Tales of the Cryptids: Mysterious Creatures That May or May Not Exist (Darby Creek Publishing)

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Cryptozoology at the Zoological Society of London. Cryptozoology: time to come in from the cold? Or, Cryptozoology: avoid at all costs?

This ‘cultural’ view of cryptozoology is not in keeping with the ‘flesh and blood’ or ‘pelts and paws’ view preferred by advocates of the field, and for that reason it’s seen as a highly sceptical position, if not a cynical one. Ultimately it might mean that we should abandon the term cryptozoology altogether, since there may be little to no ‘zoology’ at the bottom of it. Spears’s ashy blue drawings have the impromptu feel of field sketches, while facts and alleged eyewitness accounts lend further credence to this fun handbook. Halls also provides a heartening message to readers: for any cryptid proven nonexistent, there are plenty of other weird and wonderful species to compensate.”— Publishers Weekly Should, then, cryptozoology be denounced as pseudoscience? Some argue that it should and that its practitioners are only pretending to ‘do science’. Those in favour of this view argue that cryptozoology should be considered akin to belief in the paranormal and that it functions as the thin end of the wedge when it comes to an anti-scientific view of the world. This is in keeping with the view that cryptozoology is not a subset of biological science. Rather than seeing a biological phenomenon, we’re seeing a psychological, sociocultural one, formed from intertwined strands. These involve the way in which people perform as eyewitnesses and data recallers, how people’s expectations shape what they think they see, and the cultural setting of the reporter. Essential reading for anyone with an interest in unexplained mysteries, folklore, mythology, and the supernatural. An inherently fascinating, impressively informative, truly exceptional, and unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic library Cryptid collections.”— Midwest Book Review

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There’s also the Hibagon, which lives in the mountains around Hiroshima in Japan. And there are many others. Experts say these apemen legends occurred independently across cultures. As Benjamin Radford, deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine, told Live Science, “The idea of a wild, man-like 'other' creature co-existing with us but just beyond our understanding is heavily rooted in mythology.” 9. The Honey Island Swamp Monster The Olgoï-Khorkhoï is said to be active during the months of June and July, and reportedly, you don’t even need to touch it to be taken down by the Death worm—it can kill by spitting its toxic, corrosive venom at you, or by hitting you with a bolt of electricity.

Belgian zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans used sightings to create nine categories of sea monster, from the ‘merhorse’ (top left) to the ‘father-of-all-turtles’ and snake-like yellow belly (right top and bottom). Illustration by Tyler Stone. Nessie isn’t the only aquatic cryptid out there. One is Tahoe Tessie, which supposedly lives in California and Nevada’s Lake Tahoe. Another is Ogopogo, which lives in Okanagan Lake in British Columbia. This creature appears in Syilxand Secwepemc tales as the N’ha-a-itk, an evil entity that required natives to make a sacrifice to cross the lake. White people reportedly started seeing the creature in the 1870s. The Ahool is a giant bat-like creature spotted by a scientist in the jungles of Java in Indonesia in 1925. It’s named after its call and is said to be twice as large as the large flying fox bat, which, with a wingspan of 5 feet is among the largest bats in the world. Some have said the creature might be a pterosaur; others believe it could be an owl. 22. The Beast of Exmoor For what it’s worth, Dr. Charles Goldman, an expert on inland aquatic systems, believes that sightings of lake monsters like Nessie, Tessie, and Ogopogo are actually mirages caused by temperature changes in the deep, cold lakes. Another possible explanation is the very big fish, like sturgeons, that live in those bodies of water. 13. Mokele-mbembeFlatwoods Monster of West Virginia, a robotic extraterrestrial that crash-landed in rural Appalachia The name Ogopogo is thought to derive from a popular mid-'20s nonsense song that included the lyrics: In recent years, some apparently good evidence for bigfoot has dissolved under scrutiny. Alleged dermal ridges have proved to be artifacts of the plaster-pouring process, as demonstrated by Matt Crowley (image of plaster ridges by Matt Crowley, used with permission). And claims that the lustrous pelt and realistic muscle tone of 'Patty' can't be replicated by a suit are highly questionable - look at the realistic tone and texture of the obviously fake suit on the right (photo by Darren Naish). Batsquatch of Washington, a winged bigfoot that is said to have emerged from the eruption of Mount Saint Helens

Of course, not everyone believes this story is true, not the least because it didn’t come to light for decades. In the world of cryptids, nothing is simple. 11. and 12. Tahoe Tessie and OgopogoMeanwhile, writings on the topic would amalgamate reports as if they pertained to the same thing. In the case of water monsters, the accounts likely describe observations of swimming deer, seals, water birds, large fish, floating wood, unusual waves and wakes, and boats. I began to think that it was naïve and literalist to regard cryptids as unknown animals. At least, that’s the traditional definition of a cryptid. Since cryptozoology was established in its modern form in the fifties, the definition has widened to encompass even more fantastical creatures as more people grow interested in the topic. This includes extraterrestrial entities, creatures from folklore such as mermaids and gnomes, sentient non-humans like the Menehune of Hawaii, and even (possibly) robots. This expanding definition of cryptid isn’t just because cryptozoology fans are a welcoming lot. It’s because cryptid has become synonymous with monster, of any kind. Cryptid fans love monsters, and pop culture cryptozoology is basically Pok.mon: we want to collect all the monster stories, and we want the widest variety of them in our collection as possible. Also known as “The Big Gray Man,” this creature is said to inhabit the summit of Ben Macdui, the second-highest mountain in Scotland. Supposedly you can hear its disembodied footsteps in the gravel on the mountain, and when the fog thins, you’ll see a hairy humanoid three times taller than a man. 7. and 8. Yowies and Habagon Thoughtful and well-researched…a worthy addition to any cryptid enthusiast’s library.”— AIPT Comics

The Beast of Exmoor prowls the fields near Somerset and Devon in the UK and has been spotted numerous times since the 1970s. This is not the kind of cat you’d want to cuddle up with: The killings of hundreds of sheep have been pinned on the creature, which is said to be up to 6.5 feet long. Naish, D. 2016. Hunting Monsters: Cryptozoology and the Reality Behind the Myths. Arcturus, London. Kelly Milner Halls shares exciting information that, amidst all the fun fantasy, also manages to be both historically accurate and scientific. Cryptid Creatures will encourage kids to discover the world around them and explore the its many wonders”— Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living Magazine

I love folklore, so naturally, I also love cryptids, since they're basically the scary story versions of modern folklore. Which is precisely what I enjoyed about The United States of Cryptids.”—BoingBoing A cryptid is a creature or species whose existence is scientifically unproven. Maybe it’s been witnessed or rumored to exist, maybe it’s even been caught on video, but there is no definitive physical evidence to examine: no body to dissect, no remains to analyze. Scientists place those creatures in the category of fantasy instead of zoology. Cryptozoologists, though, who study and pursue cryptids, place them in the entirely separate category of cryptozoology. While the fantastical Mothman and the Jersey Devil may be the first cryptids you think of, a cryptid can be as comparatively mundane as a New England panther or an American lion; animals that once existed but are now believed by the scientific establishment to be extinct. Sometimes these animals are even discovered: the coelacanth, a fish thought to have gone extinct in the age of the dinosaurs, was discovered alive in 1938. A cryptid can even be an ordinary animal that is supposedly thriving where it couldn’t be, like a population of alligators in the Manhattan sewers, or freshwater octopuses.