The Mythical Ug Wug

A half salmon, half seal creature in New Brunswick

Canada has plenty of mythical creatures. There is of course the Sasquatch, said to roam through the forests of British Columbia. Then there is the famous Ogopogo, found under the waves in the Okanagan.

Over on the east coast, there is a lesser-known creature found near the Reversing Falls of New Brunswick, the Ug Wug.

The Ug Wug is a creature that lives in the caves beneath the surface of the Reversing Falls near Saint John. Some say that it comes from an old legend that dates back to the days when Samuel de Champlain arrived in the area during his explorations.

It is said that Ug Wug is 30 metres long, and looks like a half-salmon, half-seal creature. Other stories say that Ug Wug has a massive appetite and huge red eyes that it uses to find its prey.

So, what about the eye witness accounts?

Well, as with any story like this, you need to take it with a grain of salt.

One story of Ug Wug comes from a diver who was in the water near the supposed habitat of the creature. It was said his hair turned white out of the fear of what he saw under the water. The man died soon afterwards.

In another tale, a man drowned in the lake and his body was found weeks later, on the ledge of a limestone gorge at the falls. Some said that Ug Wug put him there.

It was said that Ug Wug was friendly, and sat on the banks of the river. The Indigenous called him Ug Wug, meaning Friendly Animal.

It is likely though, since there is no mention of Ug Wug prior to the 1950s, that the creature was created simply to attract tourists.

Another mythical monster is found in Lake Utopia, named Old Ned (pictured above), with sightings going back to the 19th century.