Cadborosaurus, called Caddy by journalist Archie Wills, is a sea serpent from stories in areas along the Pacific Coast in North America. Its name comes from Cadboro Bay in Victoria, British Columbia, and the Greek word "saurus," which means lizard or reptile.

Description

Cadborosaurus willsi is described by witnesses as a creature resembling a serpent with stacked coils or humps behind its horse-like head and long neck. It has a pair of small, raised front flippers and either a pair of hind flippers or a pair of large, webbed hind flippers that are joined together to form a large, fan-shaped tail used for moving forward.

Dr. Paul LeBlond, director of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and Dr. Edward Blousfield, retired chief zoologist of the Canadian Museum of Nature, explain that many long animals have been suggested as possible explanations for Cadborosaurus. These animals include Conger eels, humpback whales, elephant seals, ribbon or oarfish, basking sharks, and sea lions. LeBlond and Blousfield note that no known creature matches the features described in over 200 sightings collected over 100 years, as Cadborosaurus is reported to have flippers both in front and behind. Darren Naish argues that LeBlond and Blousfield are making incorrect assumptions by treating different and conflicting eyewitness accounts as descriptions of a single species, when these accounts are best explained as descriptions of multiple different things.

Creatures identified asCadborosaurus

In 1943, two police officers, Inspector Robert Owens and Staff Sergeant Jack Russell, saw a "large sea serpent with a horse-like head" in Georgia Strait. Later, using binoculars, Sgt. Russell noticed that the strange sight was actually a large bull sea lion leading a group of six sea lions. As they swam, their movements created the appearance of a single, continuous body, with parts showing at different times as they surfaced and dove. To someone watching without tools, the scene looked exactly like a sea monster.

Some people have suggested that Caddy might be an example of the king of herrings or a giant oarfish (Regalecus glesne). This species can grow up to 17 meters (56 feet) long and weigh as much as 300 kilograms (660 pounds). "They are long, silver-colored, and move like a serpent as they swim through the water," said H. J. Walker, a scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, which has several oarfish in its collection.

The body of a decaying basking shark is often mistaken for Caddy and has tricked both scientists and the general public. A rotting basking shark may also look similar to a decaying plesiosaur.

First Nations accounts

A traditional image that matches Caddy's description has been used for a long time in Alaska. This image shows that Caddy or a creature similar to Caddy moves north from Vancouver when the ocean water becomes warmer. The Inuit people of Alaska have placed this image on their canoes to help keep the creature away. The Cadborosaurus is known by different names among various groups: the Manhousat people call it "hiyitl'iik," the Sechelt people refer to it as "t'chain-ko," and the K'ómoks band of Vancouver Island call it "numkse lee kwala." Some people argue that these stories describe a variety of different animals, some real and some mythical, and combining them all under the name Cadborosaurus may not accurately reflect their unique origins and separate histories.

Sightings

Over the past 200 years, more than 300 sightings have been reported. These include places such as Deep Cove in Saanich Inlet, Island View Beach, and San Francisco Bay, California. Both Deep Cove and Island View Beach are located on the Saanich Peninsula. In 2009, fisherman Kelly Nash claimed to have recorded several minutes of video showing ten to fifteen creatures, including young ones, in Nushagak Bay. In 2011, a short clip of this footage appeared on the Discovery TV show Hilstranded. The Hilstrand brothers, who are known from the show Deadliest Catch, viewed the footage but were unable to find one of the creatures.

Carcasses associated withCadborosaurus

• 1930: On November 10 near Glacier Island, close to Valdez, a skeleton was discovered in ice. The skeleton measured 24 feet (7.3 m) long and had flippers. Some of the remains were saved in Cordova for scientific research. Scientists believe the creature was a whale.
• 1934: In November near Henry Island, close to Prince Rupert, remains that were badly decomposed and about 30 feet (9.1 m) long were found. Dr. Neal Carter studied the remains. The creature was identified as a basking shark.
• 1937: In October, a carcass believed to be a Cadborosaurus was removed from the stomach of a sperm whale in Naden Harbour and photographed. A sample of the carcass was sent to the BC Provincial Museum, where it was possibly identified as a fetal baleen whale by museum director Francis Kermode.
• 1941: A carcass named "Sarah the sea hag" was discovered on Kitsilano Beach. W.A. Clemens and Ian McTaggart-Cowan identified it as a shark.
• 1947: In December at Vernon Bay, Barkley Sound, Vancouver Island, a 45-foot (14 m) creature was found. It was identified as a shark.
• 1950: In Delake, Oregon, a creature with four tails and thick hair was found. It was identified as a whale shark.
• 1956: Near Dry Harbour, south of Yakutat, Alaska, a 100-foot (30 m) long carcass with 2-inch (5.1 cm) long hair was discovered. Trevor Kincaid stated, "description fits no known creature." W.A. Clemens identified the carcass as a Baird's beaked whale.
• 1962: In April near Ucluelet, a 14-foot (4.3 m) long carcass with an elephant-like head was found. The carcass was pulled ashore by Simon Peter and later thought to be an elephant seal.
• 1963: In September near Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, a carcass with a head resembling a horse was found. A. D. Welander of Fisheries identified it as a basking shark.

Purported live capture

• 1968: In August, W. Hagelund reported catching a baby Caddy near De Courcy Island and returned it to the water.
• 1991: In July, Phyllis Harsh reported catching a small baby Caddy measuring 2 feet (60 cm) on Johns Island, San Juan Islands, and returned it to the water.