“Monster” found on the banks of a river after a storm in Greece: what is it? | the Chronicle

A strange creature appeared on the banks of a river in Crete, the largest island in Greece, and caught everyone’s attention because could not yet be identified with precision.

A video showing the mysterious animal went viral, and users debated what kind of species it would be.

The appearance occurred after heavy rains that caused the Gournes River to flood and overflow. As the waters receded, various lifeless sea creatures were on display, but this particular specimen drew all the attention: it is a hairless animal on all fours, which looks like a small hippopotamus.

After debating between the theories that they would be confronted with “an alien”, an expert raised his voice Twitter. Petros Lymperakis, curator of vertebrates at the Natural History Museum of the University of Crete, assured that it is a big badger, which the inhabitants often call “ark”.

However, since the badger has hairs and this creature does not, they quickly questioned it. But the scientist insisted that the animal appears to have been in the water for several hours, and that is why it is said to have swollen and shed its hair until it has completely transformed its classic appearance.

Local media agreed that it would not be a sea creature, and that it is very likely that the badger was dragged through the water to the river, and that is why it was found there.

The strange animal video

Cretan badger

The Cretan badger or arkalos, whose scientific name is Meles meles arcalus, is a subspecies of the common badger. It is an omnivorous bear-like mammal with short legs, a relatively long body and a short tail, usually weighing around 20 kg. It has short, thick, hard silvery white hair on its back, sides, and tail. It has a characteristic white stripe that starts at the end of its muzzle and runs down to the back of its head.

From February to March, she gives birth to 3 to 5 babies after 7 to 8 months of pregnancy. After 6 weeks, the young leave their parents to live on their own and usually live for around 15 years.

It is a nocturnal animal that spends its life in an underground nest (a complex tunnel with many corridors and escape routes) that it builds in the ground. Arkalos is a common animal in Crete and is found up to 1500 meters above sea level. In the 1960s and before it was hunted for its skin, but now it’s banned. In fact, there is a city in the center of Heraklion Prefecture, near which there were many badgers, which is called Arkalochori.