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Unknown Creatures: Book 2
墨書 Inktalez
Among the many cryptids, humanoid creatures often evoke a deep-seated panic within people.
Entities like the Mothman and the Gray Man, compared to Water Monsters or Large Felines, represent a potential threat that feels more immediate due to their possible intelligence.
Today, I want to share with you one such bizarrely shaped and frequently reported humanoid creature—the Lizard Man.
First, it’s important to understand that the term "Lizard Man" is a general designation.
In addition to the monsters and animated figures commonly seen on screen, in the field of cryptozoology, it refers to a class of humanoid beings that resemble reptiles. This includes creatures like the Thetis Lake Monster from Canada, Inthulo from South African folklore, and the Lafran Frogman previously discussed.
The focus of this discussion is the most famous incident involving the Lizard Man—the Skepore Swamp Incident, which caused a significant stir in the United States in the late 20th century.
The Lizard Man is also known as the Bishopville Lizard Man, as all reported sightings have originated near Skepore Swamp in Bishopville, Lee County, South Carolina.
Reports describe it as a tall humanoid creature standing about 7 feet tall, covered in brown-green scales, with red eyes and three-toed limbs. It exhibits strong aggression and territoriality and has been known to attack humans.
Accounts of the Lizard Man are primarily documented in newspapers, academic papers, television programs, and various online blogs from that time. However, these sources often contain inaccuracies or missing key details.
Therefore, I will reference American author Lyle Blackburn's 2013 publication "Bishopville Lizard Man" as the main source and share the events in chronological order.
On July 14, 1988, Tom Veal's family from Lee County reported to the police that their Ford luxury car had been vandalized. The side of the car was scratched and dented, decorative elements on the hood were damaged, the antenna was bent, and several trim pieces had fallen off from the fenders.
Some areas appeared to have been bitten by some kind of animal; even wires in the engine compartment had been torn apart. The vehicle was covered in clumps of red hair and muddy footprints.
Sheriff Liston Truesdale arrived at the scene to investigate, accompanied by a wildlife biologist who collected samples of hair and footprints in the area. They believed that the evidence could belong to a Red Fox or a group of them, although it was unclear why they would damage a car.
About 25 yards from the vehicle, several larger tracks from two-toed or four-toed animals were found, leading towards Skepore Swamp. The sheriff suspected they might belong to a wild black bear, but this conclusion was not universally accepted.
As the police search attracted a crowd of curious local residents, some eager to understand the deployment of law enforcement, local reporters with insider knowledge also arrived at the scene.
While Sheriff Truesdale attempted to disperse the crowd, he overheard discussions about sightings of a seven-foot-tall creature with red eyes in Brown Town, which some believed could be connected to the incident. However, upon inquiry, most people admitted they had only heard rumors.
As the sheriff prepared to leave, he casually asked a resident, "Have you heard of a tall creature? It might be green and has huge red eyes." The resident replied, "Are you talking about the Lizard Man?"
The accompanying reporter from Columbia State News, Jan Tutton, noted this down, and thus the name "Lizard Man" was born.
On July 20, 1988, the Lizard Man made headlines across major newspapers like Columbia State News and San Francisco Observer News, with the local Sumter Daily News featuring it as their front-page story.
In no time, news of the Lizard Man sighting in Skepore Swamp spread worldwide, and sensational details of the case attracted more curious tourists interested in mysterious events. South Carolina Columbia Radio Station FM97.5 offered a reward of one million dollars for capturing this living lizard.
This initiative led armed hunters to flood into the town, posing potential risks for local residents. Some gun owners instinctively pointed their weapons at passersby while Sheriff Truesdale and his team were overwhelmed with media calls and interview schedules. The lack of police resources caused the situation to spiral out of control, yet the bizarre events were far from over.
At 2 AM on July 24, 1988, two local teenagers, Rodney and Sean, burst into the Lee County Sheriff’s office claiming they might have seen the rumored Lizard Man. Deputy Sheriff Wayne Atkinson attended to them.
The two recounted that just moments ago, while driving along Highway 15 with their girlfriends—four people in total—they suddenly spotted a massive bipedal creature crossing the road before it vaulted over a fence and disappeared into the woods.
Atkinson, drawing on his years of law enforcement experience, sensed that they were not lying; their fear was palpable. A few hours later, he received another call from a Brown Town resident reporting strange roaring sounds coming from the nearby forest.
Considering the recent controversy surrounding the Lizard Man, Sheriff Atkinson and State Police Officer Mike Hodge drove out to investigate. While patrolling along Bramlett Road, they discovered litter scattered along the roadside, several crushed large waste barrels, and broken tree branches.
Initially, they thought the debris was caused by passing trucks and continued on without finding any useful clues. After a while, they turned around to head back.
However, upon passing the garbage area for the second time, they spotted a line of footprints crossing the road. They immediately stopped to examine them and found enormous animal tracks: each footprint measured 14 inches long and about 7 inches wide, with an oval-shaped pad and prominent heel. Three claw-like toes were embedded in the ground, with a depth of only 1.5 inches. The spacing between the prints indicated a stride of 3 feet, clearly beyond anything they had encountered before.
The two men had only been gone for a few minutes, yet they had not noticed these strange tracks on their first pass. Armed, they followed the footprints for about 300 yards, but the dark woods were intimidating, so they decided to wait until morning to continue their investigation.
Even more puzzling was their later statement during interviews that the soil there was very hard; not even their adult footprints left a mark. In the morning, Sheriff Truesdale arrived at the scene, cordoned off the area, and instructed officers to prepare plaster materials to cast the footprints.
The tracks indicated that a heavy and massive creature had burst out of the woods, walked along the road for a while, and then returned back into the swamp.
At that moment, clear skies began to be overshadowed by clouds. They poured a mixed solution into five of the clearest footprints and successfully created molds.
Meanwhile, the State Police dispatched a pair of police dogs to follow the tracks into the woods. When they reached near some bushes, however, the footprints became less distinct. A summer rainstorm ultimately washed away all traces, leaving law enforcement puzzled as the hunting dogs failed to pick up any scent.
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