What is Cryptozoology?

This might be the first time you are hearing this term. Cryptozoology is the study of animals/organisms that are rumored to exist. These things have never been recorded by science and remain a myth or folklore. For years, people have claimed to witness certain animals that scientists and researchers have been working to uncover. Animals like the Bigfoot and Lochness Monster are the most popular in that respect.

Although Cryptozoology is believed to be more science fiction than fact but investigators have been trying to get their hands on any evidence they could find. Furthermore, the animals belonging to cryptozoology feature legendary stories in some countries and are deeply rooted as well. Even though new discoveries are made and update is done on these creatures, there is still a lot that remains to be told. Therefore, let us see what cryptozoology has to offer.

Probably the most famous and popular amongst cryptids is the Loch Ness monster of Scotland. From 565 A.D, people have been claiming to witness the Loch Ness monster from time to time. According to the reports, it is believed that the creature features a long neck. Furthermore, it has several humps on its body and at least one always pops out of the water. Considering its body features, some believe that it might just be an extinct reptile such as a plesiosaur that made its way into the lake years ago and continued to live here.

The hype surrounding the Loch Ness monster was given a boost when a ‘surgeon’s photo’ was taken in 1934 and became the most popular thing back then. With a hump protruding from the water, many have believed that it is infact the Loch Ness monster. However, others oppose the idea. They say that plesiosaurs have gone extinct and preferred saltwater environments, whereas the Loch Ness is a freshwater lake. Therefore, it would not be able to survive due to the condition of the water.

The Flores Island of Indonesia has to tell an interesting story about a mysterious creature known as ‘Ebu Gogo’ who would abduct children. They would murmur with each other to communicate. Initially, scientist and researchers did not pay any attention to the myth but in 2003, when the remains of Homo floreiensis was found, the idea now was to take it seriously.

Scientists went into full research mode and discovered that H. floresiensis might have live alongside humans as much as 12,000 years ago. Based on the features, scientists have been trying to uncover as to whether they were simply humans with unique characteristics or new species. The brain size of these species was one-third of the size of the modern adult human brain. Furthermore, it is unknown as to why the species kidnapped children. There could be several reasons for it but not a single evidence has popped up in years.

While we were getting to know creatures such as the Loch Ness monster when we were kids, there was another popular figure making the rounds. In North America, it was known as Bigfoot while in the Himalayas, it was called the Yeti. For centuries, people have been telling tales about creatures existing in North America.

The Bigfoot was talked about by first nation and Native American tribes, which then evolved into another name ‘Sasquatch’. As it is evident from the name, the Big Foot or the Yeti were recognized by their strong and tall structure. Furthermore, they had muscular legs with bigfoot. The most common sight took place in the Pacific Northwest area, where big footprints were also found.

In addition to that, video footage, dating back to 1967, was and is the most compelling evidence to date. In this video, a human-like creature could be seen walking. People had mixed reviews about this. While some believed that it did surface, others were off the view that it was a hoax created by the footage makers. There are many other recorded sightings across the globe but since the evidence is scarce, nothing could be said for sure.

The name chupacabra comes from ‘chupar’ meaning goat sucker. It was reported to have been seen in Puerto Rico in 1995. Furthermore, it was known for attacking and sucking the blood of living beings. The identification of the creature has varied. According to some, it is a heavy creature with spikes protruding from its back to the neck. It all began in March 1995 in Puerto Rico when eight sheep were found dead with puncture wounds.

Then, it was in Manipur, India where livestock animals were killed in the same manner as a chupacabra would. It has been years since the last sighting of the chupacabra. As a result, the mythical creature remains a part of urban legend.

Moth Creatures

Another mystery creature hails from West Virginia known as the Moth Man. Between 1966 and 1967m several people have claimed that they have seen a large man-like creature with huge wings and eyes that are glowing red. This area is known as Point Pleasant in West Virginia and is the same region where people have reported seeing unknown flying objects and other occurrences of strange nature.

Since the initial sightings, the Mothman has been reported in several other countries as well such as America and Russia. Researchers and scientists have stepped forward with all types of theories claiming that it is just a mere military experiment or an alien from the outside world. Regardless of what it is, Cryptozoology has put a lot of effort into discovering how authentic this creature actually is.

Final Word

Cryptozoology has kept everyone fascinated with its mystical creatures.  Considering the abundance of knowledge and information we have, there is still a lot that needs to be uncovered. In some cases, scientists have been able to come up with answers such as in the case of the Kraken. Today, we know that the sailors of the time were describing giant squids. Therefore, in such cases, you never know what resurfaces from the dead and pokes another worldwide theory.