Long before Scully joined Mulder in the basement of the FBI building, humans had been fascinated with folklore. We’ve all heard of the Sasquatch stomping its way across the Pacific Northwest and the Lochness Monster haunting the waters of the Scottish Highlands, both examples of cryptids. These creatures are claimed to exist among us, but without the scientific evidence to prove it.
These legendary lifeforms form the field of cryptozoology, a branch of zoology focused on the existence of cryptids.
While it’s primarily considered a pseudoscience, cryptozoologists take their work very seriously. They base their investigations on biological, archeological, and ecological facts as they analyze the unknown.
Are cryptids simply a Halloween horror brought to life in the retelling of our stories? Or do they exist on the fringes of society?
Sasquatch Bigfoot
What are Cryptids and Cryptozoology?
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Thylacine – Tasmanian Tiger:
Truth Is Sometimes Stranger Than Fiction
Despite their seemingly impossible existence, most cryptids seem to have some basis in reality. Mother nature can create some strange-looking creatures. These oddities of evolution could easily be mistaken for something fresh out of The X-Files. Take, for example, the thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger.
Much like the griffin or sphinx, this “dog-headed possum” seemed to be a mish-mash of kangaroo, wolf, and Lovecraftian horror. This is thanks to its massive mouth, studded in razor-sharp teeth that opened up to 80 degrees.
Despite its distinctive canine appearance, thylacine had a pouch to carry its young and muscular, rat-like tail. It can also transition from a quadrupedal, stiff gait to a bipedal hop.
Last Captive Thylacine ‘Benjamin’ 1933 Image by Dr. David Fleay Source: The Thylacine Museum
The thylacine is undoubtedly real, or at least they were, before supposedly going extinct in 1936. Despite that, thousands of unconfirmed sightings, blurry photographs, and footprint evidence lead many to believe it’s still prowling the Outback. Some of these are as recent as 2021.
The thylacine is a cryptid because it’s extinct, so the science community doesn’t accept its existence as fact. Instead, many zoologists declare this questionable evidence is hogwash and another example of people’s ability to create folklore despite realities.
Yet, the believers among us note that coelacanth, Chapman’s pygmy chameleon, and many others thought extinct have re-emerged after decades. If it’s possible for them, why not for the strange thylacine?
Searching for the Tasmanian Tiger | Joe Rogan & Forrest Galante
Chupacabra: Vampiric Cattle Predator or Desperate Wild Dog?
The chupacabra, or “goat sucker,” is a folkloric nightmare blamed for a rash of livestock deaths in the mid-90s.
A Puerto Rican comedian coined the term after news broke of farmers waking to find their livestock drained of blood. They were covered in small, circular puncture wounds that looked suspiciously like fang marks.
As the legend of the chupacabra rocked farming communities across the Americas, more reports rolled in with sightings to match.
Descriptions tend to fall in one of two camps: a bipedal alien-esque reptilian creature or something like a hairless dog. Both feature a brutal set of spikes running down their spine and menacing red eyes.
Most skeptics chalk the attack to mange-ridden coyotes on the hunt for a good meal. However, believers know better than to leave their chicken coop unlocked after sunset.
Chupacabra figure in the Bestiary Museum – Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Mothman: Point Pleasent Prophet or Shared Delusion?
The man, the moth, the legend. Hailing from the forests of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, Mothman flapped his way onto the scene in 1966. Two teenage couples reported they spotted a seven-foot tall, red-eyed figure cloaked in black near the National Guard Armory Building.
As they hightailed it home, the creature unfurled massive, leathery wings and took the skies. It followed closely behind before swooping out of sight as the car neared town.
The town was instantly swept up in Mothman-ia as headlines proclaimed, “Couples See Man-Sized Bird… Creature… Something.” This only added to the mystery of the cryptid supposedly stalking the outskirts of this tiny community.
Reports rolled in at break-neck speeds. After a few weeks, though, things started to settle back down. At least until poor design led to 46 deaths after the Silver Bridge collapsed into the Ohio River.
People reported that just before the chains began to snap, a large “something” was spotted hovering above. This sparked a debate that still leads to flaring tempers today.
Point Pleasant has since made a name for itself among the cryptidcore crowd. They opened a Mothman museum and erected a 12-feet tall metal statue in the town center.
Scientists believe the sandhill crane, a red-eyed bird with a five-foot wing span, is the culprit. However, amateur and professional cryptozoologists alike aren’t convinced.
Mothman
Werewolf: Lycanthrope of Legend or Grey Wolf Gone Bad?
In the pastoral village of 18th century Geavaudan, France, residents were seldom seen after twilight. Whispers of a fang-bearing brute filled the air as villagers were savagely attacked by a great, shaggy half-man, half-beast.
And so goes perhaps the most famous story of the werewolf. This ferocious fiend could mask its bestial nature and live amongst humans. That is, at least until the full moon’s light activates their lycanthropic, supernatural powers.
While this story is compelling, it’s not the first time fear of the human hybrid gripped the collective conscience. The Epic of Gilgamesh, the earliest creation myth, detailed a woman who turned her lover into a wolf.
Like the witches of Salem, community fears of the things that lurked in the woods manifested as accusations and persecution. Those suspected of cavorting with wolves were killed, though most assume it was another symptom of mass hysteria.
Yet, we know that creatures not dissimilar to a werewolf once roamed the land. Dire wolves, with teeth stronger than any other known canine, subsisted on the megafauna of the early Holocene era.
Could the werewolf simply be the remnants of our ancestors’ attempts to explain a world they didn’t understand? Or have dire wolves quietly continued their existence by focusing their predation on human prey?
Werewolf
Learn More About Cryptids & Cryptozoology
Cryptids are a fascinating topic and one that continues to evolve. As our abilities to evaluate fossil evidence, explore previously unexplored expanses of earth, and communicate across great distances increase, so too does the accumulation of knowledge with which we can evaluate these mythological creatures.
The International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine, is an excellent place to start. Their collections will leave even the most skeptical wondering whether we still have much to learn about the natural world.
Loch Ness Monster
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