of Man's existence might still roam these heights unchallenged, imprisoned and protected by unscalable cliffs. So thought Conan Doyle when later in London I spoke of these hills and showed photographs of them. He mentioned an idea for a novel on Central South America and asked for information, which I told him I should be glad to supply. The fruit of it was his Lost World in 1912, appearing as a serial in the Strand Magazine, and subsequently in the form of a book that achieved widespread popularity." A 1996 Science Fiction Studies review of an annotated edition of the novel suggested that another inspiration for the story may have been the 1890s contested political history of the Pacaraima Mountains plateaux, and Mount Roraima in particular. The dinosaur that attacks the camp during the night is vividly described ("In the deep shadow of the tree ... a crouching form full of savage vigour and menace. It was no higher than a horse, but the dim outline suggested vast bulk and strength"). Identified as an Allosaurus, in real life it would have been more fearsome still, though the book also allowed the possibility of it being Megalosaurus or a juvenile Allosaurus, which would be closer to the description mentioned earlier. The novel also details a brief encounter with a giant snake, estimated by Challenger to have been over 15 meters (50 feet) long. Though not based on any known snake at the time, its inclusion likely came from reports by Fawcett. In 1907, Fawcett claimed to have witnessed and killed a giant anaconda of a similar size, though his report was unverified. Fossils of an actual giant snake approaching 12 meters (40 feet) in length, Titanoboa, would be discovered and classified decades later. Film, television and radio adaptations Film Theatrical Films: The Lost World (1925; film) The Lost World (1960; film) Direct-to-Video films: The Lost World (1992; film) Return to the Lost World (1992; sequel film) The Lost World (1998; film) Dinosaur Island (2002) King of the Lost World (2005) Television Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World (1999–2002; TV series) The Lost World (2002) (Canadian-French animated series) The Lost World (2001; television film) Documentary The Real Lost World (2006) Audio The Lost World (1944; radio) John Dickson Carr as Narrator (all characters) The Lost World (1949; BBC Light Programme radio serial) With Abraham Sofaer, Ivor Barnard, Lewis Stringer, Cyril Gardiner