The Lake Worth Monster, who is also sometimes known as the Texas Goatman or The Goatman of Greer Island, is a mysterious cryptid that is said to have been spotted in and around Lake Worth in the late 1960s.
| Cryptid Name: | Lake Worth Monster / The Goatman of Greer Island / Texas Goatman |
| Location: | Lake Worth, Fort Worth, Texas, USA |
| Category: | Hominid Cryptid |
| Description: | Half-man, half-goat cryptid with fur-covered body. |
| Size: | Reported to be around 7 feet / 2 meters tall with a muscular build. |
| Behavior/Characteristics: | Alleged aggressive behavior, including throwing objects like tires. Often described as elusive and frightening. |
| Diet: | Unknown. |
| Habitat/Environment: | Said to inhabit areas near Lake Worth. |
| Evidence: | Eyewitness accounts; Blurry photo. |
| Sightings and Encounters: | The most famous sighting occurred in July 1969 near Lake Worth, Texas. Numerous other reported sightings over the years, but none with conclusive evidence. |
| Skepticism/Explanations: | Skeptics suggest hoaxes, misidentifications of wildlife, or escaped exotic animals as possible explanations. |
What Does The Lake Worth Monster Look Like?
The Lake Worth Monster is a hybrid cryptid that is described as a half-man, half-goat.
It is covered in light-colored fur while some witnesses say that they saw scales on its skin.
Eyewitnesses agree that the goatman is quite large with reports saying that it is about 7 feet / 2 meters tall with a muscular build.
Lake Worth Monster Sightings
Lakeworth Monster sightings started in the summer of 1969 with one of the first taking place at around midnight on the 9th of July. Police reported that three couples had arrived at the police station terrified after a huge creature had leaped out of a tree and landed on top of their car while parked in a clearing at Lake Worth. They said that the creature was covered in fur and looked like a cross between a man and a goat.
Their car had been damaged in the incident and an 18-inch scratch could be seen running along the side of the car. The police rushed to the area but they could not find any evidence of the beast.
The following night a group of people were in the area when the goatman appeared again and this time it threw a tire at the group. The witnesses claimed that the tire had been thrown over 500 feet / 150 meters.
WFAA visited the area and produced the following news report about the Goatman sightings.
Photo Of The Lake Worth Monster
To date, there has only been one photo taken of the Lake Worth Monster that we know of. It was taken by a man by the name of Allen Plaster as he was driving past the Nature Center at Lake Worth in October 1969.
Is The Lake Worth Monster Real Or A Hoax?
There are many people who believe that the Lake Worth Monster is a hoax, including Allen Plaster. In an interview, he said he believed that the creature he photographed wanted to be seen as it made no attempt to hide or escape. He said he believed that no animal would have reacted to his vehicle in this way and believed that what he saw was a hoax.
As for the other incidents, a group of students sent an anonymous letter to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram claiming that they had decided to prank people at Lake Worth that summer. Sometime later, another person was discovered who claimed that they had been responsible for the tire-throwing incident even though it was very unlikely that an average human could have thrown the tire as far as the creature did.
In that same year, a woman by the name of Sallie Ann Clarke wrote a book about the Lake Worth Monster after interviewing many eyewitnesses. After publishing her book she claimed that she also saw the Goatman three times.
Ms Clarke passed away in 2009 but her husband maintains that the Lake Worth Monster is not a hoax. In fact, Ms. Clarke offered a reward of $5,000 to anyone who could pass a polygraph test saying that they had pretended to be the monster but nobody ever came forward to try.
I remember being at YMCA Camp Carter which was close to Lake Worth when this story broke.