala shook the basket.
The mother-daughter duo decided to return to the spot the next evening with hopes of capturing a picture of this mysterious creature – and luckily for them, it returned. With camera at the ready, Shala captured two photos which quickly took social media by storm when Niemeyer’s Rugged River Resort posted one of them online.
The photo showed outstretched front legs with large claws extended toward a basket of fish as well as an eerie creature with a dinosaur-like head right next to them. Viewers were left horrified by what they saw but eventually realized it was actually just an incredibly large turtle.
Shala sent her photos over to Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staff who estimated that this turtle was at least 15 years old but possibly even 30. It is believed that it was most likely a snapping turtle, which is Minnesota’s largest species with adults averaging 8-14 inches long and weighing from 10-35 pounds – although they have been known reach sizes up 65 pounds.
Despite its reputation as being quite aggressive on land due to its defensive posture when frightened or threatened, snapping turtles are usually docile in water and will simply try their best flee if given half a chance according to Erica Hoaglund from DNR.
