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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Cryptids

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 its association with Young Earth creationism), 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 Caddy Sea animal Pacific Coast of North America
Champ Champy Lake monster Lake Champlain, North America
Cryptid Whales Giglioli's Whale, Rhinoceros dolphin, High-finned sperm whale, Alula whale, Unidentified beaked whales Sea animal Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean
Dobhar-chú Water Hound, King Otter Extra-large otter-like carnivorous aquatic mammal Ireland
Gloucester sea serpent Large serpent Gloucester, Cape Ann
Iemisch Iemisch Listai Mix of a jaguar and otter Patagonia
Igopogo Kempenfelt Kelly Lake monster Lake Simcoe, Ontario (Canada)
Labynkyr Devil Labynkyrsky Chert Lake monster Oymyakonsky Ulus, Sakha Republic, Russia
Loch Ness Monster Nessie Lake monster Loch Ness, Scotland Sculpture of the Loch Ness monster as a plesiosaurus
Loveland Frog Loveland frogman, Loveland lizard Humanoid frog Loveland, Ohio
Manipogo Winnipogo Lake monster Lake Manitoba, Canada
Megalodon (surviving populations) Otodus megalodon Giant prehistoric shark Oceans
Mokele-mbembe Dinosaur (lake, river and/or swamp monster) Republic of the Congo
Ogopogo N'ha•a•itk, Naitaka Lake monster Lake Okanagan, Canada
Sea serpents Sea animals, dinosaurs All bodies of water
Selma Seljordsormen Lake monster Lake Seljord, Telemark, Norway
Steller's sea ape Sea animal Pacific Ocean

Terrestrial

Name Other names Description Purported location Depiction
British big cats Alien big cats (ABCs), phantom cats, mystery cats, English lions,
Beast of Bodmin, Beast of Exmoor
Carnivorous mammal Great Britain
Chupacabra Chupacabras (Spanish for goat-sucker) Puerto Rico (originally),
South and Central America,
Southern North America
Dover Demon Dover, Massachusetts
Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp Lizard Man of Lee County Bipedal South Carolina, United States
Mapinguari Mapinguary Giant Ground Sloth or primate Amazons
Michigan Dogman Humanoid dog Wexford County, Michigan
Mongolian death worm Allghoi (or orghoi) khorkhoi Worm-like animal Gobi Desert (Asia)
Nandi bear Chemosit, Kerit, Koddoelo, Ngoelo, Ngoloko, Duba Large carnivore Eastern Africa
Queensland Tiger Yarri Large feline Queensland
Thylacine (surviving original populations) Tasmanian tiger. Tasmanian wolf Carnivorous marsupial Australia

Papua New Guinea

Name Other names Description Purported location Depiction
Almas 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 ape or hominid Asia/Caucasus
Amomongo Orang Mawas, Impakta Ape or hominid Negros Occidental, Philippines
Barmanou Barmanu, Big Hairy One Ape or hominid Middle East/Asia
Bigfoot Sasquatch Large and hairy ape-like creature United States and Canada
Bukit Timah Monkey Man BTM, BTMM Forest-dwelling hominid or other primate Singapore
Chatawa Monster Large ape-like creature Mississippi, United States
Chuchunya Large hominid Russia
Fouke Monster Jonesville Monster, Southern Sasquatch, Boggy Creek Monster Hominid or other primate Arkansas, United States
Honey Island Swamp monster Letiche, Tainted Keitre Hominid or other primate Louisiana, United States
Orang Pendek Small hominid Sumatra
Nittaewo Nittevo Small hominids Sri Lanka
Skunk ape Stink Ape, Myakka Ape, Myakka Skunk Ape Primate Florida, United States
Yeren Yiren, Yeh Ren, Chinese Wildman Primate (possible hominin) China
Yeti Abominable Snowman Large and hairy human-like entity, various other descriptions Himalayas (Asia)
Yowie Large and hairy human-like entity, various other descriptions Australia

Flying

Name Other names Description Purported location Depiction
Jersey Devil 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 Winged Man, Bird Man, UFO-Bird, Mason Bird Monster Winged bipedal Mason County, West Virginia, United States
Rod Skyfish, Air Rod, Solar Entity Small flying stick-like creatures Worldwide
Ropen Large bat-like creature or pterosaur New Guinea

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Otodus is the currently accepted genus name for megalodon. Older sources refer to the genus as Carcharodon, Carcharocles, and several other names.
  2. ^ There is an ongoing de-extinction project to revive the species through genome editing, this entry refers to the possibility of surviving populations.

References

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  4. ^ Shermer, Michael; Linse, Pat (November 2002). The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience. Vol. 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 72. ISBN 9781576076538.
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  46. ^ Loxton & Prothero 2013, p. 73.
  47. ^ Kantrowitz, Lia; Fitzmaurice, Larry; Terry, Josh (16 January 2018). "People Keep Seeing the Mothman in Chicago". Vice. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  48. ^ "rods - The Skeptic's Dictionary - Skepdic.com". www.skepdic.com. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  49. ^ "Don't Get Strung Along by the "Ropen" Myth".

Sources

  • The dictionary definition of cryptid at Wiktionary
  • Media related to Cryptozoology at Wikimedia Commons