Cryptid Encyclopedia

Bigfoot

Sasquatch

Pacific Northwest, USA

Towering ape-like hominid. The Patterson-Gimlin film. Thousands of sightings annually.

Mothman

Point Pleasant, WV

Winged humanoid with glowing red eyes. 100+ witnesses. The Silver Bridge collapse.

Jersey Devil

The Leeds Devil

Pine Barrens, NJ

Horse-headed, bat-winged demon. Mother Leeds' 13th child. 1,000+ witnesses in 1909.

Chupacabra

The Goat-Sucker

Puerto Rico / Southwest USA

Drains livestock of blood. Reptilian with spinal quills. Over 1,000 animal deaths.

Flatwoods Monster

Braxie

Flatwoods, WV

10-foot metallic figure. Ace-of-spades head. Noxious mist that sickened witnesses.

Loveland Frogman

Loveland, OH

Bipedal frog-humanoid. Wielded a spark-emitting wand. Two police officer witnesses.

Pope Lick Monster

Louisville, KY

Half-man, half-goat. Lures victims onto train trestle with hypnosis. Real deaths recorded.

Ozark Howler

Ozark Mountains

Bear-sized with ram horns. Glowing red eyes. Blood-curdling howl heard for miles.

Altamaha-ha

Altie

Darien, GA

70-foot serpentine river creature. Roots in Muscogee tradition. Georgia's river monster.

Mogollon Monster

Mogollon Rim, AZ

Arizona's Bigfoot. Glowing red eyes. Mimics wildlife calls. Overwhelming stench.

Dover Demon

Dover, MA

Watermelon-headed humanoid. No nose, no mouth. Four witnesses over two nights, then gone.

Fresno Nightcrawler

Fresno, CA

Walking pair of legs with no torso. Captured on home security cameras. Haunting gait.

Batsquatch

Mount St. Helens, WA

Purple-skinned, bat-winged primate. Emerged after the eruption. Yellow eyes, wolf-like muzzle.

Champ

Lake Champlain, VT/NY

America's Loch Ness Monster. 300+ documented sightings. Sandra Mansi photograph, 1977.

Skunk Ape

Everglades, FL

Florida's Bigfoot. Overwhelming foul odor. Reddish-brown fur. Swamp dweller.

Thunderbird

Great Plains / Southwest

Massive raptor with 20+ foot wingspan. Deep roots in Native American tradition. Feathered titan.

Snallygaster

Frederick County, MD

Half-bird, half-reptile. One giant eye. Metallic beak. German-American folklore terror.

Dwayyo

Frederick County, MD

Wolf-like biped. Sworn enemy of the Snallygaster. Screams like a woman in distress.

Maryland Goatman

Prince George's County, MD

Axe-wielding half-man, half-goat. Allegedly an escaped government experiment. Attacks parked cars.

Hopkinsville Goblins

Hopkinsville, KY

Silver-skinned, point-eared beings. Siege on a farmhouse. Origin of "little green men."

Rougarou

Loup-Garou

Cajun Louisiana

Cajun werewolf. Prowls the bayou. French-Canadian shapeshifter curse. 101 days of transformation.

Fouke Monster

Fouke, AR

The Legend of Boggy Creek. Attacked a house in 1971. Inspired one of horror's first docudramas.

Grafton Monster

Grafton, WV

Massive white, headless blob. No visible eyes or limbs. Slithered across the road and vanished.

Wendigo

Great Lakes / Algonquin Territory

Cannibalistic spirit of insatiable hunger. Gaunt, skeletal. The more it eats, the hungrier it becomes.

Beast of Busco

Oscar

Churubusco, IN

Giant snapping turtle. 500+ pounds. National media circus. Farmer tried to drain the lake.

Honey Island Swamp Monster

Honey Island Swamp, LA

Gray, matted fur. Amber eyes. Three-toed footprints. Louisiana's own swamp creature.

Lizard Man

of Scape Ore Swamp

Bishopville, SC

7-foot reptilian biped. Three-fingered claws. Attacked a car at 2 AM. Green scaly skin.

Wampus Cat

Appalachian Mountains

Six-legged panther. Cherokee legend of a cursed woman. Yellow eyes that steal your sanity.

Van Meter Visitor

Van Meter, IA

Winged, horned creature. Shot light from its forehead. Entire town opened fire. It didn't fall.

Enfield Horror

Enfield, IL

Three-legged, short-armed monstrosity. Scratched at a door. Shot at point-blank range, it hissed and fled.

Pukwudgie

Bridgewater Triangle, MA

Troll-like beings of Wampanoag legend. Poison arrows. Lure victims off cliffs with false lights.

Nain Rouge

Detroit, MI

The Red Dwarf. Harbinger of disaster. Appeared before the 1805 fire. Detroit's personal demon.

Piasa Bird

Alton, IL

Dragon-bird painted on Mississippi River bluffs. Antlers, scales, human face. Devoured warriors.

Slide-Rock Bolter

Colorado Rockies

Mountain-dwelling whale-like creature. Hooks tail on peaks. Slides down slopes devouring everything.

Hodag

Rhinelander, WI

Frog-headed, dinosaur-spined, elephant-tailed. Born from the ashes of cremated oxen. Wisconsin's pride.

Jackalope

Douglas, WY

Antlered jackrabbit. Sings along with cowboys. Can only be caught with whiskey bait.

White River Monster

Newport, AR

Gray-skinned river serpent. Legally protected by state resolution. Arkansas' official monster.

Tahoe Tessie

Lake Tahoe, CA/NV

Serpentine lake creature in America's deepest alpine lake. Washoe tribal legends. 60+ foot body.

Momo

Missouri Monster

Louisiana, MO

Covered in black fur. Carrying a dead dog. Pumpkin-shaped head. Three-toed footprints.

Beast of Bladenboro

Bladenboro, NC

Cat-like blood-drainer. Crushed dog skulls. Drained bodies found across town. Hunting parties formed.

Spottsville Monster

Spottsville, KY

Hairy biped stalking rural Kentucky. Terrorized families. Left massive footprints in creek beds.

Lake Worth Monster

Fort Worth, TX

Half-man, half-goat. Threw a tire at a car. Drew crowds of armed hunters to the lake.

Cadborosaurus

Caddy

British Columbia, Canada

Horse-headed sea serpent. Photographed in 1937. Over 300 reported sightings off the Pacific coast.

Ogopogo

Okanagan Lake, BC

Canada's most famous lake monster. Indigenous Syilx legend. Dark, multi-humped, 40+ feet.

Lusca

Caribbean Blue Holes

200-foot shark-octopus hybrid. Creates suction currents. Drags divers into underwater sinkholes.

Skinwalker

Yee Naaldlooshii

Navajo Nation, USA

Shapeshifting witch in animal pelts. Glowing eyes. 1B+ TikTok views. The most feared entity in Navajo tradition.

Michigan Dogman

Northwestern Michigan

Seven-foot bipedal canine with blue eyes. Howl like a human scream. A radio song generated 100+ sighting reports.

Beast of Bray Road

Elkhorn, WI

Upright wolf with grayish-brown fur and pointed ears. Investigated by journalist Linda Godfrey. Multiple books written.

Pale Crawler

The Rake

Nationwide USA

Bone-white humanoid with elongated limbs. Caught on Ring doorbells. Born from creepypasta, became real folklore.

Oklahoma Octopus

Oklahoma Lakes

Horse-sized freshwater octopus. Pulls swimmers beneath the surface. Tied to real drowning statistics.

Kushtaka

Land Otter Man

Alaska

Tlingit otter-men shapeshifters. Lure victims by imitating cries of loved ones. Capture means losing your soul.

Qalupalik

Arctic Canada

Green-skinned humanoid in an Inuit baby parka. Hums to lure children beneath the Arctic ice.

Tizheruk

Arctic Alaska

Snake-like sea serpent with a seven-foot head. Snatches people from docks with impossible speed.

Adlet

Arctic Inuit Territory

Human upper body, dog lower body. Faster than any man. Can see in total darkness. Born from myth.

Menehune

Hawaii

Small muscular craftsmen who build elaborate structures in a single night. Ancient fishponds still exist.

Mapinguari

Amazon Rainforest

Giant ground sloth survivor. One eye. Mouth in its belly. Stench that causes disorientation.

Minhocao

Southern Brazil

150-foot armored earthworm. Diverts rivers. Collapses hillsides. No sightings in 130+ years.

Chullachaqui

Peruvian / Brazilian Amazon

Forest demon with mismatched feet — one human, one animal hoof. Shapeshifts to lure victims deep into the jungle.

La Ciguapa

Dominican Republic

Beautiful woman with backward feet. Her tracks lead away from her. Lures men into the mountains forever.

El Cadejo

Central America

Twin spectral dogs — white protector, black demon. Cloven hooves, sulfur stench. They battle for your soul.

Nahual

Nagual

Mexico / Mesoamerica

Sorcerer who transforms into a jaguar. Pre-Columbian Aztec and Maya tradition. Human eyes in a predator's skull.

Loch Ness Monster

Nessie

Loch Ness, Scotland

The world's most famous lake monster. First recorded 565 AD. The Surgeon's Photograph. Sonar sweeps.

Dobhar-chú

Water Hound

County Leitrim, Ireland

Giant otter-dog hybrid. Carved on a 1722 tombstone. Killed a woman washing clothes at a lake.

Tatzelwurm

The Alps

Stubby-legged serpent with a cat-like face. Venomous breath. Reported across five Alpine nations.

Beast of Gévaudan

Gévaudan, France

Killed over 100 people. The King sent his best hunters. Three years of terror. Never identified.

Lagarfljót Worm

Eastern Iceland

40-foot glacial lake serpent. Government commission ruled it real. Scientists disagreed.

Storsjöodjuret

Lake Storsjön, Sweden

Cat-headed lake serpent. Bound by a Viking rune spell. Briefly granted protected species status.

Nuckelavee

Orkney Islands, Scotland

Skinless horse-rider fusion. Exposed muscles, black blood, single giant eye. Its breath carries plague. Cannot cross fresh water.

Black Shuck

East Anglia, England

Massive spectral black dog with flaming eyes. Burst into a church in 1577, killed two. Inspired The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Spring-Heeled Jack

London, England

Cloaked Victorian figure. Metallic claws, fire breath, leaps over buildings. Terrorized London for 60+ years.

Wolpertinger

Bavaria, Germany

Rabbit with antlers, pheasant wings, and fangs. European cousin of the Jackalope. Munich museum exhibit.

Strigoi

Romania

The original Romanian vampire. Red hair, blue eyes, two hearts. Anti-Strigoi exhumation rituals documented as recently as 2004.

Draugr

Scandinavia

Intelligent undead Norse warriors. Blue-black skin, glowing eyes. Guard their burial mounds. Featured in Skyrim and God of War.

Yeti

Abominable Snowman

Himalayas

The original mountain ape-man. Shipton's footprint photograph. Sacred to Sherpa tradition.

Orang Pendek

Sumatra, Indonesia

Short bipedal ape. 2.5–5 feet tall. Hair samples defy identification. Considered most likely to be real.

Ahool

Java, Indonesia

Giant bat with 10-foot wingspan. Named for its cry: "AHOOoool." Snatches fish from rivers at night.

Tsuchinoko

Japan

Fat-bellied snake that rolls like a wheel. Can jump three feet. Towns offer million-yen bounties.

Mongolian Death Worm

Olgoi-Khorkhoi

Gobi Desert, Mongolia

Blood-red, five feet long. Kills with acid spit or electric discharge. Touch means instant death.

Sigbin

Philippines

Walks backward with head between hind legs. Invisible to most. Keeps victims' hearts in clay jars.

Yeren

Chinese Wildman

Hubei Province, China

Red-furred ape-man. 400+ reported sightings. Chinese Academy of Sciences launched expeditions.

Almas

Altai Mountains, Mongolia

Primitive hominid. More human than ape. Wears animal skins. Possibly a surviving Neanderthal.

Kappa

River Child

Japan

Green reptilian humanoid with turtle shell, beak, and water-filled head dish. Bow to it — it must bow back, spilling its power.

Jorogumo

The Binding Bride

Japan

400-year-old spider that shapeshifts into a beautiful woman. Plays a lute to mesmerize. Ensnares in silk.

Gashadokuro

Japan

15-foot giant skeleton made from bones of the starved. Roams after midnight. Bites off heads. Kuniyoshi's 1844 woodblock.

Aswang

Philippines

Attractive by day, monstrous by night. Shapeshifts. Long proboscis tongue. The most feared creature in Filipino folklore.

Manananggal

Philippines

Body separates at the waist. Upper half flies with bat wings trailing intestines. Salt the legs before dawn to kill it.

Penanggalan

Malaysia

Detached woman's head. Flies with stomach and organs dangling below. Perches on rooftops. Soaks organs in vinegar by day.

Brosno Dragon

Brosnya

Lake Brosno, Russia

16-foot iridescent lake dragon. Legend says it swallowed Mongol horses during Batu Khan's invasion. Russia's Loch Ness Monster.

Mokele-Mbembe

Congo Basin

Living sauropod dinosaur. Brownish-gray, long neck. Pygmy tribes identify it from pictures.

Mamlambo

Eastern Cape, South Africa

Horse-headed river serpent. Bioluminescent. Devours faces and brains of victims. Nine deaths in 1997.

Popobawa

Zanzibar, Tanzania

Cyclopean shapeshifting bat. One giant eye. Demands victims tell others. Appears during elections.

Inkanyamba

KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Horse-headed waterfall serpent. Controls storms. Eye contact is fatal. Depicted in cave paintings.

Trunko

Margate Beach, South Africa

47-foot white-furred sea creature. Fought two orcas for three hours. Elephant trunk. Lobster tail.

Emela-ntouka

Killer of Elephants

Likouala Swamps, Congo

Elephant-sized with a single horn. Gores elephants and hippos. Possible surviving ceratopsian.

J'ba Fofi

Congo Basin

Giant spider with 5-foot leg span. Builds camouflaged ground webs. Baka pygmies say they're vanishing.

Kongamato

Breaker of Boats

Zambia / Congo

Living pterosaur. Reddish skin, toothed beak, membranous wings. Witnesses identified pterodactyl illustrations as matching it.

Tokoloshe

South Africa

Small hairy dwarf that turns invisible. So feared that people still raise their beds on bricks to sleep above its reach.

Nasnas

Yemen

Half a human body split vertically. One arm, one leg, half a face. Hops at high speed. Kills with a single touch.

Al-Miraj

Arabian Peninsula

Yellow rabbit with a spiraling black unicorn horn. Cute but deadly. Kills animals far larger than itself.

Bunyip

Southeastern Australia

Lurks in swamps, billabongs, and creeks. Booming nocturnal cry. Deep roots in Aboriginal tradition.

Yowie

Eastern Australia

Australia's Bigfoot. Aboriginal Dreamtime creature. Massive, hairy, up to 12 feet tall. Still sighted.

Taniwha

New Zealand

Massive shapeshifting water guardian. Spined reptile or whale form. So revered that NZ roads have been rerouted to avoid its territory.

Yara-ma-yha-who

Australia

Small red vampire with octopus-sucker fingers. Drops from fig trees. Swallows you whole. Each time, you become shorter and redder.

Ningen

Antarctic Ocean

Enormous white humanoid. 60–90 feet. Featureless face with slit mouth. Sighted by Japanese research vessels.