PADstone 184

This is a list of cryptids, which are animals presumed by followers of the cryptozoology pseudoscientific subculture to exist on the basis of anecdotal or other evidence considered insufficient by mainstream science. While biologists regularly identify new species following established scientific methodology, cryptozoologists focus on entities mentioned in the folklore record and rumour. Entities that may be considered cryptids by cryptozoologists include Bigfoot, Yeti, the chupacabra, the Jersey Devil, the Loch Ness Monster, or Mokele-mbembe. Related pseudosciences include young Earth creationism,[1][2] ghost hunting, and ufology. Some dictionaries and encyclopedias define the term "cryptid" as an animal whose existence is unsubstantiated.[3][4]

Cryptozoology is the study of creatures whose existence has yet to be—or else cannot entirely be—proved or disproved by science. These creatures, known collectively as cryptids, include examples like the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and the Himalayan Yeti, yet these famous cases are by no means the only ones on record. In fact, practically every country and corner of the globe has its own legendary monster or mystery creature that supposedly dwells there, from giant bats in Java to enormous water hounds in Ireland.

Cryptozoology is derided for pseudoscience and fantastic claims, but when you consider some of the legends that have turned out to be real animals, it lends credibility to other potentially real cryptid creatures. And while the actual beasts are often more believable than the embellished monsters of lore, occasionally they can be pretty bizarre – whether a remnant of the Cretaceous period, a curious hybrid, or an inter-dimensional entity, some of these clandestine faunae are truly plausible.

Cryptozoology is the study of animals that are rumored to exist. Such creatures are called "cryptids." Some, like the gorilla, giant squid and okapi, are no longer hearsay and legend but real creatures recognized by science. Others, like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster, continue to tempt the hopeful and the adventurous with the possibility of their existence.

The authors of a new book apply the scientific method to the study of some very elusive creatures.

Although Cryptozoology is not considered a real science, it is based on the sciences of Zoology and Paleontology. Many Cryptids probably don't exist, but there is a high possibility that others do. In fact, National Geographic proved that Hogzilla and the Congo Elephants, two Cryptids thought to be hoaxes or not real, did exist. If more Cryptids do exist, there are scientific evolutionary roots on to how these creatures possibly evolved.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I CHOOSE TO believe in the possible existence of cryptids. Sort of. I like the idea that there are strange, undiscovered creatures hidden in the shadows of our world. I’m well aware of how utterly unlikely it is that cryptids and other folkloric creatures exist, but I’m certainly not alone in my blinding enthusiasm for them. We recently asked the readers in our Community forum to tell us about their favorite local cryptids, and to paraphrase a great (fictional) person, the responses make us want to believe.

Many people know that the most famous photograph of the Loch Ness Monster was a total hoax. The "creature" depicted in Robert Wilson's 1934 shot turned out to be nothing more than a toy submarine with a plastic head stuck on it.

The dangers that lurk in cryptid territories may never completely deter die-hard monster hunters, but some creatures are better left as mysteries.

If you close your eyes and picture Sasquatch, there’s a good chance you’ll conjure up a very specific image: a big, hairy humanoid, mid-stride, arms swinging, head turned to glance back over its right shoulder.

In that iconic picture, the thing Bigfoot was turning back to look at was Bob Gimlin.

You've seen it a hundred times: the iconic picture of Bigfoot striding heavily through the clearing, arms swinging, head and shoulders turned slightly toward the camera. This famous image is frame 352 of a 16mm silent color film shot in 1967 in northern California by rancher Roger Patterson, accompanied by his friend, Bob Gimlin. The impact that this film has had on Bigfoot mythology is inestimable; and correspondingly, so has its impact upon paranormal, cryptozoological, and pop culture mythologies in general. I might well not be doing the Skeptoid podcast today if the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film had not turned legend and fancy into concrete, tangible, see-it-with-your-own-eyes reality.