SEA MONSTER of Alaska.
Etymology: Inuktitut (Eskimo-Aleut) word.
Variant names: Tizheruk (on King Island),
Yuk.
Physical description: Thick fur. Snake- or crocodile-
like head. Short horns. Long tongue. Depicted
with three pairs of legs (the middle pair is
rudimentary) and three dorsal fins. Tail has a
flipper on the end.
Behavior: Rears 7–8 feet out of the water.
Carnivorous. Said to attack humans in kayaks.
Can be summoned by tapping on boat bottoms
or wooden piers.
Habitat: Seen more often in bay areas than on
the open ocean.
Distribution: Nunivak and King Islands,
Bering Strait, Alaska; also said to frequent the
Kuskokwim River, Alaska.
Possible explanation: An unknown species of
long-necked Seal (Suborder Pinnipedia), suggested
by Roy Mackal.