Cryptozoology is the study of rumored or mythological animals that are presumed (at least by the researcher) to exist, but for which conclusive proof does not yet exist; or are generally considered extinct, but occasionally reported. Those who study or search for such animals are called cryptozoologists, while the hypothetical creatures involved are referred to by some as "cryptids". A rumor (British English: rumour) is a piece of purportedly true information that is circulated without substantiating evidence. ... This article is about a system of myths. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Bilateria Acoelomorpha Orthonectida Rhombozoa ?Myxozoa Superphylum Deuterostomia    Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... For the suburb of Melbourne, Australia, see Research, Victoria. ... In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ... A hypothesis (= assumption in ancient Greek) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. ...

Invention of the term is usually attributed to zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans, who coined the word to mean "the study of hidden animals". Huevelmans' monumental 1955 book, On The Track of Unknown Animals is often seen as the disipline's genesis, but Huevelmans himself traced the scholarly origins of the discipline to Anthonid Cornelis Oudemans and his 1892 study, The Great Sea Serpent. Zoology (Greek zoon = animal and logos = word) is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals. ... Bernard Heuvelmans (born 1916) was the founder of the science of cryptozoology, and an explorer, a researcher, and a writer on the subject. ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Anthonid Cornelis Oudemans was a Dutch scientist. ... 1892 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Sea serpent has come to mean almost invariably a mythical sea monster that is generally long and serpentine. ...

Huevelmans argued that cryptozoology should be undertaken with scientific rigor, but also with an open-minded, interdisciplinary approach. Furthermore, according to Heuvelmans, special attention should also be given to folklore regarding creatures. While often layered in unlikely, fantasic elements, folktales may contain grains of truth that could help guide those researching reports of unusual animals. For the medical term see rigor (medicine) Rigour (American English: rigor) has a number of meanings in relation to intellectual life and discourse. ... Interdisciplinary work is that which integrates concepts across different disciplines. ... Folklore is the ethnographic concept of the tales, legends, or superstitions current among a particular ethnic population, a part of the oral history of a particular culture. ...

Some cryptozoologists align themselves with a more scientifically rigorous field like zoology, while others tend toward an anthropological slant or even a fortean perspective. The fringes of cryptozoology are often considered pseudoscience by mainstream biologists. Zoology (Greek zoon = animal and logos = word) is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals. ... Anthropology (from the Greek word άνθρωπος = human) consists of the study of humankind (see genus Homo). ... Charles Fort, 1920 Charles Hoy Fort (August 6, 1874 - May 3, 1932), writer and researcher into anomalous phenomena, was the son of an Albany grocer of Dutch ancestry. ... A pseudoscience is any body of knowledge purported to be scientific or supported by science but which fails to comply with the scientific method. ... A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of organisms. ...

Mainstream reaction

While many cryptozoologists strive for legitimacy and many are respected scientists in other fields, and though discoveries of previously unknown animals are often subject to great attention, cryptozoology per se has never been fully embraced by the scientific community, and one cannot obtain a cryptozoological degree from any college or university. A college ( Latin collegium) can be the name of any group of colleagues; originally it meant a group of people living together under a common set of rules (con-, together + leg-, law). As a consequence members of colleges were originally styled fellows and still are in some places. ... A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees. ...

Recently, however, Henry Gee, editor of the prestigious journal Nature, writes that cryptozoology "can come in from the cold" [1]  (http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041025/full/041025-2.html) due to the unexpected and startling discovery of Homo floresiensis (further details below). Nature is one of the oldest and most reputable general-purpose scientific journals, first published on November 4, 1869. ... Binomial name Homo floresiensis P. Brown , 2004 Homo floresiensis (Man of Flores) is a newly described species in the genus Homo, remarkable for its small body, small brain, and recent survival. ...

A cryptozoologist may propose that an interest in such a phenomenon does not entail belief, but a detractor will reply that accepting unsubstantiated sightings is itself a belief. Cryptozoologists tend to be responsible for disproving their own objects of study. For example, some cryptozoologists have collected statistical data and studied witness accounts that challenge the validity of many Bigfoot sightings. Belief is assent to a proposition. ... Frame 352 from the Patterson-Gimlin film This article is about Bigfoot, an unconfirmed North American ape-like creature. ...

Scientists have demonstrated that some creatures of mythology, legend or local folklore were rooted in real animals or phenomena. Thus, cryptozoologists hold that people should be open to the possibility that many more such animals exist. In the early days of western exploration of the world, many native tales of unknown animals were initially dismissed as mythology or superstition by western scientists, but consequently proven to have a real basis in biological fact. Cryptozoologists often point out that natives often know a great deal more about their immediate environment (and the animals that inhabit it) than western investigators, and therefore suggest that, even today, thus far unproven tales and traditions regarding unknown undescribed animals in native folklore should not be summarily dismissed in the same way. This article is about a system of myths. ... Western can refer to: A Western blot is a method in molecular biology to detect a certain protein in a sample by using antibody specific to that protein. ... The term native as an adjective or noun has the following meanings. ... Superstition is a set of behaviors that may be faith based, or related to magical thinking, whereby the practitioner believes that the future, or the outcome of certain events, can be influenced by certain of his or her behaviors. ...

There are several animals cited as examples for continuing cryptozoological efforts:

• The coelacanth, a primitive fish, a "living fossil" believed to have been extinct for 65 million years, was caught in a fishing net in 1938 off the coast of Africa.

• Of an even older lineage than the coelacanth are the Graptolites. Living representatives were first found in 1882, although the group had previously been presumed to have been extinct for 300 million years. Cryptozoologists point these out to demonstrate that there are many unexplored regions of the world left, and that remote exotic locations or specialized ecosystems relatively untouched by man may contain unexpected life.

• Similarly cited is the 1976 discovery of the previously unknown megamouth shark, discovered off Oahu, Hawaii, when it tried to eat a ship's anchor. Some have cautioned against applying the "megamouth analogy" too broadly to hypothetical creatures, noting that while "the megamouth does show that the oceans have a lot of secrets left to reveal ... The megamouth is not a useful analogy to support the existence of marine cryptids" in general. [2]  (http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bz050/megalodon.html)

• Also cited is the 2003 discovery of the remains of Homo floresiensis, a descendent of Homo erectus which took the anthropological community completely by surprise. The fact that myths of a strikingly similar creature, called Ebu Gogo by the local people, have persisted until as late as the 19th Century has given the field of study new credibility from the rest of the scientific community.

• Cryptozoological supporters have noted that many unfamiliar animals, when first reported, were considered hoaxes, delusions or misidentifications. The platypus, giant squid (and it should be noted that the colossal squid has now been discovered), mountain gorilla, and komodo dragon are a few such creatures. Supporters note that unyielding skepticism may in fact inhibit discovery of unknown animals. Others have suggested a rigid World view disallows many academics from accepting evidence contrary to their preconceptions.

Georges Cuvier's so-called "Rash Dictum" is sometimes cited as a reason that researchers should avoid "rash" conclusions: In 1821, Cuvier remarked that it was unlikely for any large, unknown animal to be discovered, not because they aren't conspicious, but because there aren't that many. Many such discoveries have been made since Cuvier's statement (though less than 50 in number). It's been argued that the chances of uncovering large, previously unknown vertebrates are very slender when compared to uncovering unknown invertebrates. It is the commitment to spectacular animals (mostly vertebrates) that makes cryptozoology's critics suspicious of sensationalism. Species Latimeria chalumnae Latimeria menadoensis Coelacanths (pronounced SEE-le-canth, meaning hollow spine in Greek) are lobe-finned fish with the pectoral and anal fins on fleshy stalks supported by bones, and the tail fin divided into three lobes, the middle one of which also has a stalk. ... Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus, the most abundant fish species in the world. ... Living fossil is a term for any living species which closely resembles a species otherwise only known from fossils, i. ... 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... Graptolites (Graptolita) are colonial animals known chiefly from the Upper Cambrian through the Mississippian (Lower Carboniferous). ... 1882 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... In ecology, an ecosystem is a community of organisms (plant, animal and other living organisms - also referred as biocenose) together with their environment (or biotope), functioning as a unit. ... 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Binomial name Megachasma pelagios Taylor, Compagno and Struhsaker, 1983 The Megamouth Shark (Megachasma pelagios) is an extremely rare and unusual species of shark, first seen in 1976, with 21 specimens having been found as of 2004. ... The Island of O‘ahu. ... State nickname: The Aloha State Other U.S. States Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Governor Linda Lingle Official languages Hawaiian and English Area 28,337 km² (43rd)  - Land 16,649 km²  - Water 11,672 km² (41. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Events January January 1 - Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil. ... Binomial name Homo floresiensis P. Brown , 2004 Homo floresiensis (Man of Flores) is a newly described species in the genus Homo, remarkable for its small body, small brain, and recent survival. ... Binomial name Homo erectus Dubois, 1894 Homo erectus (upright man) is a hominid species that is believed to be an ancestor of modern humans. ... Ebu Gogo is a human-like creature (or race of creatures) of similar mythological form to the leprechaun or elf which appears in the mythology of the people of the island of Flores, Indonesia. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... A hoax is an attempt to trick an audience into believing that something false is real. ... This article is about the monotreme mammal. ... Species Architeuthis dux Architeuthis hartingii Architeuthis japonica Architeuthis kirkii Architeuthis martensi Architeuthis physeteris Architeuthis sanctipauli Architeuthis stockii Giant squid are marine mollusks of the class Cephalopoda, represented by the eight species of the genus Architeuthis. ... Binomial name Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni (Robson, 1925) The Colossal Squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) is the largest known type of squid and the only species in its genus, Mesonychoteuthis. ... The gorilla, the largest of the primates, is a ground-dwelling herbivore that inhabits the forests of central Africa. ... Binomial name Varanus komodoensis Ouwens, 1912 The Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the largest lizard in the world, growing to a length of 3 metres and weighing between 80 and 140 kg (175 to 310 lb). ... Skepticism (Commonwealth spelling: Scepticism) can mean: Philosophical skepticism - a philosophical position in which people choose to critically examine whether the knowledge and perceptions that they have are actually true, and whether or not one can ever be said to have absolutely true knowledge; or Scientific skepticism - a scientific, or practical... A world view, also spelled as worldview is a term calqued from the German word Weltanschauung (look onto the world). The German word is also in wide use in English, as well as the translated form world outlook. ... Plato is credited with the inception of academia: the body of knowledge, its development and transmission across generations. ... Georges Cuvier Baron Georges Leopold Chretien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier (August 23, 1769 - May 13, 1832) was a French naturalist, He was born at Montbéliard (then Mömpelgard in Württemberg) under the name of Johann Leopold Nicolaus Friedrich Kuefer, and was the son of a retired officer... Events February 23 - The Philadelphia College of Apothecaries founds the first pharmacy college. ...

Along similar lines, the emblem of the Society for Cryptozoology is the okapi, a forest-dwelling relative of the giraffe that was unknown to Western scientists prior to 1901. The International Society for Cryptozoology was founded in 1982 to serve as a scholarly center for documenting and evaluating evidence of unverified animals; that is, animal species or forms which have been reported in some manner but which have not been scientifically proven to exist. ... Binomial name Okapia johnstoni (P.L. Sclater, 1901) The Okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is the closest living relative of the Giraffe. ... Binomial name Giraffa camelopardalis Linnaeus, 1758 The Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an even-toed ungulate mammal and the tallest of all land living animal species. ... 1901 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Notable topics of interest in cryptozoology

Primates and man-apes

• Almas
• Bigfoot
• Bili Ape
• Humanzee (debunked by DNA tests)
• Minnesota Iceman
• Monkey-man of New Delhi
• Mono Grande
• Nguoi Rung
• Orang Pendek
• Skunk Ape
• Yeren
• Yeti
• Yowie
• Loys's Ape

Almas ( Mongolian for wild man), is a reported hair-covered (except for hands and face) hominid species said to live in the Pamir Mountains, and the Altai mountains of southern Mongolia, as recently as the 1970s, although it remains undescribed to science and its very existence is open to dispute. ... Frame 352 from the Patterson-Gimlin film This article is about Bigfoot, an unconfirmed North American ape-like creature. ... The so-called Bili Ape or Bondo Ape is a creature reported in Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... The humanzee is a hypothetical human/chimpanzee hybrid. ... The Minnesota Iceman is a purported creature frozen in a block of ice and displayed at state fairs or carnivals in an around Minnesota in the late 1960s as a missing link. Some have suggested the creature was a bigfoot or yeti, while others contend it was a hoax. ... Police artists impression of the Monkey Man of New Delhi The Monkey Man of New Delhi was a phenomenon that surfaced in New Delhi in 2001. ... Occasional reports of large monkey-like creatures have been made from South America. ... Nguoi Rung is a creature said to inhabit Vietnam, reputedly similar to the bigfoot, sometimes also known as forest people. It is described as being approximately six feet tall and completely covered with hair except the knees, the soles of the feet, the hands and the face. ... The Orang Pendek or Orang Pendak is a cryptid that is supposedly an unclassified species of primate similar to the orangutan that inhabits remote regions of the island of Sumatra. ... The Skunk Ape is a supposed type of Bigfoot from Florida, USA, named so because it carries with it the odor of rotten sewage. ... The Yeren, variously referred to as the Yiren, Yeh Ren, Chinese Wildman, or Yen Hsiung (man bear) is said to be an as yet undiscovered hominid residing in the mountainous regions of Chinas Hubei province. ... The Yeti is the Western name given to a large primate-like creature reported to live in the Himalaya. ... The Yowie is a rare cultivar of the marijuana plant, also known as the Maui-Wowy. ... the only known picture of Loyss Ape, taken in 1920 during his Venezuela Expedition Ameranthropoides Loysi, (otherwise known as Loyss Ape), an otherwise unknown primate encountered in South America. ...

Little people

• Ebu Gogo
• elf
• Tomte (Scandinavia)
• Domovoi (Russia)
• Domowije (Poland)
• Haltija or tonttu (Finland)
• Brownie (elf)
• Leprechaun
• Kallikantzaroi
• Menehune
• Sprite (fantasy)
• Pixie
• gnome
• Korrigans
• goblin
• Faerie
• satyr
• sylph
• Dryad
• Boggart
• Bugbear
• Pooka
• Kappa
• Gremlins
• Dwarfs (Dark Elves)
• Norse dwarves
• svartalfar
• Kobolds
• Klabauters (Klabautermannikin, Kaboutermannikin)
• Poltersprites

Ebu Gogo is a human-like creature (or race of creatures) of similar mythological form to the leprechaun or elf which appears in the mythology of the people of the island of Flores, Indonesia. ... The term elf may refer to: Elf, a mythical creature, or a subtype, the dark elf Elves, a form of upper atmospheric lightning TotalFinaElf, a French oil company Elf (band), a rock group founded by Ronnie James Dio Elf (movie), a 2003 film starring Will Ferrell ELF (company), a Japanese... Nisse A tomte (derived from from the Swedish word for garden, tomt) or nisse (brownie) is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore, specifically part of a group of creatures called vetter (elf), common in rural areas. ... Domovoi (literally, one of the house) are house spirits found in Slavic folklore. ... Domovoi (literally, one of the house) are house spirits found in Slavic folklore. ... Tonttu or haltija is a Finnish version of the Swedish Tomte. ... For alternate uses, see: brownie (disambiguation) A signature Cox Brownie A brownie is a legendary kind of elf popular in folklore around England and Scotland. ... In Irish mythology, a leprechaun is a type of elf said to inhabit the island of Ireland. ... A Kallikantzaros (Καλλικάντζαρος) pl. ... In Polynesian mythology, the Menehune are similar to elves or fairies. ... This article is about the legendary creatures. ... Pixies are mythical creatures from English folklore - particularly in Devon and Cornwall, England. ... Lawn Gnome A gnome is a mythical creature characterized by small stature and living underground. ... In Breton folklore, the Korrigans are dwarf-like spirits. ... A goblin is an evil or mischievous creature of folklore, often described as a grotesquely disfigured, elf-like phantom. ... In mythology and in fiction, Faerie (also Faery) is an otherworldly realm, home to the Fae or fairies. ... Satyrs (Satyri) in Greek mythology are half-man half-beast nature spirits that haunted the woods and mountains, companions of Pan and Dionysus. ... Sylph is a faux-mythological creature in the Western tradition. ... Dryad - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... For boggarts from the Harry Potter novels, see boggart (Harry Potter). ... A bugbear is a legendary creature roughly analogous with the bogeyman, bogie, bugaboo, hobgoblin and other creatures used to frighten children. ... The Púca (also Pooka, Phouka, Púka, Glashtyn, Gruagach) is a creature of Irish and Welsh myth. ... Kappa (河童) are mythical creatures, water imps found in Japanese folklore. ... This article is about the fictional creature. ... DWARF (short for Debug With Arbitrary Record Format although rarely seen that way) is a widely used, standardized debugging data format. ... Dark elves is the name for the (mostly) evil counterparts of the elves in many mythologies and fantasy settings. ... The Norse dwarves or Duergar (ON Dvergar) are highly significant entities within Norse mythology. ... The Svartálfar (black elves) are mythical beings from Norse mythology. ... Kobolds are ugly spirits that originate from German folklore. ...

Bipedal monsters

• Chupacabra
• The Clutchbone
• Dover Demon
• Goatman
• Jersey Devil
• Lizard men
• Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp
• Loveland Frog
• Mothman
• Owlman
• Pope Lick Monster
• Shadowman

The Chupacabra is a creature resembling a living gargoyle and said to exist in parts of Latin America: mainly Mexico and the island of Puerto Rico. ... Clutchbone is the popular name of a monster or cryptozoological biped belonging to a category of folktales which flourished particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries. ... The Dover Demon was sighted on three separate occasions in the town of Dover, Massachusetts, in April 21st-22nd, 1977. ... The Goatman is a cryptozoological man-goat hybrid, allegedly living in the United States of America. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Reptilian humanoids are a recurring theme in mythology, fiction, and especially science fiction, fringe theories, and conspiracy theories. ... The Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp, or The Lizard Man Of Lee County, is a humanoid creature rumored to inhabit the swampy areas of Lee County, South Carolina. ... The Loveland Frog is a human-like creature with the face of a frog that was allegedly first spotted in Loveland, Ohio. ... Mothman was the name given to a strange creature sighted multiple times in the Point Pleasant area of West Virginia, on the border with Ohio between November 1966 and November 1967. ... Pope Lick Trestle in Louisville, Kentucky is the reputed home of the Pope Lick Monster The Pope Lick Monster is a mythical creature, or cryptid, said to live beneath the Pope Lick Trestle in Louisville, Kentucky. ... For other things called Shadowman, see Shadowman (disambiguation). ...

Carnivorous mammals

• The Beast of Bodmin
• The Beast of Exmoor
• The Beast of Gévaudan (mysterious "giant wolf" attacks in 18th century France)
• The Bunyip
• Chupacabra
• Crocotta
• Dobhar-chu
• Gulon
• Hyote
• Japanese Wolf
• Jersey Devil
• Mongolian Death Worm
• Thylacine
• The Beast of Funen (http://www.skepticreport.com/mystics/beastfunen.htm)

The Beast of Bodmin is a phantom wild cat (or possibly a number of them) which ranges in Cornwall in the United Kingdom. ... The Beast of Exmoor is a cryptozoological cat that is rumored to roam the fields of Devon in the United Kingdom, slaying livestock at times. ... The Beast of Gévaudan (French: Bête du Gévaudan) was a creature that terrorized the general area of the former province of Gévaudan, in todays Lozère département, in the Margeride Mountains in south-central France, in the general timeframe of 1764 to 1767. ... A bunyip (devil or spirit) is a mythical Australian Aboriginal mythology. ... The Chupacabra is a creature resembling a living gargoyle and said to exist in parts of Latin America: mainly Mexico and the island of Puerto Rico. ... The crocotta (or corocotta, crocuta, or yena), is a mythical dog-wolf of India or Ethiopia, said to be a deadly enemy of men and dogs. ... The Dobhar-chu (also known as the dobhar-chú, dobarcu, doyarchu, and dhuragoo) is a dog of Irish folklore or a cryptid. ... The Gulon is a Scandinavian legend, also known as a Jerff in Sweden and Vielfras in Germany. ... The hyote is a cryptozoological animal that was repeatedly sighted in Baltimore County, Maryland during the summer of 2004. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus hodophilax (Temminck, 1839) The Japanese Wolf refers to two extinct subspecies of the grey wolf (　狼 or おおかみ ōkami). ... This article is in need of attention. ... The Mongolian Death Worm is a snakelike creature reported to exist in the Gobi Desert. ... Binomial name Thylacinus cynocephalus (Harris, 1808) A Tasmanian Tiger The Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was a large carnivorous marsupial native to Australia. ...

Herbivorous mammals

• Bonnacon
• Jackalope (fictional)
• Kting Voar
• Megatherium
• Musimon
• Unicorn
• Yale
• Wolpertinger

The Bonnacon (also called the Bonacon or the Bonasus) is a mythical animal from Asia. ... The great American jackalope The jackalope (Lepus temperamentalus) is a fictitious cross between a jackrabbit and an antelope (or sometimes a goat or deer), and is usually portrayed as a rabbit with antlers. ... Kting Voar (Pseudonovibos spiralis) or jungle sheep, is a cryptozoological mountain goat of Kampuche (Cambodia), called linh dong (mountain goat) in Vietnamese. ... Megatheria were a group of elephant-size giant sloths that lived from 2 million to 8,000 years ago. ... In medieval European heraldry, the image of the musimon is used to symbolize one in authority who leads with strength. ... This article is about the mythical creature. ... The yale (also centicore, Latin eale) is a mythical beast found in European mythology. ... The Wolpertinger (also called Wolperdinger) is a fictitious animal supposedly living in the alpine forests of Bavaria in Germany. ...

Sea and lake monsters

• Cadborosaurus willsi
• Champ
• The Kraken
• Loch Ness Monster
• Megalodon
• Ogopogo
• Sea monsters
• Sea monk
• Sea serpent
• Trunko

The Cadborosaurus Willsi (Caddy) is an alleged sea monster living along the Pacific Coast of North America. ... Champ is an Irish dish of mashed potatoes and scallions (spring onions). ... The kraken is a supposed sea monster of vast size, said to have been seen off the coast of Norway and Iceland. ... The famous Surgeons photo hoax of the Loch Ness monster The Loch Ness Monster—sometimes called Nessie—is a creature or group of creatures said to live in Loch Ness, a deep freshwater loch (lake) near the city of Inverness. ... Binomial name Carcharodon megalodon Agassiz, 1843 The Megalodon or Megatooth shark (Carcharodon megalodon, from ancient Greek, mega + odon, lit. ... Ogopogo is the name given to reputed lake monsters which dwell in Lake Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada. ... Picture taken from a Hetzel copy of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Sea monsters are mythical and legendary gigantic sea-dwelling creatures (but see also lake monsters). ... A sea monster found off the coast of Denmark in the middle of the sixteenth century. ... Sea serpent has come to mean almost invariably a mythical sea monster that is generally long and serpentine. ... Artistic depiction of Trunko by Bill Asmussen. ...

Reptiles

• Giant Anacondas
• Buru
• Kongamato
• Hoop snake
• Megalania prisca, the giant Australian monitor lizard
• Mokele mbembe
• Mongolian Deathworm
• Sirrush

Species See text. ... The buru is a lizard-like animal said to have lived in the Himalayas. ... The Kongamato is a reported pterosaur-like creature from the Jiundu swamps area of Zambia. ... The hoop snake is a legendary creature of the United States. ... Binomial name Megalania prisca (Richard Owen, 1860) The Megalania prisca was a giant monitor lizard. ... Species Many, see text. ... Mokele mbembe Description A creature, thought to live in the lakes and swamps of the Congo, whose existence has long been disputed between scientists and local Pygmies alike. ... The Mongolian Death Worm is a snakelike creature reported to exist in the Gobi Desert. ... The Sirrush is a creature depicted on the Ishtar Gate. ...

Birds

• Moa
• Thunderbird
• Dodo
• Phoenix or "fire bird"

Genera Anomalopteryx Dinornis Emeus Euryapteryx Megalapteryx Pachyornis The moa were giant flightless birds of New Zealand. ... For other meanings, see Thunderbird. ... Binomial name Raphus cucullatus ( Linnaeus, 1758) The Mauritius Dodo (Raphus cucullatus, called Didus ineptus by Linnaeus), more commonly just Dodo, was a metre-high flightless bird of the island of Mauritius. ... For similar myths bearing other names, see fire bird (mythology). ... Fire-bird myths include: Benu Fenghuang Garuda Hoo Oo Phoenix Categories: Mythology stubs ...

Plants

• Carnivorous trees

Others

• Anano
• Ikal
• Mapinguary
• Mermecolion
• Naree Pons
• Rod
• Squonk
• Yppotryl

Naree Pons are supposedly Thai pod people that appeared to Buddha as beautiful women while he meditated in a secluded area. ... A rather new entry in the field of Cryptozoology, rods are creatures said to flit about in the air at such a high speed as to not be seen by the naked eye. ... The Squonk is a legendary creature reputed to live in the Hemlock forests of northern Pennsylvania. ...

General terms for cryptids

• New Jersey Vegetable Monster
• UMA

There are also some areas of cryptozoology that deal with "mysterious" animals, though in some cases this could also be considered forteana or parapsychology: New Jersey Vegetable Monster is an expression used by cryptozoologists and other researchers of anomalous phenomenon and the paranormal to describe a sighting or incident that has exceptionally poor evidential support. ... Uma can refer to: A Hindu goddess, see Uma (goddess). ... Charles Fort, 1920 Charles Hoy Fort (August 6, 1874 - May 3, 1932), writer and researcher into anomalous phenomena, was the son of an Albany grocer of Dutch ancestry. ... Parapsychology is the study of the evidence involving phenomena where a person seems to affect or gain information about something through a means not currently explainable within the framework of mainstream, conventional science. ...

• Phantom cats
• Beast of Bodmin
• Phantom kangaroos
• Devil dogs

Phantom cats or alien big cats (ABCs) are a phenomenon of Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii. ... The Beast of Bodmin is a phantom wild cat (or possibly a number of them) which ranges in Cornwall in the United Kingdom. ... Periodically, reports of kangaroos, wallabies or their accompanying footprints have been made in places where one would not expect to hear of them--In other words, anywhere besides Australia and its surrounding islands. ...

See also

• Legendary creature
• List of legendary creatures
• Cryptids
• List of notable cryptozoologists
• Monster
• Index of fictional species
• Important publications in cryptozoology

Related studies: A legendary creature is a mythical or fantastic creature (often known as fabulous creatures in historical literature). ... These are legendary creatures that historically humans have thought were real. ... Here follows a list of notable cryptozoologists: Loren Coleman Grover Krantz (actually, not a true cryptozoologist, but, rather, a mainstream anthropologist who did a great deal of research into a particular cryptid, namely Bigfoot) Bernard Heuvelmans Ivan T. Sanderson Karl Shuker Also see: Cryptozoology, zoology. ... Saint George versus the Dragon, by Gustave Moreau (1880) Monster (lat. ... Alien Species (science fiction) List of aliens in fiction List of fictional robots Fantasy Species (fantasy fiction) List of species in fantasy fiction List of dragons in literature Legendary and Mythical Species (folklore/mythology) List of species in folklore and mythology List of species in folklore and mythology by type... This is a list of important publications in biology, organized by field. ...

• xenobiology
• cryptotaxonomy
• paleocryptoanthropology
• UFOlogy

Due to some fields of study in cryptozoology, see also pseudoscience and protoscience. Astrobiology (in Greek astron = star, bios = life and logos = word/science), also known as exobiology (Greek: exo = out) or xenobiology (Greek: xenos = foreign) is the term for a speculative field within biology which considers the possible variety of extraterrestrial life. ... Ufology is the study of Unidentified flying object (UFO) reports, sightings and other related phenomena. ... A pseudoscience is any body of knowledge purported to be scientific or supported by science but which fails to comply with the scientific method. ... In the philosophy of science, a protoscience is any new area of scientific endeavor in the process of becoming established. ...

Lakes in which sea monsters are said to live

• Loch Ness (Scotland)
• Loch Morar (Scotland)
• Lough Keane (Ireland)
• Lough Ree (Ireland)
• Lough Muck (Ireland)
• Storsjön (Sweden)
• Lake Okanagan (Canada)
• Lake Champlain (USA/Canada)
• Kleifarvatn (Iceland)
• Menbu-See (China)
• Tian-Chi-See (China)
• Flathead-See (Montana/USA)
• Lake Simloe (Toronto/Canada)
• Manitoba See (Manitoba/Canada)
• Faymouth Ency (Cornwall/England)
• Lake Miosa (Scandinavia)
• Seljordsvatnet (Norway)
• Lake Tahoe (USA)
• Vansee (Turkey)
• Bear Lake (Utah)

Loch Ness (from Gaelic Loch Nis) is a large, deep freshwater lake (known in Scotland as a loch) in the Scottish Highlands, extending for approximately 23 miles (37 km) to the south-west of Inverness. ... Loch Morar is a body of fresh water on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands. ... Lough Ree (Loch Rí in Irish) is a lake in the midlands of Ireland, the second of the three major lakes on the River Shannon. ... Storsjön, the fifth largest lake in Sweden. ... Okanagan Lake is a lake in the Okanagan Valley. ... A false-color Landsat image of Lake Champlain. ... Kleifarvatn is a lake on the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland. ... Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe is one of the deepest (1645 feet/501 m), largest and highest (6229 feet/1898 m), and bluest lakes in the United States. ... Bear Lake may refer to: Several lakes named Bear Lake in Alaska in the United States Several lakes named Bear Lake in Michigan in the United States Bear Lake along the Idaho-Utah border in the United States. ...

Sources

• Jerome Clark, ‘’Unexplained! 347 Strange Sightings, Incredible Occurrences, and Puzzling Physical Phenomena’’, Visible Ink Press, 1993.
• Bernard Heuvelmans, ‘’On The Track Of Unknown Animals’’, Hill and Wang, 1958

External links

• Cryptozoology.com (http://www.cryptozoology.com)
• Open Directory Project's page for Cryptozoology (http://dmoz.org/Science/Anomalies_and_Alternative_Science/Cryptozoology/)
• Cryptozoology links (http://dinojoe.8m.com/crypto/cryptolinks.html)
• The International Society of Cryptozoology (http://www.internationalsocietyofcryptozoology.org/)
• Enigma Cryptozoo, a website about cryptids (http://www.parascope.com/en/cryptozoo/index.htm)
• Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society (http://www.pabigfootsociety.com)
• Are Mermaids Real? (Mermaids on the Web) (http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/mermaids/8.html)
• The Cryptozoologist (http://www.lorencoleman.com)