Faunalore journal article

Cat 'Tales: Investigating the Legend of ‘Car-Sized’ Catfish at the Base of Dams

Stephen M. Lochetto · 2026 · Contemporary Legend (4th series) 4: 265–288

Abstract

A study of the widespread legend that enormous, "car-sized" catfish lurk at the base of dams — tracing how the story circulates and what it reveals about how people imagine the hidden lives of animals. Published in the "Monsters, Creatures, and Cryptids" issue of Contemporary Legend.

This article extends the faunalore work into cryptozoology and contemporary legend: the animal monsters people tell stories about, and what those stories say about our relationship with the creatures we can’t quite see.

Citation

Lochetto, Stephen M. 2026. “Cat 'Tales: Investigating the Legend of ‘Car-Sized’ Catfish at the Base of Dams.” Contemporary Legend, 4th ser., 4: 265–288.

PDF (local copy)