Buzz
Numerous reality TV series follow groups of scientists and enthusiasts on their hunt for proof of famous cryptids like Bigfoot and the Yeti. Shows like Expedition Bigfoot and Paranormal Caught on Camera from the Travel Channel feature footage of people capturing creatures such as Bigfoot, the Yeti, the Rake, and other popular cryptids on camera. But did you realize there are many cryptids still unknown to most?
10. The Big Muddy Monster
The first recorded sighting of the Big Muddy Monster occurred on June 25, 1973, near Murphysboro, Illinois. A couple parked by Riverside Park’s boat dock were startled when they heard a piercing scream. A creature emerged from the woods, heading towards the driver’s side of the car. They described it as off-white, with fur matted by river mud, standing around 7 feet tall and walking upright. Its face remained hidden. They immediately drove to the police station to report the incident, even though they were both married to other people.
Additional sightings of the creature occurred in 1973, including one from Mrs. Nedra Green, who claimed she heard the creature scream from the woods near her farm. A four-year-old boy named Christian Baril also had an encounter when he was trying to catch fireflies in his backyard. He rushed inside to tell his father about a large ghost he saw outside. The local police chief took these reports seriously enough to bring in tracking dogs for an investigation.
9. The Goatman
Many myths surround the origin of the Goatman from Prince George’s County, MD. One of the most popular is that he was a goat herder who went mad after teenagers killed his goats. Another version claims he’s like Bigfoot, except he resembles a goat. The most outlandish story suggests that the Goatman is the result of a genetic experiment gone wrong at the U.S. Department of Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, MD. According to this tale, a scientist attempted to combine goat DNA with his lab assistant, William Lottsford, who is said to have turned into a mutant seeking revenge.
The Goatman has gained a reputation for chasing people, decapitating dogs, and scaring couples who make the mistake of parking on Fletchtown Road, his territory. Teens who dare to visit Fletchtown Road looking for the Goatman rarely return after encountering him.
8. The Fresno Nightcrawlers
The first footage of the Fresno Nightcrawlers was captured in 2007. A Fresno, CA, resident discovered the footage on his home surveillance camera showing a Nightcrawler casually walking across his front yard. The creature in the video appears humanoid, with two long legs, no arms, a small head, and two eyes. The Nightcrawlers have also been spotted in security footage at Yosemite National Park.
There is evidence in Native legends and in wooden carvings created by local Native Americans that suggest the Fresno Nightcrawlers are indeed real. These ancient legends from the Fresno area tell that these beings have been present even before the emergence of humans. Their long legs are said to help them navigate the swampy, bog-filled world they inhabit. Another interpretation of the Fresno Nightcrawlers' presence is that they have appeared now to assist humans in reconnecting with nature.
7. The Pope Lick Monster
The Pope Lick Monster is said to reside beneath the trestle bridge on the Norfolk Southern Railway, which spans over Pope Lick Creek in Kentucky. Witnesses describe the creature as having the body of a man with the lower half resembling a goat or sheep. Some reports even suggest that it possesses small horns protruding from its forehead. According to various accounts, the goat-man either hypnotizes people or uses a siren-like voice to draw them onto the train tracks, where they are struck by passing trains. There are also stories claiming that the creature drops down onto passing cars from the trestle above.
So, is this simply a myth designed to keep people, particularly children, away from the dangers of the trestle bridge? Perhaps, but there have been multiple fatalities on or near the bridge after individuals scaled the 8-foot-high fence in search of the cryptid. Some of these people were involved in “legend-tripping,” a hobby where amateur folklorists and monster hunters pursue such legends. Trains still cross the bridge, despite its age, and unwary cryptid seekers have been hit by trains or have fallen from the trestles while attempting to reach the tracks. Whether the Pope Lick Monster is real or not, the tragic deaths linked to this location remain a somber reality.
6. The Slide-Rock Bolter
In the mountains of Colorado, there is a mysterious cryptid known as the Slide-Rock Bolter. This creature is enormous, about the size of a blue whale, and possesses a mouth filled with sharp, menacing teeth. Its small eyes and back fin, which has a hook-like feature, allow it to cling to the mountain. The creature is said to secrete a slippery substance from its mouth that enables it to slide down the mountain, capturing its prey, including humans, in its jaws. The momentum gained from descending steep slopes, combined with the lubrication, helps propel the creature up another mountain, ready to hunt again. It is believed that the Slide-Rock Bolter can only survive on mountains with a 45-degree incline, which is essential for its hunting technique.
The first sightings of this cryptid occurred in the nineteenth century, as reported by lumberjacks. While evidence such as flattened vegetation and destroyed trees has been found in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, it remains unclear if anyone has actually witnessed the creature in modern times. This could be due to the massive size of the creature, making it difficult for anyone to escape in time, possibly explaining why sightings have not been confirmed in more recent years.
5. Altamaha-ha
The Altamaha-ha has been spotted in the Altamaha River near Darien, GA, since long before the arrival of white settlers. The Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe was the first to tell tales of this creature. Descriptions of the cryptid depict it as having a body similar to that of a sturgeon, with a bony ridge running along its back. It has front flippers but no hind flippers, and its snout is likened to that of a crocodile, complete with large teeth and eyes. Witnesses claim the creature is about 20-30 feet long, though smaller versions have also been seen. The first recorded sighting by a non-indigenous person occurred on April 18, 1830, when a reporter from the Savannah, Georgia newspaper reported multiple sightings of a sea monster by several men aboard a schooner named the Eagle. The primary sighting was by Captain Delano, though others aboard the ship also witnessed the creature.
In early 2018, a carcass resembling a smaller version of the Altamaha-ha washed up on the southern coast of Georgia, at the Wolf Island National Wildlife Refuge. Jeff Warren and his son discovered the remains during a visit. Mr. Warren filmed the carcass, and the footage has been met with skepticism, with some labeling it a hoax or misidentifying the creature as a frilled shark or another deep-sea species. Despite the scientific debate, it's intriguing that the carcass strongly resembles the descriptions of the Altamaha-ha.
4. The Frogman
Loveland, Ohio is home to one of the more peculiar cryptids, in my opinion. The first stories of the Frogman or Frogmen emerged in the 1950s when a businessman claimed to have spotted multiple large, bipedal frogs near the Little Miami River. The first official sighting took place in 1972, witnessed by two police officers on separate occasions. Officer Ray Shockey encountered the creature on March 3, 1972, at 1:00 AM while driving to Loveland. Initially, he mistook the figure for a dog in a field next to the road, but when it stood up, its eyes reflected in his car lights, revealing it to be a giant, bipedal frog.
The creature then jumped over a guard rail and slid down the hill into the Little Miami River. Officer Shockey had such a clear view of the creature that he was able to describe it in enough detail for his sister to sketch it. Later that night, Officer Shockey returned with another officer, Mark Matthews, to the scene. They found only skid marks on the embankment where the creature had slid down into the river. A few weeks later, on March 17, 1972, Officer Matthews had his own encounter. He was driving when he saw what he thought was an animal in the road. He stopped his car, got out, and the creature rose, crouched in the middle of the road, then stood, climbed over the guardrail while staring at Officer Matthews. For reasons unknown, Officer Matthews drew his gun and fired at the cryptid, but missed.
The most recent sighting occurred in 2016 when a man named Sam Jacobs, while playing Pokémon Go in mid-August, reported seeing a large frog near Lake Isabella. According to Jacobs, the creature stood up on its hind legs and walked away, estimating its height to be around 4 feet tall.
3. Ozark Howler
For generations, stories about the Ozark Howler have circulated across Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Missouri. Some believe the creature blends Native American myths of saber-toothed cats with the Cu-Sith, a creature from Celtic folklore brought to the region by Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and English settlers in the early 1800s. The Cu-Sith is said to be a massive, bull-sized creature with shaggy fur resembling a wolf, and its fur can be either dark green or white. Descriptions of the Ozark Howler vary greatly: some claim it is a large, cat-like being with horns and glowing red eyes, while others say it is as big as a bear with long shaggy hair, horns, a goat-like beard, and red, glowing eyes.
There is some uncertainty regarding the length of the Ozark Howler's tail, with differing accounts suggesting it could be either long or short. Its howl is described as extremely eerie, possibly a mix of an elk’s bugle and a wolf’s howl, though some descriptions suggest it is more guttural and deep, while others claim it’s high-pitched.
The Ozark Howler has been reported since the 1950s, both through auditory and visual encounters, but stories from families in the region stretch back even further, possibly to the early 1800s. Some photos of the creature are inconclusive, with some appearing to have been altered digitally. The most recent sightings occurred between 2005 and 2010, with locals reporting a sighting of what seemed to be an unusually large cat. However, wildlife experts confirm that no large cats exist in the area today. It is believed that the sightings are of exotic pets that were released into the wild.
2. Lizard Man
The first official sighting of the Lizard Man occurred in 1988 in Lee County, SC, when seventeen-year-old Christopher Davis encountered the creature. After his car got a flat tire near Scape Ore Swamp, he got out to change it, only to be confronted by a 7-foot-tall, green lizard man with three fingers on each hand and glowing red eyes. Terrified, Christopher got back in his car and tried to escape, but the creature leapt onto his car and viciously attacked it. Later, it was revealed that a year earlier, in 1987, a cyclist had seen a similar creature near the same location while taking a break by the swamp.
There have been additional sightings of the Lizard Man as recently as 2015. Jim Wilson, while driving toward Camden, witnessed a creature dart out from the woods and cross the Scape Ore bridge. He pulled over and began snapping photos of the creature, which he described as tall with scales and a tail. It resembled an alligator, with long legs and a face featuring a short nose. The creature noticed him, turned toward him, then submerged into the water, crossing the swamp.
The Lizard Man has become a well-known figure in Lee County, with Robert Howell, a local artist, gaining recognition for his depictions of the creature. His artwork has even been featured in a Lizard Man exhibit at the South Carolina Cotton Museum. In 2018, the first-ever Lizard Man Festival and Comic-Con took place, attracting renowned cryptozoologists, artists like Robert Howell, and even ghost hunters.
1. The Pukwudgies
The Pukwudgies have been a significant part of Native American folklore in the Eastern United States long before European settlers arrived. Some Native American cultures believe that the Pukwudgies once lived harmoniously with humans, but something caused a rift that led them to turn against people. According to a tale from the Wampanoag tribe, they sought the help of Maushop the Giant to remove the troublesome Pukwudgies from their lands. Since then, the Pukwudgies have harbored resentment toward humans. Many Native American tribes advise caution if you encounter one. The name Pukwudgie means 'person of the wilderness,' and these creatures are said to have humanoid features, pale gray skin, and larger-than-human fingers, noses, and ears. Some consider the Pukwudgies to be the oldest cryptids in North America.
Different Native American tribes have varied stories about the Pukwudgies. The Ojibwe and others around the Great Lakes region viewed them as mischievous beings, playing pranks but not truly dangerous. However, the Abenaki and other tribes from the Northeast saw them as potentially harmful to humans if disrespected. For the Wampanoag and other tribes of Southern New England, the Pukwudgies were unpredictable—sometimes helping human neighbors, but at other times, they could kidnap children or commit harmful acts, like pushing someone off a cliff. Their nature is seen as capricious.
