Cryptids - Atlas Obscura
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An atmospheric 2005 image of Lake Tahoe seems to capture a glimpse of Tahoe Tessie (center left).
dinosaurs

The Loch Ness Monster Look-Alike Lurking Beneath Lake Tahoe

Legends of Tahoe Tessie go back centuries.
Suzie Dundas July 30, 2024
Altay Prefecture, China

Kanas Lake

A lake that borders Kazakhstan and Russia allegedly harbors the giant "Terror Trout" or "Chinese Nessie."
Boring, Oregon

North American Bigfoot Center

Founded by Cliff Barackman of 'Finding Bigfoot' fame, this museum is dedicated to the study of North America's unacknowledged hairy woodland hominids.
A sign requesting information on big cats in West Sussex.
zoos

The Enduring Enigma of Alien Big Cats

What sightings of lions in Illinois and pumas in Australia tell us about our relationship with the natural world.
Colin Dickey May 30, 2024
Beginning in the 20th century, the hunt for the deadly wampus cat was on.
cryptozoology

The Child-Eating Wampus Cat Prowling the American South

Hide your dog; hide your children.
April White May 3, 2024
The capelobo is said to stalk Brazil's dense rainforests—always looking for its next victim.
cryptozoology

The Blood-Sucking Capelobo Haunts Brazil’s Dense Forests

The humanoid anteater slurps its victim’s gray matter as if devouring termites in a mound.
April White May 2, 2024
The Brocken spectre phenomenon, when a human's shadow seems enormous and far away, is the likely explanation for numerous sightings of so-called dark watchers in California's Santa Lucia Mountains.
mountains

Have You Seen a Dark Watcher?

Cryptic characters lurk in California's mountains. Or maybe it's just the weather.
Roxanne Hoorn May 2, 2024
Standing no taller than a 10-year-old, the Yara ma tha who watches from the forest canopy—always ready to pounce on its next victim.
cryptozoology

The Child-Eating Bloodsucker of Aboriginal Australian Nightmares

The Yara ma tha who is more terrifying than any vampire.
April White May 1, 2024
Today the giant Pacific octopus, or <em>Enteroctopus dofleini</em>, is a beloved cephalopod, but in the early 20th century, some mistook these friendly giants as terrifying man-eaters.
disasters

How the World’s Largest Octopus Went From Cryptid to Protected

Turns out some monsters are real—and pretty cute.
Sam Fletcher May 1, 2024
The fearsome cryptid is said to grow up to six-feet-long and spit deadly poison.
cryptozoology

Inside the Decades Long Hunt for the Mongolian Death Worm

Some say the true death worm has already been found—slithering beneath the sands of the Gobi.
Mark Hay April 30, 2024
The horse-headed visage of La Siguanaba may just be your last sight.
cryptozoology

Beware La Siguanaba, Latin America's Murderous, Horse-Headed Beauty

Do not follow the woman in white.
April White April 30, 2024
A dingonek has seemingly impenetrable, armadillo-like scales, a powerful tail, and very sharp teeth.
cryptozoology

The Man-Eating Dingonek Lurks Beneath East Africa’s Rivers

The 18-foot-long, dog-headed beast-fish didn't seem so unbelievable to Africa's early white colonizers.
April White April 29, 2024
Keystone, South Dakota

World's Largest Bigfoot

This towering wooden Sasquatch was carved with a chainsaw.
Latin for “nobody,” Point Nemo has a fitting name.
space exploration

The Most Remote Place on Earth Has Space Junk and a Sea Monster

Eerie things happen at Point Nemo.
Frank Jacobs, Big Think March 8, 2024
An 18th-century depiction of the <em>tsuchinoko</em>, also called <em>bachi hebi</em>, a snake-like Japanese cryptid.
music

Wonder Is Everywhere: A Jumping Japanese Cryptid, Ancient Amazonian Cities, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.
April White February 2, 2024
List

13 Places to Find Little Legends and Compact Cryptids

From grumpy water goblins to tiny trolls.
Jonathan Carey January 26, 2024
The mysterious Bigfoot
mythology

10 Places to Visit If You Want to Believe in Bigfoot

Even if you’re not convinced cryptids exist, these spots will offer a fascinating look into the minds of those who are.
Atlas Obscura January 18, 2024
A 1912 postcard depicts a Lake Erie at night.
cryptozoology

Toward a Unifying Theory of Lake Monsters

From Champ to Bessie to lake sturgeon, these cryptids represent what lies beneath the surface of the familiar.
Colin Dickey January 17, 2024