Water Devil Creatures
Legendary myth or reality?
Even more intriguing is the giant otter fitting these descriptions as a half fish, half dog beast. Legends in Ireland speak of Doyarchu, a dog-like otter with large dark orange flippers sighted around Omey Island and Cornwall, further described on a gravestone as a tragic event happening in the 17th century. Could it be that Niseag is really just a larger than normal giant otter, perhaps even a colossal otter, surviving at a distance from a seriously threatened diminishing population? Bernard Heuvelmans, respected father of Cryptozoology once named this type of extinct species Hyperhydra egedei, or Super Otter, claiming it spanned 60 to 100 foot in length and lived between Greenland and Norway. Maybe Bernard wasn't too far off in his presumptions if indeed Giant Otters have an undiscovered relative residing in the cooler waters toward the north.
Ideas of a giant sea monsters living in the dark depths of ancient lakes are not uncommon and stories revolving around lake dwelling giants have been around for centuries. Many times as eyewitness accounts reach scientific scrutiny, explanation usually points to floating debris, bird swarms, optical illusions, and misidentified lake life such as common otters. Each cryptid features unique details pertinent to the respective area's history which helps in attempting to positively identify what creature it might be.
In the age of computer generated realities science will continue with a hard-nosed approach until any cryptid is physically obtained and/or witnessed by scientific professionals. However, in the days long before computers and cameras, people relied on word of mouth, oral traditions, and documentations that only reached a small fraction of the masses compared to today's media outlets. Hoaxing for attention or other ulterior motives still happened centuries ago, it's always important to consider this as a possibility with any myth or legend.