Right now there are waaaaaaaaay too many unknowns to even begin to make solid hypotheses—the sightings are too sparse from too many different locales to make and real generalizations or even solid theories.

I think that is why USO’s are so intriguing and fun to hunt for me…it’s the unknowns and possibilities that keep me investigating:) AND when we do eventually find out some hard data, I have no doubt it will clear up a lot of little questions like the one we have been dealing with here:)

I will say that I agree with springheeledjack in that if we are indeed dealing with unknowns here, then most likely there is more than just one type of creature behind the worldwide eyewitness accounts of sea monsters. A variety of different species and types of organism could be involved. We could have cases where one is a giant slug, another a sea mammal, and yet another a reptilian prehistoric survivor. In each case the head protuberances could be completely different in form and function. It would also explain why not all of these creatures are described as having horns or whatever in the first place. It really likely is comparing apples and oranges.

I think it would be hard to try to come up with any one, all encompassing hypothesis on the head appendages, especially without more information.

The other problem is with so little information we do not know if we are dealing with one species of animal across the world or several, in which case, the stalks/horns/etc could be specific to a species or a specific type of animal (not up on my genus and terminology classifications), so AGAIN, could be apples and oranges. Though I am of the mind that there is probably more than one type we are dealing with–heuvelmanns went along those lines of thinking, and I would agree with him. I think he suggested half a dozen or more possibilities.

Back to the sub-subject at hand, at least from the Scandinavian perspective, we might be dealing with some sort of sensory organs…whether it is ears for sound, some sort of vibration sensors, or communication. And perhaps there is a tie in with what Walden saw.

There actually is one single Norwegian sighting of a head with something odd attached to the head, call it horns, protuberances or whatever. Two boys went fishing in a lake and the one boy detected a presumably resting or sleeping animal. He decided to put a large stone on the beasts head in the shallow water, then tie it to a tree. Naturally the creature shook off the boulder, raised its head and hissed at the boy who was virtually standing in water beside the animal. When initially lying half submerged and resting the boy noticed that the creature’s head had two strange stalks, one on each side of the head a little distance behind the eyes, and at the end of the stems were a bulb the size of a marble. These strange appendages moved constantly when the head was still, I would imagine like the eye stalks of a snail.
Further on the ”ears”, the creature in the cove was startled on land, fled through the weed and showed these weird erect ears when swimming away. The Swedish case, an October 1893 incident well documented in a newspaper. Two girls were heating water and doing laundry near the shore. The creature swam towards them, gazed and stayed around for one and a half hour. One time it came close and raised its head above the surface. Its ”ears” were tucked tightly against the neck, and when it raised them the rattling noise was produced. Finally the girls pelted it with stones to make it move away.
When these creatures periscope their necks and head and obviously does some scouting or listening, no such neck frills are ever reported.

Erik K–that’s interesting too, and something I have wondered about…with all of the sightings over the decades, the “ears” are not often observed…or at least reported and I have wondered whether the whatever-they-ares are used for a specific purpose (whether it is sensory in nature or a communicative device), and only extend when there is a need.

More good food for thought.

Thanks!!!

When you take into account sighting conditions, sexual dimorphism, and maturity-related differences I don’t think there are many sightings that the super long-necked pinniped ID can’t cover. There’s nothing in the Walden account that makes it unique in that respect.