About

In cryptozoology and sometimes in cryptobotany, a cryptid (from the Greek "κρύπτω" (krypto) meaning "hide") is a creature or plant whose existence has been suggested but is unrecognized by scientific consensus and often regarded as highly unlikely.

Origin

The term was coined by John E. Wall in a 1983 letter to the International Society of Cryptozoology newsletter.^[1] However, 'cryptid' originally was used to describe a member of the zoological subfamily Cryptinae of the ichneumon wasp family. The prefix "crypt-" is from Greek and means hidden or secret.

Overview

'Cryptid' has also been applied by cryptozoologists to animals whose existence is accepted by the scientific community, but which are considered of interest to cryptozoology, such as the coelacanth, once believed to be extinct, and the okapi, at one time thought to be entirely fictitious.^[2] Legendary creatures such as the unicorn and the dragon are sometimes described as cryptids, but many cryptozoologists avoid describing them as such.

Some evidence cited in support of cryptids has been exposed as deliberate hoaxes (e.g., The Surgeon's Photograph of the Loch Ness Monster). Other indirect evidence of cryptids has persuaded notable scientists who were previously skeptical of the reality of cryptids.^[3]

Notable Examples

Montauk Monster

The Montauk Monster was a modern urban legend the surfaced online in the summer of 2008, generated a lot of “news of the weird”-style buzz, and spun-off into an exploitable image macro fad.

Slenderman

Slender Man (a.k.a Slenderman) is a mythical creature often depicted as a tall and thin figure wearing a black suit with a necktie and a blank face. According to the legend, he can stretch out or shorten his arms at will and has tentacle-like appendages protruding from his back.

Depending on various vloggers and bloggers interpretations of the myth, the creature can show a wide range of abilities, ranging from causing memory loss, insomnia, paranoia, coughing fits with or without blood spitting (nicknamed Slendersickness) to triggering photograph/video distortions and statics as well as having teleportation power.

Slender Man has inspired fan arts, fictional creepypastas as well as a mockumentary series done in the style of the 1999 indie horror film Blair Witch Project. Though, not considered a cryptid by most, the creature has said to be sighted all over the world, often appearing in pictures of it being near children, or in the middle of a disaster.

The Rake

The Rake is a creepypasta story featuring a humanoid creature that stalks and attacks people in a manner similar to Slender Man. Since 2006, pictures, fan-art and video blogs have been made of the monster, including numerous allusions in the Slenderverse YouTube series EverymanHYBRID. Like Slender Man, it isn't often considered as a cryptid, yet, there are multiple sightings of the creature even dating back to 1691.

Mothman

Mothman is a legendary creature reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area of West Virginia from 15 November 1966 to 15 December 1967. The first newspaper report was published in the Point Pleasant Register dated 16 November 1966, entitled "Couples See Man-Sized Bird…Creature…Something".^[4]

Mothman was introduced to a wider audience by Gray Barker in 1970, later popularized by John Keel in his 1975 book The Mothman Prophecies, claiming that Mothman was related to a wide array of supernatural events in the area and the collapse of the Silver Bridge. The 2002 film The Mothman Prophecies, starring Richard Gere, was based on Keel's book.

друг

друг is the nickname of a cryptid featured in a cursed image of a Deathclaw from the Fallout video game series. The creature is named after the Russian word for “friend,” pronounced “droog” or “drook.”

Search Interest

Notable Videos

External References

^[1] Cryptomundo

^[2] Taylor & Francis Online

^[3] Bigfoot Believers:Media Article 328

^[4] WestVA.com via WayBack Machine

^[5] DeviantArt Trend