Kabagon

Kabagon
Captain Kimura's illustration of the creature he saw.
Background
Type	Cryptid
Continent	None
Country	None
One-Time?	Yes
Theories	· Cryptid  · Hoax  · Iceberg  · Misidentified whale or giant squid

Kabagon is a large aquatic cryptid reported to live in Antarctic seas off the cost of Lyttleton, New Zealand. It was sighted once by the crew of a Japanese fishing vessel.[1]

Appearance

Most notable features of the creature are very large eyes at the top of the head. Below these are two circular shapes which some members of crew characterized as a second set of eyes, others apparent nostrils, and large head measuring 1.5 meters in height from under the eyes/nostrils to top of the head. Coloration is grayish, with reports citing the animals texture as rough and hairy, or otherwise scaled with spikes. In general, the head of the creature resembles a gigantic spider's head and eyes. It also resembles a cryptid known in Japanese waters, the giant sea ghost Umibōzu. Kabagon has been associated with similar Japanese sightings in Antarctic waters, including the Antarctic Godzilla and the Ningen.[2]

Sighting

In the afternoon of April 28, 1974, On February 13, 1958, at about 7:00 PM, all 28 crew members including the captain of Japanese fishing vessel 28th Konpiramaru from Mekawa, Miyagi witnessed a large creature off Lytteleton Peninsula. Only the 1.5 meters-tall head of the creature was observed, and the creature dived after watching the crew for a while. Captain Kimura sketched the animal. Local magazine in New Zealand New Zealand Weekly Magazine later picked this sighting and mysterious footprints were reported on a beach nearby the sighting location.[3]

Possible Explanations

There are several explanations as to what the creature could be. Theories include:

• An undiscovered species (a Cryptid).
• An exotic species, such as a walrus.
• A known animal, such as an Elephant Seal.
• An iceberg. There have been sightings of "phantom islands" off the New Zealand coast which were attributed to icebergs.
• A misidentified whale or, due to the enormous eyes, a giant squid.
• A rotting body of a large known animal, distorted into a monstrous shape, often called a globster.