MosterQuest Investigates Flatwoods Monster; So What is the "Lizard Monster" of Flatwoods, West Virginia?

The Flatwoods Monster of Flatwoods, West Virginia (or the "Lizard Monster", as the MonsterQuest title refers to it) is one of the older cryptids that the MonsterQuest crew will be investigating for the History Channel, a mysterious beast that terrorized the town of Flatwoods, West Virginia in 1952. After all this time, will the MonsterQuest crew find evidence of the Flatwoods Monster on their quest, or will we just get an earful of "Lizard Monster" folklore?

With such a cold case, it will be hard for the MonsterQuest crew to find hard evidence that the Flatwoods Monster ever existed, but that doesn't make the story of the Lizard Monster any less intriguing. The first sighting that is related to the Flatwoods Monster is your run-of-the-mill UFO sighting; three young boys witnessed a bright object in the sky that appear to land in a local farmer's field. When they reported the sighting to one of the boy's mothers, the group decided to go investigate the mysterious object, along with a young National Guardsman. When they arrived at the scene, they saw a pulsating "ball of fire" at rest on the ground, and were greeted by a noxious, foul-smelling vapor that made their noses and eyes burn. One of the boys spied what looked like two eyes nearby under an oak tree, and the group was absolutely terrified by what they saw when they shone their flashlight on it.

The Flatwoods Monster, or "Lizard Monster" was described as being at least ten feet tall with a spade-shaped face that seemed to glow red from within. It had bulging eyes and was clad in a dark green skirt, and some witnesses described it as having short, stubby arms ending in claw-like fingers. The Flatwoods Monster was also described as making a noise like bacon sizzling and an odd thumping sound that seemed to come from within it. But if the sight of the Lizard Monster wasn't enough to frighten the group, it appeared to lunge toward them in a bounding motion, making a terrible hissing sound.

After seeing the terrifying Lizard Monster lurch after them, the group fled from the scene. However, for days afterwards they seemed to be affected by that noxious gas they had encountered, with swollen throats and irritated nasal passages. A doctor who treated the group described their symptoms as being similar to those experienced by victims of mustard gas. Of course the local police laughed off the idea of the "Lizard Monster" the terrified group told the local papers about, and reporters described the Flatwoods Monster as Frankenstein-like to truly terrify readers of the 50's.

So what was the Flatwoods Monster? Well, according to author Frank Feschino, Jr., the "Lizard Man" may have actually been a metallic probe. He extensively researched the event, and Feschino's findings and thoughts on the matter are pretty fascinating. He found that the UFO sighing in Flatwoods was just many taking place on that fateful night in 1952, and that the crash site was just the end of the story. He believes that the Flatwood Monster's UFO had been in a dogfight with the American military earlier in the night, and that there was a big cover-up after the crash took place. Feschino discovered that other witnesses had also seen a reptilian creature in the area (which explains why the creature is also referred to as the "Lizard Monster"), and that the Flatwoods Monster was actually one of the Lizard Monster's probes. Feschino aslo points out that the county Flatwoods is in is a UFO hotspot, with numerous sightings of UFOs and crop circles. He believes that the Flatwoods Monster was just one of many aliens conducting "galactic spying" on the U.S., but why they seem to be so interested in the Braxton County where Flatwoods is located remains a mystery to him. And though his evidence is still far from conclusive, I'm betting Feschino's findings will be a big part of the MonsterQuest investigation.

So what are other explanations for the Lizard Monster? Well, a paranormal investigator came to the conclusion that the UFO was a meteorite and the Flatwoods Monster nothing more than a barn owl. This is a similar theory shared with the Hopkinsville goblin incident, which you can read a bit about here. The similarities between the descriptions of the beings' movements and appearances in both situations are pretty similar to those of owls, and since all those involved were frightened (and in the case of the Flatwoods Monster, expecting to see an E.T.), its possible that what the witnesses saw was distorted in their minds.

So will the MonsterQuest crew find out if the Flatwoods Monster was actually a Lizard Monster in a metallic suit, or will they find more evidence that suggests it was simply an owl that just happened to swoop down on a group of humans already terrified by mistaking a meteorite for a flying saucer? They're likely to raise more questions than answers, but be sure to watch MonsterQuest on March 10, 2010 at 9:00 ET to hear more about this amazing cryptid to decide for yourself if you believe in this otherworldly beast.

SOURCES:
http://www.register-herald.com/local/x519069155/Author-says-UFOs-still-buzzing-W-Va
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatwoods_Monster
http://www.csicop.org/si/show/flatwoods_ufo_monster/