Top Cryptids

These 10 strange creatures could have real roots in today's culture as animals we have already come into contact with! 5 - Black Shuck the Ghost Dog For centuries, the folklore of the British Isles has told tales of a large black dog with burning eyes, the ghoulish wolf-like beast was known to haunt rural towns and villages. In 1577 in Bungay Suffolk, local villagers were taking refuge during a fierce thunderstorm, when a huge black dog burst into the church, killing a man and his son, before pulling down pillars and collapsing the church steeple. As the creature fled, scorch marks were left engraved in the wood of the church door; these mysterious markings can still be seen to this day. In May of 2014, a large dog was excavated at in the Suffolk countryside, which is located only a few miles away from the legendary attack in 1577. Wolves could have also been confused with Shuck, and have been greatly hunted in England, but some still roam the outskirts of the countryside. Skeletal remains of the beasts have been found to stretch six feet in length, and have been known to weigh up to 125 pounds, leaving rumours to rest and dangers to remain. 4 - There have been sightings of this fabled creature all over the European Alps, including Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. They are said to be reptilian creatures with scaled skin, approximately two to five feet in length, a cat-like head, short forelimbs complete with razored claws, and a long, thick snake-like tail. The creatures are now thought to be giant salamanders. There are several species of salamander which fit the Tatzelwurm description, the Chinese and Japanese giant salamander can grow up to three feet in length. But many still believe, German cryptozoological researcher Ulrich Magin has published several articles in Fortean Times and Bilk magazine documenting the ambiguous Tatzelwurm. 3 - Ulama the Devil Bird Sri Lankan folk tales tell of a frightening horned bird emitting blood-curdling screams said to resemble a wailing, shrieking woman; locals say this demonic call is a premonition of death. In 2001, the Devil Bird rumours were laid to rest, as a new species of owl, the spot-bellied eagle owl, was discovered within the jungles of the island nation of Sri Lankan, which lies just south of India. This large owl matches the Ulama description almost exactly, right down to its tufted horns and characteristic death-thirsty screech. 2 - Sea Serpents For as long as monster tales have been told, spanning the globe, Sea Serpents have confused, troubled and frightened sailors. Giant reptilian beasts coiling ships with viciously long scaled tails, crushing ship hulls and eating men overboard whole. There are many nautic animals which have been suggested to be misconstrued sea serpents, such as lungfish, oarfish, whales or sharks, in particular, the frilled shark. The frilled shark can grow over six feet in length and has a dark brown eel-like body with long flexible jaws lined with 25 rows of backward-facing, slender, needle-like teeth. There are six pairs of long gill slits with a "frilly" appearance which give the shark its namesake. The beast is deadly under water and moves at incredible speeds, bending its body and lunging forward like a colossal snake. Analysis of the stomach contents of a captured frilled shark revealed squids, cuttlefish, octopus', and even other sharks. 1 - Bigfoot One of the most famous cryptids has to be the Sasquatch, also known as Bigfoot. This monster of legend has also been called The Abominable Snowman or Yeti in the Himalayans, Yowie in Australia and Yeren in China. With so many sightings of a similar beast around the world, yet lack of hard evidence, make it hard to discern whether or not the ape-like creature is myth or fact. The Bigfoot legend dates back to the Lummi tribe, a Native American tribe located primarily in western Washington; through passed down stories of Ts'emekwe, a large, brown-haired ape creature that was rumoured to stalk the local and Northern forests. Most sceptics dismiss these claims and assume the found footprints or sightings are merely giant bears people misinterpret as Sasquatches. In 1935 Ralph von Koenigswald, a German paleoanthropologist strolled into a pharmacy in Hong Kong and found a large primate molar for sale. Since then, researchers and scientists have collected hundreds of giant primate teeth and several jaws in China, Vietnam and India. Based on fossils, it would appear that Bigfoot was indeed a real monster of history. The Gigantopithecus, dating as far back as nine million years and as recently as one hundred thousand years ago, stalked the Asian forests at an estimated ten feet high and weighed up to 1,190 pounds. Unfortunately, the Gigantopithecus is thought to be extinct. However, there will always be believers out there, working in the field, searching for evidence, just waiting to prove them wrong.