| Sea Serpent | |
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| A sea serpent from Olaus Magnus's book History of the Northern Peoples (1555). Olaus Magnus ( Olaus Magni or Olaus Magni Gothus) was a Swedish Ecclesiastic and Writer, who did pioneering work for the interest of |
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| Creature | |
| Name: | Sea Serpent |
| AKA: | Various |
| Classification | |
| Grouping: | Legendary Creature |
| Sub grouping: | Sea monster |
| Data | |
| Country: | Various |
| Habitat: | Sea |
| Status: | Unconfirmed |
- This article is about sea serpents in mythology and cryptozoology. A legendary creature is a mythological or folkloric creature (often known as "fabulous creatures" in historical literature Sea monsters are sea-dwelling mythical or legendary creatures, often believed to be of immense size For actual, well-known sea-living snakes, see Sea snake
A sea serpent is a mythological sea monster either wholly or partly serpentine. For sea snakes in mythology and cryptozoology see Sea serpent. Sea monsters are sea-dwelling mythical or legendary creatures, often believed to be of immense size Serpent is a word of Latin origin (from serpens serpentis "something that creeps snake" that is commonly used in a specifically mythic or
Sightings have been reported for hundreds of years, and recent work by Bruce Champagne identifies more than 1,200 purported sea serpent sightings. [1] Sea serpents have been seen from both ship and shore, and by multiple people at once, and sometimes by reputable scientists.
Despite the numerous sightings, no credible physical evidence has been recorded and it is believed by many scientists that the animals can be best explained as misidentification of known animals such as whales.
Some people have suggested that the sea serpents are relict plesiosaurs, mosasaurs or other Mesozoic marine reptiles, a theory often associated with lake monsters such as the Loch Ness Monster or Lake Champlain's Champ. The term relict is used to refer to surviving remnants of natural phenomena Plesiosaurs (ˈpliːziəˌsɔɹ ( Greek: plesios/πλησιος meaning 'near' or 'close to' and sauros/σαυρος meaning Mosasaurs (from Latin Mosa meaning the ' Meuse river ' in the Netherlands and Greek sauros meaning 'lizard' were serpentine marine The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia are air-breathing Cold-blooded Vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers Lake monster or loch monster is the name given to large unknown animals which have purportedly been sighted in and/or are believed to dwell in freshwaters although their existence The Loch Ness Monster ( Nessiteras rhombopteryx) is an alleged animal family and upward Incertae sedis, purportedly inhabiting Scotland 's Loch Ness Lake Champlain (French lac Champlain) is a natural freshwater Lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States Champ or Champy, is the name given to a reputed Lake monster living in Lake Champlain, a natural freshwater Lake in North
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Examples from mythology
In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr, or "Midgårdsormen" was a sea serpent so long that it encircled the entire world, Midgard. Norse mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and Legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland Jörmungandr, alternately referred to as the Midgardsormr or World Serpent, is a Sea serpent of the Norse mythology, the middle child of the Midgard (an Anglicized form of Old Norse Miðgarðr) is an old Germanic name for our World, the places inhabited by humans, Some stories report of sailors mistaking its back for a chain of islands. Sea serpents also appear frequently in later Scandinavian folklore, particularly in that of Norway. Beings of Scandinavian folklore Perhaps most abundant are the stories about the race of Trolls ' a cunning and deceitful people living in the forestlands Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional
In Swedish ecclesiastic and writer Olaus Magnus's Carta marina, many marine monsters of varied form, including an immense sea serpent, appear. Ecclesiology (from Greek grc ἐκκλησίᾱ ekklēsiā, "congregation church" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study of the Olaus Magnus ( Olaus Magni or Olaus Magni Gothus) was a Swedish Ecclesiastic and Writer, who did pioneering work for the interest of The Carta marina ( Latin: map of the sea or sea map) is the earliest map of the Nordic countries that gives details and Moreover, in his 1555 work History of the Northern Peoples, Magnus gives the following description of a Norwegian sea serpent:
Those who sail up along the coast of Norway to trade or to fish, all tell the remarkable story of how a serpent of fearsome size, 200 feet long and 20 feet wide, resides in rifts and caves outside Bergen. is the second largest city in Norway. It is located on the south-western coast of Norway in the county of Hordaland in between a group of mountains known as De syv fjell On bright summer nights this serpent leaves the caves to eat calves, lambs and pigs, or it fares out to the sea and feeds on sea nettles, crabs and similar marine animals. It has ell-long hair hanging from its neck, sharp black scales and flaming red eyes. An ell (from Proto-Indo-European *el- "elbow forearm" is a unit of measurement approximating the distance from the elbow to the wrist It attacks vessels, grabs and swallows people, as it lifts itself up like a column from the water.
The Tanakh contains references to Leviathan and Rahab, both Biblical sea serpents. See also Old testament, Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta The Tanakh (תַּנַ"ךְ (taˈnax or; also Tenakh or Tenak is Leviathan ( is a Biblical Sea monster referred to in the Old Testament ( Psalm 74:13-14 Job 41 Isaiah 271 In Jewish folklore, Rahab is the name of a sea-demon a dragon of the waters the " angel of the sea"
Recent history and notable cases
Hans Egede, the national saint of Greenland, gives one of the 18th century descriptions of a sea serpent. Hans Poulsen Egede ( January 31, 1686, Harstad, Northern Norway &ndash November 5, 1758, Falster, Denmark A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat meaning "Land of the Greenlanders" Grønland is a self-governing Danish Province located between the The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system On 6 July 1734 his ship sailed past the coast of Greenland when suddenly those on board
"saw a most terrible creature, resembling nothing they saw before. Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Year 1734 ( MDCCXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The monster lifted its head so high that it seemed to be higher than the crow's nest on the mainmast. A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the Mainmast of a ship that is used as a lookout point The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical or near vertical Spar, or arrangement of Spars which supports the Sails Large ships have several masts The head was small and the body short and wrinkled. The unknown creature was using giant fins which propelled it through the water. Later the sailors saw its tail as well. The monster was longer than our whole ship", wrote Egede. (Mareš, 1997)
In the 19th century there were several major sea serpent sightings on the Gloucester and Maine coasts of New England, which spawned a rather silly mix-up. Ing Jaroslav Mareš (born 28 December 1937 in Brno, then Czechoslovakia, now Czech republic) is a Czech Biologist Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar This article is about Gloucester Massachusetts USA there are other places called Gloucester Gloucester (ˈglɒstɚ) is a city on The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the On August 18, 1817, a meeting of the New England Linnaean Society went so far as to give a deformed terrestrial snake the name Scoliophis atlanticus (thinking it was the juvenile form of a sea serpent that had recently been seen nearby). Events 293 BC - The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica. Year 1817 ( MDCCCXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Linnean Society of London is the World 's premier society for the study and dissemination of Taxonomy and natural history A snake is an elongate Reptile of the suborder Serpentes Like all reptiles snakes are covered in scales. After the Linnaean Society's misidentification was discovered, it was frequently cited by debunkers as evidence that the creature did not exist; when in fact, the only thing proven by the incident was that the Society had made an embarrassing public error.
A particularly famous sea serpent sighting was made by the men and officers of HMS Daedalus in August, 1848 during a voyage to Saint Helena in the South Atlantic; the creature they saw, some 60 feet long, held a peculiar maned head above the water. HMS Daedalus was a nineteenth century warship of the Royal Navy. Year 1848 ( MDCCCXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap Saint Helena (pronounced saint he-LEE-na) named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin and a British overseas territory The sighting caused quite a stir in the London papers, and Sir Richard Owen, the famous English biologist, proclaimed the beast an elephant seal. Sir Richard Owen KCB ( Lancaster, July 20 1804 &ndash December 18 1892) was an English Biologist A biologist is a Scientist devoted to and producing results in Biology through the study of Organisms Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship Elephant seals are large oceangoing Mammals in the Genus Mirounga, in the Earless seal (Phocidae family. The Daedalus' serpent has since been classified as a Super Eel or Type 2C animal. Another skeptical suggestion for the sighting proposed that it was actually an upside down canoe, or a posing giant squid.
Another sighting took place in 1905 off the coast of Brazil. Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld The crew of the Valhalla and two naturalists, Michael J. Nicoll and E. G. B. Meade-Waldo, saw a long-necked, turtle headed creature, with a large dorsal fin. Edmund Gustavus Bloomfield Meade-Waldo (1855 &ndash 1934 was an English Ornithologist and Conservationist. A dorsal fin is a Fin located on the backs of some Fishes Whales Dolphins and Porpoises as well as the (extinct Based on its dorsal fin and the shape of its head, some experts (such as Heuvelmans) have suggested that the animal was some sort of marine mammal. It has since been classified as a Super Eel or Type 4B. A skeptical suggestion is that the sighting was of a posing giant squid, but this is hard to accept given that squids do not swim with their fins or arms protruding from the water. The giant squid ( Genus: Architeuthis) is a deep-ocean dwelling Squid in the family Architeuthidae, represented by
More serious sightings from the same place and time have since been classified as Many-Humped Serpents, Classic Sea Serpents, monsters of the deep, or Type 3 animals (see classification systems). Skeptical suggestions for the sightings include giant squid, misidentified snakes, or a wave phenomenon.
On April 25, 1977, the Japanese trawler Zuiyo Maru, sailing east of Christchurch, New Zealand, caught a strange, unknown creature in the trawl. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays The Zuiyō Maru (瑞洋丸 ずいようまる was a Japanese Fishing trawler that caught a creature initially claimed to be a prehistoric Plesiosaur Photographs and tissue specimens were taken. While initially identified as a prehistoric plesiosaur, analysis later indicated that the body was the carcass of a basking shark. Plesiosaurs (ˈpliːziəˌsɔɹ ( Greek: plesios/πλησιος meaning 'near' or 'close to' and sauros/σαυρος meaning The basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus, is the second largest Fish, after the Whale shark.
What makes sea serpent sightings different from sightings of other unconfirmed creatures is not only the sheer number of sightings, but the fact that many of these sightings have been made by multiple people at once for sustained periods of time. Instead of just one to a few witnesses purporting to have witnessed the creature for just a few moments, some sightings involve dozens, or even hundreds, of people claiming to have seen the creature over the course of a couple to a few hours. In many cases, these sightings are well documented in the newspapers of the day, although most occurred before any kind of photographic technology existed.
Sea serpent sightings continue today, with reports coming in from the Pacific Northwest and California; the most notable of recent occurrences is the alleged filming of sea serpents by the brothers Bill and Bob Clark in San Francisco bay. The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwest of North America (the term refers to the land not the ocean In October 2004, the giant squid, long associated with sea monsters and perhaps the source of many mistaken sightings, was for the first time caught on video[malformed URL] off the Bonin Islands, revealing for the first time the appearance in life of this "cousin" of sea serpents. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The giant squid ( Genus: Architeuthis) is a deep-ocean dwelling Squid in the family Architeuthidae, represented by
Misidentifications?
Skeptics and debunkers have questioned the interpretation of sightings, putting forward in place of serpents cetaceans (whales and dolphins), sea snakes, eels, basking sharks, baleen whales, oarfish, large pinnipeds, seaweed, driftwood, flocks of birds, and giant squid as the creature or creatures seen (see Notable Cases, above, on giant squid and basking sharks). The Order Cetacea (sɪˈteɪʃiə L cetus, whale includes Whales Dolphins and Porpoises Cetus is For sea snakes in mythology and cryptozoology see Sea serpent. True eels ( Anguilliformes) are an order of Fish, which consists of four suborders 19 families 110 Genera and approximately 600 The basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus, is the second largest Fish, after the Whale shark. The baleen whales, also called whalebone whales or great whales, form the Mysticeti, one of two suborders of the Cetacea (whales dolphins and Oarfish are large greatly elongated pelagic Lampriform Fish comprising the small family Regalecidae. Pinnipeds ("fin-feet" lit "winged feet" or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semi-aquatic marine Mammals comprising Seaweed is a loose colloquial term encompassing macroscopic Multicellular, benthic marine Algae. Driftwood is Wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea or river by the action of winds tides waves or man Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. The giant squid ( Genus: Architeuthis) is a deep-ocean dwelling Squid in the family Architeuthidae, represented by
While most cryptozoologists recognize that at least some reports are simple misidentifications, they point out that many of the creatures described by those who have seen them look nothing like the known species put forward by skeptics and claim that certain reports stick out. Cryptozoology (from Greek κρυπτός kruptos, "hidden" + Zoology; literally "study of hidden animals" is the study of and search For their part, the skeptics remain unconvinced, pointing out that even in the absence of out-right hoaxes (such as the infamous "Surgeon's Photo" of the Loch Ness Monster), imagination has a way of twisting and inflating the slightly out-of-the-ordinary until it becomes extraordinary. The Loch Ness Monster ( Nessiteras rhombopteryx) is an alleged animal family and upward Incertae sedis, purportedly inhabiting Scotland 's Loch Ness
Classification systems
Cryptozoologists may further argue for the existence of sea serpents by pointing out that people see similar things, and it is possible for them to classify the different "types". While there have been different classification attempts with different results, they all share several common characteristics.
Anthonid Cornelis Oudemans
- Megophias megophias : A large (200+ feet) sea lion-like creature with a long neck and long tail. Only the male has a mane. It is cosmopolitan. In Biogeography, a Biological category of living things is said to have cosmopolitan distribution if this category can be found almost anywhere around the world
Bernard Heuvelmans
- Long Necked or Megalotaria longicollis: A 60 foot, long necked, short tailed sea lion. Bernard Heuvelmans ( October 10, 1916 &ndash August 22, 2001) was a Belgian - French scientist explorer researcher and Hair and whiskers reported. Cosmopolitan. Interestingly, a long necked seal is now known from the fossil record.
- Merhorse or Halshippus olai-magni: A 60 foot, medium necked, large eyed, horse-headed pinniped. Often has whiskers. It is also cosmopolitan.
- Many-Humped or Plurigibbosus novae-angliae: A 60-100 foot, medium necked, long bodied archaeocete. It has a series of humps or a crest on the spine like a sperm whale's or grey whale's. The Sperm Whale ( Physeter macrocephalus or Physeter catodon) is the largest of all Toothed whales and largest living toothed animal The Gray Whale or Grey Whale ( Eschrichtius robustus) is a Whale that travels between feeding and breeding grounds yearly It only lives in the North Atlantic.
- Super Otter or Hyperhydra egedei: A 65-100 foot, medium necked, long bodied archeocete that resembles an otter. It moves in numerous vertical undulations (6-7). Lived near Norway and Greenland, and presumed to be extinct by Heuvelmans.
- Many Finned or Cetioscolopendra aeliani: A 60-70 foot, short necked archeocete. The many-finned sea serpent is an unverified species or group of species of marine animals which seem to possess numerous fins along their sides or backs It has a number of lateral projections that look like dorsal fins, but turned the incorrect way. Compare to the armor on Desmatosuchus, but much more prominent. Desmatosuchus (meaning "link crocodile" is an Extinct Genus of Archosaur belonging to the Order Aetosauria.
- Super Eels: A group of large and possibly unrelated eels. Partially based on the Leptocephalus giganteus larvae, later shown to be normal sized. [This is a controversial identification of a larval specimen made without benefit of actually examining the specimen. This "identification" was done by the paperwork and the actual specimen was missing by then. ] Heuvelmans theorized eel, synbranchid, and elasmobranch identities as being possible. True eels ( Anguilliformes) are an order of Fish, which consists of four suborders 19 families 110 Genera and approximately 600 The swamp eels (also written "swamp-eels" are a family ( Synbranchidae) of Freshwater Eel -like Fishes of the worldwide Elasmobranchii is the subclass of Cartilaginous fish that includes Skates rays (batoidea, and sharks (selachii. Cosmopolitan.
- Marine Saurian: A 50-60 foot crocodile, or crocodile-like animal (Mosasaur, Pliosaur, etc)
- Yellow Belly: A very large (1-200 foot) yellow and black striped tadpole-shaped creature. Mosasaurs (from Latin Mosa meaning the ' Meuse river ' in the Netherlands and Greek sauros meaning 'lizard' were serpentine marine The Pliosaurs ("more lizards" were marine reptiles from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. Dropped.
- Father-of-all-the-turtles: A giant turtle. Dropped
- Giant Invertebrates: Giant Venus's girdle and salp colonies. A salp (plural salps; also salpa, plural salpae or salpas) is a barrel-shaped free-floating Tunicate. Added. It is not clear if Heuvelmans intended them to be unknown species or extreme forms of known species.
Loren Coleman and Patrick Huyghe
- Classic Sea Serpent: A quadrupedal, elongated animal with the appearance of many humps when swimming. Loren Coleman, MSW, is an author of books on wide-ranging topics including Sociology and Cryptozoology. Essentially a composite of the many humped, super otter, and super eels types. The authors suggest Basilosaurus as a candidate, or possibly Remingtoncetids.
- Waterhorse: A large pinniped, similar to the long necked and merhorse. The Water Horse Legend of the Deep is a 2007 Fantasy film directed by Jay Russell. Only the males are maned, but females appear to have snorkels. Both of their eyes are rather small. They are noteworthy for being behind both salt and fresh water sightings.
- Mystery Cetacean: A category of unknown whale species including double finned whales and dolphins, dorsal finned sperm whales, unknown beaked whales, an unknown orca, and others.
- Giant Shark: A surviving Megalodon. The megalodon (ˡmɛgələˌdɒn or MEG -a-la-don meaning "big tooth" or in Greek as μέγας 'οδόντος was a giant Shark
- Mystery Manta: A small manta ray with dorsal markings.
- Great Sea Centipede: Same as the many finned. The authors suggest the flippers may either be retractile, and the "scaly" appearance could be caused by parasites.
- Mystery Saurian: Same as the marine saurian.
- Cryptic Chelonian: A resurrection of the father-of-all-turtles.
- Mystery Sirenian: Late surviving Steller's Sea Cow.
- Giant Octopus, Octopus giganteus or Otoctopus giganteus: A large cephalopod living in the tropical Atlantic. An unknown species of gigantic octopus has been hypothesised as a source of reports of sea monsters such as the Lusca and the Kraken as well as the ultimate The St Augustine Monster is the name given to a large unidentified carcass originally postulated to be the remains of a Gigantic octopus, that washed ashore on the
Bruce Champagne
- 1A Long Necked: A 30 foot sea lion with a long neck and long tail. The neck is the same thickness or smaller than the head. Hair reported. It is capable of travel on land. Cosmopolitan.
- 1B Long Necked: Similar to the above type but over 55 feet long and far more robust. The neck is of lesser thickness than the head. Only inhabits water near Great Britain and Denmark.
- 2A Eel-Like: A 20-30 foot long heavily scaled or armored reptile. It is distinguished by a small square head with prominent tusks. "Motorboating" behavior on surface. Inhabits only the North Atlantic.
- 2B Eel-Like: A 25-30 foot beaked whale. It is distinguished by a tapering head and a dorsal crest. "Motorboating" behavior engaged in. Inhabits the Atlantic and Pacific. Possibly extinct.
- 2C Eel-Like: A 60-70 foot, elongated reptile with no appendages. The head is very large and cow-like or reptilian with teeth similar to a crabeater seal's. Also shares the "motorboating" behavior. Inhabits the Atlantic, Pacific, and South China Sea. Possibly extinct.
- 3 Multi-Humped: 30-60 feet long. A possible reptile with a dorsal crest and the ability to move in several undulations. The head has a distinctive "cameloid" appearance. Camels are Even-toed ungulates within the Genus Camelus. The Dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and the Identical with Cadborosaurus willsi. " Cadborosaurus willsi " nicknamed "Caddy", is the name given to a Sea serpent reported to be living on the Pacific Coast of North
- 4A Sailfin: A 30 to 70 foot beaked whale. It is distinguished by a very small head and a very large dorsal fin. Only found in the North West Atlantic. Possibly extinct.
- 4B Sailfin: An elongated animal of possible mammalian or reptilian identity reported from 12 to 85 feet long. It has a long neck with a turtle-like head and a long continuous dorsal fin. Cosmopolitan.
- 5 Carapaced: A large turtle or turtle-like creature (mammal?) reported from 10 to 45 feet long. Carapace is described as jointed, segmented, and plated. May exhibit a dorsal crest of "quills" and a type of oily hair. Cosmopolitan.
- 6 Saurian: A large and occasionally spotted crocodile or crocodile-like creature up to 65 feet long. Found in the Northern Atlantic and Mediterranean.
- 7 Segmented/Multi limbed: An elongated mammalian creature up to 65 feet long with the appearance of segmentation and many fins. Found in the Western Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific.
External links
- mjoesormen.no, database of Norwegian sea serpents
- The Cryptid Zoo: Sea Serpents
- Cadborosaurus and the Naden Harbour carcass
- Swan necked seals
Sources
- ^ Bruce Champagne. A Preliminary Evaluation of a Study of the Morphology, Behavior, Autoecology, and Habitat of Large, Unidentified Marine Animals, Based on Recorded Field Observations. Available at strangeark. Pages 99-118
- Loren Coleman and Patrick Huyghe. The Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep. Jeremy P. Tarcher 2003.
- Bernard Heuvelmans. Bernard Heuvelmans ( October 10, 1916 &ndash August 22, 2001) was a Belgian - French scientist explorer researcher and In the Wake of the Sea-Serpents. Hill and Wang 1968
- A. C. Oudemans. The Great Sea Serpent. Luzac & Co 1892. Available at strangeark
- J. Mareš, Svět tajemných zvířat, Prague, 1997
See also
- Jörmungandr
- Leviathan
- Lindworm
- Loch Ness Monster
- Stronsay Beast
- Ogopogo
- Selma
- Sea monster
- Globster
- Lake monster
- Sea snake
- Kraken
Dictionary
sea serpent
-noun
- Any unidentified sea monster, especially one resembling a snake or dragon.
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