In Caribbean folklore, the Lusca is a name given to a mythological sea monster said to exist in the region of the blue holes nearby Andros, an island in the Bahamas. [1]
Lusca is a clipped form of Mollusca (a phylum containing octopus, squid, cuttlefish, and other cephalopods), referring to the creature's varied mollusk features, such as tentacles.
It is described as a giant octopus, a giant cuttlefish, or a half shark, half octopus. [1] The lusca is said to grow over 75 ft (23 m) long, [1] but no cases have been proven of octopus species growing up to even half these lengths.
The reports of a lusca monster attacking swimmers and divers was investigated by Jeremy Wade, the host of the television series River Monsters , in the episode "Terror in Paradise" (season eight, episode four). After investigating reef sharks, tiger sharks, and the giant Pacific octopus, Wade settles on a large octopus being the most likely culprit for being the lusca monster. [2]
A Caribbean film festival, Lusca Fantastic Film Fest, was named after this sea monster; the festival is an annual event held in Puerto Rico. It is the first and only international fantastic film festival in the Caribbean. [3]
The survival video game Stranded Deep features an enemy giant squid named Lusca the Great. [4]