The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1920-02-14
HUNTING LAIR
OF SEA SERPENT
Scientists Search Leads to Dis
covery of Many Strange
Monsters of Deep.
BIG SEA LIZARD EXTINCT
There Are Still Sharks to Be Found.
However, Forty Feet Long-Dan-
gerous Marine Creatures
Not the Largest.

ANCW OIh.-lHdSlldClV0 sea cap
tains and their followers on return
ing to local ports entertain thell
friends and unsophisticated strangers
with highly colored narratives of great
sea serpents and other unfamiliar
monsters Of the deep that they have
encountered on their voyages. That
monsters of the deep exist today as
in olden times is well known to sci
ence, but they are quite different from
those described by the old salts.
THE sea serpent" said DR.. John t.
Nichols, head of the department of
recent fishes at the American Mu-
scum of Natural History "as that
creature is pictured in the popular
mind is a purely mythical animal
Although there are doubtless many
strange beasts in the sea, as yet un-
known to science, it is highly i'm
probable that such monster will be
found"
Big Sea Lizards.
The nearest approach perhaps to
this monster that ever existed was
some of the big sea lizards which used
to navigate the globe in prehistoric
times. The most authentic reports
of sea serpents nowadays when trace
able at all tdrn out to be faulty OBJ
servations of some ordinary marine
creatures. "a school of porpoises.
stretched out in line and rolling their
backs above the surface in unisofi.
may readily enough appear like the
coils of great sea monster to an OBJ
server with an active Imagination.
Nevertheless. true sea snakes swim
among the islands of certain parts OF
the western Pacific which, though they
do not reach a great SIZE are often
very poisonous. They have flatteneG
tails like muskrats to enable them to
swim the better.
There are plenty of monsters In the
sea- though none equal in size the
largest of the whaebone whales. The
largest of such creatures are some
thing like 80 feet in length. If there
are larger specimens they have been
remarkably successful in eluding ac-
curate measurement In order to find
sufficient food such gigantic creatures
must be content with a humble diet.
Hence they have, developed their
whaebone-a substance in which no
imitation can compete in the manufac-
ture of high-grade whip handles and
corset stays-for the purpose of strain
ing an abundance of small fishes or
other animals from the sea water.
Inhabiting the deep are two gigan-
tic sharks, Settler one of which may
reach a length of 40 feet The bask-
ing shark is found in northern seas,
straying southwark to our |
coasts and the whale shark seems to |
have its principal habitat in the III
dian ocean, though straggers have
turned up as far away as the shores /
Of Florida. Que such, mounted, is on I
exhibition at Miami and will repay 81
visit to any one who chances to be in
that vicinity.
Plenty of Sea Monsters.
There are plenty of monsters in the
sea- the giant devil fish. or manta,
which probably grows to be over 20
feet between the tips of its great
wings. The model Of an individual OF
Is feet or so is on exhibition at the
American museum. The manta has
processes directed forward.
me at either side of it's broad head,
md there are Northumberland in
stances of devil fish flying" through
he water, catching a boats anchor
between fits horns by chance, lifting
he anchor and towing the astonished
'ons the devil fish is common along
he Gulf coast of Florida, where it fur-
fishes exciting sport for big-game fish
rmen.
The dangerous marine creatures are
n general not the largest. The killer
whale, which is 20 feet or SO in
ength. will attack and devour almost
nything that swims in the sea. Some
ines they join in schools and hunt
he big whalebone whales like pack
f hungry wolves The man-eater
bark. seldom more than 20 feet long,
one Of the fiercest of sea creatures.
fe is as rare as he is dangerous. The
ig sperm whale seems to feed large
: on large specimens of octupus. for
-hich it dives in deep water. Some
bservers assert that they have seen |
pectacular contests between such
perm whale and an octopus which it
ad brought to the surface.
The octopus also goes by the name
devil fish. though it is an entirely
ifferent animal from the manta.