Cryptids are creatures that may or may not be real. There is no clear-cut evidence to their existence, but a bunch of people believe in anyway. What’s great about cryptoids is that they don’t have to exist to make for a good game. Like the Scooby Doo bunch, there could always be stodgy old man in a mask behind it all, but the adventure is just as much fun.

Whether or not the GM decides to make the creatures real, these crypoids have been “studied” with so much effort that it is easy to find stats on them and create believable monsters or hoaxes depending on the type of game you’re running. Several have videos, photographs, measurements of track. Just Google it up and leave them around as newspaper clippings to get your players in the mood.

Although the existence of most cryptids is believed unlikely, a few have been proven real rather than fictitious, such as the okapi. A gentleman named George M. Eberhart, an expert in classification, determined the various types of cryptid:

1. a distribution anomaly
2. an undescribed, unusual, or outsized variation of an existing species
3. survivor of a recently extinct species
4. a survivor of a species only known in the fossil record (living dinosaurs)
5. a survivor of a species known in later fossil records (mammoths)
6. animals not known from fossil records but related to known species
7. animals not known from fossil records nor related to known species
8. mythical creatures with a zoological basis
9. paranormal or supernatural entities
10. known hoaxes (jackelope)

Game Terms: There are ten types of cryptids, which means you can roll for type if you’re feeling rushed and can’t decide what to use for your adventure.

The List

This is divvied up into several categories: Lake monsters, sea monsters, known hoaxes, bipedal humanoids, giant animals, etc.

Confirmed Animals

Bondegezou/Dingiso: New Guinea, Indonesia. A tree-kangaroo species first learned about in 1995 and successfully filmed in 2009.
Devil Bird: Sri Lanka. Its blood-curdling shrieks were believed to be an omen. It was recently confirmed to be a Spot-bellied Eagle-owl.
Hoan Kiem Turtle: Vietnam. A giant legendary turtle of Hoan Kiem lake that turned out to really exist.
Ziphius: Georges Cuvier first described the species from a skull and dubbed it the water owl. Seventy years later it was determined to be a new species of whale called the Cuvier’s Beaked Whale.

Distribution Anomalies

Adjule: North Africa. Unrecognized canines believed to be an isolated population of African Wild Dog.
Beast of Bladenboro: North Carolina, U.S. A series of attacks by a catlike creature was investigated and it was concluded it was most likely cougar attacks.
Beast of Bodmin Moor: England. Reports of a large cat attacking local herds brought about the belief of alien cats brought to the region illegally, but remains unconfirmed.
Beast of Dartmoor: England. A large cat-like mammal with porcine features.
Beast of Dean: England. Also called Moose-pig; an overly large boar-like creature.
Beast of Exmoor: England. A large cat
Beast of Gévaudan: France. A carnivorous wolf-like mammal that some believe to be an escaped hyena.
Big Cats (Irish): Ireland. Alien Big Cats or phantom cats that could be cougars or panthers but are usually disputed as impossible.
Canvey Island Monster: Canvey Island, England. Two creatures washed up on shore in 1954 and 1955. About two feet long, reddish-brown in color with bulging eyes, and what appeared to be hind legs, believed now that they were a variant of deep sea anglerfish, frogfish, or batfish with prominent fins that ended up at the ocean’s surface for some unexplained reason.
Dingonek: Western Africa. A jungle walrus. Literally, there are reports of a walrus that lives deep in the heart of Africa.
Kenthurst Panther: Australia. A melanistic leopard reported in the NSW and believed to be an escapee.
Manatee of Helena: Two eyewitness accounts place a manatee at St. Helena, a British-held island in the South Atlantic Ocean, far from the coasts of North America.
Phantom Kangaroo: These marsupials have been spotted in many places where there are no native populations. While there is always speculation that a local zoo or circus lost one, many cases are also young pets that escape their owners. These sightings occur often and as recently as last year. There are established populati•ons of wallabies in Great Britain and France, brought there for private zoos and then escaped or freed.
Wucharia: Eritrea. Isolated canid sightings in the desert lead many to believe this is an isolated population or mutation of the Egyptian jackal or Arabian Wolf.

Unusual or Giant Variations on Existing Animals

Ahool: Indonesia. Named after the sound it made, it has a monkey-like face with large eyes. Reported wingspan of 3 meters (ten feet), but wingspans are usually overestimated. Could be a type of owl or unidentified species of large bat.
Appalachian Black Panther: West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Alabama, and Virginia, U.S. Possibly a melanistic American cougar.
Dobhar-chú: Ireland. Extra-large otter-like carnivorous aquatic mammal. Last sighted in 2003, earlier reports state the creature can kill a human. Dobharchú is a modern Irish word for “otter.”
Elmendorf Beast: Texas, U.S. Several attacks from strange wolf-like creatures were brought to an end by ranchers when they shot a large canid in 2004. Studies eventually concluded it was a coyote with severe mange.
Giant Anaconda: South America. Reports of giant snakes reaching 40 to 50 feet have been listed since South America was discovered by Europeans. The longest confirmed anaconda was 25 feet long.
Giglioli’s Whale: A 60-foot long whale-like creature with two dorsal fins instead of one. Seen off the coasts of Chile and Scotland in 1800s and near France in the Mediterranean in the 1980s.
Grootslang: Richtersveld, South Africa. Witnesses state it is 40 feet (12 meters) long and 3 feet (1 meter) wide. Devoured elephants by leading them into its cave. In Benin it is reported as an elephant with a serpents tail. Local legends states its cave is filled with diamonds.
High-Finned Sperm Whale: Shetland Islands. A supposed mutation of sperm whale, with a tall dorsal fin.
J’ba fofi: Congo, Central Africa. Giant tarantula-like spider with four- to six-foot leg span.
Kikiyaon: West Africa. Resembles a large owl in the head with a huge beak and talons on both hands and feet. Somewhat humanoid, the Bambara people describe giant wings, short greenish-gray hair/feathers, and a short tufted tail. It is said to smell like a decomposing snake. Some rumors of supernatural power from natives.
Kting Voar: Cambodia, Vietnam. The snake-eating cattle was identified from strange horns found in Ho Chi Min City. It was later determined many of these horns were normal cow horns artificially twisted as snake-repelling talismans but the legends of these bovines with strange horns go back far enough that some believe their existence was at least possible at one point.
Lusca: Giant Octopus between 75 and 200 feet in length. No octopus found has ever been greater than twenty to thirty feet.
Maltese Tiger: China. A “blue” tiger with slate-gray markings. As Maltese domestic cats do exist, it is entirely possible, but there has been physical evidence of a Maltese tiger.
Minhocão: South American. Giant earthworm. It appears as a giant earthworm with scaly black skin and a pair of gigantic tentacle-like structure sprouting from its head. Thought to be a burrowing animal. Caecilians can get long, but no where near this size.
Mngwa: Tanzania. A large ferocious gray feline the size of a donkey. Several natives were attacked. Most believe this was a single incidence of an abnormally colored specimen of a known species.
Mongolian Death Worm: Gobi Desert. A bright-red worm with a wide body 2 to 5 feet long. Locals have claimed it can spew acid, discharge electricity, and believed to be so poisonous as a touch will cause death. Rarely seen, it was research and findings were either inconclusive or discrediting.
Ndendeki: Congo, Africa. Giant turtle, 12 to 15 feet in diameter. Believed to be an African soft-shelled turtle or a similar variation, but bigger.
Ngoima: Republic of Congo, Africa. A Giant bird with a wingspan of 3 to 4 meters. It could be a local eagle with an overstated wingspan but not confirmed.
Olitiau: Cameroon. A giant black, dark-brown, or dark-red bat with serrated teeth. The wingspan was stated as being 6 to 12 feet (2–4 m long). Likely a larger (but overstated) variation on a native bat.
Pogeyan: Ghana, India. Sighted and photographed, a large gray felid. Believed to either be a genetic coloration of a leopard or lion, or an out-of-place Asian lion.
Sucuriju Gigante: Amazonia. Giant boa. Speculation has this giant snake reachingup to 40 meters and 80 cm around.
Takitaro: Japan. Giant fish feared to be a giant snakehead.
Thunderbird: North America. This is the modern reports of giant bird sightings, not the mythological Native American legend. Large bird-like creatures have been reported seen in the U.S. and Canada as late as 2007, with wingspans of 14 feet or more. Several prehistoric giant fliers have been reported in the Americas, including a vulture with a wingspan of 23 feet (7 meters).
Trinity Alps Giant Salamander: California, U.S. Giant salamander said to live in northern California. A gentleman claimed they were alligator-sized. Although well overstated, hellbenders usually found in the east can get to be three feet long or more.
Veo: Indonesia. Scaly anteater-like creature as big as a horse.

Extinct Species

Andean Wolf: High Andes, South America. Canine sometimes believed to have some survivors, but pretty confirmed as extinct.
Bergman’s Bear: Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. A variation on the brown bear now believed to be extinct.
Buru: India. Reptilian or Giant Lungfish. Described to a westerner in 1947 as having an elongated neck and forked tongue but already reported to be extinct by that time.
Chickcharney: Andros Island, Bahamas. Flightless birdlike creature about three feet tall. “Incredibly ugly.” Confirmed reported there was a similar-sized flightless relative of the barn owl that once lived on that island and was thought to be extinct. Highly possible there are holdovers from that population.
Elasmotherium: Asia. Giant Rhinoceros. Confirmed extinct.
Ennedi Tiger: Chad, Africa. Descriptions match saber-toothed tigers. Hasn’t been seen again since 20th century.
Giant Ground Sloth: Amazon Rainforest. As far as anyone knows, these sightings are a myth since the giant sloth is supposed to be extinct.
Hokkaidō Wolf: Japan. Believed to be extinct since 1889 although reports of sightings have continued. A similar wolf is called the Honshu Wolf, extinct since 1905.
Kawekawau: New Zealand. One of the largest geckos ever recorded at 600 mm. Now believed extinct.
Kumi Lizard: New Zealand. Giant monitor lizard most believe extinct. Could also have been a sighting of a crocodile monitor, which normally lives on New Guinea.
MacFarlane’s Bear: Canada: A yellow-furred bear, possibly a grizzly-polar bear hybrid believed now to be extinct.
Marozi: Africa. Spotted lion. A race of African lion adapted to mountainous regions. These creatures were smaller than regular lions and retained spots or were a lion-leopard hybrid. Two were shot in 1934 and their hides preserved. No reports of sightings since.
Marsupial Lion: Australia. Not related to actual lions, it was the largest meat-eating marsupial of Australia, comparable to lions in size. Considered extinct.
Megalania: New Zealand. An extinct giant monitor lizard some liken to the Kumi lizard. There are some who believe there may be some of these lizards left.
Megalodon: Oceans worldwide. Giant shark. Believed extinct although some believe it still may exist.
Moa: New Zealand. Giant flightless bird that died out before European settlement.
Poukai: New Zealand. Huge black-and-white predator birds with red crests and yellow-green tipped wings. Believed to kill humans and in the Maoris more recent history.
Queensland Tiger: Australia. A dog-sized feline with a long tail, prominent teeth, and stripes. Believed to possibly be a survivor or descendant of the marsupial lion.
Thylacine: Tasmanian Tiger or Tasmanian Wolf. Last one died in captivity in 1936 but there have been over 3000 sightings of them since.
Zanzibar Leopard: An elusive, probably extinct species of leopard from the Unguja Island off Zanzibar.

Unidentified Creatures similar to actual existing species

Beast of Bray Road: Wisconsin, U.S. A large wolf-like, bear-like, or Bigfoot-like carnivorous mammal that can stand on its hind legs. Could be some sort of wolfdog or coydog.
Burmese Gray Wild Dog: Burma. Unrecognized canid
Ebu Gogo: Flores, Indonesia. Name means “grandmother” and it is believed this is an extinct race of diminutive hominids that some say survived to modern times. Natives state their ancestors exterminated the Ebu Gogo for stealing their food and children.
Emela-Ntouka: Republic of Congo. The animal description is similar to a rhinoceros, although it seems to prefer water. Some say it may be a rhinoceros variation; others prefer to believe it is a living dinosaur.
Kongamato: Kenya. A reddish blackish flying creature that eyewitnesses described as being similar to a pterosaur. Although some believe this may be a misreported type of bird or bat, the drawings and descriptions have convinced some there may be a pterosaur-like population deep in the heart of Africa.
Mapinguari: Amazon Rainforest. Large ground-dwelling sloth-like creature seen by natives; no physical evidence available.
Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu: Republic of Congo. Few claimed sightings but all report an animal with planks growing out of its back, rather like a stegosaurus. It was resting in water.
Mitla: Bolivia. A medium-sized carnivorous mammal described as being both canine- and feline-looking. Best described as a mysterious dog with feline features.
Mokele-Mbembe: Republic of Congo. Reptilian dinosaur-like creature the size and shape of an elephant or rhinoceros.
Mountain Fennec: Chad, Algeria, in Sahara Mountains. Unidentified fox, possibly a Blanford’s Fox, reported by natives.
Muhuru: Kenya. A heavily armored reptilian with thick boney plates, like a stegosaur or ankylosaur seen in the jungles.
Nandi Bear: Africa. A ferocious, powerfully built mammal four feet tall with high front shoulders and a sloping back. Some speculate it is a misidentified hyena or a newly discovered species of hyena.
Ngoubou: Cameroon. A reptilian very similar to the ceratopsian dinosaurs, said to have six horns and fight elephants for land
Nguma-monene: Republic of Congo. A large dinosaur-like reptilian with a low-slung body and a serrated ridge on its back.
Onza: Latin America. A puma or cougar with possibly some color and size variation that was found in Sinaloa and killed. Genetically it was no different than a puma.
Orang-Bati: Seram, Indonesia. An orangutan with wings, witnessed by a missionary man. Described as being more bat-like or pterosaur-like and known to attack the locals and steal children to be eaten.
Ozark Howler: Ozarks, U.S. A bear sized carnivorous creature with a thick body, stocky legs, shaggy black hair, and horns. Its cry was a combination of a wolf’s howl and elk’s bugle. Speculated it may be an unidentified panther.
Rhinoceros Dolphin: A creature said to have two dorsal fins instead of one. Unrecognized and unconfirmed at this time.
Ropen: Papua New Guinea. Either bat-like or pterosaur-like in appearance but also said to glow briefly while in flight. Believed to be misidentified fruit bat or flying fox, but the flashing lights have remain unexplained.
Ryogyo: Japan. Sturgeon-like fish.
Salawa: Egypt. A mysterious canid held responsible for several killings; possible a Fennec fox or large dog.
Shug Monkey: Europe. It has features of both a dog and a monkey, but usually remains quadrupedal.
Shunka Warakin: Western U.S. a canine that looks crossed between a wolf and hyena. Possibly a hold-over from a previous American population of now-extinct canids or a mutant variation on a modern one.
Sigbin: Philippines. A creature granted horrific powers by natives, but may have been based on actually sightings of a newly discovered creature in the area, the cat-fox.
Steller’s Sea Ape: Sighted and described by Steller in 1741, it was a creature with the face of a dog and the tale of a shark. It had pointed erect ears. Closest description of a real animal would be a young Northern Fur Seal or a deformed seal.
Tapire-lauara: Amazon. A huge carnivorous creature like a cross between a cat and pig. Reported at lengths of up to nine feet with teeth and claws used for hunting prey.
Ucumar: South America. Small ferocious bear- or primate-like creature. Believed to be a form of spectacled bear.
Waheela: Canada (Michigan). Wolf-like creature possibly representing a relict population of prehistoric bear-dogs or other type of wolf.
Waitoreke: New Zealand. Small rodent-like water creature similar to an otter or water rat. Little proof exists but it could very well be a real animal.

Unidentified Creature Not similar to anything

Bunyip: Australia. Although marked as a legendary creature, the accounts from nonnative explorers in the 1800s leave this creature unconfirmed. Said to be a cave and lake dweller, but unconfirmed as to its exact nature.
Chupacabra: Mexico, Puerto Rico, Texas, U.S., Kerala, India. Eyewitness accounts started in Puerto Rico in 1995 and described a heavy reptilian or mammalian creature the size of a small bear with a row of spines from neck to base of tail. Later reports stated the creature was more like a hairless dog or wolf and parasite-ridden coyotes may have been the cause of these reports.
Dover Demon: Massachusetts, U.S. Described as having a disproportionately large watermelon-shaped head, illuminated orange or green eyes, long thin arms and legs, fingers, and could walk on two feet. All sightings occurred within 25 hours of each other and it has never been seen since 1977. Some believe it was an alien encounter. Some believe the witnesses were all collaborators on a hoax.
Enfield Horror: The child that saw it in 1973 described it as having at least three legs, a grayish slimy skin, short claws, and reddish eyes. A half-hour later a whole family had an encounter with the same creature. The man shot it but it hissed and leapt away. Other reports were gathered but it hasn’t been seen since that year.
Flatwoods Monster: thought to be an alien crash landing and subsequent third encounter, the spade-headed creature is all but confirmed to have been an owl sighting combined with a local meteor crash.
Jersey Devil: New Jersey, U.S. Winged, bipedal horselike creature. Seen since the 1800s.
Mothman: West Virginia, U.S. Winged bipedal, seven feet tall, with large reflective red eyes. Sometimes considered man-like, some say it has no head but the eyes are about where the upper chest would be. It has an unearthly shriek. Two teens swore it chased them in their car in 1966 and sightings continued on until 1967.
Umdhlebi: Zululand, Africa. A highly poisonous tree with large fragile green leaves, two layers of bark—the outside dead bark hanging off of it and a new living layer underneath. The fruit was said to be red and black and to hang off the branches like poles. The poison is given off as a gas, causing creatures to die underneath it and feed the root system. No such tree has ever been found.

Paranormal/Supernatural Entities

Black Shuck: East Anglia, England. Carnivorous phantom dog reported to have been in that area for hundreds of years. Reported to have been seen by many eyewitnesses and to have killed several people.
Fear Liath: Scotland. Sometimes considered supernatural and sometimes thought to be more like a yeti, this is a tall humanoid covered with short hair. There have been various sightings and a few photograph of unusual footprints.
Garou: Louisiana, U.S., other places. Werewolves. Some still very much believe they are out there.
Giant Snake of Mt. Tsurugi: Japan: Mythological snake believed to guard King Solomon’s treasure.
Gremlin: United States. A small imp-like creature with an interest in dismantling machinery, particularly airplanes. Originally an English folkloric legend.
Huay Chivo: Yucatán Peninsula. A legendary Mayan half-beast, half-man creature with burning red eyes. Locals believe it is an evil sorcerer.
Kappa: Japan. Legendary water sprite/monster, but many natives are convinced of their existence; modern signs will warn children of swimming in certain places using pictures of kappas.
Manananggal: Philippines. A hideous, vampire-like creature capable of severing itself in half so its upper torso can fly on huge bat wings when it hunts for prey.
Naga: Laos. Phaya Naga are serpentine creatures in the Mekong River believed to help protect the borders and the people of Laos.
Peluda: France: The Shaggy Beast. Said to be dragon-like in nature and abilities, but with porcupine quills of a mess of green hair-like projections that could be shot like stingers.
Popobawa: East Africa. A large bat-like shapeshifter or evil spirit, but only going back about forty years, so not a legend. Has been known to possess people. Pope Lick Monster: Kentucky, U.S. Half man, half-goat or half-sheep in appearance. It lives at a particular train trestle over Pope Lick Creek neat Louisville. It is a grossly deformed man with fur-covered goat legs, white face, wide set eyes, short sharp horns, and long greasy hair the same color as that on its legs. It is said to talk to people to convince them to come down and get hit by the train. It is also sometimes said to use an ax. Many have died on that train trestle although a real reason is unknown.
Qilin: China. A mythical hooved Chinese chimera believed by many to be a real creature.
Tatzelwurm: European Alps. Has a snake-like body between two and six feet in height with front clawed legs but no hind legs. Locals state it breathes poisonous fumes. Some have suggested it may have been a variant of Heloderma.
Tsuchinoko: Japan. Legendary snake creature of Japan. Between 30 and 80 cm in length, a central girth much wider than its head or tail, fangs, venom, and can jump. May have been based on real snakes.

Discredited Claims

Beast of Busco: Churubusco, Indiana, U.S. A snapping turtle named Oscar that was fifteen feet in diameter.
Cherufe: Chile. Legendary draconic or magma-living creature that some cryptozoologists tried to base off a possible existent creature, but disputed entirely.
Flying Rod: Worldwide. These strange “flying” rods and twists were finally proven to be video camera malfunctions creating photographic artifacts.
Gazeka: Papua New Guinea. Similar to a tapir or giant sloth, it was created by an actor for one of his plays.
Homo gardarensis: Greenland. Partial remains of a strange humanoid creature were found but were later proven to be a contemporary human with acromegaly.
Hyote: Maryland, U.S. Canine creature captured and revealed to be a red fox with mange.
Kasai Rex: Africa. Dinosaur similar to T-rex. Picture taken of creature was proven to be fake.
Kelpie: Scotland and Ireland. The water horse of lakes and rivers, the carnivorous mammal was discredited as impossible.
Killer Badger: Basra province, Iraq. Overblown stories of man-eating badgers in the area produced a rash of rumors that they were released by British forces to create panic; it was later revealed the creatures were a form of ratel (honey badger) and native to the area.
Man-Eating Tree: Various. The largest carnivorous plants ever seen have been 15-inch (38cm) tall pitcher plants capable of holding 3.5 liters. The earliest man-eating plant was the Madagascar Tree and was a hoax.
MoMo: Louisiana, Missouri, U.S. Standing seven feet tall, with a large, pumpkin-shaped head, and black fur covering everything, it was seen in the early 1970s; tracks found were deemed a hoax.
Mylodon: South America. Extinct giant sloth. Fresh-looking skin and feces seemed to indicate that there may still be a giant sloth in the Patagonian forests, but they were later concluded to be thousands of years old and well-preserved.
Nabau: Malaysia. Reported a giant snake was in the area but it was later proven otherwise as Photoshop.
Oriental Yeti: Recently found cryptid that was identified as a civet with mange.
Montauk Monster: New York, U.S. The carcass that washed up on shore in 2008 was about the size of a cat and partially decomposed. Many speculated it came from Plum Island, where the Animal Disease Center was situated. Several arguments circulated regarding what it really was and it was finally determined to be a partially decomposed and mutilated raccoon or boxer carcass.
Owlman: Cornwall, England. Several children and an older person all claimed to have seen a giant owl-like creature hovering around a church. Although never confirmed it is believed that a member of an Eagle Owl population in North Yorkshire crossed the Channel to Mawnan, England.
Pinatubo Lake Monsters: Zambales, Philippines. What was thought to be a lake monster or giant eel was discredited as a school of fish swarming.
Sea Monk: Sea monks were misidentified squid, believed to look like a holy man when held up by its head.
Setontot: Malaysia. A ground-dwelling, slow-moving creature that was misidentified and discredited.
Stronsay Beast: Orkney Island, Scotland. Sea creature carcass (55 feet long) that was eventually identified as a basking shark, although truly larger than most basking sharks.
Trunko: South Africa. Large strange elephantine whale-like creature seen “battling” two orcas. When the carcass washed up on shore it was identified as a globster—a skin sac of blubber from a whale after the skeleton separates from it. It is expected the orcas were battering it around as they feasted on it, which is why it looked alive.
Zuiyō Maru Creature: Christchurch, New Zealand. A carcass pulled up and photographed in 1977 looked for all intents and purposed like some sort of plesiosaur, but was later determined to be a basking shark carcass.

Hoaxes

Ameranthropoides loysi: Columbia/Venezuela Border. Also known as De Loy’s Ape, De Loy claimed to have met and photographed a giant ape in South America. Many believe the single photograph is a picture of a spider monkey carcass propped up, being there have never been reports of giant apes seen in that particular area.
Cardiff Giant: New York, U.S. a ten-foot tall “petrified” man created by George Hull and unearthed on the farm of Hull’s cousin, William Newell, when he ordered a well dug by two men.
Elwedritsche: Palatinate, Germany. Once a legendary creature, several people throughout the years have resurrected this scaly birdlike creature as real, swearing to serve it at banquets and organizing hunts where one person waits to capture the creature while the others state they will herd the animal toward him. Then they go back to the party and leave the person until he realizes he’s been fooled.
Fur-Bearing Trout: Northern North America. It is claimed the waters near Canada and the northern mid-United States are so cold, the trout developed a fur coat to keep themselves warm. Some fish diseases look like fur and this may have been passed back home from immigrants to amaze their foreign relatives.
Gunni: Marysville, Victoria, Australia. Wombat-like creatures with antlers. Only three were ever “found” and was stuffed and placed on exhibit.
Hodag: Wisconsin, U.S. A carnivorous mammalian or reptilian creature captured and photographed in 1893 and determined to be a hoax by 1896.
Hoop Snake: United States/Australia. Said hoop snakes will grasp its tail in its mouth and roll after prey or to escape like a wheel. To this day people swear they’ve seen this event.
Jackelope: North America. Rabbit with a deer’s antlers. Possible influenced by the sight of rabbits infected with Shope papillomavirus, but has been used as a hoax for many years.
Jimbosquatc: New Jersey, U.S. A photograph of the creature likened it to Bigfoot but it was a hoax.
Kingstie: Lake Ontario, North America. Created in 1934 to appear as a draconic creature.
Skvader: Sweden. With the fore-quarters of a rabbit and the back, wings, and tail of a wood grouse, it was created by a taxidermist in 1918.
Thetis Lake Monster: Canada. A lizardman creature sighted at the lake was later reported to be a hoax by one of its creators.
Wild Haggis: Scotland. A creature claimed to be the source of haggis.
Wolpertinger: Germany. Another jackelope variation. Essentially a rabbit with antlers and a grouse’s hindquarters.
Ya-Te-Veo: Central and South America. Literally means “I see you.” Said to be a tree with a large eye on its trunk and a mouth.

Primates/Hominids

Agogwe: Eastern Africa. Small (3.25 to 5 feet tall) furry bipedal humanoids.
Almas: Asia/Caucasus. Bipedal red-furred humanoids (5 to 6.5 feet tall) living in the mountains of Caucasus.
Amomongo: Negros Island/Philippines. Characterized as hairy, man-sized, ape-like, and with long claws.
Barmanou: Middle East/Asia. Bipedal primate living in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Humanoid reported to wear animal skins on its head and back and reported to abduct women.
Batutut/Ujit: Vietnam, Laos, Borneo. Hairy, bipedal hominid approximately six feet tall known to wander alone or in groups. In Borneo was reported to be four feet tall and very aggressive.
Beaman: Missouri, U.S. Unknown primate in Kansas City area. In 1904 a circus train wrecked and supposedly a 12-foot tall gorilla escaped. Some say the Beaman monster is the offspring of this gorilla.
Bigfoot: Pacific Northwest, U.S. “Sasquatch.” Large hairy bipedal creature between 6 to 10 feet tall. Eyewitnesses claim there is an unpleasant smell. Has not been entirely disputed yet.
Bukit Timah Monkey Man: Singapore. Gray-furred bipedal hominid, three to six feet tall. Last seen in 2007.
Fouke Monster: Arkansas, U.S.A large hominid creature (seven feet tall) covered in large dark hair. Runs in a slouched posture. Bad odor. Attacked a man in 1971 and all other local disturbances have been attributed to it since.
Gnome of Gerona: Spain. A small humanoid “goblin,” that was preserved after its death and revealed in 1989 by campers who swear they caught it alive. Since then it has been highly suspected as a hoax; most likely a fetal mutated animal.
Goatman: Maryland, Wisconsin, New York, U.S. Sightings began in the 1950s. Reported to have attacked a number of eyewitnesses. Described as being similar to the legend of Pan, or the Devil.
Grassman: Ohio, U.S. Seven to nine feet tall with black, brown, or reddish hair. Muscular build and large hands and feet.
Hibagon: Japan. A five-foot tall black creature with white hands and feet. Reported to be apelike and smells of decaying flesh.
Kala Bandar: India. Black monkey-man sighted around Old Delhi and causing mass hysteria in 2001–2002. Thick black fur was covered by a helmet or bandages.
Lake Worth Monster: Texas, U. S. A gorilla-like bipedal creature was photographed in 1969 roaming around the area. There were a few sightings after but some were determined as hoaxes.
Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp: South Carolina, U.S. Seven feet tall, well-built, with green scaly skin and glowing red eyes. Three fingers and toes all ending in circular sticky pads. It was capable of doing considerable damage to a car, according to evidence from an eyewitness in 1988.
Lizard People: Worldwide. Most supporters of sightings believe these are alien lifeforms that now live somewhere under earth, stemming from a 1934 Los Angeles Time report from a mining engineer who claimed to have seen their underground city.
Loveland Frog: Ohio, U.S. A bipedal creature three to four feet tall with a frog face. Two accounts in the 1970s were disputed as one eyewitness believed that an oversized pet lizard had escaped, but his report was falsely played up.
Mande Barung: Northeast India. A large hairy bipedal hominoid similar to the yeti.
Maricoxi: South America. Large apelike creatures, two to six feet tall, in the jungles of South America. Described as extremely hair, living in villages and able to use bows. Could have been an elusive tribe or members of a tribe with the genetic mutation for hair overgrowth.
Menehune: Hawaii. Diminutive people living in the hidden valleys of the Hawaiian Islands.
Merpeople: Oceans and seas worldwide. Mermaids and Mermen have been discredited and labeled as hoaxes numerous times, but there are many sightings that have to be left unconfirmed.
Minnesota Iceman: Minnesota, U.S. a circus carried around the rumored “Iceman” as a sideshow attraction right through the sixties. He had a replica that he used for regular shows. Scientists claimed to have investigated the “real” iceman and deemed it authentic. The carnival owner lost rights to it and admitted he never knew if it was actually authentic or not.
Moehau: New Zealand. A large, hairy hominid on North Island. The most common explanation is that a gorilla was freed from a ship in the 1920s when it wrecked. Some swear there were sightings earlier than the 1900s.
Mono Grande: South America. A large monkey-like creature, much larger than most new world monkeys, and bipedal. Although not completely discredited, most believe that there is now way for such a monkey to exist.
Muwa: Eastern Samar, Philippines. A forest-dwelling hominid, five feet tall, with glowing red eyes, possibly a primate.
Old Yellow Top: Ontario, Canada. Seven-foot tall Sasquatch-like creature, except with a blonde patch of hair on its head and a light colored mane.
Orang Mawas: Malaysia. Described as being ten feet tall, bipedal, covered with black fur, and feeding on crab or raiding orchards. Seen often by natives.
Orang Pendak: Sumatra. A ground-dwelling bipedal primate with short fur standing between 80 and 150 cm (30 and 60 inches) tall. Seen fairly often by natives.
Pukwudgie: Massachusetts. Two- to three-foot tall troll-like creature first seen in Native American folklore and included in some recent encounters.
Skunk Ape: Florida, U.S. Hominid of the southeastern United States. Described as a large, hairy, foul-smelling, bipedal, ape-like creature.
Tjutjuna: Russia. A hominid six to seven feet tall and covered with dark hair in Siberia.
Toangians: New Zealand. Ape-manlike creatures.
Urayuli: Alaska, U.S. Bipedal hominids ten feet tall and covered with shaggy fur with luminescent eyes. They give off high-pitched cries. Their lanky arms are described as hanging down past their ankles.
Wild Man of the Navidad: Texas, U.S. Also a Wild Woman variation, first reports of a Bigfoot-like creature in the area. Vanished by the late 1880s.
Yeren: China. Hominid covered in reddish hair ranging from six to eight feet tall. Lives in a cave.
Yeti: Himalayas. Well-known ape-like cryptid.
Yowie: Australia. Unidentified bipedal humanoid with very long black hair.

Sea Monsters

Akkorokamui: Japan and Thailand. Giant red cephalopod over 100 meters in length. Could have been an overestimated giant octopus or squid.
Ayia Napa Sea Monster: Mediterranean Sea near Cyprus. Possibly a crocodile or large snake but unconfirmed.
Bishop Fish: Near Europe. Seen in the 1500s; looked like a holy man and made the sign of the cross. Two incidents were reported, in Poland and Germany, and it was never seen again.
Cadborosaurus willsi: Pacific Coast, North America. Alleged sea serpent described from found carcasses and more than 300 sightings. Horselike head and powerful flippers.
Chessie: Atlantic Coast, U.S. Sea monster witnessed especially in Chesapeake Bay. Between 25 to 40 feet long with a horselike head.
Con Rit: Southeast Asia, Algerian Coast. Large, many-finned sea serpent reported from ancient times.
Gambo: Africa. An unidentifiable carcass washed up on shore and was reported by a young man, but no samples were taken and it is unknown if it is a hoax or not.
Globsters: Unidentifiable blobs of animal carcass that wash up on shore, with no identifiable features and usually no bone structure. Proven that many are masses of whale blubber; others may be giant cephalopods.
Gloucester Sea Serpent: Massachusetts, U.S. Large Sea serpent reported off the coast of New England.
Kaijin: Japan. Mentioned since the Edo period, it was humanoid in appearance although it did not speak.
Kraken: World’s oceans. The eyewitness accounts and reports regarding the kraken may be attributed to giant cephalopods, but it will never be absolutely confirmed.
Ningen: Recent addition to Japanese pop culture, although most sightings have been near the Antarctic. Blubbery and whale-like, and between 20 and 30 meters in length, all depictions show a human-like face; some also show hands and arms. The skin is usually pale or nearly white.

Unconfirmed Ocean Sounds

Bloop: South American southwest coast. Unconfirmed sound some say to be a large underwater creature.
Quackers: Atlantic, Arctic Ocean. Russian submarines picked up strange croaking noises while submerged in the Atlantic and Artic Oceans.
Slow Down: Sound recorded in 1997 in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean. Possibly moving ice in the Atlantic.

Lake/River Monsters

Altamaha-ha: Georgia, U.S. A sturgeon-like creature with an alligator’s snout swimming in the small streams and abandoned rice fields near the Altamaha River.
Bear Lake Monster: Utah-Idaho border, U.S. Conflicting reports liken it to a walrus, an oversized carp, or a Sauropterygia. Last sighting was in 2004.
Bessie: Lake Erie, U.S. a Snake-like creature 30 to 40 feet in length and at least a foot in diameter.
Bownessie: Windermere, England. Believed to be similar to the Loch Ness Monster.
Brosno Dragon: Lake Brosno, Russia. A dragon- or dinosaur like head of a creature has been reported from the 13th century on.
Champ: New York, U.S. A lake Monster of Lake Champlain. There have been over 300 sightings.
Igopogo: Lake Simcoe, Ontario, Canada. A lake monster with a canine-like head.
Iliamna Lake Monster: Alaska, U.S. Giant lake monster believed to be responsible for the disappearances of several people. Due to deep-water connections right to the ocean, could be a whale or shark. Proposed more recently is the monster is a large white sturgeon, which are known for jumping out of the water near motorboats when they travel across the surface.
Inkanyamba: Africa. Zulus say it is a large serpent with a horselike head.
Isshii: Kyushu Island, Japan. Said to be a saurian lurking in Lake Ikeda.
Kusshii: Lake Kussharo, Hokkaidō, Japan
Lagarfljóts Worm: Iceland. Reports of a 300-foot long (91m) wormlike creature have been logged since the 1300s. It is often seen coiled up on shore.
Lake Tahoe Monster: California/Nevada, U.S. Stores of the monster have been told since the mid-nineteenth century. Large serpentine from 10 to 80 feet long and as wide as a barrel.
Lake Tianchi/Cheonji Monster: China, North Korea. Several large creatures have been seen at this lake, as many as six. Described as smooth seal-like or buffalo-like creatures.
Lake Van Monster: Turkey. A thousand eyewitness accounts describe the creature as a plesiosaur or ichthyosaur. Being that it did not appear until 1995, some say it might be a hoax to attract tourists to the area.
Lariosauro: Milan, Italy. A reptilian monster sighted as living in Lake Como. Mot remain skeptical.
Loch Ness Monster: Scotland. The original saurian lake monster, although many photos of the beast have been disputed.
Mahamba: Congo. In the Lake Likouala swamp area is said to be a fifty-foot long crocodile said to devour canoes by the natives.
Mamlambo: South Africa. Reported to have killed people crossing the river, with the neck of a snake, the torso of a horse, and the lower body of a fish.
Manipogo: Lake Manitoba, Canada. Sighted since 1908, anywhere from 12 feet to 50 feet long with a muddy brown body, humps that show above the water, and a sheep-like head.
Memphre: Lake Memphremagog, Canada/U.S. A reptilian monster much like Nessie, last seen in 2005.
Messie: South Carolina, U.S. Lake Murray monster. First sighted in 1933, it was described as a cross between a snake and something prehistoric. It tried to climb into a boat aggressively and was beaten off.
Morag: Scotland. There have been many sightings of the 20-foot long creature. It is Scotland’s second-most famous lake monster.
Muckie: Ireland. In the Lakes of Killarney, in 2003, a group of scientists were measuring fish levels when their instruments bounced back a large solid object. Further investigation has recorded nothing.
Muc-sheilch: Scotland. Loch monster of Loch Maree, a local tried to drain the lake then poison the lake. No carcass was ever found.
Mussie: Ontario, Canada. Muskrat Lake. When first described it was obviously exaggerated with towering serpentine head, three eyes, and sharp teeth. Since then is has been streamlined to be more believable and more like local wildlife, like walruses or seals, although both need open water.
Nahuelito: Argentina. A giant serpent or plesiosaur with photographic evidence dating to 2006.
Ogopogo: Laka Okanogan, Canada. Seen since the 19th century it is described as being 40–50 (12 to 15 meters) feet long and serpentine.
Selma: Seljord, Norway. Resembles a giant eel
Sharlie: Idaho, U.S. A reptile-like sea serpent said to live in Payette Lake. Last documented sighting was 2002.
Storsjöodjuret: Sweden. A serpentine or reptilian creature with a dog’s head and fins across its back. Lives in 300-feet deep Lake Storsjön.
Turtle Lake Monster: Saskatchewan, Canada. Long serpentine monster with a seahorse-like head. Possibly a lake sturgeon or plesiosaur.