The squonk is a

mythical creature A legendary creature (also mythical or mythological creature) is a type of fictional entity, typically a Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid, that has not been proven and that is described in folklore (including myths and legends), but may be feat ...

that is reputed to live in the hemlock forests of northern

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Origins

Although the earliest written account of the squonk was from the 1910 book '' Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods'', there are no records of the tale being told in Pennsylvania before the book's publication. The next written iteration, from the 1939 book ''Fearsome Critters'', suggested that the creatures had migrated from deserts to swamps to finally settle in Pennsylvania. As logging camps were continuously moving in the early 20th century, this could explain the "creature's" migration to Pennsylvania.

Appearance and behavior

Unlike many mythological creatures, the supposed physical characteristics of the squonk remain unchanged from the original written account, which states: Later retellings included that squonks were slowest on moonlit nights as they try to avoid seeing its ugly appearance in any illuminated bodies of water. In addition to warts and moles, the creatures were given webbed toes on their left feet. The given "

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

" taxonomy of the creature, ''Lacrimacorpus dissolvens'', is made up of the Latin ''tear'', ''body'', and ''dissolve''. These refer to its supposed ability to dissolve when captured.

In scientific literature

Some substances are stable in solution or some other "wild" form but cannot be isolated or captured without actually catalyzing their own

polymerization In polymer chemistry, polymerization (American English), or polymerisation (British English), is a process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form polymer chains or three-dimensional networks. There are many fo ...

decomposition Decomposition or rot is the process by which dead organic substances are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts. The process is a part of the nutrient cycle and is e ...

("dissolving in their own tears"). For example, a

molecule A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...

containing a carboxylic acid

moiety Moiety may refer to: Chemistry * Moiety (chemistry), a part or functional group of a molecule ** Moiety conservation, conservation of a subgroup in a chemical species Anthropology * Moiety (kinship), either of two groups into which a society is ...

and an acid labile moiety might be stable when initially prepared as the salt (e.g., barium

prephenate Prephenic acid, commonly also known by its ion, anionic form prephenate, is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of the aromatic amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine, as well as of a large number of secondary metabolites of the Shikimic acid, sh ...

) but unstable as the free acid (

prephenic acid Prephenic acid, commonly also known by its anionic form prephenate, is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of the aromatic amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine, as well as of a large number of secondary metabolites of the shikimate pathway. It ...

). These have been named "chemical squonks".

References

{{American tall tales Fakelore Fearsome critters Pennsylvania folklore