A MYSTERIOUS ENCOUNTER 



Joseph Curtis Moore 

 Curator, Mammals 



-T rom the rail of a banana boat moored 

 to the bank of the Miami River, in 

 Miami, Florida, I stood looking toward 

 the place where the river empties into 

 Biscayne Bay. A mile or two beyond, 

 the bay opens into the vast and enig- 

 matic Atlantic Ocean. I was alone, 

 because it was still early morning, and 

 most of the inhabitants of Miami — a 

 city in the midst of a cold snap — were 

 still shivering in bed. I had pencil and 

 notebook in hand, and the visibility was 

 good. 



As I looked, a fantastic shape began 

 to rise from the bay no more than 300 

 feet away. Slowly and awkwardly it 

 came up, wavering from side to side, 

 until about three feet of it could be 

 distinctly seen. I watched intensely to 

 observe every detail of its form and 

 movement. What could it be? I had 

 studied the whales and dolphins of these 

 waters. There are no seals. I should be 

 able to identify this thing. It was black. 

 It had no symmetry. It tapered up- 

 ward somewhat toward an apex that 



was unevenly and bluntly bifurcated. 

 Its awkward movements were apparent- 

 ly those of something alive. Could the 

 flipper of the huge and very rare trunk- 

 back turtle be like that? I didn't see 

 how. Presently the thing began to sub- 

 merge, continuing to stagger, and soon 

 was gone. It had been exposed perhaps 

 between 60 and 90 seconds. 



Whether anyone else had seen it I 

 have no idea. Nor could I care. What 

 chance that a casual observer might re- 

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