Lusca
Template:Short description Template:For multi 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]
Etymology
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.
Description
It is described as a giant octopus, a giant cuttlefish, or a half shark, half octopus.[1] The lusca is said to grow over Template:Convert long,[1] but no cases have been proven of octopus species growing up to even half these lengths.
In popular culture
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]
In the HGTV series Renovation Island—which revolves around Bryan and Sarah Baeumler's efforts to renovate a resort in South Andros—the main restaurant at the resort is named Lusca in honor of the sea creature.
In Dave the Diver, after collecting every single animal on Marinaca, Sato will tell you to find Lusca.
The creature appears as the main antagonist of the 2010 film Sharktopus and its sequels.