Tatzelwurm Revisited 2.0 : Ancient cryptid in the Alps remains an enigmatic species .
Since the early 1800's a enigmatic reptile-like vertebrate is reported seen in several spots in the Central and Southern Alps. After countless accounts from hunters,naturalists and explorers a scientific research is being carried out after the Dragon of the Alps .The Tatzelwurm is a mysterious cryptid that makes its home in the Alps. Though sightings of the creature became uncommon the last decaded, the Tatzelwurm has managed to become a beast of legend in the local communities and has amassed a variety of different alias’s such as Stollenwurm, Daazelwurm, Arassas, Praatzelwurm, Springwurm and Bergstutzen. Reports of this mysterious creature vary in description, some sighting claim the Tatzelwurm to be lizard-like while others more bizarrely claim the features of a cat.
A common description of the enigmatic Tatzelwurm is that of a creature between 2 and 6 feet, completely covered in scales and with no hind legs but rather a long snake like body. The Tatzelwurm has 2 front legs and is said to have very big bright eyes and feline like ears which some witness’s claim gives the Tatzelwurm the appearance of a cat covered in scales rather than fur. Another notable feature is that the Tatzelwurm can apparently expel poisonous fumes that are strong enough to kill a human .
There really is no evidence in favor of the Tatzelwurm, even what is believed to be the very fist sighting back in 1828 seems unlikely. As the story goes a peasant found the corpse of a Tatzelwurm which by the time he had managed to bring it home crows had apparently eaten half of the creature, after this the specimen was lost. Even so, the Tatzelwurm built up quite a following of believers and was even considered fact 1800′s. Its now believed that even if this creature did actually exist that because sightings are so rare now it may be completely extinct.
It is widely believed that the Tatzelwurm is actually some kind of rare salamander or specifically a Gila Monster. There are definitely a lot of similarities between the Tatzelwurm and the Gila Monster most notably the preferred habitat of underground burrows in mountainous areas and this could also explain the reports of poisonous fumes as the Gila Monster is extremely venomous and one of the worlds only venomous lizards. The description of the Tatzelwurm even fits that of a Gila Monster even if it is some what of a loose fit.
Legendary Reptile lurks in the high-mounteneous area of the Bavarian, Austrian and Swiss Alps .
There are two well known tales of the legend of the Tatzelwurm. The first tales follows that of a young girl who was working on a farm in Switzerland chopping down bean poles when she accidently disturbed the burrow of a Tatzelwurm and was attacked. The Tatzelwurm in this account was described as being of a gray coloration and about the size of a common domesticated cat with a fleshy hairless body and only sports two front legs. According to the story the Tatzelwurm glared at the girl and she ran away describing big bright eyes to intense to meet.
The second story tells that of a man and his son out gathering herbs in the mountains when the man suddenly heard his son scream and seemed to be paralyzed in fear staring at a rock. The man sprinted to his son only to see a ‘gruesome monster’ under the rock near his son which hissed like a snake and hat the face of a cat with big bright eyes. The man managed to stab the Tatzelwurm with a sharped stick and pierced its flesh easily but according to the story the ‘blood’ of the creature sprayed out and burnt the mans leg making his journey home long and arduous due to his limp.
Make what you will of these stories but the similarities with the Gila Monster are again apparent down to the habitat, the use of poison/venom and the fact that in each instance the creature or ‘Tatzelwurm’ was in some kind of burrow which could easily explain why the creature was seen to have on two legs. The only discrepancy is that of the cat like face and the bright glowing eyes.
Recent sightings in modern times .
The earliest documented encounter with a Tatzelwurm took place in 1779 when two of these creatures appeared in front of a man named Hans Fuchs. Badly frightened by his encounter Hans suffered a fatal heart attack, however before he died was able to tell his family of his encounter, he described the creature as 5 – 7 feet in length with a snake-like body, clawed front legs and a large feline-like head with sharp teeth.
In 1828, a peasant supposedly found the corpse of a Tatzelwurm which by the time he had managed to bring it home crows had apparently eaten half of the creature. Even so, the Tatzelwurm built up quite a following of believers and was even considered fact in the nineteenth century. Its now believed that even if this creature did actually exist that because sightings are so rare now it may be completely extinct.
Two other illustrations of the Tatzelwurm are known to exist; the first of which appeared in a Bavarian hunting manual called New Pocket Guild of the Year 1836 for Nature, Forest and Hunting Enthusiasts. This manual contains what Bernard Heuvelmans describes as a curious picture of a sort of scaly cigar, with formidable teeth and wretched little stumps of feet. The second of these illustrations appeared in the Swiss almanac Alpenrosen published in 1841, and took the form of a drawling which shows a long scaly creature with two tiny front legs.
In late 1954, a Swiss photographer by the name of Balkin claimed to have photographed a Tatzelwurm. The level of interest produced by the photograph’s publication led the Berliner Illustrierte, a weekly illustrated magazine in Germany, to sponsor an expedition in search of the Tatzelwurm, however the results of this winter expedition were disappointing and interest in the creature all but disappeared. Today the majority of cryptozoologists view the photograph taken by Balkin as almost certainly a hoax.
Another piece of evidence now considered to be a hoax was the discovery of a Tatzelwurm skeleton, said to have been mysteriously donated to the Geneva Institute of Science sometime in the 1900’s. The skeleton, only known by a single photograph, appears to be that of a long snake like creature with two clawed arms and a larger than normal head. It is not certain who donated the skeleton or if it was ever donated to anyone at all. The majority of researchers believe the photograph, and the story behind it, to be a hoax.
Explanation in Zoological terms
The question still remains what is or was the Tatzelwurm, it is widely believed that the Tatzelwurm is actually some kind of rare salamander with characteristics resembling a Gila Monster, most notably the preferred habitat of underground burrows in mountainous areas. This could also explain the reports of poisonous fumes as the Gila Monster is extremely venomous and one of the worlds only venomous lizards, though it is not native to the region. The description of the Tatzelwurm even fits that of a Gila Monster even if it is some what of a loose fit. Another theory is that this creature could be some kind of giant skink, although skinks are also not native to the Alps.
The Tatzelwurm is said to have normal hibernation periods; sleeping during the winter in crevices on mountainsides (this is the reason for the name “Stollenwurm”) or they will even sometimes sleep in hay in a hay loft. In the following two centuries, many reports were received about a strange monster lurking in the Alps and attacking the livestock of farmers in remote villages.
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