abominable snowman

The abominable snowman is one of the “big three” of cryptozoology, along with Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. Also known as yetis, these large creatures were first sighted by Westerners in a snowfield in the Himalayan Mountains of Tibet in 1921. Contrary to popular belief, the abominable snowman is not white. Similar to Bigfoot, the creature is described as a large, dark-furred hominoid beast with long, apelike arms. It is highly reclusive but sometimes travels through snowy mountain passes, leaving massive footprints.

Champ

The crowning gem of New England’s cryptid population is the Lake Champlain monster in Vermont. Champ is the most famous of the North American lake monsters and probably the second most famous in the world, trailing only its cousin in Loch Ness and followed closely by Ogopogo of Lake Okanagan in British Columbia. Sightings of the giant, serpentine creature reportedly date back to the early 17th century, but it was most famously photographed by Sandra Mansi in 1977. Some believe Champ and other lake creatures are surviving specimen of the extinct zeuglodon, a primitive whale.

chupacabras

A relatively recent phenomenon in the crypto underworld, these mysterious monsters first appeared in small villages in Puerto Rico in the mid-1990s and quickly spread throughout Mexico. The short, hairy creatures are said to resemble alien kangaroos, with spikes down their backbones and lidless, red eyes. The term literally translates to “goat sucker”—they supposedly use their sharp fangs to drain the blood of goats, chickens and other farm animals.

coelacanth

This large, lobe-finned fish is perhaps cryptozoology’s greatest success story to date. Fossil evidence shows that the bright blue or brownish fish existed some 350 million years ago, but it was long thought to have become extinct at the same time as dinosaurs. In 1938, however, a five-foot, 127-pound, large-scaled blue fish was caught in South Africa. Another “fossil fish” was captured in the 1950s, and yet another appeared in Indonesia in the late 1990s. To cryptozoologists, the coelacanth proves that creatures thought not to exist occasionally pop up for surprise visits. (A drawing of the creature also adorns the International Cryptozoology Museum’s logo.)

giant anaconda

Initially reported by Amazon explorers in the early 20th century, these 45-foot river snakes are one of many cryptid species that are simply giant versions of existing animals. There is also the giant forest hog, giant monkey, giant octopus, giant panda, giant salamander, giant sloth and giant turtle. The giant squid was formerly considered a cryptid—until a real one was captured in Japan in December 2006.

Loch Ness Monster

Nessie, as she is affectionately called, is said to inhabit Loch Ness, Scotland’s largest fresh water body. Of the hundreds of lake monsters that have been sighted around the world, she is by far the most famous. First spotted in 1933, a London surgeon took the most recognized photos of the creature in 1934. Nessie is generally described as a large, humped, finned creature with a long, thin neck and small, horse-like head.

sasquatch

A Canadian journalist coined the term “sasquatch” in 1920 to denote the hairy, apelike beasts purported to roam the woods of British Columbia. It eventually became the umbrella term for all varieties of giant, hairy, elusive hominoid creatures. For the last 50 years, however, Bigfoot has been the more popular name for the king of cryptids. Its massive footprints have turned up in forested areas around North America, especially in the Pacific Northwest. A now-infamous loping Bigfoot was filmed in Bluff Creek, Cali., in 1967.

thunderbird

A common character in Native American folklore, these large, condor-like birds have been sighted in North America throughout recorded history. They are described as dark-colored, gliding birds with white neck feathers and wingspans exceeding 15 feet. Some believe thunderbirds are living specimen of the supposedly extinct Teratorn, which has yielded fossils with wingspans up to 24 feet.

Source: “Cryptozoology A to Z,” by Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark, 1999