Cryptozoology: My Love of The Weird and Unexplained

Love for the strange is something I am fascinated with from a young child, growing up watching movies, reading and just really be curious to what is out there. Some who read this may not have an interest, but if you do, then come along to learn with me.

The best way I can sum up those things are the unexplained in my eyes would be the word Cryptozoology which is defined as “the search for and study of animals whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated, such as the Loch Ness monster and the yeti.”

Now just reading the sentence you may be like WOW! I have no interest in things that may not exist, and some of you may be like I have an open mind to learn about what is out there.

So let’s be clear, someone who believes in Cryptozoology are not Crazy or Nuts, so don’t lump me in like that, I just happen to believe in the possibility of something that exist where I don’t necessary have to see it to believe it.  I will start with my belief in Bigfoot; some of you may have read my other Blog on this subject, so I encourage you read it here: https://adventuresinwriting675191505.wordpress.com/2019/07/04/bigfoot-fact-or-fiction-the-existence-we-should-all-want-to-know-about/

It all Begins with Bigfoot for Me

Bigfoot is a Bi-pedal animal that has been around for most likely centuries or longer due to the numerous reports especially coming from Native Americans. I would question Bigfoot if it was wasn’t for the Native American cave art that has depicted Bigfoot and have actually made it part of their culture.  Although I have yet to learn about all the Native American tribes and culture which I find absolutely beautiful and tragic at the same time for how they have been treated, I find their testimonies valuable.

I attempt to get information from different sources, some from books, film and Television, which one of my favorite shows happens to be Animal Planet’s Finding Bigfoot with a group of investigators which include my favorite investigators Cliff Barackman, James “bobo” Fay, Renae Holland and Matt Moneymaker. This shows which ran for six seasons explored around the world, much of which was in the United States https://www.animalplanet.comhttps://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/finding-bigfoot//tv-shows/finding-bigfoot/ .

Although they didn’t find an actual Sasquatch, they came close to discovering the elusive beast.  If you happen to watch the show they will go to communities and get witness statements from the locals which in many cases are credible, doing reenactments trying to separate the truth from fiction from those witnesses who may not be telling the full truth or who embellish what they saw.

Let’s Dive in The Loch for Nessie

There are other types of Crypto’s out there are not heard of as much, many of those people tend to laugh at, but there have been many witnesses, one of those examples is Lochness Monster.  Nessy as the animal is called is a Loch Ness (/ˌlɒx ˈnɛs/; Scottish Gaelic: Loch Nis [l̪ˠɔx ˈniʃ]) is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands. A Loch is the Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Scots word for a lake or for a sea inlet.

Hence where they get the name Loch-Ness Monster, which has also been in popular culture with many sightings and just until recently learned that researchers in Scottland and United Kind are more inclined to believe in Lochness than Bigfoot and that is just because they have been more widely seen. One a recent episode on the podcast Bigfoot and Beyond with Cliff and Bobo, they had a quest and Author of the book ”Beasts of Britain” by the name of Andy MacGrath discussing the various cryptos in the UK.

Mr. MacGrath talked extensively about Lochness and sightings. Just a little history on Lochness. : Loch Ness is known as the home of the Loch Ness Monster (also known as “Nessie”), a cryptid, reputedly a large unknown animal. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next. Popular interest and belief in the animal’s existence have varied since it was first brought to the world’s attention in 1933.^[6]

Aside from it being a part of Scottish culture it too has been of popular culture such as Books, films and television, which has many times created this monster to be loveable sea creature, but I doubt that, as the monsters seem to be ancient from another time, probably being able to live extended lives longer than most animals.

The Unknown Gets Stranger

There are a few others in the media that you may have heard of such as Mothman, Chupacabra, British Big Cats, Monkey Man, Dog Man and many other different mans for Bigfoot/Sasquatch type criptid’s . Another I like to add would be  Tommy Knockers and Skin-walkers.

Skin-walkers I find particularly interesting because they are part of the Navajo Culture and their belief that Skin-Walkers are people who have the ability to transform into animals, but in a way are controlled by evil, as they really don’t like speaking about Skin-walkers out of fear one will come after them.

Do you Know a Skin-Walker?

Skin-walkers are the following: (courtesy of https://thoughtcatalog.com/jacob-geers/2016/10/14-facts-about-skinwalkers-that-will-100-scare-the-shit-out-of-you/

1.  A person with the ability to transform into different animals at will.
2. They are most frequently seen as coyotes , wolves, foxes , eagles, owls or crows.
3. Some can also steal faces of different people, and could appear as someone you know.
4. If you accidentally lock eyes with a skinwalker, they can absorb themselves into your body and take control of your actions.
5. Rare Skinwalkers can also have the ability to enchant the powder of corpses and use the substances as a poison dust on victims.
6. The legend Originates from Navajo, a southwestern Native American Tribe.
7. In the Navajo language the word “Skinwalker” is Yee naagloshii and translates to “He who walks on all fours”
8. Skinwalkers have only enter the public discourse relatively.
9. Skin Walkers can run at great distances, some say 200 miles in one evening.

I would encourage you to get more information; I found this website that seemed pretty credible and fellow wordpresser Jacob Geers: https://thoughtcatalog.com/jacob-geers/2016/10/14-facts-about-skinwalkers-that-will-100-scare-the-shit-out-of-you/

Skin walkers are real in the eyes of the Navajo people, they do not joke about them, another course was with Finding Bigfoot and Beyond episode.

Some Creatures That need to Found

There are of course other creatures out there which I will briefly list and give some information:

Moth-man – In West Virginia folklore, the Moth-man is a creature reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area from November 12, 1966, to December 15, 1967. The first newspaper report was published in the Point Pleasant Register dated November 16, 1966, titled “Couples See Man-Sized Bird … Creature … Something”.^[1] The national press soon picked up the reports and helped spread the story across the United States.

British Big Cats- also referred to as ABCs (Alien, or Anomalous, Big Cats), phantom cats and mystery cats, are reports and incidents of Felidae not native to Britain but supposed to inhabit the British countryside. These sightings are often reported as “panthers”, “pumas”, or “black cats”.

The existence of a population of true big cats in Britain, especially a breeding population, is believed to be highly implausible by experts owing to lack of convincing evidence.

There have been some incidents of recovered individual animals, often medium-sized species such as the Eurasian lynx but in one 1980 case a puma, which was captured alive in Scotland. These are generally believed to have been escaped or released pets that had been held illegally, possibly released after the animals became too difficult to manage.^[1] 

The Kraken – is a legendary cephalopod-like sea monster of giant size in Scandinavian folklore. According to the Norse sagas, the kraken dwells off the coasts of Norway and Greenland and terrorizes nearby sailors. Authors over the years have postulated that the legend may have originated from sightings of giant squids that may grow to 13–15 meters (40–50 feet) in length. The sheer size and fearsome appearance attributed to the kraken have made it a common ocean-dwelling monster in various fictional works.

The kraken has been the focus of many superstitious sailors passing the North Atlantic and especially sailors from the Nordic countries due to their proximity and its Scandinavian origin. Throughout the centuries the kraken has been a staple part of sailors’ superstitions and mythos being heavily linked to sailors ability of telling a tall tale.

Jersey Devil – In Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia folklore, the Jersey Devil (also known as the Leeds Devil) is a legendary creature said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of South Jersey. The creature is often described as a flying biped with hooves, but there are many variations.

Jersey Devil – In Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia folklore, the Jersey Devil (also known as the Leeds Devil) is a legendary creature said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of South Jersey. The creature is often described as a flying biped with hooves, but there are many variations.

The common description is that of a kangaroo-like or wyvern-like creature with a goat– or horse-like head, leathery bat-like wings, horns, small arms with clawed hands, legs with cloven hooves, and a forked tail. It has been reported to move quickly and is often described as emitting a high-pitched “blood-curdling scream”

Get Your Research and Find Them!

There is just so many Cryptids to choose from many of which have a distinct story to why people believe them, I would recommend researching some more, most of them are interesting, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cryptids

But there are so other great resources such as Loren Coleman of the http://cryptozoologymuseum.com/ and of course Cliff Barakman who is currently working his Bigfoot museum https://northamericanbigfootcenter.com/. These two incredible sources I trust, but know there is so much more out there too see.

I hope this peaked your interest to know more, my thought is if people can believe Alien Lifeforms, why can’t people believe in this different Cryptid’s. I know some seem really unusual and probably implausible. But others like Big foot are completely plausible because research backs it up.