(opens the full-size plate in a new tab) Beast of Busco
Lake Monster / Reptile
Alligator snapping turtles reach 100 kilograms. Nothing was recovered when the lake was partly drained.
An exceptionally massive, Volkswagen-sized snapping turtle whose ability to remain submerged indefinitely has allowed it to easily evade town-wide capture efforts.
Etymology. Nicknamed 'Oscar' after Oscar Fulk, the original 1898 owner of the farm where it was sighted, and formally dubbed the 'Beast of Busco' by local columnists.
Anatomy. It is biologically classified as a gigantic snapping turtle of entirely unprecedented proportions, with eyewitnesses estimating its weight at a staggering 500 pounds.
Ecology. Inhabits the seven-acre, freshwater expanse of Fulk Lake near Churubusco, Indiana.
Behavior. It acts as a highly evasive aquatic survivor, successfully avoiding massive capture efforts including deep-sea diving expeditions, the introduction of alluring female turtles as bait, and a partial draining of the lake.
Mythology. Gaining national prominence in 1949 via a UPI wire story, 'Buscomania' gripped the town, drawing massive mobs of sightseers. Though never captured, the beast's legacy lives on in Churubusco's annual 'Turtle Days' festival and a concrete statue in the town center.