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Cryptid

Dover Demon

For 25 hours in 1977, a bizarre creature with a watermelon-shaped head and glowing eyes was seen by multiple teenagers in Dover, Massachusetts. Then it vanished forever, leaving one of cryptozoology's strangest mysteries.

April 21, 1977
Dover, Massachusetts, USA
4+ witnesses

The 25-Hour Mystery

Over just 25 hours in April 1977, four teenagers in Dover, Massachusetts independently witnessed a bizarre creature. With its large head, glowing eyes, and spindly body, the Dover Demon appeared, was seen by multiple credible witnesses, and was never seen again.

The Location

Dover, Massachusetts:

  • Wealthy suburb
  • Near Boston
  • Rural roads
  • April 1977
  • Brief window

The Time Frame

25 hours:

  • April 21, 10:30 PM
  • April 22, 12:30 AM
  • April 22, ~12:00 AM
  • Then nothing
  • Never again

Bill Bartlett

First witness:

  • Age 17
  • April 21, 10:30 PM
  • Driving with friends
  • Saw creature
  • Made drawing

The Creature

What Bartlett saw:

  • Watermelon-shaped head
  • Large orange eyes
  • No nose or mouth visible
  • Spindly limbs
  • Tan hairless skin

John Baxter

Second witness:

  • Same night
  • Walking home
  • Encountered on road
  • Stood and stared
  • Then left

Abby Brabham

Third witness:

  • April 22
  • With Will Taintor
  • Saw from car
  • Green eyes
  • Same creature

Physical Description

Consistent features:

  • 3-4 feet tall
  • Large oval head
  • Thin body
  • Long fingers
  • Bulbous eyes

The Drawings

All witnesses:

  • Made drawings
  • Without collaboration
  • Remarkably similar
  • Same strange form
  • Strong evidence

Loren Coleman

Investigator:

  • Cryptozoologist
  • Named the creature
  • “Dover Demon”
  • Documented case
  • Published findings

Witness Credibility

All considered:

  • Good students
  • No troublemakers
  • No history of pranks
  • Consistent accounts
  • Credible witnesses

Possible Explanations

Theories include:

  • Alien
  • Unknown species
  • Baby moose (unlikely)
  • Hoax
  • Never determined

The Moose Theory

Skeptics suggest:

  • Newborn moose
  • Unusual appearance
  • But no moose in area
  • Behavior wrong
  • Doesn’t fit

Investigation

Researchers found:

  • Consistent testimony
  • Similar drawings
  • No evidence of hoax
  • Brief phenomenon
  • Mystery complete

Then Nothing

After April 22:

  • Never seen again
  • Despite searches
  • No further reports
  • Complete silence
  • Vanished

Significance

Multiple credible witnesses, consistent descriptions, brief appearance window, and permanent disappearance.

Legacy

The Dover Demon represents cryptozoology’s perfect mystery—credible witnesses, matching descriptions, independent observations, and no explanation before or since.

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