Cryptids

Ever since humans could first communicate there have been reports of real life monsters.  These “monsters” have become such an interest to scientists that they have gained their own specific class in science; the study of such creatures is called cryptozoology, which means the study of hidden animals.  Thus, now there are many scientists whom have dedicated their lives to uncovering the mysteries of these creatures throughout the world.  In my essay I will describe some of the most famous cryptids in history; cryptids that have actually been proven to exist, some lesser known cryptids, and some other topics.

History holds old and mysterious cryptids dating back for hundreds of years. The most famous and well known of these alleged cryptids from the past is the dragon, an animal that was said to have extraordinary powers and embodied almost all human fears. In some rare cases they could also be considered saintly creatures. Some other famous creatures were the kraken, Basilisk (or cockatrice), hydra, and the griffin. These creatures were indeed the “bigfoots” and “Nessies” of their time, because hundreds of alleged sightings took place every single day. These creatures are no longer reported in modern times, but who knows, they just may be out there waiting for the right time to make themselves known to humanity. 

The study of cryptids has made a lot of progress and has gained much respect since it first began about five-hundred years ago. For one thing cryptozoology has gained its own category in science and is actually its own field. You can also study cryptozoology in college and have a career based on it. Cryptozoology has also gained much respect in the scientific community since the discovery of such animals as the megamouth, Komodo dragon, giant panda, mountain gorilla, okapi, coelacanth, and giant boar, some being discovered as late as 1976. Some were even dismissed as a figment of the human mind. Some of these creatures were presumed extinct for millions of years and lived without detection for said time.

The most famous animal ever discovered is the giant squid. This animal was part of many old religions and myths but was thought to be just that, a myth. Then people began to report encounters with the beasts; reports began flooding in about the behemoth so it became an interest to cryptozoologists. After looking further into the matter, scientists began to discover tentacle marks all over the bodies of dead and severely injured  sperm whales showing that not only was there a huge possibility that these creatures existed but that they were enemies of the sperm whales probably due to foods and territories.  It was then that the giant squid gained an official title among the animal kingdom. Still, some die-hard skeptics would not believe until the 1870’s. During the 1870’s, for unknown reasons, a mass of the creatures began to just die and wash upon the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador, proving to everyone that these animals indeed exist.