Pterodactyl

As a closet cryptophile, I'm as intrigued by pterosaurs as I am by plesiosaurs. The latter are, of course, aquatic creatures like Nessie. The former, often referred to as pterodactyls, are 'winged lizards' and one of the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight. Who knows, maybe they've also educed the myths of dragons?

Beast of Exmoor?

Even if 3this really was the carcass of the notorious Beast of Ex-moor, an elusive 'phantom cat' that roamed the fields in Devon, United Kingdom, and slayed sheep by their throats, I say "so what?". At the very most, it's still a cat. It's black, so it actually resembles a panther. 'Cryptid' much?

Bringing Back the Mammoth

There's been some debate and discussion about bringing back the extinct, frozen woolly mammoth from the Pleistocene epoch. Sounds preposterous? Don't rule out the scientific possibilities presented in Steven Spielberg's JURASSIC PARK - what with DNA and genetic adaptation.

Wild Man

A rose is a rose by any other name; the same goes for an 'ape' - or, more accurately, bipedal humanoid covered in dense fur. It's called Yeti in Asia, Mapinguari in the Amazon, Yowie in Australia and Sasquatch in America. The Chinese call it 野 人, but we all know Bigfoot and the Abominable Snowman are one and the same.

Deep Imprints

Based on the sizes of these recovered-/remoulded-in-clay bipedal prints, how tall do you suppose Bigfoot is? A good 8, 9 feet?

The Doings of Chupas?

El Chupa-cabra has been blamed for the latest bouts of beheadings in Mexico. More than 300 goats were decapitated over a mere two-month period and since minimal blood was found at the scenes the 'goat sucker' became the main culprit. I do hope this isn't some sick, sadistic prank perpetrated by a bovid basher.

Was It an Elephant?

Does this well-captured photograph of an ele-phant swimming in a lake answer our long-standing question pertaining to the possible existence of a Loch Ness Monster in Scotland (whereby Ellie's trunk & head = Nessie's neck & back, respectively)? Can the Met confirm this?

Bunyip

The bunyip is a "large mythical creature from Aboriginal mythology, said to lurk in swamps, billabongs, creeks, riverbeds, and waterholes". Granted, every native tribe in the world wants to lay claim to the most badass cryptid; Australia's no different, given it's land mass. My only question is: Has Yanling, in her four years of stay in Melbourne so far, encountered this disputed 'water spirit' yet?

Igopogo

Since both Igopogo and Ogopogo are reportedly legends from the vast Maple Leaf Country, I thought it wouldn't make any difference to blog about either one. On the basis of this grainy 1976 photograph, are we able to authenticize the aquatic creature with a 'canine-esque' head? Not quite.

Canadian Cryptid?

Dragged inland from Lake Ontario by a dog, this unnamed and unidentified critter has been (unofficially) 'classified' by Lon Strickler of Natural Plane as a mink, beaver, fisher, muskrat, pine marten or Northern river otter. What do you perceptive readers think?

Fairy (Faked)

I was against using the word 'faked' as in orgasm, but, in a similar fashion, the euphoria of seeing fairies dissipates when one realizes that they're nothing more than a taxidermic hoax. To hell with Tinker Bell.

Oarfish

Granted that this is no crypto-zoological discovery, but the oar-fish, which is the longest bony fish in the world (and a probable source of many sea serpent tales), is still pretty darn scary when caught up close. The king of herrings can even grow up to a length of 17 meters!

Jersey Devil

Had been wanting to do a crypto post on the Jersey Devil for years, but didn't get down to doing it due to a coupla reasons: (1) Am not awfully familiar with the subject matter; (2) the legend of the Pine Barrens inhabitant is too fantastical to qualify as 'quasi-science'. In spite of that, the last sighting was reported in September 2009.

Sea Serpent

The Scandinavians believe(d?) in sea serpents so long they encircle the entire world! Now, that's a frac far-fetched even for me, but I'll really like to lap up this monster mythology. Unfortunately, these serpentine sightings can be best explained as a misidentification of an oarfish. Bummer.

Beneath Heaven Lake

On the border of the PRC (China) and the DPRK (North Korea) is the heavenly crater lake Tianchi, and beneath this lake purportedly lives not one, not two, but six - or even more, considering the size of the caldera - plesiosaurs! A couple of years ago, a local news station ran a 20-minute video capturing a sextet of seal-like creatures with fins swimming in pairs - and in parallel - on the scenic volcanic lake. That's five more Nessies for your money's worth!

Mongolian Death Worm

Why is it that the farther away from civilization, the more fantastical the cryptids? The Mongolian Death Worm (known locally as allghoi, or 'blood-filled intestine worm'), which can measure up to 5 feet, is alleged to spew sulfuric acid and discharge electric currents. Pray that you don't get ambushed by one of these Gobi Desert invertebrates while embarking on the Silk Road.

Michigan Dogman

I've probably said this a hundred times before, but yours truly's not a particu-larly huge adherent of werewolves simply because these anthro-pomorphic shapeshifters are closer to mythology than cryptozoology. But with the emergence of the Gable film (search YouTube for it) I may become a believer, after all.

Sewer Monster

First of all, see this footage.

Hopefully, it didn't cause you to disgorge your dinner (especially if you ate meatballs).

The viral video of three – god knows, there may be more – seemingly alien life forms (think SPECIES) lurking in an underground pipeline is creating quite a stir in cyberspace. A public utilities company in North Carolina, United States, has confirmed that these throbbing creatures of sizes no bigger than a golf ball each, which netizens are referring to as 'sewer monsters', are real. Biologists have further identified the slimy blobs as colonies of tubifex worms – uncommon in the absence of soil or water – clustered together to feed on microscopic food particles with their tentacles. Harmless, but damn disgusting!

The Giant Squid~~~~~

Most of us laymen would think that sharks and whales are barons of the briny deep, but do you know that even these seafaring creatures fear getting devoured by the monstrous giant squid - that is, as far as mythology's concerned? I'm daring Oh Dae-su to scarf this one down!

Montauk Monster

This half-charred carcass of an un-identified creature was washed ashore on a beach near Montauk, New York, in July last year. Speculated to be a Plum Island science experiment on a raccoon, I'm beginning to feel sorry for this 'Hound of Bonacville' – whatever species it may be.