Cryptozoology is the search for animals that are rumored to exist, but for which conclusive proof is missing. This includes the search for living examples of animals that are known to have existed at one time, but are widely considered to be extinct today. Those who study or search for such animals are called crypto zoologists, while the hypothetical creatures involved are referred to by some as "cryptids", a term coined by John Wall in 1983.

Cryptids are legendary creatures that are rumored or suspected to exist, but for which conclusive proof is still missing. Cryptids also include Unidentified Mysterious Animals (UMA) and species that are hard to classify. Some are extinct animals that might just still be alive. The most notable Cryotids still make international news now and then, from the el Chupacabra to the Loch Ness monster. Their stories and sightings still have a dramatic effect on the public.

Is it a matter that people want to believe in these beast? Or is it that Mothman and the big cat sightings around the world are real.

Some animals like the Dodo and the Tasmanian Tiger were animals that once existed and have become extinct in the past 100 years or so. yet sightings still occur. Scientist still do not accept proof unless given a actual body to examine. Just in the news of late is the story of the capture of a rare shark and a giant squid They just found new species in the cold waters of the ocean why not in the wooded vast undeveloped lands around us. In all honesty... could someone find Bigfoot or the Yeti next? Just imagine the real news story, "The Jersey Devil Captured" "BigFoot Discovered to be Real" or" El Chupacabra declared real Species by Scientist"" Tasmanian Tiger found not to be not extinct".

Many web sites dedicated to the pursuit of such beast exisit today and most imformation is usually very up to date as far as sightings and news. National news stories have been keen to report such sightings but often dismiss the reality of the creatures.

Strange creatures could be hiding in your own backyard!

Throughout the world everyone tells a story of a local strange beast creature or monster that lurks in the area. From New Orleans own Grunch ( an American Chupacabra) to the Mothman and mysterious big cat sightings.

Reported sightings, droppings, footprints, photos, video and eyewitness accounts are not enough in the twenty first century. Science wants a body, dead or alive to examine even if killing it is the last of the line they don't care.

Scotland's Loch Ness Monster

There is mention of a monster in or around Loch Ness as long ago as the sixth century AD.

We are told by Adomnan, biographer of Columba, that the saint had made a journey to visit Brude, King of the Picts, at his fort. beside the River Ness. He was returning across the water and had just reached the far bank when he saw a man being buried, the victim of an attack by a water beast. One of his companions swam the Ness to retrieve a boat only to disturb again the monster, who now attached his second victim. Columba, however, raised his hand, drew the sign of the cross and ordered the beast to turn back. The monster, on hearing the saints command, turned and fled terrified.

The most famous photo of the Loch Ness monster, from 1933.

Modern sightings date only to 1930s when the construction of a new road along the banks opened up large stretches of the Loch for view.

Tasmanian Tiger

A Tasmanian tiger (Thylacine), which was declared extinct in 1936.

Australian magazine, The Bulletin, March 23, 2005 has offered a reward of AU$1.25 million for conclusive proof that the legendary Tasmanian Tiger, or Thylacine, is still alive.

Says The Bulletin, "A live, uninjured animal must be produced. All government regulations and provisions must be adhered to. A panel of eminent experts chosen by us will have the final say - along with conclusive DNA testing."

Although the last confirmed wild Thylacine sighting was in 1932, and the last captive, named Benjamin, died in the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart on September 6, 1936, the legend has lived on, with occasional claimed sightings both in Tasmania, and on mainland Australia.

As recently as February of this year, a German tourist claimed to have taken photographs of the creature near Lake St Clair in Tasmania. According to The Bulletin, over the past 70 years there have been more than 4000 claimed sightings, but not a single verifiable artifact of hard evidence.

Despite hundreds of reported sightings of this elusive marsupial wild dog, the Tasmanian Tiger, Thylacinus Cynocephalus remains declared officially extinct, therefore has no protection for it's fragile and natural environment or in and of itself, until it's existence can be verified.

The 'Tassie Tiger' may appear something like a dog, but unlike other canines, it carries it's young in a pouch, similar to a kangaroo, but it opens from the back. The mother can carry a litter in her pouch of up to three young. The pouch keeps extending and accommodating them as they grow, until it stretches and almost touches the ground. As a lair, they live together in a deep rocky cave, where the mother goes off to hunt in the evenings, through the night and return home at dawn. The Tasmanian tiger has remarkable stamina, along with an acute sense of smell, they proceed to pursue their prey until, the prey simply collapses from exhaustion.

This unique marsupial also has a thick, strong tail like a kangaroo. The dark brown/ black stripes across it's back, ending at its side gives this animal it's name 'Tiger', and it can open it's jaw a wide 120 degrees. The Tasmanian tiger feeds mainly on small mammals, wallabies, kangaroo, rats and mice. It stands 2 ft tall, is 6 ft from nose to tail and weighs in at approximately 30kgs.

The Tasmanian Tigers thrived in their thousands until the 1830's when the Government called on a bounty because they were a threat to the livestock of sheep, killing many in Tasmania. There was another bounty in the 1888 that saw many more slaughtered, leading to dangerously low numbers. It wasn't until 1936 that the Tasmanian tiger was added to the list of protected wildlife. In 1986 it was declared extinct by international standards.

Since when the Europeans first settled in Australia in 1803,the Tasmanian Tiger has been the only mammal to have been wiped out in Tasmania, on the mainland, however, nearly 50% of native animals species have been made extinct, this is the worst record of extinctions out of any country in the world.

There have been no successes of Tasmanian Tigers in captivity reproducing. In fact when in captivity, this animal was extremely nervous and often died from what appeared to be shock. In the wild they are very shy of humans and avoided contact. 'Benjamin' the last surviving Tasmanian tiger lived it's final days in the Hobart Zoo, in Tasmania and died 60 years ago. Many local Tasmanians beg to differ on this fact though, because many sporadic and unconfirmed sightings have been reported around the forests near their old habitat in the Northern regions to this day. A study of sightings by Steven Smith between the years of 1934-1980 analyzed the authenticity of as many as 320 reported sightings by local residents. He concluded that as many as half of the sightings were good and could have possibly been the real thing.

The Government along with biologists and photographers have made many expeditions into the wild areas of North Tasmania to collect evidence that the Tiger still may be in existence. But these many investigations in the 1930's through to the 1980's were fruitless. However, the reported sightings continue to this day. However, Government departments may no longer be taking such reports seriously.

Imagining that the species were not extinct, biologists have doubts about its capability of reproducing for an extended period of time because there are not enough numbers in the wild to sustain enough genetic diversity for a perpetuated existence. But, the question is, how long after a last verifiable sighting can we then declare a species extinct? Should the Australian Sanctuary Law be revoked to protect it? Just supposing it still exists out there; it would truly be the rarest Animal in the world.

Eyewitness reports of Tasmanian Tiger sightings can be found at tasmanian-tiger.com .

A free online book called "Magnificent Survivor - Continued Existence of the Tasmanian Tiger" is available from www.users.bigpond.com/tigerbook . Also Scientist have Cloning Considered to Revive Tasmanian Tiger.

Bigfoot

Frame 352 from the Patterson-Gimlin film

Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is an alleged apelike animal said to inhabit remote forests in North America, with many of the sightings occurring in the Pacific northwest of the United States and British Columbia, Canada. Bigfoot is sometimes described as a large, hairy bipedal hominoid, and many believe that this animal, or its close relatives, may be found around the world under different regional names, such as the Yeti of Tibet and Nepal. Bigfoot is one of the more famous examples of crypto zoology, a subject that tends to be dismissed as pseudo science by mainstream researchers, because of unreliable eyewitness accounts and a lack of solid physical evidence. Most theorists consider the Bigfoot legend to be a combination of unsubstantiated folklore and hoaxes.

Original Patterson Gimlin Bigfoot Footage

Although most scientists find current evidence of Bigfoot unpersuasive, a number of prominent experts have offered sympathetic opinions on the subject. In a 2002 interview on National Public Radio, Jane Goodall first publicly expressed her views on Bigfoot, by remarking, "Well, I'm a romantic, so I always wanted them to exist. . . . Of course, the big, the big criticism of all this is, 'Where is the body?' You know, why isn't there a body? I can't answer that, and maybe they don't exist, but I want them to

>Learn More about Bigfoot and more videos visit here <

Bigfoot around the world

Almas - Mongolia's Bigfoot
Barmanou - Afghanistan and Pakistan
Dzonokwa - British Columbia Coast, Canada
Ebu Gogo - Flores Island, Indonesia
Fear liath - Scotland
Fouke Monster - Fouke, Arkansas.
Giant (mythology) - worldwide survey of giant races and legends
Hibagon - Japan's Bigfoot
Kapre - Philippines.
Momo the Monster - Missouri.
Nguoi Rung - Vietnam
Orang Pendak - Sumatra, Indonesia.
Orang Mawas - Malaysia
Sasquatch - the creature
Skunk Ape - Florida
Windigo - Canadian Shield
Lake Minnewanka Wildman - Western Canada
Woodwose - Medieval Europe
Yeren - the Mainland China
Yeti - Tibet's Bigfoot
Yowie - Australia's Bigfoot
Bunyip - Australia

>Also read about the Honey Island Swamp Monster Here< http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/crypto/Cryptozoology/HONEYISLAND/

According to most eyewitness accounts, Bigfoot is a large, powerfully built bipedal apelike creature between 7 and 9 feet tall, and covered in dark brown or dark reddish hair. The head seems to sit directly on the shoulders, with no apparent neck. Witnesses have described large eyes, a pronounced brow ridge,[1] and a large, low-set forehead; the top of the head has been described as rounded and crested, similar to the sagittal crest of the male gorilla. It has adapted a nickname in the Deep South over the recent years -- "Tarkington" -- sightings are rare but local general stores in Tennessee and Georgia are able to inform any wayfarers about the legendary creature.

El Chupacabra

The chupacabra (or chupacabras) is a cryptid said to inhabit parts of the Americas. It is associated particularly with Puerto Rico (where it was first reported), Mexico, United States,and Central Russia especially in the latter's Latin American communities. The name translates literally from the Spanish as "goat sucker". It comes from the creature's reported habit of attacking and drinking the blood of livestock, especially goats. Physical descriptions of the creature vary. Sightings began in Puerto Rico in the early 1990s, and have since been reported as far north as Maine, and as far south as Chile. Though some argue that the chupacabras may be real creatures, mainstream scientists and experts generally contend that the chupacabra is a legendary creature, or a type of urban legend. It is supposedly a heavy creature, about the size of a small bear with a row of spines reaching from the neck to the base of the tail.

Chupacabras have been described as similar in appearance to gargoyles, so it has been theorized that the creatures were seen in Medieval Europe, and possibly taken to South America on board Spanish galleons. According to this theory, gargoyles were carved to resemble chupacabras, to keep the public (and sometimes believed to keep evil spirits) afraid of any place with gargoyles.

Some cryptozoologists speculate that chupacabras are alien creatures. Chupacabras are widely described as otherworldly, and, according to one witness report, NASA may be involved with this particular alien's residency on earth. The witness reported that NASA passed through an area in Latin America, with a trailer that was thought to contain an incarcerated creature.[citation needed] There have also been UFOs seen where chupacabras have been at the same time on occasion. Others speculate that the creature is an escaped pet of alien visitors that wandered off while its master was visiting Earth. The Chupacabra does have a slight resemblance to the Greys, which could mean that they are somehow related.

Some people in the island of Puerto Rico believe that the chupacabras were a genetic experiment from some United States' government agency, which escaped from a secret laboratory in El Yunque, a mountain in the east part of the island when the laboratory was damaged during a severe storm in the early 1990s. The US military have had a large presence across Puerto Rico since the 1930s, with bases on the island used as Research and Development facilities (amongst other things) up to the present day. The lethal agent orange chemicals were tested by the US on the crops of Puerto Rico in widespread crop-spraying operations, all performed without notifying local people or farmers, and the efficacy and safety of contraceptive medicines was also secretly tested on islanders who had no knowledge of their 'guinea pig' status at all. ("UFO's Strangest Mysteries", Discovery Science) This may explain some of this alleged paranoia.
Another possibility would involve giant vampire bats of which a few fossils have been found in South-America.

Most believe that the Chupacabra is most likely to be a close relative of the Aye-aye, a primate that is Madagascar's equivalent to the racoon in appearance and woodpecker ecologically. Like the vampire bat, the Chupacabra evolved to feed on the blood of other animals.

VISIT THE EL CHUPACABRA STORE BOOKS AND MORE!

Read more about the Chupacabra here: http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/vampires/Chupacabra/

List of Named and Known Cryptids
Acinonyx jubatus guttatus Woolly Cheetah Genetic Disorder Carnivorous Mammal Africa
Ahool Bat Indonesia
Almas Abnauayu, Almosty, Albasty, Bekk-Bok[1], Biabin-Guli, Golub-Yavan, Gul-Biavan, Guli-Avan, Kaptar, Kra-Dhun, Ksy-Giik, Ksy-Gyik, Ochokochi, Mirygdy, Mulen, Voita, Wind-Man Primate Asia/Caucasus
Altamaha-ha River Animal United States, Georgia
Ameranthropoides loysi de Loys's Ape Primate South America
Andean Wolf Hagenbeck Wolf, Andean Mountain Wolf, Dasycyon hagenbecki Carnivorous Mammal High Andes
Atmospheric beast ? Atmosphere
Barmanou Primate Middle East/Asia
Batutut Primate East Asia
Bear Lake Monster Lake Animal United States, Idaho/Utah
The Beast of Bodmin Carnivorous Mammal United Kingdom
The Beast of Bray Road Carnivorous Mammal United States, Wisconsin
Beast of Busco Churubusco Turtle Reptile/Dinosaur United States
The Beast of Dean Moose-Pig Carnivorous Mammal England
The Beast of Exmoor Carnivorous Mammal England
The Beast of Gévaudan Carnivorous Mammal France
Bergman's Bear God Bear Extinct Carnivorous Mammal Asia
Bessie Lake Animal Lake Erie, North America
Bigfoot Sasquatch Primate North America, Malaysia (Johor)
Bili Ape Bondo Mystery Ape Primate Africa
Brenin Llwyd Primate Wales
British Big Cats Alien Big Cats or ABCs, Phantom Cats Carnivorous Mammal Great Britain
Brosno Dragon Lake Animal Lake Brosno, Russia
Bunyip Lake Animal Australia
Buru Presumed Extinct Reptile/Dinosaur India
Cadborosaurus willsi Caddy, Cadborosaurus Sea Animal Pacific Coast of North America
Canvey Island Monster Discredited Bipedal United Kingdom
Centaur Mythical? Humanoid Greece
Champ Champtanystropheus Lake Animal Lake Champlain, North America
Cherufe Mythical? Chile
Chessie (sea monster) Sea Animal Atlantic Coast of United States
Chimpekwe Reptile/Dinosaur Africa
Chupacabra (Grunch) Bipedal North/Central America
Con Rit Sea Animal Southeast Asia
Dahu Discredited Herbivorous Mammal France, Switzerland
Deinotherium Presumed Extinct Herbivorous Mammal Africa
Devil Bird Bird Sri Lanka
Dinosaurs in South America Reptile/Dinosaur South America
Dobhar-chu Carnivorous Mammal Ireland
Dover Demon Bipedal United States, Massachusetts
Dragon Reptile Europe and America
Ebu Gogo Primate Indonesia
Elasmotherium Giant Rhinoceros Extinct Herbivorous Mammal Asia
Ennedi tiger Saber-toothed cat Presumed Extinct Carnivorous Mammal Africa
Emela-ntouka Reptile/Dinosaur Africa
Fear liath Primate Scotland
Flatwoods Monster Green Monster ? United States, West Virginia
Flying Rod Sky Fish Discredited Flying Creature Worldwide
Fouke Monster Primate United States, Arkansas
Fur-bearing Trout Discredited Fish North America
Gambo Sea Animal Africa
Giant Anaconda Reptile/Dinosaur South America
Giant Penguin Discredited/Extinct Bird Florida (USA), New Zealand
Giglioli's whale Sea Animal Off the Coast of Chile, Off the Coast of Scotland, French Mediterranean Coast
Gin-Sung Bear-Men, Kung-Lu, Tok Primate Asia
Globster Sea Animal
Goatman Bipedal United States
Greys Roswell Aliens, Reticulians, Zetas Existence disputed Bipedal Worldwide
Name Other names Status Description Location
Harpy Mythical? Humanoid World
Hellhounds Mythical? Carnivorous Mammal
Hibagon Primate Japan
High-finned sperm whale Cetacean Shetland Islands
Hodag The Dag Carnivorous Mammal/Lizard United States, Wisconsin
Hoop Snake Discredited Reptile/Dinosaur United States/Australia
Humanzee Chuman Hypothetical Primate
Hyote Discredited
Inkanyamba Lake Animal Africa
Jackalope Discredited Herbivorous Mammal North America
Japanese Wolf Extinct Carnivorous Mammal Japan
Jersey Devil Bipedal United States, New Jersey
Kappa Bipedal Japan
Kasai Rex Extinct Reptile/Dinosaur Africa
Kikomba Primate Africa
Kingstie Discredited Lake Animal North America, Lake Ontario
Kongamato Pterosaur/Bird/Bat Kenya
The Kraken Giant Squid Confirmed Sea Animal World's Oceans
Kting Voar Snake-eating Cow Likely Herbivorous Mammal Cambodia
Lake Tianchi Monster Lake Animal China
Lake Van Monster Monster of Lake Van Lake Animal Turkey
Lake Worth monster Carnivorous Mammal United States, Texas
Lariosauro Lariosauro, Como Lake monster Water reptile Italy
Lindworm Discredited Europe
Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp Bipedal United States, South Carolina
Lizard Men Bipedal Worldwide
Loch Ness Monster Nessie Lake Monster Scotland
Long Horse Hoax Similar to a normal horse, only several times the normal length. North America/Europe
Loveland Frog Bipedal United States, Ohio
Lusca Sea Animal World's Oceans
MacFarlane's Bear Extinct Carnivorous Mammal Canada
Maltese Tiger Blue Tiger Likely Carnivorous Mammal China
Mamlambo Lake Animal South Africa
Manipogo Lake Animal Canada
Mapinguari Remnant of Megatherium Extinct Herbivorous Mammal Amazon Rainforest
Maricoxi Primate South America
Marozi Carnivorous Mammal Africa
Marsupial Lion Thylaceo, Thylaceo carnifex Confirmed. Extinct Carnivorous Mammal Australia
Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu Reptile/Dinosaur Africa
Mecheny Primate Asia
Megalania prisca Giant Australian Monitor Lizard Reptile/Dinosaur Australia
Menehune Primate United States, Hawaii
Merfolk Sea Humanoid World's Oceans
Minhocão Extinct? Caecilian/Snake/Worm South America
Minnesota Iceman Discredited Primate United States, Minnesota
Mngwa Carnivorous Mammal Africa
Moehau Primate New Zealand
Mokele Mbembe Reptile/Dinosaur Congo
MoMo Primate United States, Missouri
Mongolian Deathworm Allghoi (or orghoi) khorkhoi Carnivorous Insect Gobi Desert
Mono Grande Hominid South America
Morag Lake Animal Scotland
Mothman Bipedal United States, West Virginia
Muckie Lake Animal Lakes of Killarney, Ireland.
Muc-sheilch Lake Animal Scotland
Mussie Lake Animal Canada
Nahuelito Lake Animal Argentina
Night Parrot Pezoporus occidentalis Confirmed. Extinct? Parrot Australia
Nandi Bear Chemosit, Chimiset, Chimisit, Duba, Engargiya, Gadett, Ikimizi, Kerit, Kikambangwe, Kikomba, Koddoelo, Ngoloko, Sabrookoo, Shivuverre Carnivorous Mammal Africa
Neo-Giant Primate
Ngoubou Extinct Reptile/Dinosaur Africa
Nguoi Rung Primate Vietnam
Nords Nordics, Pleideans, Hydeans, Wingmakers, Venusians, Telosians Primate/E.T. Alien
Nyalmo Primate Asia
Ogopogo Lake Animal Canada
Old Yellow Top Primate Canada
Olitiau Bat Cameroon
Orang-Bati Bipedal Indonesia
Orang Mawas Mawa, Orang Dalam Primate Malaysia
Orang Pendek Primate Sumatra
Cornish Owlman Bird England
Ozark Howler Carnivorous Mammal United States, Arkansas
Phantom cats Mythical? Carnivorous Mammal
Phantom kangaroo Presumed Extinct/Mythical? Marsupials Various
Phaya Naga Lake Animal Laos
Piasa Bird? United States, Illinois
Pope Lick Monster Bipedal United States, Kentucky
Popobawa Mythical? Bipedal Zanzibar, Tanzania
Queensland Tiger Carnivorous Mammal Australia
Red Headband Mythical? Bipedal Comoros, Africa
Road Troll Humanoid Cryptid United States
Row Reptile New Guinea
Salawa Seth, Salaawa Carnivorous Mammal Egypt
Sea monk Sea Animal World's Oceans
Sea Monsters Sea Animal World's Oceans
Great Sea Serpent Sea Animal World's Oceans
Setontot ? Malaysia
Shug Monkey Primate Europe
Shunka Warakin Carnivorous Mammal American West
Sirrush Reptile/Dinosaur Africa, Ancient Babylon
Skunk Ape Primate United States, Florida
Snallygaster Reptile/Dinosaur United States
Squonk Mammal United States - Pennsylvania
Steller's Sea Cow Confirmed. Extinct Sea Animal Bering Strait
Storsjöodjuret Lake Animal Sweden
Stronsay Beast Sea Animal Orkney, Scotland
Taniwha Lake Animal New Zealand
Tatzelwurm Reptile/Dragon Europe
Thunderbird Bird North America
Thylacine Tasmanian Tiger Presumed Extinct Carnivorous Mammal Tasmania, Australia
Tjutjuna Chuchunaa Primate Russia
Trinity Alps Giant Salamander Amphibians United States, California
Trunko Sea Animal South Africa
Tsuchinoko Reptile/Snake Japan
Tsul 'Kalu Primate American West
Turul Mythical? Flying Creature
Unicorn unconfirmed Herbivorous Mammal World
Vampire Mythical? Humanoid World
Veo Carnivorous Mammal Indonesia
Waheela Carnivorous Mammal Canada
Waitoreke Carnivorous Mammal New Zealand
Wampus Cat Bipedal United States, Tennessee
Wendigo Mythical Bipedal United States
Werewolf unconfirmed Carnivorous Mammal World
Woodwose Primate Europe
Yeren Primate China
Yeti Abominable Snowman Primate Asia (Himalayas)
Yowie Primate Australia

Are They Real?

The truth eludes us... do the chilling primal eyes of a cryptid creature watch us from the brush? Certainty of these strange paranormal animals hangs in the balance of belief and dis- belief.

Will the answers be found in our lifetime... stay tuned!