| Folklore | Cryptid, Reptilian Humanoid |
|---|---|
| First attested | 1988 |
| Other name(s) | Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp, Lizard Man of Lee County, Bishopville Monster |
| Country | United States |
| Region | South Carolina |
| Part of a series on the |
| Paranormal |
|---|
In the folklore of Lee County, South Carolina, the Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp (also known as the Lizard Man of Lee County) is an entity said to inhabit the swampland of the region. First mentioned in the late 1980s, the purported sightings and damage attributed to the creature yielded a significant amount of newspaper, radio and television publicity.
Professor of religious studies Joseph P. Laycock described the media frenzy and subsequent cult appreciation for this and other similar claims as following a predictable "chain of events – a strange sighting, media attention, more sightings, followed by visits from curious tourists and monster hunters."[1] Researcher Ben Radford states that this is a compelling story, "but several important aspects wither under skeptical scrutiny."