Bigfoot: The Fascinating Stage 3 Cryptid on a Weirdness Scale

Cryptozoology: A Field of Weirdness and Wonder Cryptozoology is a fascinating field, full of strange and bizarre creatures that challenge our understanding of the natural world. From giant ape men to flying humanoids, the creatures that fall under this umbrella are certainly not your run-of-the-mill animals. In an effort to classify these bizarre beasts, one YouTube channel, Journey To The Other Side, has created a five-stage scale to measure just how weird they really are. The scale starts with stage one, which includes the most mundane cryptids. These creatures are not too far removed from known animals and tend to be members of species that are believed to have recently gone extinct. A significant number of reports and potential photographs have come out since the last Tasmanian tiger in captivity died in 1936, making it a prime example of a stage one cryptid. Another example is the anomalous big cats, or alien big cats, which are essentially just big cats that live in areas where they shouldn't. As we move up the scale, things start to get a little stranger. Stage two cryptids include creatures like the 1959 Congo snake, which was said to be 50 feet long, and the hoop snake, a cryptid said to be a snake capable of swallowing its own tail and rolling in a circular manner. These creatures tend to be closely related to known animals and live in remote areas, making them difficult to discover. Stage three is where things get really interesting. This stage is home to cryptids that are a mix of mundane and paranormal, like Bigfoot. Bigfoot is a cryptid that is strange enough to pique your interest, but not so bizarre that you're not willing to at least entertain the idea of its existence. The American ape man falls into this category, with people debating the extent to which it is supernatural. Stage four is where things start to get truly otherworldly. Creatures like the Jersey Devil and Mothman reside here, with no clear connection to any known animals. There's definitely something otherworldly about these creatures, and the fact that people are seeing something is undeniable, but what exactly that something is remains a mystery. The final stage, stage five, is where things can get really weird. This stage is home to cryptids that may not even be cryptids in the strictest sense of the word. Things like atmospheric beasts, ultra-terrestrials, and phantom clowns can be found here. This is not a place you'd want to hang out in for too long. One of the most interesting aspects of cryptozoology is the interdisciplinary nature of the study. Some cryptids are so strange that looking into extraterrestrial encounters might be worth your time. Others are described as completely non-corporeal, and some have theorized that they could even be the ghosts of once-living cryptids. This is where the idea that all these different unexplained entities and occurrences are connected in a way that we don't understand comes into play. What do you think about this scale for measuring cryptid weirdness? Do you agree with where certain creatures have been placed? Let us know in the comments below. And be sure to check out the video that inspired this article for a more in-depth look at this fascinating topic.