OKLAHOMA OCTOPUS

The octopus is a creature familiar to us all.  It is a saltwater animal, not supposed to be found in freshwater.  This does not mean it would be impossible for it to adapt, however.

The plural of octopus is octopuses.  If you are classically minded, you can also pluralize it as octopodes; but octopi is wrong.  The word comes from Greek, not Latin.

There has been a legend whose origin is difficult to determine that a freshwater octopus or something that looks like one is to be found in certain lakes in Oklahoma.  Particular lakes associated with the tradition are Lake Thunderbird, Lake Tenkiller and Lake Oolagah. The first two of these are artificial, so our octopus, if he exists, must have migrated there.  There is a disproportionate number of drownings in these lakes and it is said the octopus will drag hapless swimmers under and devour them.  The animal is said to be about the size of a horse and to be of a reddish brown hue.

I have not found any record of an alleged sighting of this creature and would welcome any input from any reader who has or who at least knows of one.  Just because the creature is said to look like
an octopus doesn't, of course, mean that it actually is one.  It may be some creature quite unknown to science.