Have we found all the large animals still living
in the world? Probably not, since in the last decade
some previously unknown species have surfaced in Southeast Asia,
for example. This page is dedicated to such animals --
commonly called "cryptids" --
which might possibly exist in nature but whose existence
has not yet been accepted by modern science.
If you are interested in animals which have never existed in nature
(although they may, in part, have been based upon real animals)
such as gryphons and mermaids, please see my
legendary animals page.
Cryptozoological topics have generated a vast number of
books, magazines, and articles. My page of
books about cryptozoology
lists some I've found interesting.
Encounters with hairy hominids or "wild men" like the
Yeti,
Sasquatch,
and
Nguoi Rung go back to antiquity and appear in legends throughout the world.
One of the earliest literary compositions in the world,
the Epic of Gilgamesh, contains a hairy wildman named Enkidu.
North America's representative is usually called the Sasquatch,
one of its Native American names, or Bigfoot.
The best-known photographic evidence is the famous Roger Patterson film
of a purported Sasquatch, taken in 1967. (Stories that Patterson's film
was a hoax continue to circulate.)
One hypothesis is that some reports
represent encounters with surviving representatives of supposedly
extinct hominoid or hominid species. A popular choice for Bigfoot is
Gigantopithecus blacki,
a giant ape commonly assumed to have died out several hundred
thousand years ago. Other suggested candidates include
Homo neandertalensis (Neanderthal Man), Homo erectus, and
Australopithecus (Paranthropus) robustus.
The history of the discovery of the mountain gorilla
demonstrates that a large ape can elude detection for decades, and that native tales of
such creatures can be based in fact. Likewise for the
Giant Panda. It took sixty-seven years
from the time the Giant Panda was "discovered" by Westerners until its live
capture. During this period twelve well staffed and equipped professional
expeditions failed to collect a single live specimen of this large bear.
It took over twenty years to collect a living specimen of the
Congo Peacock once it became known
to Westerners from feathers and oral descriptions by natives of the
Congo River basin.
Another persistent type of encounter is with lake monsters.
The most famous serpentine lake monster is Nessie,
supposed inhabitant of Loch Ness in Scotland. Closer to home is
Ogopogo, a Nessie-like creature
said to inhabit Lake Okanagan in Canada.
Many such sightings may actually be due to standing wave phenomena
such as soliton waves or little known weather phenomena such as "mini"
waterspouts. The Bunyip of Australia
may represent an oral tradition of sightings of an extinct giant
marsupial, the Diprotodont.
Sightings of giant sturgeon in lakes with a connection to the sea may
explain some lake monster sightings. The sturgeon's prehistoric
appearance differs markedly from other fish. Rather than scales, the
great Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrhynchus is covered with
five rows of bony plates called scutes. The head tapers to a hard snout
with four catfish-like sensory barbels near the mouth. Small sturgeon
swim up the shallow rivers connecting lakes such as Lake Champlain
in Vermont, USA to the sea. Once in the lake the sturgeon can
grow to awesome size.
The Atlantic sturgeon reaches lengths of five meters and weighs over
four hundred kilograms. In 1951 an eye witness reported seeing a
"monster" in Lake Champlain. She shot at it, believing she hit it
with at least one bullet, and the creature disappeared. A few days
later the corpse of a giant sturgeon bearing a bullet hole washed up
on the shore of the lake. The largest reliably recorded sturgeon was
a specimen of Acipenser huso caught in the Volga River in 1827.
That sturgeon measured eight meters long and weighed 1,470 kg,
surely a monster in anyone's book!
Many animals have gone extinct over the last few hundred years as a
result of ecological disruption caused by humans migrating to new environments
or direct attempts to exterminate "problem" species. An example is the
Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine
(scientific name Thylacinus cynocephalus),
also known as the marsupial wolf.
This carnivorous marsupial was apparently hunted to extinction in the
early part of the twentieth century. The last known living specimen,
whose photo appears at the top of this page, died in captivity in 1936
in the Hobart Zoo in Australia.
Persistent reports of sightings right down to the present
offer hope that a few thylacines may still live in the wild.
For example, a Park and Wildlife Officer reported observing a Thylacine
in the Pyengana region of eastern Tasmania in January, 1995. A followup
search failed to find any trace of this specimen.
Other animals generally considered extinct but which continue to be
sighted occasionally include the
dodo bird of Mauritius, the giant moa
of New Zealand, and the giant shark Carcharocles megalodon.
Efforts are also underway to try to bring back some animals from extinction.
A
project
to resurrect the Quagga,
an extinct variety of zebra, has been somewhat successful. Recent
successes with mammal cloning have fueled hopes that creatures
like the mammoth or the thylacine could be brought back via cloning
or hybridization procedures. For example, scientists at the Australian Museum
in Sydney hope to clone a thylacine using DNA from a pup preserved in alcohol
since 1866.
Sometimes a supposedly extinct animal turns out to be still alive.
The coelacanth provides a famous example.
In 1938 a coelacanth was caught by fishermen on the vessel
Nerine trawling off the mouth of the Chalumna River in
South Africa. The fish measured about 1.5 m (5 feet) in length
and weighed 57 kg (126 lbs). Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer,
a curator at the East London Museum, could not identify the fish.
She sent a sketch to J. L. B. Smith at Rhodes University in
South Africa who identified the fish as a coelacanth.
Prior to this discovery, scientists had believed the coelacanth
died out around 80 million years ago. The next coelacanth
was not caught until 1952. Since then at least two hundred Coelacanths
have been caught in and around the Comoro Islands.
In 1998 a new population was discovered off North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Survivors from prehistoric times like the coelacanth are sometimes
called "living fossils."
In the early 1970s Ralph M. Wetzel and co-workers from the
University of Connecticut discovered living specimens of the
Chacoan Peccary, which he named Catagonus wagneri.
Peccaries are close relatives of pigs and boars. Prior to Wetzel's
find this type of peccary was known only from fossils and had been
thought to have died out ten thousand years ago.
Wetzel found the living specimens in Patagonia after hearing
native stories. The natives called it the tagua.
The Chacoan Peccary is the largest of the three known living species of
peccary. There are significant differences in the chromosome numbers
of the Chacoan peccary and the other two species, indicating they
are not closely related. Very little is yet known of the
Chacoan peccary's life cycle. It is considered to be an
endangered species.
Another recent example from the Canary Islands concerns the lizard
Gallotia gomerana. In June 1999 Spanish scientists reported finding
six living specimens (two males, three females, and one juvenile)
of this lizard on La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands.
Gallotia gomerana had previously been considered extinct for nearly
five hundred years. This lizard measures about half a meter in length,
a respectable size for a lizard.
The 1997 discovery of a large tree rat in the Vilcabamba mountains of Peru
provides another recent example of the survival of a presumably
extinct animal. Its discoverer, Louise Emmons of the
Smithsonian Institution, named the animal Cuscomys ashaninka
after the city of Cusco near where the animal was discovered and
the indigenous Ashaninka people. The Cuscomys closely
resembles the so-called Inca Tomb Rat that the Inca kept as pets.
The Inca tomb rats are considered extinct, but since Cuscomys
is still alive, it is possible that the Inca tomb rat still survives
as well.
The Chinese crested tern, considered extinct since 1937,
was found to be still surviving in the summer of 2000.
Six pair of terns were spotted rearing chicks on a tiny islet
off the coast of Taiwan.
The Central Rock Rat of Australia, considered extinct for forty years,
was found to be still surviving in 1996, and more populations surfaced
in West MacDonnell National Park in January, 2001.
The sites below include some which offer a scientific outlook on
cryptozoology, some which tend to the mystical, some which are
better understood as part of the UFO phenomenon
(e.g., Mothman), and some which are probably just a joke.
The latter includes sites about the Ozark Howler, the name of whose
principal investigator -- Itzakh Joach ("It's a joke") -- reveals
the probable spurious nature of this
creature and its reports. In fact, it now seems quite certain
that the Ozark Howler is entirely a deliberate hoax.
Cryptozoological subjects have often been depicted on postage stamps
around the world. My pages about Cryptozoology
and Philately present some of these stamps. Each of my stamp pages
provides more information about each cryptid.
There are many online message boards which discuss
cryptozoological topics. I moderate the
CryptoSearch
message board on www.yahoogroups.com.
There are several other Yahoo! Groups message boards dedicated to
cryptozoological topics as well.
As noted above, it took sixty-seven years from the
time of the "discovery" of the Giant Panda by Westerners until
its live capture. This provides an example of how difficult it
can be to track down and locate even a large creature in
difficult terrain. Less than one thousand Giant Pandas still
remain in the wild.
Giant Panda
presents information about this endangered animal from
the World Wide Fund for Nature.
My Giant Panda Stamps
page lists some postage stamps which depict this
remarkable bear whose existence in the wild is
threatened.
Bigfoot - Fact or Fantasy?
by R. F. Thomas discusses the evidence for Bigfoot,
especially the Patterson/Gimlin film.
Bigfoot Internet Library
offers links to recent news articles about Bigfoot and
related creatures, information about the continuing
debate on whether the Patterson film is a hoax, a
message board, and more.
Bigfoot in Wisconsin
offers a compilation of Bigfoot sightings from the
state of Wisconsin.
Bigfoot Research Page
by Hans Kuhn offers a brief description of Bigfoot from
a pamphlet of the North American Science Institute.
Bigfoot / Sasquatch FAQ
by Wesley A, Williams provides answers to the most
commonly asked questions about the Bigfoot
phenomenon.
My Bigfoot Stamps
page lists some postage stamps which depict
Bigfoot.
Bigfoot -- Tracks Unveiled
offers research wildlife biologist Bruce G. Marcot's
analysis of the footprint evidence for Bigfoot. He
suggests that tracks can be deceptive and that many
reportedly created by Bigfoot and friends may have been
made by bears or other large animals in unusual
patterns.
British Hominid Research
details reports and sightings of a Bigfoot/Hominid type
creature seen in Britain.
De Loys's ape
is the subject of two articles (in Spanish) in the
journal Intersciencia. Requires Adobe Acrobat
Reader.
Don't Shoot That Bigfoot
by Bob Ellison reports that King County, Washington
officials have listed Bigfoot as a protected species and
placed it on a wetlands inventory list.
E.W. Burnett's Bigfoot Site
provides information and resources about research into
Bigfoot and related creatures. Includes notes on
Burnett's personal involvement in this research, photos,
audio clips, links to related sites, and more.
Enigma Cryptozoo: Missing Links Primate Center
offers information about the Yeti, Bigfoot,
Orang-Pendek, Chinese Wildman, Yowie, Skunk Ape,
Piltdown Man, De Loys's Ape, Minnesota Iceman, and
Oliver the chimpanzee.
Florida Skunk Ape
discusses this Bigfoot-like creature said to live in
the Florida Everglades. Includes sightings, a form for
reporting a sighting, a Bigfoot message board, articles
and editorials about the Skunk Ape, and links to related
web sites.
Gigantopithecus blacki
is an article by Eric Perrifor about this giant
extinct(?) ape which some believe may be the real
creature behind Bigfoot reports.
Hairy Hominids Archives
provides a list of news reports and articles about
Sasquatch, Bigfoot, and similar creatures.
How Bigfoot Might Work
discusses the anatomy and habits of possible
Sasquatch-like creatures.
Monthly Bigfoot Report Newsletter
tells how to subscribe to Don Keating's newsletter
"dealing with Bigfoot type activities across North
America as well as Internationaly, whenever that
information is available."
Patterson Bigfoot Footage
by Patricia Patterson, wife of Roger Patterson,
discusses the television and video rights of her
husband's famous 1967 film of a purported Bigfoot, as
well as offering still photos of Roger Patterson.
Sasquatch
by Douglas Trapp discusses the Patterson film, tracks,
the Gigantopithecus hypothesis, and more.
Sasquatch: North America's Great Ape
by John Bindernagel describes his book on the subject.
Bindernagel is an experienced wildlife biologist who is
seriously studying the Sasquatch in North America.
Sasquatch of the Pacific Northwest
offers an introduction to the Bigfoot phenomenon,
several photos of bigfoot and skunk apes as well as
stories and recent news about Bigfoot.
Stan Johnson
claims he has been in contact for over a decade with
the Bigfoot who are actually aliens from another star
system.
Steve Williams "Squatchman" homepage
is dedicated to all believers in Bigfoot. Williams
recounts his own childhood encouinter with a
Bigfoot-like creature.
Story of the Winsted (Conn.) Wild Man
by Joseph Cadrain originally appeared in the Winsted
Voice. Cadrain discusses sightings of a "wild man" near
Winsted in the 1890s.
Strange Story of the Minnesota Iceman
discusses the 1968 reports by Ivan Sanderson and
Bernard Heuvelmans of the "ape man" exhibited by Frank
Hansen. This "Minnesota Iceman" is usually considered a
hoax.
Tennesee Bigfoot Lady's Page
recaps sightings of Bigfoot in Tennessee and offers a
few photos of purported Bigfoot creatures.
Arizona Bigfoot Center
by Lyle Vann discusses Bigfoot sightings from
Arizona. He believes Bigfoot live in subterranean
caves and are being used by extraterrestrials for
mining.
Bluenorth Bigfoot Research
by John Freitas includes articles and photos of
Bigfoot as well as a bibliography about
Bigfoot.
Central Ohio Bigfoot Homepage
by Blake Mathys is dedicated to the search for
Bigfoot in Ohio. Mathys offers photos from his
Bigfoot hunting excursions, reports of Bigfoot
sightings from Ohio, links to Bigfoot sites, and
an essay by Mathys on the existence of
Bigfoot.
Eastern Ohio Bigfoot Investigation Center
by Keating discusses film shot he shot and also
includes information on the Tri-State Bigfoot
Study Group and the Annual Bigfoot
Conference.
Gulf Coast BigFoot Research Organization
seeks evidence of Bigfoot activity in the
Southern United States. Includes photos of animal
mutilations purportedly caused by Bigfoot-like
creatures.
Oklahoma Monkey Chasers
is an organization dedicated to gathering and
verifying Bigfoot sightings in the state of
Oklahoma. Includes a message board, links, a photo
log, and more.
Sasquatch Watch
is dedicated to the collection and reporting of
Bigfoot, Yeti, Yowie, and Skunk Ape
sightings.
Skunk Ape Tracking Page
from the Bigfoot and Skunk Ape Research Group of
Cincinnati features recent sightings of these
creatures. Also offers information on giant
ground sloths (e.g., mapinguari).
Man-like Apes (1863)
is an article written by Thomas Huxley in 1863
discussing the natrual history of the Great Apes as
known up to that time.
Koolakamba
by Elaine Jane Struthers discusses the folk mythology
which surrounds this purported African animal, which may
be an unknown great ape, or a variant species of
chimpanzee.
Nonhuman Primate Myths, Tales and Legends
from the Primate Info Net of the Wisconsin Regional
Primate Center, offers articles on the Koolakamba, giant
primates of the New World, and links to other related
sites.
Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
, named after the famous researcher who was murdered by
poachers, seeks to save the mountain gorilla from
extinction.
My Mountain Gorilla Stamps
page lists some postage stamps which depict the
mountain gorilla. The history of the discovery of the
mountain gorilla demonstrates that a large ape can elude
detection for decades, and that native tales of such
creatures can be based in fact.
Oliver is a chimpanzee whose unusual physical
traits led some to speculate that he might be a new species of
ape or a human/chimpanzee hybrid. DNA testing reveals Oliver
to be just an ordinary chimpansee. Oliver illustrates just
how much more genetically diverse chimpansees are than humans.
Perhaps some stories of "apemen" in Africa originate from
sightings of wth other Oliver-like chimps who prefer to walk
bipedally. Jane Goodall reported that one of the chimps she
studied in the wild adopted a permanent bipedal stance after a
bout with polio.
Oliver
by John J. Ely reports on a cytogenetic analysis of
this famous chimpanzee whose bipedal locomotion and
shaved head have been presented as evidence that Oliver
was a mutant or human/chimpanzee crossbreed. The
genetic testing indicates that "Oliver is a member of
the Pan troglodytes troglodytes subspecies from Central
Africa, has 48 normal Chimpanzee chromosomes, and was
probably trapped in Gabon."
A New Yeren Investigation In China
details an expedition in 1995 by the late Grover S.
Krantz to search for evidence of the legendary "wildman"
of China.
Australian Yowie Network
discusses the Yowie, an ape-like creature supposed to
inhabit Australia. Includes photos, sightings, research
reports, aboriginal legends, a message board, a place to
report sightings, and much more.
My Dodo Stamps
page lists some postage stamps which depict the Dodo, a
flightless bird from the island of Mauritius now
considered extinct. Occasional sightings suggest a few
Dodos may still survive.
Moa Central
by Mike Dickison offers an introduction to the Moa
along with an annotated bibliography, a gallery of Moa
pictures, a list of museums where you can see a moa, and
more.
My Moa Stamps
page list some stamps which depict this giant
flightless bird of New Zealand, now extinct. Occasional
sightings suggest that a few moas may have survived at
least into the nineteenth century.
Vorompatra Central
by Chip Howell offers a central clearinghouse to
information about the giant extinct "elephant bird"
(Aepyornis maximus) of Madagascar.
Mystical Midnight Thunderbird
photographed by Jim O'Neil shows how lightning over
northern Lake Michigan can assume the shape of a great
bird, offering a meteorological explanation for the
origin of the Thunderbird legend.
Puzzle of the Piasa Monster Bird
by Charles Harnett discusses sightings of a large
flying creature over the centuries along the Mississippi
River near Alton, Illinois, USA.
Thunderbird and Trickster
by Steve Mizrach talks about the legends of the
Thunderbird. He briefly mentions the idea that the
thunderbird may represent a large unknown avian
species.
Carcharodon Megalodon Homepage
by Megalodon offers information about this shark, reports of
modern sightings, a web-based forum for discussing Megalodon,
a chat room, a short bibliography, and links to related
sites.
No Megalodon Survival
by Ben S. Roesch presents the reasons why it is unlikely that
the Megalodon still exists today.
Beast of Bodmin Moor
tells how the The Natural History Museum tracked down a
mysterious big cat on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall,
England.
Beast of Gloucester
details recent sightings of unknown cat-like creatures
in the Gloucestershire countryside.
Big Cats in the UK
by David Walker discusses the sightings of big cats in
the United Kingdom. Includes sections on the origins of
the UK big cats, prey and habitat of the cats, and an
assessment of the risks of having big cats in the United
Kingdom.
British Alien Big Cats
by Brian Goodwin recounts sightings of "out of place"
big cats in the U.K.
Essex Panther Research Group
discusses the history of sightings of big cats in the
County of Essex. Most sightings appear to be of black
leopards or panthers, and a sandy brown cat thought to
be a puma. Includes information on both previous and
recent sighting, contact information for reporting a
sighting, and links to related web sites.
Rutland and Leicestershire Panther Watch
is devoted to "researching and gathering the evidence
to prove the existence of these magnificent predators
thriving in the British countryside."
See my Eastern
Cougar stamps page for more information about this highly
endangered and possibly extinct subspecies of the Cougar.
Eastern Cougar Research Center
by Todd Lester offers information on this cat which
officially has been considered nearly extinct since the
early 1900s.
My Eastern Cougar stamps
page lists some postage stamps which depict the Eastern
Cougar.
Florida Panther Society, Inc.
is a non-profit environmental education and support
organization for Felis consolor coryi. There
are probably less than fifty -- possibly less than
thirty -- of these cats left alive in the wild.
Florida Panther Net
is an official education site about this highly
endangered subspecies of the cougar. Among many other
things, offers the only known home video of a Florida
panther and her kittens in the wild.
King Cheetah
offers an introduction to this rare blotchy coat
variant of the Cheetah.
King Cheetah
by Steve offers a description and photos of this rare
cheetah variant.
Kwayera's King Cheetah Den
offers "A place of images, artwork and general
knowledge dedicated to and about one of earth's most
beautiful and unique creatures; The King Cheetah."
Abstracts of Professional Papers
from the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics
Laboratory includes the abstract of a paper by P. A.
Dratch and colleagues outlining the results of tests
performed on tissue samples of a Mexican Onza specimen
shot in 1986. The tests indicate that this Onza
specimen was genetically indistinguishable from the
North American Puma (Puma concolor).
Have You Seen The Ozark Howler
by George O. Choangle offers his personal sighting of a
howler and a picture he took of one of its tracks.
Ozark Howler and Eastern Cougar
rejects the proposition that the Ozark Howler is just a
variant of the Eastern Cougar because of the reported
differences in front haunches, coloring, and
vocalizations.
Chupacabra Links
is a large list of annotated links to sites with information
about the Chupacabra.
Chupapalooza!
offers information about the Puerto Rican origins of
Chupacabra and the first sightings in the United States;
psychological theories to explain "Chupamania;" a gallery of
Chupacabra images; songs about Chupacabra; and links to
related web sites.
See my coelcanth
stamps page for more information about this "living fossil."
Coelacanths on Stamps
offers information about the Coelacanth as well as displaying
some of the postage stamps featuring this "living
fossil."
Coelacanth postage stamp exhibit
by Sunny presents an award winning single-frame exhbit of
coelacanth stamps. The exhibit consists of sixteen pages and
concentrates on the coelacanth stamps issued by the Comoro
Islands.
My Coelacanth Stamps
page lists some stamps depicting this "living fossil."
Coelacanth: The Fish Out Of Time
by Jerome F. Hamlin is the web site of the Coelacanth Rescue
Mission which seeks to reduce Coelacanth fatalities. Offers
pictures, information about the coelacanth's biology and
behavior, a virtual swimming coelacanth, and more.
JULES- News in Brief
includes a brief article on pygmy elephants. Most
zoologists do not accept the existence of a separate
pygmy African elephant species or subspecies. These
photos appear to show an entire herd of elephants, which
suggests that the pygmies previously encountered in the
wild and in zoos were not just unusually small members
of the forest elephant subspecies.
A Tale of Two Monsters
by Shelley Powers offers a series of articles on
cryptozoology, concentrating on the Loch Ness Monster and the
Giant Squid.
Aaron's Crypto Photo Album
by Aaron Justice offers a collection of famous photos and
movie clips of cryptids, including Champ, the Sandi Mansi
photograph of a purported plesiosaur, Nessie, Bigfoot, various
giant creatures, and more.
Beast Of Gevaudan
was a wof-like monster said to have terrorized the Auvergne
and South Dordogne regions of France from 1764 to 1767. The
beast reputedly killed about 100 people.
Creature Chronicles
offers online reprints of this newsletter devoted to
cryptozoology which was published by Ron Schaffner from
1980-1991. The online edition includes new material.
Criptozoologia
(in Italian) by Lorenzo Rossi offers a brief introduction to
cryptozoology along with information about sea monsters,
living dinosaurs, the Yeti, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster,
discovered cryptids like the Onza, a list of books, and links
to related sites.
Criptozoology.com
by Leopoldo Bolanos (in English and Spanish) offers
information on sea and lake monsters, missing links,
chupacabra, giant snakes, living dinosaurs, other creatures,
cryptozoology researchers, and more.
Cryptolist
is a moderated mailing list for those interested in
cryptozoology. You may search the list archives without
becoming a member of the list.
CryptoSearch
by Jim Keegan discusses many cryptids and offers links to
cryptozoology sites, biographies of important
cryptozoologists, and more.
CryptoSearch
is an email/web forum on Yahoo groups which discusses
cryptozoological topics. I am the moderator of this
list.
Cryptoweb
by Andrew D. Gable offers some of his articles from
Cryptozoology Review as well as news about
his current research and a variety of cryptozoological topics.
Includes regional information broken down by geographical
area. Also provides links to other sites about
cryptozoology.
Cryptoworld
by Jan-Ove Sundberg offer book reviews, current information
on the Global Underwater Search Team, sea monster sightings in
the Baltic Sea in 1909-1920, information about the dragon of
Bojnice Castle, and more.
Cryptozoological Realms
by Scott T. Norman offers information about Mokele-Mbembe and
other cryptids. Includes an introduction to Cryptozoology and
biographies of some cryptozoologists.
Cryptozoologia
(in French) is the home page for the Association Belge
d'Etude et de Protection des Animaux Rare. The association
seeks evidence for the existence of animals not officially
recognized as existing.
The Cryptozoologist
by Loren Coleman is an online web page associated with the
new multidisciplinary journal of the same name. Coleman is a
well-known cryptozoologist who has written many books and
articles on cryptozoological topics. The web site discusses
the meaning of cryptozoology and offers a mini-FAQ answering
common questions about cryptozoology, a book section,
articles by Coleman, and more.
Cryptozoology
is part of a site about monsters curated by Michael A.
Delahoyde of the Washington State University.
Ron Schaffner's Cryptozoology
page discusses Bigfoot, the Loveland Ohio giant frog-like
creature, and other strange encounters investigated by
Schaffner.
Cryptozoology
by Chad Arment offers a brief introduction to the topic, a
good introduction to research methods in cryptozoology, and
links to other sites about cryptozoology. Includes
Cryptozoology
by Wesley A. Williams discusses his research interests which
primarily involve Bigfoot.
Cryptozoology
offers an introduction to Bigfoot, Chupacabra, the Loch Ness
monster, shape shifters, vampires, and werewolves.
Cryptozoology
is a new site which isn't doesn't have any content yet.
Cryptozoology
by Nathan Gilbert discusses the megalodon, Roswell rods,
chupacabra, and the goatman of Prince George's County.
Cryptozoology FAQ
by Loren Coleman answers common questions about
cryptozoology.
Cryptozoology Items
lists Bufo's Weird World Books titles for cryptozoology.
Cryptozoology Page
by Kelli Ballentine and Kris Toops discusses bigfoot, the
coelacanth, chupacabra, reptoids, the giant squid,
"batsquatch," and more.
Dale Cozort's Cryptozoology Page
offers an introduction to cryptozoology, cryptozoology news,
relevant news from paleontology, suggestions for following up
purported hard evidence, and links to other cryptozoology
sites.
Dr. Karl P. N. Shuker: Zoologist, Cryptozoologist, Author
is the official web page of this well-known cryptozoologist.
Includes a biography, detailed information about his books,
some of his articles about cryptozoology, a comprehensive
cryptozoological bibliograhpy with over 550 entries, and
links to other cryptozoological web sites. You may also email
your cryptozoological or fortean sightings to Dr. Shuker from
this web page.
Enigma Cryptozoo: Weird Predators Petting Zoo!
offers information and photos/pictures of Chupacabras,
Mothman, the Jersey Devil, the Loveland Frog, the Dover Demon,
the Mongolian Death Worm, Mokele-Mbembe, the Beast of Bodmin
Moor, the Thylacine, and the Thunderbird. There are also
sections for sea monsters and "missing links" primates.
The Enigma Project
"is a private, Maryland-based, association of scientifically
trained and technically oriented individuals who investigate
and document claims of unexplained phenomena." This includes
a variety of cryptozoological phenomena.
The Fortean Picture Library
is a pictorial archive of mysteries and strange phenomena,
including cryptozoological subjects.
Haunted Illinois
by Troy Taylor includes reports of cryptids in Illinois,
among them Bigfoot, large black cats, mystery kangaroos, and
much more.
Joe's Cryptozoology Pages
by Joe Gagné offers articles about a variety of
cryptozoological creatures. Includes sections on breaking
news and links to related sites.
KRYPTOZOOLOGI
by Jan-Ove Sundberg (in Swedish) offers a definition of
cryptozoology, information on giant serpents, possible living
dinosaurs like Mokele Mbembe, giant squid and sea serpents,
the Loch Ness monster, how decayed basking sharks can look
like sea monsters, and more.
Matt Bille's Science Home Page
describes Bille's professional background, provides a list of
his selected publications, and offers a sample article from
Exotic Zoology which he has edited for the past
several years. Bille authored the 1995 book on cryptozoology
Rumors
of Existence.
Monsters
by Tarjeh offers brief comments on the Kraken, the sea
serpent, Nessie and Yetis.
New large mammal species in Vietnam
provides photos and descriptions of Pseudoryx nghetinhensis
and Megamuntiacus vuquangesis. Also discusses new pheasant
discovered in 1975, Lophura hatinhensis.
Northeastern Ohio's Researchable Kryptid Accounts (NORKA)
by Richard La Monica is dedicated to Ohio's cryptic creatures
and folklore. Also includes a bibliography, biographies of
prominent cryptozoologists, a message board, links to related
sites, and more.
Science Of Cryptozoology
by Allan Edward Munro offers brief introduction to the
subject and articles on the European wild man and
Cadbosaurus,
Strange Science: The Rocky Road to Modern Paleontology and Biology
by Michon Scott includes some cryptozoological articles. The
site primarily offers the aurhor's personal reflections on the
"rocky road" to modern paleontology and biology. Includes a
number of fine early illustrations of "sea monsters" and other
creatures.
Strangeworld Cryptozoology
by Aly "Mothman" Julian offers an online encyclopedia of
cryptozoology, and online sightings database, photographs and
video clips, news of current cryptozoological interest, and
links to related sites.
The Study of Hidden Creatures
by C. Wayman Hearn provides an introduction to cryptozoology
along with a few links to relevant sites.
Tasmainian Wolf's Cryptozoology Site
offers information on the Serpent of Lake Elsinore in
California, the Tasmanian Wolf, and the Goatman of
Maryland.
Unnatural Museum - Lost Worlds Exhibition
by Lee Krystek discusses coelecanths, sea serpents and lake
monsters, land monsters, bigfoot, cryptozoological hoaxes,
and monsters in motion pictures.
Virtual Institute of Cryptozoology
by Michel Raynal (in French and English) is dedicated to
cryptozoological research. Includes information on
cryptozoological methods, biodiversity and cryptozoology,
great "stars" of cryptozoology, important researchers in
cryptozoology, fabulous animals and cryptozoology,
cryptozoology in literature, a list of cryptozoological
associations and publications, a bibliography, and links to
other sites about cryptozoology.
WeirdPage
includes links to cryptozoology sites as well as other kinds
of Fortean links.
X-Creatures
by Lorenzo Rossi is a site about cryptozoology in Italian
(sito italiano sulla Criptozoologia).
Komodo Dragon
offers a brief introduction to the largest known lizard
in the world.
Komodo Dragon Central
by Tim Spalding offers a guide and web directory about
this reptile, includings links to general information
and images, zoos with Komodo dragons, dragon sites by
and for children, dragon-related merchandise, and
more.
My Komodo Dragon Stamps
page lists stamps depicting the Komodo Dragon, the
largest known existing lizard in the world.
Megalania
by Aaron Justice discusses this giant extinct monitor
lizard which was several times the size of the living
Komodo Dragon. Occasional reports of giant monitor
lizards in Megalania's former habitat lead some
cryptozoologists to suggest that Megalania may not be
extinct, just very rare.
Online Guide to Monitor Lizards
by Harold De Lisle provides a handy list of the monitor
lizards of the world, of which the Komodo Dragon is the
largest.
Mokele-mbembe
is Scott Norman's site about this animal claimed to
live in the Likoula swamp region of the Republic of
Congo. Its appearance has been likened to that of a
sauropod dinosaur.
Olgoj Chorchoj Expedition
recounts the 1996 expedition of Horky and Naplava which
searched for the olgoi-khorkoi of the Gobi desert in
Mongolia. The olgoi-khorkoi is a worm-like creature
about 50 to 60 cm (about 2 feet) in length which is
supposed to tbe able to kill from a distance.
See my Kraken stamps
page for more information about giant cephalopods.
Architeuthis Dux
(in Italian) by Enrico Altini provides a good introduction to
the giant squid. Includes a list of recent sightings.
Giant squid
from the American Museum of Natural History shows pictures of
an intact giant squid accidentally caught off New Zealand in
deep-sea fishing nets.
In Search of Giant Squid
presents an online version of a Smithsonian exhibit on the
giant squid, possibly the inspiration for sea monsters like
the Kraken.
My Kraken Stamps
page lists stamps depicting the Kraken, a legendary animal,
and its probably referent, the giant squid.
Sea Monster
from The Evening Telegram of May 6, 1997
describes a sighting of a sea monster that may have been a
giant squid.
Kangaroos are native to Australias and of course are
real living animals. However, there are a surprising number of
reports of "out of place" kangaroos in Europe, the United States,
and elsewhere. While many can be explained as escaped pets, some of
these "kangaroos" exhibit behavior more like the chupacabra than a normal kangaroo.
Gators, Lions & Phantom Kangaroos
by Troy Taylor recounts tales of out-of-place kangaroos in
Illinois, including the 1974 sightings in Chicago.
My Bunyip Stamps
page lists stamps depicting this legendary Australian lake
monster.
Champ Quest-The ultimate search
is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding,
identifying, and protecting the animals living and thriving in
Lake Champlain, collectively called "Champ." Includes photos
and sighting reports.
Dragon's Pearl
discusses "Tessie", a Nessie-like creature believed to reside
in Lake Tahoe.
Lake Legends Of The World
offers paintings by Sheila Barrera of several lake monsters,
including Champ, Bessie, and the Australian Bunyip.
Legend of Nessie
discusses the search for the Loch Ness monster and offers
information on Nessie hunters, sketches and sightings of the
monster, an index of monster sightings, and details of the
recent discivery of huge underwater caverns dubbed "Nessie's
Lair."
Loch Murray Monster
discusses the Murray Lake monster reported from Irmo, South
Carolina.
Loch Ness Creatures
by Lieve Peten, who worked with Frank Searle during the early
1970s, offers some Loch Ness images not available elsewhere as
well as background on the Loch Ness creatures. Also includes
some UFO information.
NOVA Online | The Beast of Loch Ness
is the companion web site to the NOVA television documentary
on the Loch Ness Monster originally broadcast January 12,
1999. The documentary "follows a three-week
expedition that used state-of-the-art sonar and sensitive
underwater cameras in an attempt to track down and identify
the elusive creature."
Official Nessie Fan Club
offers Nessie stuff. "Go behind the scenes of the animated
film by Walt Disney legend, Ken Anderson now in production.The
ultimate place for fans of Nessie, the Loch Ness
monster."
Ogopogo
by Jan-Ove Sundberg and Ryan Suchet discuss the legends and
sightings of this Canadian lake monster purported to inhabit
Lake Okanagan. .
My Ogopogo Stamps
lists stamps depicting this Canadian lake monster.
The Silver Lake Serpent: Inflated Monster or Inflated Tale?
by Joe Nickell was originally published in Skeptical Inquirer for March
1999. Nickell discusses the lake monster sightings of 1855 on
Silver Lake in Wyoming County, New York. This sighting has
often been written up as a hoax, but Nickell suggests the hoax
story may itelf be a hoax. Nickell suggests that the actual
sightings in 1855 (and before and after) were of otters,
driftwood, deer, leaping fish, or windslicks.
What Creature Lurks in Turtle Lake?
discusses sightings of a lake monster said to inhabit Turtle
Lake located about 120 km northwest of North Battleford,
Saskatchewan, Canada.
Giant Sloth
from the Unmuseum discusses this creature and the late
nineteenth century reports of its possible continued
existence.
Ground Sloths
from the Illinois State Museum discusses the four species of
giant ground sloths which inhabited the area now covered by
the United States during the last ice age.
My Mapinguari and Giant Ground Sloth Stamps
discusses an 1899 article from La
Pirámide about possible sightings at that time
of living giant ground sloths in Patagonia.
Quest For The Giant Sloth
presents information about recent expeditions to the Amazon
to look for living giant ground sloths.
Globsters!
from Strange Magazine offers articles and photos of
"globsters," unknown carcasses washed ashore or picked up in
fishing nets.
The Great New England Sea Serpent
is an article by J. P. O'Neill about the history of sightings
of sea serpents in North American waters, most notably the
1817 sightings in Gloucester harbor.
Ice Fish
by Alex Trane discusses his encounter with this creature said
to be capable of changing between human and fish form, in the
long tradition of mer-folk.
New Zealand Sea Creature: Basking Shark or Plesiosaur?
offers an article by John Koster discussing the "plesiosaur"
carcass retrieved by the Japanese fishing vessel Zuiyo
Maru in 1977. Most experts believe this was the rotting
remains of a basking shark.
Norwegian sea serpents
by Erik Knatterud discusses the history of sightings of sea
and lake serpents in Norway, and also discusses modern
sightings as recently as 2001. Knatterud is particularly
interested in the Mjoesorm, a lake monster said to inhabit
Lake Mjoesa.
Sea-Monster or Shark: An Alleged Plesiosaur Carcass
by Glen J. Kuban provides an analysis of the "sea monster"
caught by the Zuiyo Maru in 1977. Kuban convincingly suggests
it was the carcass of a basking shark.
Surreal Seal Campaign
by Robert Cornes discusses the possible existence of a
long-necked seal. Such a creature has often been suggested to
underlie certain reports of "sea monsters."
What's On?
from The Fortean Times includes an
announcements for cryptozoological events.
The Australian drop bear is usually considered to be
a "bogeyman" made up early in the 20th century as a joke to
frighten tourists. A few folks actually seem to think this
vicious marsupial -- a not-so-friendly version of the Koala
bear -- actually exists.
The Australian Rare Fauna Research Association
(ARFRA) has been researching the possible existence
of the Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine, as well as big
cats, in Australia since 1984. To date the ARFRA has
conducted over two thousand field research
investigations, logged nearly 1,500 high quality
Victorian sightings of these creatures, and compiled a
large collection of data on the subject. The ARFRA is
always seeking reports of unusual animal sightings,
ancient, recent and current, from anywhere in the
Australian region, and has the largest database on
Australian cryptozoological subjects of any
organization in the world.
Beast of Buderim
collects reports of sightings of Thylacines over the
last few years in the Buderim area (Sunshine Coast,
Queensland).
Scientists at the Australian Museum in Sydney
seek to clone a Thylacine using DNA from a pup
preserved in alcohol since 1866. Following are links to
several articles about this attempt to bring back this
carnivorous marsupial from extinction.
Thylacine - To clone or not to clone?
is the Autralian Museum's official web site about
the project to clone the thylacine. Offers
general information about the thylacine as well as
information about the cloning project itself.
Cryptozoology
offers an interview of Dr. Jeanette Muirhead of the
University of New South Wales conducted by Paul Willis.
They discuss the history of the Thylacine.
National Thylacine Day
by Linday M. Hatcher and Alex J. Saur discusses the
sixtieth anniversary -- September 7, 1996 -- of the
death of the last known Thylacine in captivity. This
page provides information on the Thylacine including a
bibliography and links to Thylacine web sites.
Queensland Marsupial Tiger
by Peter Darben discusses sightings of this creature,
also called the Beast of Buderim -- perhaps a living
Thylacoleo.
My Thylacine Stamps
lists some stamps depicting this extinct or nearly
extinct marsupial carnivore of Tasmania.
Thylacinus cynocephalus
offers a number of pictures of dead or caged thylacines
taken early in the twentieth century. Current page
doesn't have the nice old photos.
Tour of tassie: Tasmanian Tiger
discusses recent sightings of the Thylacine in
Tasmania. Includes a quicktime movie of the last
captive thylacine, taken at the Hobart zoo in 1933.
offers articles and images about these mysterious
objects.