Legends of swamp monsters have been around for ages. While these stories most likely started as a cautionary tale to keep children out of the swamps and bayous, some believe that there are creatures that lurk in the shadows of the swamps. Are you a believer?

The Honey Island Swamp is located in St. Tammany Parish and covers roughly 70,000 acres.
Karsun Designs/Flickr
It’s over 20 miles long and about 7 miles across, with about half of the 70,000 acres protected as a government sanctioned protected wildlife area. Not only is it one of the least-altered river swamps in the country, but it’s also one of the most pristine swamplands.
Hundreds of animals call the area home.
Paul Mannix/Flickr
You’ve got your usual swamp life critters like alligators, nutria, turtles, and raccoons but the swamp is also home to many bald eagles, wild boars, and even the elusive Louisiana black bear.

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But many believe that this particular swamp is also home to the Honey Island Swamp Monster.
Muadiv/Flickr
Not to be confused with the Rougarou, this creature has been described as being about seven feet tall with grey hair and yellow eyes, walks on two feet, and is often accompanied by a foul odor.
The first sighting of this mysterious creature was in 1963.
Crypto Tom/Youtube
Harlan Ford claimed to have seen the beast in 1963 and even snapped footage of it with his camera. A few years later in 1974 Ford and his friend, Billy Mays claimed to come across footprints of this monster, as well as a boar whose throat has been gashed.
Ford continued to hunt for the creature until his death in 1980.
Wikimedia
He never came across any definitive proof that the creature exists, but there’s a local legend that in the early 1900s, a nearby train carrying circus animals crashed in the swamp. Monkeys escaped and may have mated with alligators, creating this mysterious swamp monster.

Check out this video with Ford's original footage of what he saw, uploaded by youtube user Crypto Tom.

What do you think? Are you a believer? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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