FT272


Although the tatzelwurm – or clawed serpent – is the best-known Central European cryptid (see FT208:46–49), it tends to be dismissed as a thing of the past. However, sightings of the creature, or at least of large and unusual reptiles, continue to this very day. Because the tatzelwurm (with its regional names – stollenwurm in Switzerland, bergstutzen in Austria, or basilisco in Italy) is now generally regarded as a “mythical beast”, sightings tend to be reported as escaped crocodiles or “dinosaurs”. Yet they happen in the same regions as the traditional tatzelwurm reports, and are merely updated to fit current tastes.