Cryptids are animals that cryptozoologists believe may exist somewhere in the wild, but whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated by science. Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience, which primarily looks at anecdotal stories, and other claims rejected by the scientific community. While biologists regularly identify new species following established scientific methodology, cryptozoologists focus on entities mentioned in the folklore record and rumor. Entities that may be considered cryptids by cryptozoologists include Bigfoot, Yeti, the chupacabra, the Jersey Devil, the Loch Ness Monster, and the Mokele-mbembe.

Scholars have noted that the cryptozoology subculture rejected mainstream approaches from an early date, and that adherents often express hostility to mainstream science. Scholars have studied cryptozoologists and their influence (including the pseudoscience's association with Young Earth creationism),^[1]^[2] noted parallels in cryptozoology and other pseudosciences such as ghost hunting and ufology, and highlighted uncritical media propagation of cryptozoologist claims.

List

Aquatic or semi-aquatic

Name

Other Names

Description

Purported Location

Depiction

Cadborosaurus^[3]

Caddy

Sea animal

Pacific Coast of North America

Champ^[4]

Champy

Lake monster

Lake Champlain, North America

Cryptid Whales^[5]^[6]

Giglioli's Whale, Rhinoceros dolphin, High-finned sperm whale, Alula whale, Unidentified beaked whales

Sea animal

Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean

Dobhar-chú^[7]

Water Hound, King Otter

Extra-large otter-like carnivorous aquatic mammal

Ireland

Gloucester sea serpent^[8]

Large serpent

Gloucester, Cape Ann

Iemisch^[9]

Iemisch Listai

Mix of a jaguar and otter

Patagonia

Igopogo^{[citation needed]}

Kempenfelt Kelly

Lake monster

Lake Simcoe, Ontario (Canada)

Isshii^{[citation needed]}

Issie

Lake monster

Japan

Labynkyr Devil^[10]^[11]^[12]

Labynkyrsky Chert^{[citation needed]}

Lake monster

Oymyakonsky Ulus, Sakha Republic, Russia

Loch Ness Monster^[13]

Nessie

Lake monster

Loch Ness, Scotland

Loveland Frog^[14]

Loveland frogman, Loveland lizard

Humanoid frog

Loveland, Ohio

Lusca^[15]

Giant Octopus^{[citation needed]}

Blue holes in the Bahamas

Mamlambo^{[citation needed]}

Lake monster

South Africa

Manipogo^[16]

Winnipogo

Lake monster

Lake Manitoba, Canada

Megalodon^[15]

Otodus megalodon

Giant Shark

Oceans

Mokele-mbembe^[17]

Dinosaur (lake, river and/or swamp monster)

Republic of the Congo

Ogopogo^[4]

N'ha•a•itk, Naitaka

Lake monster

Lake Okanagan, Canada

Sea serpents^[18]

Sea animals, dinosaurs

All bodies of water

Selma^[19]

Seljordsormen

Lake monster

Lake Seljord, Telemark, Norway

Steller's sea ape^[20]

Sea animal

Pacific Ocean

Terrestrial

Name

Other names

Description

Purported location

Depiction

British big cats^[21]

Alien big cats (ABCs), phantom cats, mystery cats, English lions,
Beast of Bodmin, Beast of Exmoor

Carnivorous mammal

Great Britain

Bukit Timah Monkey Man^[22]

BTM, BTMM

Forest-dwelling hominid or other primate

Singapore

Capelobo^[23]

Humanoid anteater monster

Brazil

Chupacabra^[24]

Chupacabras (Spanish for goat-sucker)

Puerto Rico (originally),
South and Central America,
Southern North America

Dover Demon^[25]

Dover, Massachusetts

Eastern Cougar^[26]

Eastern United States

Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp^[27]

Lizard Man of Lee County

Bipedal

South Carolina, United States

Malagasy hippo^[28]

Malagasy pygmy hippopotamus, Madagascan pygmy hippopotamus, kilopilopitsofy, tsy-aomby-aomby, omby-rano, laloumena, mangarsahoc

Hippo

Madagascar

Mapinguari^[29]

Mapinguary

Giant Ground Sloth or primate

Amazons

Michigan Dogman^[30]

Humanoid dog

Wexford County, Michigan

Minhocão^{[citation needed]}

Big Earthworm

Caecilian

South America

Moa^[31]

Flightless bird

New Zealand

Mongolian death worm^[32]

Allghoi (or orghoi) khorkhoi

Worm-like animal

Gobi Desert (Asia)

Nandi bear^[33]

Chemosit, Kerit, Koddoelo, Ngoelo, Ngoloko, Duba

Large carnivore

Eastern Africa

Queensland Tiger^[34]

Yarri

Large feline

Queensland

Thylacine^[35]^[36]

Tasmanian Tiger, Tasmanian Wolf

Marsupial

Australia, New Guinea

Zanzibar leopard^[37]

Large feline

Zanzibar

Hominid

Name

Other names

Description

Purported location

Depiction

Almas^[4]

Abnauayu, almasty, albasty, bekk-bok,
biabin-guli, golub-yavan, gul-biavan, auli-avan,
kaptar, kra-dhun, ksy-giik, ksy-gyik, ochokochi,
mirygdy, mulen, voita, wind-man, Zana

Non-human apeorhominid

Asia/Caucasus

Amomongo^[38]

Orang Mawas, Impakta

Apeorhominid

Negros Occidental, Philippines

Barmanou^{[citation needed]}

Barmanu, Big Hairy One

Apeorhominid

Middle East/Asia

Bigfoot^[39]

Sasquatch

Large and hairy ape-like creature

United States and Canada

Chuchunya^[40]

Large hominid

Russia

Fouke Monster^[41]

Jonesville Monster, Southern Sasquatch, Boggy Creek Monster

Hominid or other primate

Arkansas, United States

Honey Island Swamp monster^[42]

Letiche, Tainted Keitre

Hominid or other primate

Louisiana, United States

Orang Pendek

Small hominid

Sumatra

Nittaewo^[43]

Nittevo

Small hominids

Sri Lanka

Skunk ape^[44]

Stink Ape, Myakka Ape, Myakka Skunk Ape

Primate

Florida, United States

Yeren^[45]^[44]

Yiren, Yeh Ren, Chinese Wildman

Primate (possible hominin)

China

Yeti^[46]

Abominable Snowman

Large and hairy human-like entity, various other descriptions

Himalayas (Asia)

Yowie^[43]

Large and hairy human-like entity, various other descriptions

Australia

Flying

Name

Other names

Description

Purported location

Depiction

Jersey Devil^[13]

Leeds Devil

Winged bipedal horse

United States, mainly the South Jersey Pine Barrens, as well as other parts of New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania

Mothman^[47]

Winged Man, Bird Man, UFO-Bird, Mason Bird Monster

Winged bipedal

Mason County, West Virginia, United States

Rod^[48]

Skyfish, Air Rod, Solar Entity

Small flying stick-like creatures

Worldwide

Ropen^[49]

Large bat-like creature or pterosaur

New Guinea

Thunderbird^[50]^[51]

Giant bird

North America

References

^ Hill, Sharon A. (2017). Scientifical Americans: The Culture of Amateur Paranormal Researchers. McFarland. p. 66. ISBN 9781476630823.

^ Card, Jeb J. (2016). "Steampunk Inquiry: A Comparative Vivisection of Discovery Pseudoscience". In Card, Jeb J.; Anderson, David S. (eds.). Lost City, Found Pyramid: Understanding Alternative Archaeologies and Pseudoscientific Practices. University of Alabama Press. p. 32. ISBN 9780817319113. Creationists have embraced cryptozoology and some cryptozoological expeditions are funded by and conducted by creationists hoping to disprove evolution.

^ Loxton & Prothero 2013, pp. 261–295.

^ ^a ^b ^c Shermer, Michael; Linse, Pat (November 2002). The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience. Vol. 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 72. ISBN 9781576076538.

^ Mörzer Bruyns, W. F. J. (1971). Field guide of whales and dolphins. Rivonverhandeling. Tor. pp. 124–125. ISBN 978-90-70055-09-7

^ "Cetaceans with two dorsal fins" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.

^ "Ireland's hound of deep - Dobhar Chu". Irish Central News. Retrieved 19 December 2018.

^ Nicaise, Alexander (5 September 2019). "Gloucester Sea-Serpent Mystery: Solved after Two Centuries | Skeptical Inquirer". Retrieved 25 September 2023.

^ Gilmore, David D. (2003). Monsters : evil beings, mythical beasts, and all manner of imaginary terrors. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-0322-6. OCLC 802059457.

^ Lallanilla, Marc (4 February 2013). "Reports Surface of Monster Lurking in Russian Lake". livescience.com. Live Science. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2022.

^ "Divers preparing for icy waters of Russia's 'Loch Ness'". siberiantimes.com. The Siberian Times. 5 March 2014. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2022.

^ "Meet the creature found by divers in Russia's Loch Ness, famed for legends of monsters". siberiantimes.com. The Siberian Times. 21 April 2014. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2022.

^ ^a ^b Velasquez, S.J. (31 October 2015). "The monster you should never find". BBC Online. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 11 August 2018.

^ Haupt, R. (30 June 2015). "Skeptoid #473: The Loveland Frog". Skeptoid. Retrieved 1 September 2021.

^ ^a ^b Guimont, Edward (5 October 2021). "The Megalodon: A Monster of the New Mythology". M/C Journal. 24 (5). doi:10.5204/mcj.2793. ISSN 1441-2616. S2CID 241813307.

^ Bernhardt, Darren. "Keep your camera handy: Stories of Manitoba lake monsters told for centuries but proof remains elusive". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 June 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

^ Loxton & Prothero 2013, pp. 187–188.

^ Loxton & Prothero 2013, pp. 228–326.

^ Botsford, Flora (31 August 1999). "Secret life of the Norwegian Nessie". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 June 2024.

^ Nickell, Joe (Winter 2016–2017). "Steller's Sea Ape: Identifying an Eighteenth-Century Cryptid". Skeptical Briefs. Vol. 26, no. 4. Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.

^ "Fantastic Cryptids And Where To Find Them". Forbes. Retrieved 18 December 2018.

^ "On the hunt for the elusive Bukit Timah Monkey Man". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.

^ "Capelobo". Portal São Francisco (in Brazilian Portuguese). 11 August 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2023.

^ Regal, Brian (15 October 2009). Pseudoscience: A Critical Encyclopedia: A Critical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-35508-0.

^ Sullivan, Mark (29 October 2006). "Decades later, the Dover Demon still haunts". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 6 August 2021.

^ "Skeptoid: Anatomy of a Real Cryptid Case". Skeptoid. Retrieved 25 September 2023.

^ Laycock, Joseph P. (11 July 2018). "A Search for Mysteries and Monsters in Small Town America". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 18 March 2021.

^ Burney, David A.; Ramilisonina (December 1998). "The Kilopilopitsofy, Kidoky, and Bokyboky: Accounts of Strange Animals from Belo-sur-mer, Madagascar, and the Megafaunal "Extinction Window"". American Anthropologist. 100 (4): 957–966. doi:10.1525/aa.1998.100.4.957. ISSN 0002-7294.

^ "Twilight of the mammoths: Ice Age extinctions and the rewilding of America". Choice Reviews Online. 43 (8): 43–4679-43-4679. 1 April 2006. doi:10.5860/choice.43-4679. ISSN 0009-4978.

^ Hudson, Alison (28 July 2015). "Skeptoid #477: Wag the Dogman". Skeptoid. Retrieved 22 June 2017.

^ kreidler, Marc (26 May 2017). "The New Zealand Moa: From Extinct Bird to Cryptid | Skeptical Inquirer". Retrieved 9 February 2023.

^ Benjamin Radford (21 June 2014). "Mongolian Death Worm: Elusive Legend of the Gobi Desert". livescience.com. Retrieved 22 October 2023.

^ Simpson, George Gaylord (1984). "Mammals and Cryptozoology". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 128 (1): 1–19. ISSN 0003-049X. JSTOR 986487.

^ Smith, Malcolm (1996). Bunyips & bigfoots : in search of Australia's mystery animals. Alexandria, NSW: Millennium Books. ISBN 1-86429-081-1. OCLC 36719441.

^ Loxton, Daniel (2013). Abominable science! : origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and other famous cryptids. Donald R. Prothero. New York. ISBN 978-0-231-52681-4. OCLC 854902238.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

^ "Cryptids and credulity: The Zanzibar leopard and other imaginary beings", Anthropology and Cryptozoology, New York, NY : Routledge, 2017. | Series: Multispecies: Routledge, pp. 70–106, 3 November 2016, doi:10.4324/9781315567297-11, ISBN 9781315567297, retrieved 9 September 2023{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location (link)

^ "The Zanzibar Leopard Between Science and Cryptozoology | PDF | Panthera | Organisms". Scribd. Retrieved 11 February 2023.

^ "'Amomongo' frightens villagers in Negros". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017.

^ Loxton & Prothero 2013, pp. 29–70.

^ O'Carroll, Eoin (28 September 2018). "Bigfoot and beyond: Why tales of wild men endure". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 11 December 2018.

^ Dunning, B. (4 March 2014). "Skeptoid #404: The Boggy Creek Monster". Skeptoid. Retrieved 1 September 2021.

^ Frances, Leary (December 2003). "The Honey Island Swamp Monster: The Development and Maintenance of Folk and Commodified Belief Tradition" (PDF). pp. 4–6. Retrieved 18 March 2021.

^ ^a ^b Lack, Caleb W.; Rousseau, Jacques (8 March 2016). Critical Thinking, Science, and Pseudoscience: Why We Can't Trust Our Brains. Springer Publishing Company. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-8261-9426-8.

^ ^a ^b Lack, Caleb W.; Rousseau, Jacques (8 March 2016). Critical Thinking, Science, and Pseudoscience: Why We Can't Trust Our Brains. Springer Publishing Company. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-8261-9426-8.

^ "It's the monstrous new trend sweeping travel – what is cryptid-tourism?". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.

^ Loxton & Prothero 2013, p. 73.

^ Kantrowitz, Lia; Fitzmaurice, Larry; Terry, Josh (16 January 2018). "People Keep Seeing the Mothman in Chicago". Vice. Retrieved 26 April 2019.

^ "rods - The Skeptic's Dictionary - Skepdic.com". www.skepdic.com. Retrieved 20 September 2023.

^ "Don't Get Strung Along by the "Ropen" Myth".

^ Nez, Noah (18 July 2012). "Thunderbirds". Skeptical Inquirer. Retrieved 1 September 2021.

^ "The mythic child-stealing Thunderbirds of Illinois". Atlas Obscura. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2018.

Bibliography

Loxton, Daniel; Prothero, Donald (2013). Abominable Science: Origins of Yeti, Nessie, and other Famous Cryptids. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-52681-4.