# Monsters in Tennessee **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 17, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monsters-in-tennessee/219454 "2003-12-17T03:16:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jeremynag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@jeremynag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeremynag)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monsters-in-tennessee/219454/1 "2003-12-17T03:16:31Z")
Has anyone ever heard the story about the legend of a Loch Ness type creature living in the Cumberland River near Nashville, Tennessee? There was a reference to this on the Discovery Channel and I can not find another reference about this anywhere else. Being a resident of Nashville, TN, I am amazed that I have never heard anyother reference about this cow eating monster. Is it time for me to move? ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monsters-in-tennessee/219454/2 "2003-12-17T03:25:11Z")
No, but I’ve heard stories of giant 20 foot catfish at Pickwick dam, not too far from there. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monsters-in-tennessee/219454/3 "2003-12-17T03:57:59Z")
Nope, never heard of it. Been here nearly 20 years now. ---
**Author:** ![lokij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@lokij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lokij)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monsters-in-tennessee/219454/4 "2003-12-17T05:06:13Z")
Yeah, sorry… went swimming there a few times… I know, ick… but yeah… sorry. :\> ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monsters-in-tennessee/219454/5 "2003-12-17T05:14:19Z")
My searching has only revealed monster “catfish” and trout in the river. I have a lot of new biofortean references I’ve gone through, and not come across anything specific to that region. It would be interesting to know how they came up with the reference for the show. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monsters-in-tennessee/219454/6 "2003-12-17T05:37:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eleusis \* > \*\*No, but I’ve heard stories of giant 20 foot catfish at Pickwick dam, not too far from there. \*\* [Just 16 feet](http://www.scotcat.com/factsheets/glanis.html) Still not 20, but a darn big catfish nonetheless! ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monsters-in-tennessee/219454/7 "2003-12-17T05:47:41Z")
Lived in this area for 20+ years, only thing I have heard of is the catfish. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monsters-in-tennessee/219454/8 "2003-12-17T18:06:18Z")
The Tennessee State Aquarium has a photo of a record catfish, hooked in the Cumberland. Gigantic, & registered with Boone & Crockett, too! Tennessee Record Catfish– [http://www.tennesseesportsmanmag.com/tn\_aa085003a/](http://www.tennesseesportsmanmag.com/tn_aa085003a/) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monsters-in-tennessee/219454/9 "2003-12-17T18:31:08Z")
Don’t mess with that thing. [Kuno](http://meta.popdex.com/link/483) was only five feet long, but still able to catch and eat a dachshund puppy. No telling what a 16-footer could do. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monsters-in-tennessee/219454/10 "2003-12-17T20:26:47Z")
There does appear to be a legend of a “Nessie”-type critter inhabiting Lake Murray in South Carolina, but I haven’t seen anything about monsters inhabiting the Cumberland River (aside from the aforementioned catfish). See [here](http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1171/irmo019.html), for example. ---
**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monsters-in-tennessee/219454/11 "2003-12-17T22:02:39Z")
**lokij** , your profile doesn’t say anything about you being a Loch Ness type monster. PS, how do you hold your books when you want to read them?