The Hook Island Sea Monster

We're not even joking when we say that Hook Island is one of many charming, little islands just off the coast of northwest Australia that can kill you in a number of ways. There have been numerous instances of deaths brought on by the deadly jellyfish that lurk in the area's seas, and the coast's jagged rocks have made it impossible to engage in any form of water-based activity. Additionally, the area is sparsely populated, which complicates and lengthens rescue operations.

If not for a mystery species discovered in its waters that we don't know anything about, the island would be entirely uninteresting. It appears to be an 80-foot-long tadpole-like creature that was first captured on camera by Breton photographer Robert Le Serrec back in 1964, despite the fact that we are not aware of any aquatic life in those seas that resembles it. Although many have dismissed it as a fake or, at the very least, an animal we already know about, the enigma still remains.

• Year: 1964