7th August Sea Serpent Day

Sea Serpent Day is celebrated today because in August 1848, several men aboard the HMS Daedalus couldn't believe their eyes when they looked out upon the South Atlantic. Several passengers and officers on a voyage to Saint Helena spied a 60-foot-long creature bearing a peculiar maned head above the ocean water. 

Sea serpents, also known as sea dragons, were prevalent in ancient myths and are commemorated on Sea Serpent Day. They were possibly inspired, in part, by the enormous oarfish, which may grow to be 50 feet long and are rarely seen because they dwell thousands of feet below the ocean’s surface.

Serpent sightings are something of myth and legend. We may call them sirens of the sea. Greek mythology named its sea creature Cetus. The Vikings spoke of the Kraken.

Another legendary serpent nicknamed Nessie is believed to live in Loch Ness in Scotland. The residents of Chesapeake Bay in the USA talk about a horse-like sea creature named  Chessie, so the myths are still prevalent.

Cryptozoologists, suggest that sea serpents are relict plesiosaurs, mosasaurs, or other Mesozoic marine reptiles. A cryptozoologist is a person who tries to find, describe, or study creatures that appear in stories and that some people believe exist or say they have seen, but that have never been proved to exist.

We all know that sea monsters are (probably) not real, but did you know that many legendary sea monsters and other mythical creatures are based on real animals? A hydra is a mythical sea monster known for being huge and having multiple heads. A real-life sea creature called a hydra appears to have multiple heads and can regrow parts of its body, but it is only about 3 cms long. 

This day is quite hard to celebrate using picture books. Most of the books which feature these mythical creatures are for older children and they are part of a longer anthology. Nessie does appear in a few picture books.

From the serpentine "Champie" of Lake Champlain to the venerable "Nessie" of Loch Ness, extraordinary-and un-explained-creatures of the deep have been reported in sightings throughout the twentieth century.