Lizardman? You are actually going to do a story on Lizard Men Kentucky Tennessee Living? Have you lost your mind? Well, humbly I can say I still have my sanity and wits about me. The Lizard Men as a cryptid does have a unique history throughout time. While these lizard/man-like creatures are reported all over the world, we will only focus on the stories that come from Wood County, West Virginia, and Bishopville, South Carolina.
Descriptions of the Lizard Man
All of the sightings of the Lizard Man describe it as being bipedal or walking on two feet. The Lizard Man is thought to be 7 feet tall weighing in at 300 to 400 pounds. It is covered with green snakelike scales. Has three fingers on each hand. And has a head shape and face of a lizard. The Lizardman has huge red eyes. The sounds coming from the cryptid are described as bird-like sounds.
The Bishopville, Lee County, South Carolina Sighting
The First Complaints
On July 14, 1988, the first strange call came into the Lee County Sheriff’s Office from a resident of Browntown. The caller claimed that an unknown creature had destroyed their car overnight.
As Sheriff Liston Truesdale began his investigation into the damage. According to the police report, there had been toothmarks with scratches, muddy footprints, and hair left behind.
As he interviewed several of the residents of the town he began getting stories of sightings of something strange. Residents were reporting the sighting of a 7-foot-tall creature with red eyes. The Sheriff asked the residents of the area to report to him if any other property was damaged or if there were further sightings of the creature.
The First Recorded Sighting
Tommy Davis brought his 17-year-old son, Christopher to the Sheriff’s Office on July 16, 1988. According to Christopher, two weeks prior, he was taking a shortcut home at 2 a.m. from Mcdonald’s. While on this road, he got a flat tire along a rural road. After finishing changing of the tire, Chris looked up and stood face-to-face with the Lizard Man.
Davis quickly got into his 1976 Celica and tried to drive away. The Lizard Man jumped on top of the roof of his car. David then began to swerve, brake, and do other defensive driving until the creature slid off of the roof of his car. He then sped away from the scene, terrified.
To make sure that Chris Davis was telling the truth, Sheriff Liston Truesdale had him take a polygraph in which he passed.
More Sightings and the Hunt Is On
Shortly after the story of Chris Davis became public knowledge more stories then began to be reported. Some of the stories seemed to be plausible while others seemed to be fabrications of active imaginations.
The residents of Bishopville took these stories very seriously and began arming themselves and hunting the woods and swamps of the area for the creature. No creature was ever found but it did make national news. The Sheriff is being interviewed on Good Morning America and CBS’ Dan Rather.
Lizard Man of Woods County, West Virginia
In Wood County, West, Virginia, there have been many cows and other farm animals that have been reported killed by some strange animal. There have also been reported unexplained damages to cars. There have also been other sightings of a fast-moving creature in the wooded tree line that looks like a lizard-like creature.
There have been several shows about the Lizard Man or Lizard Demon of Woods County, West Virginia. But there is no actual reported witness statement concerning their cryptid.
Possible Explanations For The Lizard Man
Over the centuries, these creatures have been attributed to wild imaginations, a break in the evolution chain from when dinosaurs ruled the earth, and aliens from another planet. The most popular of these explanations is the thought of evolution.
Many theories basically state that at the same time that men were evolving from primates, there was a second line that was also evolving from reptiles. That this second line might have been more successful and ruled the earth at one point in history.
Even though they are not seen by mankind, their species could be still surviving and thriving in the wooded areas of the world. Although there has been no evidence of an advanced civilization of reptilian species in the world, it is considered to be one of the oldest and most successful species on the planet.
Troodontid Line
Along these thoughts, it is widely believed that Troodontids would be the most likely species of this possible evolution. It is theorized that if the evolution of the Troodontid line was allowed to continue that their brain capacity would be the same as humans.
Troodontids besides having a relative brain weight compared to body size, also had fingers instead of claws or feet. The fingers were able to be semi-manipulated by the animal. This allowed them to be able to grasp or hold objects.
They also had a binocular vision which allowed depth perception instead of a flat 2-D image. Most if not all predatory animals have binocular vision and this helps them to hunt more efficiently.
Conspiracy Theory
Grab your tinfoil hats, it is conspiracy corner time. There is actually a theory out there, as proposed by David Icke, that these Lizard Men are still alive and well and part of several “human” bloodlines.
The theory holds that the Lizard Men have invaded every royal bloodline in the world as well as every American President in history. They are considered to be shapeshifters and aliens. They are believed to have built human civilization and will one day take over the earth. We have questions. If they built human civilization couldn’t they have already accomplished that goal by now?
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Conclusion
While there was a media blitz about the Lizard Man in 1988, and several tv series hunt-themed shows about the topic, there really only seems to be one actual reliable witness statement. This is one story we could have easily dismissed if not for the fact that there are other myths and legends about this same cryptid around the world. Is this story fact or fiction, like all of these, we leave it up to our readers and listeners to decide upon it.
The main question seems to be, minus the tin foil hats folks, could there be such a creature in existence? Who knows. But it is now one of our celebrated legends of the mountains. You can actually visit Bishopville, North Carolina, buy tee shirts and visit their annual festival surrounding the sighting.
Christopher Davis sadly died in a drug-related shooting at his home thirty years later. May he rest in peace and we send prayers of comfort and peace to his family.
Thank You
We at Kentucky Tennessee Living want to thank you for watching our series on The Appalachia Weird Cases. Don’t forget to hit that like button as the more likes we receive the more likely YouTube is to suggest our videos to other viewers. Also, to receive notice when we upload a new video be sure to subscribe and click the bell notification.
We thank you for continuing to support Kentucky Tennessee Living. As we bring to you the history of the Appalachian Mountains.
Be sure to catch our video on this topic… “Do Lizard Men Exist in the Appalachian Mountains?”
Source Information
Lizard Men
https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Lizard_Men
Lizard Man, South Carolina’s own rural legend, is back.
By Harrison Cahill
The State (Columbia, S.C.) (TNS)
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/south-carolinas-legend-of-lizard-man-reappears/
A Search for Mysteries and Monsters in Small Town America
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/monster-festival-pilgrimage-small-town-america-180969568/
Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizard_Man_of_Scape_Ore_Swamp
Sumter man killed; ‘discovered’ Lizard Man
https://web.archive.org/web/20090627075523/http://www.thestate.com/local/story/838478.html
Beware the Lizard Man!
Kerry Egan Kerry Egan
https://discoversouthcarolina.com/articles/beware-the-lizard-man
Lizard Demon of Wood County…
https://foxsylvania.blog/2014/05/29/lizard-demon-of-wood-county/
Sumter man killed; ‘discovered’ Lizard Man
https://web.archive.org/web/20090627075523/http://www.thestate.com/local/story/838478.html
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When we forget our past and who we are as a people, then we become who “they” say we are. ~~ David Sergent
I have attended the University of Kentucky. I have an Associates Degree from Hazard Community College and Technical School. I have also attended the University of Pikeville. I have taken several classes in Journalism as well as in the Appalachian History, Literature, and Sociology during my time at those schools.
I was born in Florida and grew up in Burdine, Kentucky. I have been married to David W. Sergent since May 4, 2013. I have two children and four grandchildren from a previous marriage. I currently live in Tennessee but my hope is to one day come back home to live in the beautiful mountains once more.
