Tatzelwurm, so you know, this is a cat-headed snake. So this mysterious monster, which no one has ever been able to catch, is called in the Alps, where, in fact, he settled from time immemorial.
THE INVENTION CASTLE
Literally translated from German, Tatzelwurm means gripping worm. The first eyewitness reports about meetings with him date back to the 16th century.
But people especially often met the snake in the XIX and at the very beginning of the XX century. At the same time, all the witnesses described him differently. And that's why it is rather difficult to say exactly how it looks. Its body length varies from 45 cm to 4 m, and its thickness is from 6 to 80 cm.
Some witnesses attributed smooth skin to him, while others noticed scales, bristles or bone plates. But all as one claimed that the snake has a cat's face.
According to local folklore, the Tatzelwurm is a strong, evil and aggressive beast. And if not for the presence of two clawed paws, it could well be mistaken for a snake. Cryptozoologists, however, believe that the animal has four paws, just the back pair is most likely underdeveloped. But this does not prevent him from moving with enviable agility and jumping 2-3 m in length. The monster makes whistling and hissing sounds and is so poisonous that they say that a person can die from his one breath.
Mountain caves, where he got his food for mice, frogs, insects, could serve as a refuge for Tatzelwurm. Most likely, it got to the surface only in drought. But, judging by the fact that nothing has been heard about it since the middle of the 20th century, Tatzelwurm most likely disappeared as a species.
Promotional video:
DANGEROUS MEETINGS
Or maybe he didn't have this snake cat at all? It is unlikely. Too often people have met him personally!
In 1779 in Austria, two Tatzelwurms attacked Hans Fuchs, who was picking berries. The man had a heart attack from fear and died at Talbrook Pass. However, before his death, he managed to tell about the meeting with monsters. A memorial plaque was erected at the place of his death. It depicts two unknown animals sitting on a stone, and a man lying on his back and holding his nose with his hands. The inscription on the board reads: From sudden terror, he died here, pursued by jumping worms, Hans Fuchs of Unken, 1779.
In 1850, the inhabitants of an alpine village noticed that cows were returning from the pasture with empty udders. The watchmen hired to watch the herd saw a terrible picture: a certain creature was approaching the cows and sucking milk from them. The monster was killed, and his corpse was exhibited for viewing at the local church. Unfortunately, the remains of the Miracle Yuda have not survived. But, they say, it was Tatzelwurm.
An experienced hunter, Hans Bauer, who considered the stories about the mysterious creature delusional, in 1908, as usual, went hunting in the Alps. At an altitude of 1,500 m, on one of the rocks, Bauer noticed some subtle movement. Looking closer, the man was dumbfounded with surprise. A creature moved among the stones, exactly corresponding to the descriptions of the Tatzelwurm.
As a true hunter, Hans decided to catch the Alpine monster. He took a knife and began to slowly approach the monster, which, it would seem, did not notice the man. But as soon as the hunter came a little closer, the Tatzelwurm suddenly jumped up, trying to grab the man in the face.
It was only thanks to his many years of experience and quick reaction that Hans managed to avoid the poisonous bite.
He was able to inflict several knife wounds on the attacking animal, which, however, did not bring much harm to the owner of the thick skin. The wounded Tatzelwurm disappeared into a crevice, not allowing himself to be caught.
A little later, in the spring of 1914, the animal was seen in Slovenia, in the area of the Postojna cave, next to which there was a military camp. One of the soldiers, making a detour, noticed a strange creature in the rocks. At the sight of a man, it rose on its hind legs and hissed. The monster gave off a disgusting smell.
But the soldier was not taken aback and threw his tunic over him, having previously tied the sleeves and neck. When the man brought the trophy to the camp, the commander identified the Tatzelwurm and warned that he was poisonous and dangerous. Nevertheless, the monster was placed in a chest, where it lived for some time.
The soldiers fed the pet with frogs and mice. And then the sensational find was sent to the headquarters, where the commander's guesses were confirmed. Soon, the animal was made into a stuffed animal and put on display. And two months later, the First World War began, and everyone was not up to exotic animals. The scarecrow, of course, was lost.
In 1927, an Italian farmer, returning from the mill, almost stepped on a log lying on the road. Suddenly the log came to life and rose above the ground. The frightened Italian managed to notice that several pairs of paws were located on the belly of an unknown animal, which ended in fingers.
Moreover, the front legs seemed longer than the rest. The man also noted the creature's serpentine body and a square head, similar to that of a cat. He managed to see all this in a split second, because the unknown beast immediately disappeared into the roadside bushes …
In 1934, a photo of the Swiss photographer Balken, published in the German magazine Cosmos, made a lot of noise. It depicted Tatzelwurm. The photographer was looking for suitable landscapes in the vicinity of Meiringen when he suddenly noticed a strange object resembling a rotten tree trunk.
Bapken aimed the lens at him: there was a click of the camera, the flash went off, and the barrel suddenly came to life and turned into an aggressive lizard. Before the photographer ran away, the camera managed to capture the square head and the evil grin of the animal. After the photo was published, the magazine even wanted to fund the capture of an animal unknown to science, but somehow quickly forgot its promises.
WHO ARE YOU, TATZELWURM?
This is only a small fraction of eyewitness accounts, the number of which is several hundred. Only one circumstance is alarming: all material evidence of the existence of Tatzelwurma disappears with enviable constancy.
Nevertheless, scientists of the 18th and 19th centuries recognized the snake cat as real. He even figured in Konrad Gesner's Handbook of Snakes as an inhabitant of the Alps. Modern science does not reject its existence either, but classifies Tatzelwurm as amphibian or reptile.
In 1934, doctor of zoology Otto Steinbock collected and analyzed all reports about this animal. In total, there were 85 different certificates in his piggy bank. But only 3 of them belonged to educated people. In 43% of cases, according to Steinbock, eyewitnesses met with snakes. The doctor considered 27% unconvincing, and 7% completely rejected it as a deception. In the remaining 23% of cases, people mistook anyone for Tatzelwurm, but not a mysterious monster.
For example, an otter walking in the mountains could well have played his role. She has a long lithe body and a cat-like head, and she moves with great speed. In addition, the otter is capable of hissing like a snake.
But the most popular version is according to which Tatzelwurm is an American gila monster.
This lizard grows up to 75 cm, it has poisonous teeth, for which, in fact, it got its name. The bite of a gila monster is not fatal for humans, although it is rather painful.
American Gila Mouth
The German zoologist Alfred Brehm wrote in his book Animal Life that a disturbed gila monster secretes sticky saliva, hisses and attacks the enemy, even if he is much larger than him. This description is very similar to the habits of the Tatzelwurm, therefore the Austrian scientist Nicolussi confidently identified these two animals. But there was no evidence for this statement.
In the meantime, the words written in 1950 by the cryptozoologist B. Evelmans are still relevant: There is no doubt that the Tatzelwurm exists, although it has not been established whether it is a huge skink, a salamander or some kind of unknown animal. Even in a country known thoroughly, from beginning to end, not all animals can be studied by science. It will take a long time before we know thoroughly the whole world.
Galina BELYSHEVA, magazine "Steps" No. 14 2016