List of 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.

"Cryptid" redirects here. Not to be confused with Cryptic or Cryptozoa.

"Cryptids" redirects here. For the 2023 film, see Cryptids (film).

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

See also: List of lake monsters

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
Capelobo[22]		Humanoid anteater monster	Brazil
Chupacabra[23]	Chupacabras (Spanish for goat-sucker)		Puerto Rico (originally), South and Central America, Southern North America
Dover Demon[24]			Dover, Massachusetts
Eastern Cougar[25]			Eastern United States
Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp[26]	Lizard Man of Lee County	Bipedal	South Carolina, United States
Malagasy hippo[27]	Malagasy pygmy hippopotamus, Madagascan pygmy hippopotamus, kilopilopitsofy, tsy-aomby-aomby, omby-rano, laloumena, mangarsahoc	Hippo	Madagascar
Mapinguari[28]	Mapinguary	Giant Ground Sloth or primate	Amazons
Michigan Dogman[29]		Humanoid dog	Wexford County, Michigan
Minhocão[citation needed]	Big Earthworm	Caecilian	South America
Moa[30]		Flightless bird	New Zealand
Mongolian death worm[31]	Allghoi (or orghoi) khorkhoi	Worm-like animal	Gobi Desert (Asia)
Nandi bear[32]	Chemosit, Kerit, Koddoelo, Ngoelo, Ngoloko, Duba	Large carnivore	Eastern Africa
Queensland Tiger[33]	Yarri	Large feline	Queensland
Thylacine[34][35]	Tasmanian Tiger, Tasmanian Wolf	Marsupial	Australia, New Guinea
Zanzibar leopard[36]		Large feline	Zanzibar

Hominid

See also: Wild man

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 ape or hominid	Asia/Caucasus
Amomongo[37]	Orang Mawas, Impakta	Ape or hominid	Negros Occidental, Philippines
Barmanou[citation needed]	Barmanu, Big Hairy One	Ape or hominid	Middle East/Asia
Bigfoot[38]	Sasquatch	Large and hairy ape-like creature	United States and Canada
Bukit Timah Monkey Man[39]	BTM, BTMM	Forest-dwelling hominid or other primate	Singapore
Chuchunya[40]		Large hominid	Russia
Cryptoterrestrial[41]	Majeena', Wandjina	Humanoid creature associated with UFO abductions and close encounters, interpreted as a terrestrial hidden race	Brazil, Mount Rainier, Mount Shasta, and Antarctica in Nazi UFO conspiracy lore
Fouke Monster[42]	Jonesville Monster, Southern Sasquatch, Boggy Creek Monster	Hominid or other primate	Arkansas, United States
Honey Island Swamp monster[43]	Letiche, Tainted Keitre	Hominid or other primate	Louisiana, United States
Orang Pendek		Small hominid	Sumatra
Nittaewo[44]	Nittevo	Small hominids	Sri Lanka
Skunk ape[45]	Stink Ape, Myakka Ape, Myakka Skunk Ape	Primate	Florida, United States
Yeren[46][45]	Yiren, Yeh Ren, Chinese Wildman	Primate (possible hominin)	China
Yeti[47]	Abominable Snowman	Large and hairy human-like entity, various other descriptions	Himalayas (Asia)
Yowie[44]		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[48]	Winged Man, Bird Man, UFO-Bird, Mason Bird Monster	Winged bipedal	Mason County, West Virginia, United States
Rod[49]	Skyfish, Air Rod, Solar Entity	Small flying stick-like creatures	Worldwide
Ropen[50]		Large bat-like creature or pterosaur	New Guinea
Thunderbird[51][52]		Giant bird	North America

See also

• Animalia Paradoxa
• Fearsome critters
• Legendary creature
• List of cryptozoologists
• Lists of legendary creatures
• List of megafauna discovered in modern times
• List of urban legends

References

1. Hill, Sharon A. (2017). Scientifical Americans: The Culture of Amateur Paranormal Researchers. McFarland. p. 66. ISBN 9781476630823.
2. 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.
3. Loxton & Prothero 2013, pp. 261–295.
4. Shermer, Michael; Linse, Pat (November 2002). The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience. Vol. 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 72. ISBN 9781576076538.
5. Mörzer Bruyns, W. F. J. (1971). Field guide of whales and dolphins. Rivonverhandeling. Tor. pp. 124–125. ISBN 978-90-70055-09-7
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9. 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.
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27. 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.
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33. Smith, Malcolm (1996). Bunyips & bigfoots : in search of Australia's mystery animals. Alexandria, NSW: Millennium Books. ISBN 1-86429-081-1. OCLC 36719441.
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35. "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)
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39. "On the hunt for the elusive Bukit Timah Monkey Man". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
40. O'Carroll, Eoin (28 September 2018). "Bigfoot and beyond: Why tales of wild men endure". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
41. Tonnies, Mac (March 2010). The Cryptoterrestrials A Meditation on Indigenous Humanoids and the Aliens Among Us (PDF). Anomalist Books. p. 34, 37, 113. ISBN 9781933665467. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
42. Dunning, B. (4 March 2014). "Skeptoid #404: The Boggy Creek Monster". Skeptoid. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
43. 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.
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45. 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.
46. "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.
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48. Kantrowitz, Lia; Fitzmaurice, Larry; Terry, Josh (16 January 2018). "People Keep Seeing the Mothman in Chicago". Vice. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
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51. Nez, Noah (18 July 2012). "Thunderbirds". Skeptical Inquirer. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
52. "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.

External links

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