By Tim Binnall
A Florida couple were left scratching their heads when they spotted a mysterious and rather sizeable creature lurching along a river in a truly bizarre fashion. According to a local media report, Joe and April Tiller captured footage (seen below) of the weird sight earlier this month while visiting Menard-May Park in the city of Edgewater. While on the waters of the Indian River, which runs through the park, the couple caught sight of a large creature that had emerged from the water off in the distance. Although Joe initially thought the animal might be a manatee, he began to doubt that assessment based on the size of the 'monster' and the strange way in which it was moving.
"It had huge muscles like shoulders on a bull," he marveled, "it was as if it was rolling its shoulders like a bear under water." A boat maker by trade, Joe noted that the creature was unlike anything he has seen since moving to the area five years ago and suggested that it was somewhere between 12 to 15 feet long. Perhaps the most unnerving observation from the sighting is that he heard the animal grunting as it wobbled across the water. Fortunately, the couple manage to film some of their encounter with the mysterious creature and subsequently posted it online in the hopes of figuring out what it was that they saw.
While viewers online offered theories ranging from an injured animal to a bear swimming in the river, experts from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission examined the footage and may have solved the mystery. They indicate that Joe's first guess was actually probably correct and that the creature was, indeed, a manatee. As for the animal's odd way of moving across the water, they explained that this is a behavior known as 'pec walking,' which they employ to navigate shallow waters. While the 'monster' that the Tillers encountered may have wound up being an adorable sea cow, from their vantage point, it's understandable why they decided to film its bewildering appearance from afar.