Ahool
Giant bats reported by the Sundnese people of western Java. Also similar reports with different local names from Vietnam and the Philippines; possibly known as Orang-bati in Seram, Indonesia. Described as having a monkey-like head with large dark eyes, grey furry body, and around the size of a one year old child. It's has a wing span of nearly 12 feet.
Almas
Large hairy hominids sighted in various parts of Euroasia. Unlike the more notable Yeti and Meteh of the Himalayan mountains, the Almas are more similar to humans in stature and are regarded with little more than indifference by the local people. Perhaps the most plausible and well documented sighting of an Alma was reported in August of 1957 by a Russian scientist and hydrologist, Alexander G. Pronin. He described the creature as “... a being of unusual aspect – reminiscent of a man’s figure, but with a strongly hunched back – his arms are longer than in the ordinary man (and) covered in with reddish gray hair.” Several expeditions into Alma territory by Professor Jeanne J. Kofman, have resulted in testimony but no tangible proof of the creatures existence.
Altamaha-ha
The Altamaha-ha dwells in the Altamaha River and the surrounding waterways and marshes in South Georgia. Similar animals have also been observed in Florida. The Altamaha-ha has always been described as having a horizontal tail, like that of a porpoise, and moving with up-and-down undulations of the body, like a porpoise. It is upto 20 feet long. It is said to have large, protruding eyes and a pronounced alligator-like snout armed with large conical teeth. It has a serrated ridge across the back, like a series of small dorsal fins next to each other, and a true dorsal fin which is rather low. It is said to be metal grey on top and pearly white on the bottom. The horizontal tail, dolphin-type dorsal fin and the fact that it only has front flippers suggests the Altamaha-ha may be some kind of cetacean; either an archaeocete such as a zeuglodon or a freshwater dolphin of the family Platanistidae.
Agogwe
The Agogwe are little, human-like, hairy, bipeds reported consistently from the forests of Eastern Africa.
Andean Wolf
These unrecognized mountain dogs are seen in South America.
Arabhar
These unconfirmed flying snakes are located in the Arabian Sea region.
Aswang
A creature of Phillipino legend, said to eat human flesh and do all sorts of nasty things to people. Ranges from a witch-like creature to a shapeshifter. The creature has little standing in the scientific community, and is almost likely folkloric.
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Barmanu
Another strong, muscular, and hairy humanoid reported from the Shishi-kuh valley in Pakistan.
Beast of Bodmin (or Bodmin Moor)
Locally named mystery black cats found in the United Kingdom.
Beast of Gevaudan (Le Bête de Gevaudan)
Terrorized the south-central formal province of France called Gevaudan, which is now called Lozere. It attacked and killed many, people between the years 1764 and 1767, most of its victims were women and children. The animal was described as large, cow sized. with a long tail with a tuft of fur on the end like a lion, a greyhound-like head, and long protruding teeth. It was furry with either stripes or a brindle pattern. It was killed in 1767 by a well known wolf hunter called Jean Chastel. No one was able to identify what the beast was.
Bergman's Bear
Possible unknown species of giant bear once roamed Eastern Asia, and still may.
Bili Ape
Giant chimpanzees appear to live in remote east Africa, where much evidence points to their existence, including photos, footprints and ground nests.
Birds-of-Paradise
Six species from New Guinea and surrounding islands, and a distinctive Long-Tailed Black Bird-of-Paradise from Goodenough Island are of interest to cryptozoology.
Black Panthers and Maned Mystery Cats
Sighting of large Black Panthers worldwide and seemingly "African Lions" with manes in the Midwest USA, have law enforcement officials on the alert.
Blue Mountain panthers
These unknown cats reportedly live in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, Australia.
Blue Tiger
These mystery felids are spotted in the Fujian Province, China, and are also filed under the name Black Tiger.
Bobo
Sea monsters of the North Pacific Ocean are frequently reported off Monterey Bay since the 1940s, and have been given this local name.
Bondegezou FOUND!
This was known by tribes in Irian Jaya as the 'man of the forest', and in 1994 Tim Flannery identified it as a new species of tree kangaroo
Brosnie
A lake monsters from Lake Brosno, which is 400kms NW of Moscow. Alleged to be a huge monster that lives at the bottom of the lake, in 1996 a tourist snapped an indistinct photo of something in the lake.
Buffalo Lion
East African maneless lions are said to be man-eaters, and may reflect some new genetic alignments, akin to the King Cheetah discoveries among cheetahs.
Buru
Fifteen foot long bluish black giant lizards were seen often in the swamps, lakes and foothills of the Himalayas, up through the 1940s, although they may be extinct now.
Bunyip
Originally a creature from Dreamtime mythology of the Australian Aboriginal people. According to the mythological accounts, the bunyip was a malevolent water spirit. The bunyip had a loud, terrifying cry and the aborigines would abandon any water source where this was heard. There have been a number of modern sightings of warter creatures that have been classified as possible bunyips.
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Caddy
These unknown Sea Serpents living off the coast of British Columbia are a popular figure in Canadian cryptozoology, and fit into the classic snake like monster. In 1937 a specimen was found in the stomach of a whale
Cassie
This is the Casco Bay sea serpent of Maine, with reports going back to the 18th century.
Champ
Famous prehistoric-looking lake monster that may lurk in Lake Champlain, a 109 mile lake that borders New York, Vermont, and Ontario. A controversial photograph was taken in 1997.
Chessie
Another sea serpent, this time from Cheasapeake Bay
Chacoan Peccary FOUND! Catagonas wagneri
This was known by local tribes Paraguay as 'the Donkey Pig', and in 1974 the first specimens were brought to the west and it turned out to be a giant Peccary, weighing more than 75kg that had been thought extinct since the Pleistocene Epoch.
Chuchunaa
Another big hairy man, this time from western Siberia
Chupacabras
Also called "Goatsuckers," these bizarre Caribbean and South American cryptids are five feet tall biped creatures with short grey hair that have spiked hair and reported drain the blood through throat punctures of the livestock they kill.
Coelacanth FOUND! Latimeria chalumnae
This prehistoric fish was thought to be extinct until caught in a net off South Africa in 1938
Congo Peacock FOUND! Afropavo congensis
This prehistoric fish was thought to be extinct
Con Rit
These are sea serpents found in the oceans of South-East Asia, the word means millipede in Vietnamese,
Cryptids
These are the animals that Cryptozoologists search for, once a mystery animal is identified it is no longer a cryptid and moves from Cryptozoology to zoologys.
Cryptozoology
This is the study or search for previously unknown or hidden animals.
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Demons
Devil Bird
Devil Bird of Sri Lanka and India was once a mysterious cryptid found only in the densest mountain jungles. Known as Ulama or Maha Bakamuna. It was described it as a large bird which hid itself from humans as much as possible. Usually the only evidence of the bird's existence was its extremely loud, frightening cry, which sounded remarkably like a human being in pain or dying. A few lucky people caught a glimpse of the Ulama, and described it as similar to a cuckoo or nighthawk. Sightings persisted for hundreds of years, largely ignored, mostly due to superstitious beliefs that the bird was a thing of evil. In July of 2001, a species of owl was identified which matched the description perfectly.
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Ebu Gogo
Three feet tall, hairy little people with pot bellies and long arms sighted on the island of Flores, Indonesia. Tiny females are said to have long, pendulous breasts.
Extinction
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Flap
Term first applied to describe a short period of intensive reporting of UFO activity from a geographically restricted area, has now been used to describe clusters of other unusaul phenomena, including sightings of cryptids
Fortean
This is a general bag of weird phenomena, not necessarily involving anything paranormal but most definitely anomalous. Some have been explained, but not to the satisfaction of everyone. The best source for Fortean reports is to be found in the UK monthly magazine, Fortean Times. The field of study is named after Charles Fort (1874-1932), an American writer who collected tales of weird happenings. See also ASSAP News 79 & 90.
Found Animals
'Found' animals are those which have finally been described, usually after a significant period of searching. Examples of 'Found' land animals include the Mountain Gorilla, the
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Gargoyles
Gargoyles are those grotesque stone statues found on gothic cathedrals, often used to disguise waterspouts as fantastic beasts. Cryptozoologists use the term to describe cryptids that are roughly humanoid monsters with leathery, bat-like wings and would otherwise be known as demons.
Giant Bats
Java is supposed to harbor a bat with a twelve-foot wingspan called the ahool. In Cameroon, scientists have reported seeing a very similar large bat. The Guiafairo of Senegal is described as a giant bat that is very smelly
Giant Crocs & Lizards
Giant Hogs FOUND! Hylochoerus meinertzhageni
The Giant Forest Hog is the largest wild member of the pig family. Though known to Africans for many millennia and subject in many of these cultures to various superstitions it was not until 1904 that it became known to science.
Giant Monkey
this term
Giant Octopus
this term
Giant Salamanders
Giant Sharks - see megalodon
Giant Sloth - see Mapinguary
Giant Snakes
From jungle all over the world giant snakes have been reported. The largest are alledged to be up to 100 feet long, possibly Anacondas, on the Rio Negro of the Amazon River basin.
Giant Turtles
Globsters
These are a carcass from the sea that cannot be identified usually because it is decomposing and in poor condition. These are usually found washed up on the shore but can also be discovered by fishing boats or inside the stomach of a large creature such as a whale. Globsters are of interest to cryptozoologists simply because they are unidentified. In some cases they seem to defy identification completely - the hope is that in these cases the creature might be a new one or one previously believed to be extinct.
Goatman
The Goatman is part man and part goat. The description vary wildly. It can be smaller than an average man or twelve foot tall. Sometimes it is closer to a human form with hooves and horns, in fact this description is remarkably similar to pagans stories of nature spirits, the Greek god Pan and the Roman satyrs. These images were later incorporated into the Christian concept of Satan. Some people are convinced that at least some of the Goatman sightings are genuine. In the urban myth version, a teenage couple are out late at night when they are attacked by the Goatman. The Goatman is also frequently blamed for the deaths and disappearance of livestock and family pets. Sometimes these Goatman stories are reminiscent of Chupacabra attacks
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Hallucination
A state in which one hears, sees, smells or feels something that is not there. The person may believe that it is a true perception, but it occurs without external stimulation of the relevant sensory organ. Hallucinations occur mostly because of drugs and illness, but can be induced by sleep deprivation and extreme physical states.
Hauntings & poltergeists
Ghosts, hauntings and poltergeists are mixed up, both in people’s minds and in terms of symptoms. Theories abound, from discarnate entities to ' stone recordings' being played back. Hauntings don’t always come with a ghost, and ghosts don’t always find it impossible to interact with their surroundings. All of which makes it difficult to draw a line between these two phenomena. A typical haunting may involve an apparition, looking as solid as you or I. Or it can just be strange lights or classic apparition. A poltergeist is person centred and typically involves a person going through some tough emotional problems, often but by no means exclusively a girl at puberty. The person somehow enables these strange events to occur, and no one is sure if it is XXXXXX Other occurrences may involve puddles of water, stacking of objects, localized outbreaks of small fires, stone throwing, disembodied voices, interference with electrical equipment such as computers or telephones and messages written on walls or computer screens are sometimes reported.
Honey Island Swamp Monster
Reportedly these "Swamp Thing" monsters are seen in the Louisiana swamps.
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Igopogo
Lake Simcoe, Ontario is home to Igopogo, a dog faced seal-like monster. The name is a word play on the BC lake monster Ogopogo. In 1991 one these creatures was caught on video.
Iliamna Lake Monster
Iliamna Lake is a large deep lake in Alaska and has been the site of numerous reports of monster fish. The best sighting was from the air in 1942 when a school of these 10 foot plus long, 'dull aluminum' fish were seen.
International Society of Cryptozoology
This is the major international organisation related to Cryptozoology
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Jackalope
Also called an antelabbit, aunt benny, Wyoming thistled hare or stagbunny. In folklore is said to be a cross between a jackrabbit and an antelope or deer, and is usually portrayed as a rabbit with antlers. Some believe that the tales of jackalopes were inspired by sightings of rabbits infected with the Shope papillomavirus, which causes the growth of horn like tumors in various places on the rabbit's head and body.
Jersey Devil
In 1909 these creatures created quite a flap, however these creatures that have been haunting the New Jersey Pineland forest for over 260 years and some say still do! There is evidence the 1909 flap may have been hoaxed.
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King Cheetah
For years there were stories of a large, strangely marked cheetahs in Africa. In 1973 in Kruger Park, SA, a King Cheetah was studied and found to simply be an unusual genetic variation.
Komodo Dragons
The existence of this dragon was only known to western science in 1910 after a Dutch pilot crashed on an indonesian island and it was not until 1926 that 2 live specimens were caught and brought to the west.
Kongamato
The natives of the Jiundu region of Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) have firsthand encounters with these strange flying bat-like creatures. A bat or maybe another pterosaur perhaps? More>
Kraken
The legendary Kraken is almost certainly the giant squid.
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Lake Storsjon Monster
Lake Seljord in the Telemark region of Norway has its own Lake Monsters swimming the waters here for centuries.
Lau
Are certain African lakes the home to 40 feet long unknown catfishes or lungfishes?
Loch Ness Monster
Nessie is the most famous Lake Monster in the world; they are said to inhabit this loch, an extremely deep Scottish lake.
Loveland Frog
The Loveland Frog has been seen by numerous people in the area around Loveland, Ohio. The witnesses include Police officers who observed the creatures on the side of the road. The officers watched as the giant frog like creature jump down an embankment and out of sight. The descriptions of the creature all seem to match. The man-like creature is 3 to 5 feet tall. It walks upright like a human and has webbed hands and feet. The head is that of a large frog or lizard. It's skin appears to be leathery.
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MacFarlane's Bear
The carcass is at the Smithsonian, believed to be a possible hybrid between a grizzly and polar bear. Or an new unknown species.
Mapinguari (also known as mapi, mapinguary and isnashi)
A Bigfoot like ape man. However it is more commonly thought of as a hairy giant ground sloth capable of rising up on two legs and hence giving the appearance of an ape man. When standing like this it is said to reach up to six feet in height. The mapinguari is found in South America. It is said to be largely nocturnal and to have a frightful cry and a foul smell. It has extremely powerul claws that can shred palm trees. Its hair is usually said to be red in colour. When surprised or threatened it is believed to rise up on its hind legs, emit its fierce cry and display its claws. It will also become aggressive if its territory is invaded. Giant ground sloths such as the mylodon used to exist but are believed to be long extinct. If one still exists then it could be an example of the lazurus effect. Another suggestion is that the mapinguari, if it exists, might not be a sloth but some form of anteater.
Megalodon
Minnesota Iceman
He came to prominence in the 1960s. It was claimed to be one of the most remarkable cryptozoological finds of all time: a tall, hairy "bigfoot" type hominid that had been almost perfectly preserved in a block of ice. It is almost certainly an elaborate hoax. The Iceman corpse was under the control of Frank Hansen who kept it in a refrigerated glass case. He was toured around the carnival sideshow circuit. It became widely known in 1968 when two cryptozoologists - Ivan Sanderson and Dr. Bernard Heuvelmans - became aware of it. They studied the creature as best they could & declared it genuine. Following this, the Smithsonian Institute became interested in the Minnesota Iceman and asked Hansen whether they could study it. Hansen at this point declared that the original Iceman had been returned to its mystery "millionaire owner". Hansen was, he said, now touring with a replica made for him by friends.
Moa
New Zealand's best known cryptid. This large flightless bird is a relative of the Kiwi and Emu. It is thought to have died out about 500 years ago, although there have been a number of reports in modern times. More>>
Morag
For centuries there have been reports of a lake creature, Morag, dwelling in the depths of Loch Morar, located 70 miles from Loch Ness. The creature seems to be more or less similar to the one sighted in Loch Ness. Sightings of have been numerous in this century. More>>
Mngwa
The Mngwa are cats described as being as large as donkeys, with marks like a tabby and living in Africa - but not a known species.
Mokele-Mbembe
For over two hundred years there have been reports of living Sauropods dinosaurs living in the remote Congo area of Africa. They may being confused with accounts of other local cryptids, aquatic rhinos. More >>
Mongolian Death Worm
The best named cryptid in the world! It is said to be a large, worm-like creature that lives in the Gobi Desert. Reported to grow up to five feet in length, the name derives from its alleged ability to kill its prey at a distance. More>>
Mothman
A local name for giant owls (also called Bighoot) which has been sighted for over 100 years in West Virginia-Ohio area, and elsewhere in North America.
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Ogopogo
This is Canada's most famous type of water monsters, inhabitants of Lake Okanagan in the south central interior of British Columbia.
Orang-Pendak
These reportedly small biped small apes (also called Sedapa) live in the jungles of Sumatra and Borneo.
Olifiau
A giant black bat like creature has been reported in the mountains of Cameron. It has been observed by many of the local hunters in the area. A similar creature has been seen in the Jiundu swamp in Zambia, called the Kongamato.
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Para-Cryptozoology
Para-cryptozoology is the subfield of cryptozoology dealing with the possibility that cryptids are extraterrestrial or interdimensional. "Extraterrestrial" is a familiar term to many: it means literally "out of earth", but it has come to mean "from another planet." "Interdimensional" and "ultraterrestrial" have come to mean "from another dimension", which generally means that the cryptids have no physical sense or form. Probably the only cryptid who has terrestrial, extraterrestrial, and ultraterrestrial facets is Bigfoot. The Native Americans believe Sasquatch is an ultraterrestrial creature with connections to their indigenous religion; while many scientists believe it is a "missing link" or thought-to-be-extinct primate. UFO enthusiasts tend to believe that Bigfoot is an alien creature. Many sighting reports support all of these theories.
Peruvian Mystery Jaguar
Unknown large cats with white background covered in solid irregular spots are seen in the rainforests of Peru.
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Ropen - flying creature from Umboi Island (PNG) with a wingspan of 8 to 10 m that may be bioluminescent and strongly resembles an extinct rhamphuncnicus. Read more....
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Skunk Ape
Also known by the label Myakka "Ape" and other local names (Booger, Swamp Ape), these chimpanzee- or orangutan-like primates have been sighted throughout central and south Florida.
Steller's Sea Cow
A once thought extinct species, these totally marine animals, looking like huge, wrinkled manatees, and are still being seen by Russian fisherman.
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Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine
Thought extinct, these wolf-like marsupials are still sighted on a regular basis in Western Australia, and perhaps New Guinea too.
Tatzelwurms
These creatures have been seen in the Swiss and Austrian Alps. They are described as scaly mountain dwelling dragons with razor sharp teeth, spiked ridges along their back of their cylindrical lizard or serpent like body. They have four legs each with three toes on each foot. It is said they are extremely aggressive and will attack if provoked. In 1924 a 5 foot long skeleton was found that resembled a lizard. Some have come to view the Tatzelwurm as a giant size member of the otter family or a giant sized Asian salamander. It has also been considered a relative of the American gila monster.
Thunderbird
In Native American legends the Thunderbird is an elemental bird spirit associated with the air and the wind. It was an intelligent bird like creature of huge size. The clapping together of its wings drew in clouds and caused the thunder whilst lightning would flash from its eyes. Many sightings of a creature resembling the legendary Thunderbird have been reported over the years. A huge bird was said to have been killed by two Arizona cowboys in 1890. The usual description of the Thunderbird is of a dark, birdlike creature with a wingspan of some 15 to 20 feet. It is sometimes described as having reptilian features, which has led some to speculate that it might be some form of surviving dinosaur.
Tzuchinoko
Unknown species of snake sighted in the upper elevations of Korea and Japan.
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Ucu
The South American Bigfoot live mainly in the Andean foothills.
Ufiti
An unknown Chimpanzee that has been seen in the forests of Malawi, with a female specimen being caught in 1964 and sent to Chester Zoo in the UK. Unfortunately she died within 5 weeks of arrival.
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Waitoreke
These strange unknown otter-like beasts are seen in New Zealand, and as yet undiscovered.
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Xing-Xing
This is a specific regional name, from southern China, for small unknown ape.
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Yeren
The Chinese Wildmen are reddish, semi-bipedal, and often encountered by locals and government officials along rural roads.
Yeti
Yeti, unknown rock apes, are creatures reported as crossing the Himalayan plateaus and living in the valley forests. There is not just "one" Abominable Snowman, and they are no "white."
Yowie
These tall hairy unknown hominoids are sighted throughout many remote areas of Australia.
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Zoology
The scientific study of the fauna of earth, was first established in the 1500's, and by the 21C has since catalogued most of the animals on Eart.