While many, even in the UFO community, tend to distance themselves from some of the outlandish claims of fanged “monsters” and even clawed robots, often with glowing eyes, arriving on Earth, seemingly from space in a technologically advanced craft and then proceeding to attack those in the nearby vicinity, the fact is there are many such claims on record.
Indeed, we have examined some of these before such as the Hopkinsville incident or the Pascagoula River abduction, both of which, incidentally, are largely considered very credible cases. The latter incident, in particular, is of interest here, simply due to the time it took place, at the start of the seventies in 1973.
Although such cases of fanged and/or clawed alien monsters can be found in accounts from most decades, it would seem a particularly heavy wave took place during the 1970s. And what’s more, they would take place all over the planet. From the United States to Japan to Brazil – to name a few – encounters with these bizarre cosmic creatures appeared to surge.
So, while we should perhaps have a cautious pinch of salt at the ready, these claims shouldn’t be dismissed as freely as they often are. Here are just three such seemingly outrageous incidents. All of which occurred in the 1970s. And all from different regions of the planet.
The Kofu City Humanoids Incident
Perhaps one of the most intriguing claims of such an encounter comes from Kofu City in Japan. On the evening of 23rd February 1975, just before 7 pm, 7-year-old boys, Masato Kawano and Katsuhiro Yamahata were roller skating near a local housing estate.
Suddenly, each of them noticed two strange orange crafts “glittering” high above them. They continued to watch for several moments, each in awe and amazement at the scene unfolding before them.
Then, one of the crafts took off in the direction of Mount Atago. The other, however, began to descend towards them, eventually settling in a vineyard behind the housing estate. As the craft moved over them, each of the boys could hear an electronic “ticking” sound that some researchers claim was similar to a Geiger counter.
The two boys kicked off their roller skates and ran towards the vineyard eager to get a closer look at this bizarre craft. When they had it back in their sights, it now shined a brilliant silver as it remained still on the ground. On top of the disc-like base was a definite dome. On the underside were “three ball-shaped legs”, upon which the craft appeared to rest.
Kawano and Yamahata would each recall seeing “strange characters” (symbols) on the side of the craft, which had a metallic appearance. Then, a ramp or ladder emerged from the side of the craft. For the first time, the two boys began to feel decisively scared.
A Humanoid In A “Glowing” Silver Suit With “Metal” Fangs!
Both boys watched, neither daring to make a sound. As they watched, a strange humanoid creature with long arms began to descend the ramp. Inside the craft, the boys could see another, identical creature.
According to later reports from the two boys, the creatures were approximately 4-feet tall and wore a “glowing” silver suit. They also had large heads with equally large, pointed ears, and dark, brown, leathery, wrinkled skin. Perhaps most frightening for the two boys, though, was the apparent sharp “metal fangs” protruding from its mount. Furthermore, its feet that ended in two big “toes”.
At first, it appeared the creature was oblivious to the two young boys as it scanned its surroundings calmly. Then, it suddenly reached forward and placed a hand on Yamahata’s shoulder. As it did so, a noise came from it that the boys would recall as sounding like a “tape recorder running backward”.
Yamahata suddenly fell to the ground, unable to move. His friend immediately reached for him and pulled him up, dragging him away as quickly as he could move. They didn’t stop to look back and soon reached their housing estate. They each suddenly ran to inform their parents of the bizarre incident.
The “Take-Off” And Corroborating Witnesses
Several minutes after the boys had crashed into their respective apartments, their mothers, with their sons with them, would meet up on the land at the back of the complex. They then, with the two young boys leading the way, half scared and half excitedly animated, set off to the vineyard.
When they arrived, while the strange creature was gone, the craft itself remained. And it had now changed back to the bright, sparkling orange color as opposed to the cold metallic silver when the boys had approached it.
The two youngsters urged their parents to go forward with them to investigate. However, each mother grabbed her child, deciding, perhaps wisely, to maintain their distance. The group remained watching the display for around five minutes. Then, without warning the craft shot straight upward in a flash of bright light. So bright, in fact, that each of the witnesses was forced to look away and shield their eyes.
Despite their surreal encounter, the two young boys would go to school as normal the following day. When they did, however, they were eager to speak of the previous evening’s events. Indeed, fellow students and teachers sat captivated while the two boys spoke to their class and drew pictures of what they had seen.
Incidentally, perhaps encouraged by their tales, a classmate of the two boys, 8-year-old, Ichiro Minegishi would claim to have also witnessed the glowing saucer in the air while he was in the back seat of his parent’s car driving along the Kofy Bypass.
Perhaps spurred on by the apparent honesty and openness of the two boys, the headmaster of the school, Nobuyoshi Kaneko, would organize their own investigation of the location.
Physical Evidence At The Scene
While it might seem, on the surface, to be an ill-advised idea, the investigative journey to the vineyard behind the two young boy’s apartment building would prove to be of importance in terms of evidence gathered at the scene.
For example, they would discover two concrete posts, each solid and far too heavy for the two boys to move, both “pushed over”. Furthermore, they would discover definite markings on the ground where the boys claimed the craft had landed. Using a basic radioactivity measuring device one of the members of the makeshift investigative team would pick up substantially higher readings of radioactivity within the “circle” of the landing site.
Perhaps realizing the potential seriousness of the situation, the two boys would face intense questions, separately, from the teachers and their parents. When UFO investigator, Masaru Mori, was asked to look into the case, he also questioned the boys at length. Not once did they deviate from their original statements despite the multiple times they told it.
An official explanation for the sighting claims that what the boys saw in the air was a YS-11 plane which would fly at the altitude the boys saw the orange light. However, the only explanation for the landing and the creature itself seems to revolve around hallucination or hoax, neither of which is likely. Especially given the corroborating witness, at least to the craft itself.
Before we look at another truly bizarre and disturbing encounter, check out the video below. It looks at some of the most bizarre humanoid creatures from around the world.
The Encounter Of Antonio La Rubia
At around 2:30 am on the 15th September 1977, Antonio La Rubia was awoken by a huge “hat-shaped object” which descended out of the skies and landed in a field near his home. He would go to investigate this strange occurrence, leaving his home and discreetly making his way towards the field.
He would estimate the object to around 250 feet in width and was a lead color. The closer he got to it the more he rethought his decision to approach it in the first place. However, before he could turn back, a “brilliant blue beam” suddenly emerged from the craft, striking him and rendering him paralyzed.
Now unable to move, his eyes took in his surroundings as best they could. It was then he noticed the three strange “robots” that had appeared around him. These bizarre creatures were truly absurd in their appearance. La Rubia would claim them to be around 4-feet tall with “scales” all over their aluminum grey torsos. Their arms were something akin to an elephant trunk which ended in a single finger on each arm. A closer look revealed what appeared to be a syringe in each finger.
Even stranger were their heads, which were the shape of a “vertical football” with a spinning antenna on the top. Furthermore, a strip of blue mirror-type boxes went across the middle of the face perhaps where the eyes would be.
Still unable to move, La Rubia watched with terror rising inside of him, as these mysterious robotic creatures “hovered” towards him.
The next thing he knew, he too was hovering off the ground. One of the robots had pointed the syringe-like device at him. However, rather than inserting it into his skin, the robot used it to “float” La Rubia towards a waiting spacecraft.
A Truly Mind-Bending Experience
He would find himself in a circular room as each of the robots moved away from him in different directions. As he watched them, La Rubia suddenly noticed around twenty or more identical robots, all lined up in all directions around him.
It was then that the terrified man screamed out:
What do you want? Who are you?
A bright light emerged from an unknown source and direction, once again paralyzing La Rubia. At the same time, the robots suddenly lowered to the floor, the antenna on their heads still spinning. As this was taking place, an equally mysterious spinning device came towards La Rubia. It would extract a sample of his blood before moving away into the dark shadows of the reaches of the room.
Then, several bizarre images were displayed to the confused and frightened La Rubia. A strange factory seemingly full of identical robotic creatures like the ones around him, as well as a similar environment where the craft like the one he was currently on were being built. Even stranger were random images of busy streets, as well as images of himself, naked. Perhaps most bizarre was the images of a “robot melting while an angry dog barked at it”.
Then, without warning, La Rubia would find himself in the middle of a road in the city of Paciencia several miles from home. He had on all of his clothes and none of his belongings were missing. As he looked up, he could see what looked like the bottom of a “huge, dark, balloon” moving upward, quickly and silently.
Incidentally, there was a corroborating witness, at least to the UFO leaving the road in Paciencia. However, when it was discovered that the witness was a “local drunk” he was dismissed despite his insistence.
The Space Brains Abduction Incident
What is truly one of the most outlandish claims of alien abduction occurred at around 2 am on 17th August 1971 in the Palos Verdes region of California. Two men in their twenties, Peter Rodriguez and John Hodges, were about to drive home after spending the evening at a friend’s house. However, their night was about to take a decidedly strange turn.
As Hodges sparked the engine into life and flicked the headlights on, something came into view in the middle of the road in front of them. Not quite believing their eyes, in the road were two large “brain-type” creatures, bluish in color and with a “strange vapor” around them. However, they were most definitely alive, whatever they were. One of them even had the rough shape of a human torso. Each had what appeared to be a red eye.
After snapping back to their senses, the two men felt a wave of absolute fear wash over them. Hodges now slammed his foot on to the gas pedal, pressing it down as hard as he could. Their respective houses were merely a block or two away from their friend’s. Within several minutes, after dropping Rodriguez at his front door, Hodges arrived home.
However, when he looked at the clock on the wall upon walking inside, to his amazement and disbelief, it was just after 4:30 am. How had a 10-minute journey taken them over two hours? He racked his brains over and over. Just what had happened in those two hours? And why could he not remember them?
“Take The Time To Understand Yourselves!”
It would be five years before Hodges would finally undergo hypnotic regression in order to unlock his mind. And reveal the events of the early hours of that bizarre August morning in 1971. What’s more, it would appear that the experience happened to Hodges alone. Seemingly taking place after Rodriguez had left the car outside his house.
Almost as soon as he was under, he would recall telepathic communication between the two bizarre brain-like entities. This began when he first saw them in front of the car. He would state they said to him:
Take the time to understand yourselves. The time draws near when you shall need to. You shall not remember this incident until we meet again!
And after that, Hodges had come to his senses along with his friend. And would drive away as fast as he could.
After dropping Rodriguez home, Hodges did indeed arrive at his own house without incident. However, when he opened the car door, the two bizarre brain-creatures were waiting for him. The panic in him was evident. So much so, that at the time, he would seemingly blackout.
Then, the next thing he was aware of, was waking up in a strange “control room”. He noticed that there were banks of computers all around this room. He could also see the brain-creatures too. However, when he surveyed his surroundings, there was another group of entities inside also.
Will Closed Minds Lead To Our Collective Downfall?
He would describe these creatures as humanoid and around 7-feet tall with leathery grey skin. They also appeared to have six fingers on each hand with webbing in-between each digit. Although he couldn’t recall how the information came to him, these humanoids would inform him that the brain-creatures were simply “organic translation devices” that allowed them to communicate telepathically.
The next thing he recalled was a series of images shown to him on one of the computer screens. Interestingly, and similar in detail to many of the accounts from the 1950s and early-60s, the overriding message was of a concern for humanity, and of the fact that “too much power” was concentrated in specific locations around the planet.
It isn’t clear whether this is a reference to some kind of build-up of natural power of the Earth, or, and most likely, the concentration of political and military power and influence. Hodges would again recall the message that we should:
Take the time to know yourselves. The time draws near when you shall need to!
What might this mean?
As for Hodges, he would recall a strange “buzzing” sensation run through him before waking up in his car outside his house.
As writer, Rob Murphy asks, might these apparent “concerns” actually be part of some cosmic psychological warfare? One designed to collectively disarm us and ultimately weaken ourselves against such an alien invasion?
The idea itself sounds preposterous. However, our collective refusal to confront and understand such possibilities may prove to be our very own achilleas heel. Surely it is better to investigate and rule out the outrageous than to dismiss without investigation what could prove to be important understandings of our collective existence.
The video below discusses this bizarre case a little further.
The Truly Unique And Mysterious Dover Demon Encounters
Although it is perhaps a little-known case, even outside of paranormal and cryptological circles, the Dover Demon case from the spring of 1977 is arguably one of the most intriguing and credible of such events on record. During the course of two evenings, four separate individuals witnessed what appeared to be the same strange creature before the mysterious being simply disappeared into the world of legend never to be seen again.
Was it an alien? A cryptid of some kind? An elaborate hoax by bored residents of the town? Or might the witnesses have made the whole thing up for their own amusement and a taste of local fame? Or perhaps they themselves were the victims of a prank by other bored students or youngsters? The possibilities, as we shall see with the following account, are as many and varied as the account is strange and bizarre.
What is particularly intriguing is that following this sighting, there appears to have been no further signs that the creature ever surfaced again. And there appears to be equally little evidence that anyone had encountered it prior to the apparent one-off sightings of the late-1970s.
Just what happened during those April evenings in 1977 and just what might the Dover Demon be in reality remains very much open to debate? And why have sightings – at least to the best, current knowledge – not occurred before or since? What is so unique about this creature, if anything at all?
The incident was first reported on by Walter Webb of the Science Museum in Boston and further reported on by Loren Coleman in his book Mysterious America: The Ultimate Guide to the Nation’s Weirdest Wonders, Strangest Spots, and Creepiest Creatures. And as we recommend you read the book in its entirety, we will, at least in part, base much of our examination on Coleman’s research here. In fact, as we shall see, it was Coleman himself who was responsible for the strange entity receiving the moniker it still has today.
Dover, Massachusetts, April 1977
On the evening of 21st April 1977 in the small town of Dover in Massachusetts, the first of two distinct encounters with a strange creature was about to grip an otherwise sleepy town in the northeast of the United States.
The first incident involved William Bartlett, who had spent the evening with two friends, Mike Mazzocca and Andy Brodie. It was around 10:30 pm when they were driving down a quiet road at around 40 miles per hour when Bartlett noticed something near some loose stones from a wall at the side of the road. At first, he believed it was nothing more than a dog or a cat. According to Coleman’s assessment of the location, “next to the wall is a single row of trees, and beyond is an open field”.
As Bartlett continued to watch the apparent animal, he noticed how it placed what now appeared to be hands on the wall followed by its feet – as if feeling its way along. As the car headlights lit up the wall, Bartlett noticed how the creatures had extremely long fingers with which it grabbed onto the rocks. He also noticed that it had a particularly large head – much larger than its neck dictated it should have been. Perhaps most chilling, though, were the glowing eyes that appeared “glassy” and “lidless” and that glowed “like two orange marbles”.
Further recollections were that the arms and legs were particularly thin, much too much for the size of the torso. In fact, according to Coleman’s report on the sighting, Bartlett would describe the body and limbs of the strange creature as “a baby’s body with long arms and legs”. He would further describe the skin as a “hairless…peach color” and with a look similar to “wet sandpaper”. Furthermore, the figure appeared to be between three to four feet tall.
Whatever it was, Bartlett realized he was witnessing something truly out of the ordinary.
A Sighting From Around 20 Feet Away At Around 45 Miles Per Hour!
Coleman goes on to quote Bartlett’s eventual interview with The Real Paper in which he recalled what happened following the realization that he was looking at something unusual. He would estimate that he was traveling approximately 45 miles per hour as they went around the corner where he saw the strange creature.
Later investigations by Coleman would suggest he was merely 20 feet away from the creature at the time of the incident – which likely lasted around six seconds.
As he sped away from the wall, he asked each of his friends if they had seen the strange creature at the roadside. Both replied that they hadn’t. He would describe it to them after which, both urged him to return to the wall. However, he refused to do so, at least initially. After they had nagged at him for several minutes, he turned the car around and headed back to where he had seen the creature. However, by the time they returned, there was no sign of the bizarre figure.
Mike and Andy began to doubt if Bartlett had been mistaken or might even be pulling their leg. However, the obvious and genuine fright on his face and in his eyes told them otherwise. The three friends would return home where Bartlett (who was a talented artist) would promptly draw what he had seen (you can see one of those pictures above).
Several hours later, however, the creature would be witnessed again. This time, by another individual.
Shortly After Midnight, 22nd April
At approximately half past midnight in the early hours of the 22nd of April, John Baxter was walking home from his girlfriend’s home. During his journey, though, he suddenly noticed what he thought was someone headed in his direction. The closer the figure got the more Baxter believed it was a younger child as it was barely four feet tall.
When he called out to the figure, however, he received no response whatsoever. Then, both Baxter and the strange approaching person stopped and stared temporarily at each other. Due to the now overcast skies (which was also verified by weather records of the evening) he could only see a shadowy shape and couldn’t make out any details of the person in front of him.
Then, Baxter began walking toward the figure in the hope of seeing exactly who it was. However, as soon as he did so, it turned and ran toward the roadside and into a wooded gully. Although he still couldn’t see any details of the figure, Baxter could hear the feet on the ground as it scampered away, and he immediately took off after it.
After giving chase for several moments, the figure came to a stop near a tree which caused Baxter to halt his advance also. At this point, he began to realize that the shadowy figure was not a child. In fact, he wasn’t sure what it was.
In front of him, he could see that the strange creature was seemingly stood upon a large rock that lay underneath the tree. What’s more, it appeared to Baxter that its feet were “molded” to the rock’s surface so as to allow it to balance and even seemed to be curled around the rock. In fact, now, with the figure essentially standing in the open field (aside from the tree), Baxter could see it much more clearly.
He would recall that it appeared almost exactly like a monkey. That is, except for the head, which he remembered as being larger than it perhaps should have been and in a “figure-eight” shape. He would also recall how the eyes – which themselves were unusually large – glowed back at him.
The two continued to stare at each other for several moments before Baxter suddenly got a feeling that something was about to happen. As if the creature were about to go on the offensive. He began to walk away, slowly at first and then quickening his pace when he reached the road. He would eventually bag a ride home from a passing car, arriving at his home at around 1 am. As soon as he arrived, he would draw what he had seen and informed his parents of the encounter.
We should also note, that in the immediate aftermath of the two sightings, Bartlett was unaware that Baxter had seen a similar creature. Baxter, though, had heard through the town grapevine of Bartlett’s encounter, and several days later he would speak with him (the two attended the same school) and show him the drawings he had made.
Baxter had also happened to speak to another friend the day following his encounter (the 22nd of April), Will Taintor, of the strange events. And it would turn out that he too would have a strange run-in later that evening.
Revelations From Will Taintor, And Abby Brabham
Just before midnight on the evening of the 22nd April, Will was driving his girlfriend, Abby Brabham, to her home. During the journey, though, Abby thought she saw something strange at the roadside briefly lit up by the car’s headlights.
She claimed that a strange creature appeared to be crouching in the darkness – a creature she would, like Baxter, describe as very monkey-like. However, also like the two other witnesses, she would describe the head as being particularly large, with no lips or nose, and with glowing eyes. This time, though, at least according to Abby, the eyes glowed a distinct green color as opposed to orange. She would further state that the body of the creature appeared to be completely smooth and without hair.
Several moments later, after noticing Abby’s reaction, Taintor himself noticed something moving at the side of the road – the same creature that his girlfriend had noticed only moments earlier. And like Abby, he noticed how it had a particularly large head and smooth body.
The car eventually made its way past the strange entity – moving at an approximate speed of 40 miles per hour. At Abby’s urging, Taintor pressed on the gas slightly and put as much distance as he could between themselves and the bizarre figure at the roadside. It was as they were a little distance away from it that Taintor recalled the story that Baxter had told him that morning.
He would ask Abby exactly what she had seen and soon realized that it was at least highly likely that the creature was the same one his friend had witnessed almost 24 hours previously. They made their way home, each telling their respective parents of the incident. Several weeks later, though, the story would begin to seep out into the wider populace of the Dover area.
Signs Of Credibility In The Witnesses?
Although the witnesses were happy to speak of their sightings, they didn’t go out of their way to publicize them either. In fact, it wasn’t until they began being contacted by newspapers and radio stations after they learned of the encounters from the police reports that the story began to emerge. This, according to some researchers, is a notch in the credibility column of the witnesses.
We might turn our attention to the investigation of Loren Coleman and his team, who would write in Mysterious America, after they had conducted interviews with all four of the witnesses, they “agreed unanimously” of their credibility. He would further write how they were particularly impressed with Bartlett who not only faced the brunt of the media and town’s interest (due to his picture that had made it into the public domain) but was “overwhelmingly endorsed by townspeople”.
Everyone from the Dover Police Chief to friends and acquaintances, as well as teachers, all testified to Bartlett’s good character, sincerity, and credibility.
Perhaps another sign of credibility – at least as far as Baxter was concerned – was the revelation that he was, according to his father, “an avid science-fiction fan”. And this was something that Baxter himself freely admitted. Coleman himself noted how he was “defensive” in initial interviews, and that they couldn’t completely ignore his interest in science-fiction. However, the testimonies of his parents as well as the fact that his account matched intriguingly with the other incidents certainly appeared to give him the benefit of the doubt. In short, his sci-fi interest had not caused him to make the encounter more “exciting” that it was.
Further noted by Coleman was the apparent inconsistency in the statements of Baxter and Bartlett and Abby with regards to the eye color of the creature, which, in turn, once more suggested credibility in that Abby’s determination that the color she witnessed was most definitely green was not the actions of a group who might have concocted the entire incident for their own ends.
In fact, Abby stuck to each aspect of her story, claiming to investigators that she knew she had seen the creature in question. Of more interest to Coleman and the investigators was the fact that Taintor – who had been told by Baxter of his own sighting – offered only a “meager” description of the creature. If he was looking to pull the wool over the eyes of investigators, they might suspect that he would liven up his own account with details of what he was told earlier that morning – something he didn’t attempt to do at any point.
As a collective group, multiple local residents attested that they were “upstanding kids”, “reputable people”, and that they didn’t believe they “got together and invented it”.
An Unknown Terrestrial Animal Or A “Grey” Alien?
A quick look at the strange figure immediately draws a comparison to a typical look of a grey alien. Everything from the enlarged head, a lack of nose and mouth, and the height of between three and four feet are all details that are almost identical.
However, we should note that all of the witnesses appeared to distance themselves from the suggestion that it could have been an extraterrestrial being, and all very much felt it was more likely an unknown but terrestrial creature.
As much as Coleman agreed that the apparent rejection of an alien origin of the strange creature by the witnesses almost upped their credibility, the notion that it was a terrestrial if unknown creature was also unlikely, not least because it was sighted so many times in such a short space of time before disappearing back into the unknown environment where it has seemingly remained since.
We should also note that there appear to have been no UFO sightings in the immediate area at the time of the sightings, although the entire northeast region of the United States is, generally speaking, a hot spot of sorts for UFO activity.
The possibility that the creature witnessed might have been an alien being is perhaps unlikely and goes against the witnesses themselves, and many who have researched the case much more closely and directly. However, the basic details and likeness to a grey alien creature can’t be dismissed unreservedly and deserves to remain on the backburner of possible explanations.
There At The Scene, One Week Later
Coleman himself just happened to be in the Dover area (at the Dover Country Store to be precise) a week after the first sighting on 28th April. As he describes in Mysterious America, it was here that he first heard of Bartlett’s sighting from an employee of the store, Melody Frost. Two days later, courtesy of Frost, Coleman had two drawings done by Bartlett of the creature he had claimed to have seen.
Coleman also noted that finer details offered by the witnesses could also be factually corroborated. For example, Bartlett had recalled that on the night they were driving around how the sky was particularly clear and the stars very visible – this was confirmed by the National Weather Service records.
He also noted that Bartlett was perfectly clear and honest that he had smoked “a little marijuana” earlier that evening, and equally clear that the effects of which had worn off long before the time of the sighting. If he was looking to pull the wool over the eyes of investigators and the general public, surely, he would have left this detail out. The fact that he didn’t once more suggests a degree of honesty in his account.
Even the interviews that Coleman conducted with Bartlett’s friends appeared to show credibility. For example, if the three friends were making up the whole affair, it would have been in their interests to state that at least one of them had also seen the strange creature.
However, when Coleman asked them why they hadn’t seen it when Bartlett had, one (Mike) claimed he was “looking at his own side of the road” (opposite to Bartlett), while Andy claimed that “he wasn’t sure” but believed he was in the middle of talking with Mike at the time of the sighting. As we know, it was only the genuine fright in their friend’s demeanor that convinced them he was telling the truth.
In short, then, the witness’s credibility appears to be a given. And while that doesn’t assist in uncovering exactly what they saw, it does tell us that they saw something very real and that further investigation and research into what that might have been remains valid.
Nothing More Than A Moose?
As Coleman notes in Mysterious America, there was one particular explanation that surfaced that many claimed adequately explained the mysterious encounters. However, upon examination from Coleman, it would appear to be an explanation that was not on as sound ground as it first appeared.
In 1998, Martin S. Kottmeyer would write in The Anomalist that the Dover Demon was simply nothing more than a moose. He would assert that the fact that the sightings occurred in darkness with very limited light suggested that the witnesses were innocently mistaken, also pointing to the fact that each encounter lasted merely seconds.
Furthermore, according to Kottmeyer, where the witnesses claimed the eyes were on the creature’s head matched identically where the eyes of a young moose would be, while the fact none of the witnesses reported seeing a nose or a mouth was down to the low-placement of them on the animal in question.
Coleman would write in Mysterious America that Kottmeyer was “just dead wrong on this one”. He would continue that:
A skinny, four-foot-tall, upright (coming down on all fours sometimes), sandpaper-skinned, five huge-fingered, bright orange “baby moose” would be more of a wonder than the Dover Demon itself!
He would continue that during the original investigation – of which Coleman was a part, remember – they had examined the possibilities of a misidentified animal being the mystery creature. However, there was simply no evidence of tracks or remains or anything to suggest an animal of any kind had been at any of the locations according to police records.
Perhaps more of a dent in Kottmeyer’s theories that the creature was nothing more than a baby moose, as Coleman points out, is that they are generally born around the end of May or the start of June – certainly not at the end of March or beginning of April. Furthermore, moose are not nocturnal animals, being active sporadically during the day, but mainly at dawn and dusk. Even the size of the creature seen by the witnesses would not match that of a moose, which would be considerably larger.
Coleman, incidentally, would write that while he believes “Kottmeyer is in error, he at least returned to the original sources for his critique” and that he “attempts to find an animal-based answer to the mystery” as opposed to some of the more outlandish suggestions. However, as Coleman also points out, it is important to expose the holes in this conclusion as it was “already becoming the last pivotal point from which writers now construct their new Dover Demon insights”.
Before we move on, the short video below goes over the basics of the case once more.
Other Intriguing Connections!
Coleman also wrote of the Dover Demon account in his book Monsters of Massachusetts: Mysterious Creatures in the Bay State. In that publication, he would highlight a strange name of the location that might shed a little light on what was witnessed that evening in April 1977.
He would note that according to a 1914 publication named Dover Farms by Frank Smith that a location in Dover known as Polka Rock was seemingly associated with mysteries and otherworldly entities. However, when Coleman researched further, it appeared to him that the word “Polka” was a “misrepresentation of the name the first colonists had used”. It was Coleman’s opinion that the original word was likely “Pooka”, which was an ancient name for goblin-like creatures. And this plays across a variety of languages.
Might this suggest to us that this land in the northeast of the United States – like many other destinations – has a long history of strange, mysterious, otherworldly creatures?
In fact, Coleman points to the legends of the Native American Cree tribe who once resided a (relatively speaking) short distance from Massachusetts in eastern Canada. Their legends speak of the Mannegishi, who are described as “little people with round heads and no noses”. What’s more, these mischievous entities like nothing more than to “play jokes on travelers”. Even more intriguing, these creatures are said to have “long spidery legs” and “six-fingered hands”.
As unlikely as it might be to some, might it be that the students who witnessed the strange creature during that 48-hour period in April 1977 had actually witnessed a creature from Native American legend. If that were true, of course, it would not only provide us with an explanation as to the strange events that we are examining here but would also suggest that such legends are perhaps more factual than some might believe.
A Look At Other Possible, If Tentative UFO Connections
So, what should we make of the Dover Demon? Given that there has not been a sighting of the creature since – at least to the best of our knowledge – we are perhaps presented with a unique situation with slightly limited possibilities. If we agree with Coleman, that the apparent reasonable explanation that it was nothing more than a mis-sighting of a deer is wrong, then what are the other alternatives.
Despite each of the witnesses distancing themselves from any notion that what they had seen was an extraterrestrial creature, it would be a little amiss for us to discount the possibility entirely. Not least, as we have mentioned above, the description of the large head, large eyes, and lack of mouth or nose can surely not be ignored completely.
We should also note, that as well as the witnesses themselves, Coleman would also state that despite many of the investigative team having UFO backgrounds and interests, there was no connection to a UFO encounter with the Dover Demon. In Monsters of Massachusetts he would write that it “was not a close encounter”, and what’s more, there was “in the history of UFO research there was nothing precisely similar to the Dover Demon had been reported before in the ufological literature”.
So, although there is unlikely a connection, there were several UFO sightings during April 1977 that involved humanoid-like creatures that we should, if only in passing, mention here. And while these sightings and encounters occurred in locations all over the planet, if we accept that these UFOs can traverse vast destinations in no time at all, then this should really not be a problem. The crucial point is, is that during April 1977, at least according to the reports, there was an apparent extraterrestrial presence on Earth, and these particular incidents involved similar-looking entities.
For example, at an unknown date in April in the Pendeli Mountain region of Greece, according to researchers George Balanos and Thanassis Vembos, an incident unfolded that saw a young woman witness a “horrendous white creature” with “two huge luminous eyes”.
Although the date is uncertain (other than it happened at some point in 1977) an account from Roberto Malini is also worth including here. The incident took place in Turin, Italy, and featured a young boy named Diego who awoke one evening with the feeling that something was watching him. Suddenly a red light appeared in his room and a strange figure, around four feet tall emerged from it. This figure, Diego would recall, had a larger than normal head with large eyes, as well as long, thin arms. The creature then disappeared into the red light which vanished moments later.
We should stress once more that these cases that are highlighted above share very few similar details, and we mention them only to highlight that strange events were taking place in other parts of the world around the same time as the Dover Demon incidents with some similar details.
Just What Was The Dover Demon?
If we discount the idea of any extraterrestrial connections, then, what other possibilities are there? The idea that it might have been an unknown creature is particularly interesting, for example. And certainly a possibility. However, as noted by Coleman, why have there been no further sightings of the Dover Demon, nor any on record before the April 1977 account?
We would imagine that such a creature – or a family of unknown animals – would not be able to stay completely out of sight aside from the 48-hour period of the only known sightings. We might look to encounters of Bigfoot, for example, who many researchers believe to be just such an unknown (at last officially) creature but who is repeatedly, if at random times, seen by many people not only around the United States but around the world.
There is perhaps another possibility, regardless of how outrageous it appears to some (and undoubtedly is), which revolves around the idea of portals and gateways – something, incidentally, that is also associated with Bigfoot encounters by some researchers. Might the creature not be an alien, at least in the sense that we understand it, but have been something from another dimension altogether? Might that explain why there has seemingly been only one solitary sighting of this strange creature? Might it have appeared here only temporarily from some other dimension or realm of existence?
Unless another sighting surfaces, either from our contemporary era or from years ago, the mystery of the Dover Demon will likely remain exactly that. It is still, though, a case that intrigues and perplexes researchers even today. Especially those who might wish to build on the already extensive and seemingly exhaustive research of Loren Coleman.
The short video below examines this most intriguing case in a little more detail.
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