Line #113 Main/OurCryptidsAreMoreMysterious


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7	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cryptids.jpg]]
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9	The biological equivalent of [=UFO=] sightings, cryptids are legendary beings and mythical creatures which are rumored to exist in RealLife, in isolation or in hiding, yet remain unrecognized by mainstream science due to the absence of physical evidence that could verify their existence.
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11	Some may be [[StockNessMonster relict survivors of species believed to be extinct]], or known organisms [[MisplacedWildlife displaced into inappropriate habitats]]; others are unlike any known species, with characteristics that [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane border upon the supernatural]]. Folk legends tied to specific cultural traditions (Algonquian {{wendigo}}s, Navajo {{skinwalker}}s, Japanese ''{{youkai}}'', Irish ''[[TheFairFolk aes sídhe]]'', etc.) aren't usually considered cryptids, nor are other overtly supernatural entities like ghosts. Aliens usually aren't either, unless they've been on Earth long enough to "go native" and be sighted in the wilderness.
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13	Those cryptids that haven't received heavy media attention, so cannot be classified under the sub-tropes listed below, may have works of fiction in which they're featured listed here on this page. Works that feature a wide variety of cryptid types, or follow cryptozoologists' attempts to investigate them, also fall under this trope. Series that only have a CryptidEpisode usually leave their existence open to question, whereas cryptid-themed works generally ''do'' reveal their creatures to the audience (if not the characters), sooner or later.
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15	SubTrope of AllTheoriesAreTrue. Compare OurMonstersAreWeird, which is for creatures that are too bizarre for even cryptozoology (the study of cryptids) to claim they're for real. Also see FearsomeCrittersOfAmericanFolklore.
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17	----
18
19	!!Specific cryptids with their own pages:
20	[[index]]
21	* BigfootSasquatchAndYeti
22	** BigHeartedBigfoot
23	* {{Chupacabra}}
24	* TheFlatwoodsMonster
25	* TheJerseyDevil
26	* LivingDinosaurs
27	** MokeleMbembe
28	* MisplacedWildlife
29	* TheMothman
30	* OurMermaidsAreDifferent
31	* SandWorm
32	* SeaSerpents
33	* SpringHeeledJack
34	* StockNessMonster
35	* {{Tsuchinoko}}
36	* YowiesAndBunyipsAndDropBearsOhMy
37	[[/index]]
38
39	----
40
41	!!Examples in fiction:
42	[[foldercontrol]]
43
44	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
45	* ''Manga/EngagedToTheUnidentified'' has cryptids [[spoiler:as part of its main cast (Hakuya, Mashiro, their mother Shirayuki and a few more), though while they are called many names, including "demons", "{{Youkai}}" and the like, they look and mostly behave like ordinary humans.]] Mashiro is also a fan of cryptids and collects figurines; one of the show's {{Running Gag}}s is that she somehow always ends up with lots of Nessies, but not much else.
46	* ''Anime/{{Kagewani}}'' has this trope as the main theme of the show. Each episode centers on Banba investigating claims of a cryptid attack on civilians from his and the victim's perspective.
47	* ''Anime/KemonoFriends'' features a Tsuchinoko [[LittleBitBeastly Friend]]. How exactly she came to be isn't stated, since Friends are created when a living animal or their remains come in contact with [[{{Phlebotinum}} Sandstar]] and to date no physical evidence of the Tsuchinoko has ever been discovered.
48	[[/folder]]
49
50	[[folder:Comics]]
51	* ''ComicStrip/AngusOg'' had Kelpies, Mermaids, and various other cryptids, all exist in Scotland's Western Isles. Thanks to water purification, the Kelpies even turned up in the River Clyde running through the middle of Glasgow.
52	%%* ''The Cryptids''
53	* ''ComicBook/{{Kaijumax}}'': One of the major prison gangs is the Cryps, {{Kaiju}}-scaled versions of classic cryptids.
54	* ''ComicBook/ThePerhapanauts'' follows the exploits of a team of cryptids and other otherworldlies within a super-secret intergovernmental agency known as BEDLAM investigating other cryptids and other otherworldlies.
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	[[folder:Fan Works]]
58	* ''Fanfic/DogBreathAndBirdBrain'' has the in-universe urban legend of the Girl in the White Mask, portrayed similarly to the real life Fresco Nightcrawlers or Virginia TV Head. Security footage passed around at the time showed a mysterious humanoid figure vandalizing and stealing in the area, remarkable for her inhuman white face and red eyes. Lent credence by the government showing up in town shortly after, it quickly became a local cryptid the residents were all too happy to celebrate with costumes and graffiti depicting her. [[spoiler: Naturally, the cryptid is real, as the protagonist finds out.]]
59	* While ''Fanfic/PrehistoricParkReimagined'' primarily focuses upon the rescue of prehistoric animals (plus other extinct creatures) already known to science, the story's not afraid to take detours down somewhat more fantasy based paths every now and then via the featuring of several speculative animals. And as it so happens, some of the speculative creatures featured are implied to be the in-universe basis for several modern day cryptids and other mythical creatures, with examples so far including tribes of vicious ape-like hominids that bring to mind various ape-like hominid cryptids like BigfootSasquatchAndYeti, a giant speculative Eocene choristodere species implied to serve as an at least partial basis to legends of dragons (if not also sea serpents, plus potentially responsible for sightings of [[StockNessMonster Nessie]]), and a Pleistocene Australian aquatic marsupial species that very explicitly gets labeled as a [[YowiesAndBunyipsAndDropBearsOhMy bunyip]].
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
63	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cryptozoo}}'' has cryptids be a central part of the film's setting and the main protagonist is dedicated to freeing cryptids from traffickers and putting them in the titular sanctuary so that the cryptids can live safely.
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
67	* ''Film/BabySecretOfTheLostLegend'' is about ''Mokele-Mbembe'', an alleged surviving sauropod dinosaur living in the Congo.
68	* ''Film/LochNess'' is a movie where Creator/TedDanson hunts the [[StockNessMonster Loch Ness Monster]].
69	* ''Film/KingKong'' is the story of a group of filmmakers in search of the eponymous creature based on rumours, so Kong himself could be considered a cryptid in-universe. It's worth noting that King Kong itself was inspired by the discovery of a cryptid-turned-real -- the Komodo dragon.
70	* ''Film/TheMothmanProphecies'' centers on the lives of people who have had encounters with [[TheMothman the legendary creature]], and are experiencing odd occurrences.
71	* The Film/{{MonsterVerse}} predominantly centres around the secret international cryptozoological organization Monarch, whose task is to keep up the {{Masquerade}} against cryptid organisms (up [[Film/Godzilla2014 until 2014]], when it became TheUnmasquedWorld). In this universe however, cryptids are {{Kaiju}} such as Franchise/KingKong and Franchise/{{Godzilla}}. A few {{Freeze Frame Bonus}}es in ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' show the names of some kaiju we never see in person, which include Bunyip and Mokele-Mbembe, and the {{novelization}} links Behemoth to the South American cryptid Mapinguary.
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Literature]]
75	* One ''Literature/EncyclopediaBrown'' mystery involved Encyclopedia investigating a "[[FearsomeCrittersOfAmericanFolklore Skunk Ape]]", the Idaville version of an abominable snowman. Of course, it's only [[TheBully Bugs Meany]] again.
76	* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Many cryptids in the series are acknowledged to be magical creatures, including the Yeti (a troll-like monster) and Nessie (a shapeshifting kelpie disguising itself as a sea serpent). Funnily enough, the wizarding universe has its own cryptids, such as the Nargles and the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, in which [[ArbitrarySkepticism nobody believes]] except for [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Luna Lovegood]].
77	* In ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheBaskervilles'', Literature/SherlockHolmes investigates the Baskerville family curse -- a "gigantic hound" that has, according to the family doctor, recently accounted for the life of Sir Charles Baskerville. [[spoiler: It's actually a very big dog painted with phosphorous to make it glow in the dark.]]
78	* ''Literature/InCryptid'' by Creator/SeananMcGuire is all about a family of cryptozoologists who look after cryptids who exist but are still thought to be rumor by the world at large.
79	* ''Literature/JackieAndCraig'' utilizes an entire armada of cryptids as the worshipers of the incomprehensible EldritchAbomination Jykunne.
80	* ''Literature/{{Monster}}'': The title character is a freelance Cryptobiological Containment and Rescue Services worker, i.e. a dogcatcher for cryptids.
81	* Creator/SimonRGreen stories:
82	** ''Literature/SecretHistories'': In ''The Spy Who Haunted Me'', the rival spies are tasked to investigate several well-known tabloid-style mysteries, including the Loch Ness Monster and an Arkansas Bigfoot-sighting. [[spoiler: And subverts them all, by attributing them to unnatural forces indigenous to Green's Verse, rather than whatever cryptozoologists assume them to be.]]
83	** Cryptids in general tend to crop up in Green's UrbanFantasy series, from pet chupacabra being taken for walkies in the ''Nightside'' to Mongolian death worms trying to gobble down ''Secret Histories'' agents.
84	* ''Literature/{{Vampirocracy}}'': The main character and his friend took a cryptozoology course in college as a prerequisite for [[OurMonstersAreDifferent mythozoology]].
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
88	* One episode of ''Series/DropTheDeadDonkey'' saw Damien going down to UsefulNotes/{{Cornwall}} in order to try and fake a sighting of the Beast of Bodmin Moor. TruthInTelevision, as a number of big cat sightings in Britain at the time were exaggerated (and in some cases quite possibly faked) by the media (see "Real Life" below for more details).
89	* ''Series/FaceOff'': Season six has a cryptid-themed challenge.
90	* ''Series/LostTapes'' features plenty of cryptids in its stories.
91	* ''Monster Quest'' and ''Series/DestinationTruth'' are cryptozoology-themed programs in the style of ghost-hunter shows.
92	%%* A lot of Film/{{Syfy Channel Original Movie}}s are based on examples of this trope.%%ZCE
93	* ''Series/TensouSentaiGoseiger'''s second villain faction, the Yuumajuu (Spectral Demon Beasts), are all based on various cryptids, [[AnimalMotifs combined with terrestrial invertebrates]] for a good measure. Its leaders are [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globster a globster]]/earthworm, a [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti Sasquatch]]/tarantula, and a {{Chupacabra}}/house centipede. Additionally, "Yuumajuu" is a play on "UMA" (Unidentified Mystery Animal), another word for "cryptid".
94	* ''Series/TheXFiles'' used dozens of cryptid-based stories, and may even have ''started'' a few legends about them.
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Magazines]]
98	* ''Magazine/ForteanTimes'' is devoted to the investigation of anomalous phenomena. It absolutely ''loves'' this one.
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Music]]
102	* ''Music/TheLegendOfTheDogman'': The titular monster is a huge bipedal dog roaming the forests of Michigan. While originally a prank, it became popular enough to become a bona fide UrbanLegend.
103	* The video for The Automatic Automatic's "Monster" features the band as some bumbling would-be cryptid hunters searching for a lake monster, Bigfoot, and [=UFOs=]. The first two are overlooked via FailedASpotCheck and MissedHimByThatMuch, respectively; the latter ''is'' found, but promptly blasts them into SmolderingShoes for their trouble.
104	* "Black Shuck" by Music/TheDarkness is about the mythical phantom dog that is said to haunt parts of the band's native Suffolk.
105	-->''In a town in the east''
106	-->''The parishioners were visited upon''
107	-->''By a curious beast...''
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:TabletopGames]]
111	%%* ''TabletopGame/ConspiracyX''
112	* ''TabletopGame/D20Modern'':
113	** The system includes a variety of cryptids from around the world on its "Menace Manual" book, including the Mongolian Death Worm and the Montauk Monster (a trans-dimensional hostile EnergyBeing race that was attracted to Earth by the Philadelphia Experiment).
114	** Cryptids make up a large part of the ''TabletopGame/DarkMatter1999'' setting, and several have their origin with the alien races that populate the settings.
115	* ''TabletopGame/DemonTheDescent'' uses cryptid as a catch-all term for animals exposed to the energies of the God-Machine, used as agents by both the angels of the God-Machine and the demons that rebel against it. Example cryptids include mothmen (who are harmless squirrel eaters who cannot predict disasters) and Reptoids (who are shy, timid creatures who cannot shapeshift and have no plans for world domination).
116	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' has an in-universe example in the form of the "forgotten" chromatic dragon family. Everyone knows about the five main breeds of evil dragons: the white, black, green, blue and red dragons, creations of the five-headed dragon goddess Tiamat. But some scholars and witnesses claim that there are three more color-based dragon breeds, the yellow/salt, orange/sodium, and purple/energy dragons. They're thought to be related to the "main" chromatic dragons through color theory (purple dragons, for example, are conjectured to be a TrueBreedingHybrid resulting from red and blue dragons interbreeding), or are perhaps the creations of a rival dragon deity whom Tiamat subsequently killed. While most scholars scoff at such talk and dismiss any sightings of these creatures as a witness misidentifying an established dragon while under the influence of its [[SupernaturalFearInducer frightful presence]], fringe theorists are known to fund expeditions into the wilderness in hopes that an adventuring party can bring back conclusive evidence of such cryptozoological dragons. As such, the "forgotten" dragons' stat blocks in ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' come with the disclaimer "If these wyrms do indeed exist, this is the best estimate of their true capabilities."
117	* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' makes use of a variety of cryptids. One sourcebook, ''Mystery Monsters Revisited'', is dedicated to discussing eight such species -- bunyips, chupacabras, death worms, mokele-mbembes, mothmen, [[TheJerseyDevil the Sandpoint Devil]], sasquatches, sea serpents, [[StockNessMonster water orms]] and yetis -- and goes into some detail about their habits, possible origins, and ability to remain elusive and mysterious even in a world of dragons, wizards and gods.
118	* ''TabletopGame/SentinelsOfTheMultiverse'': Chrono-Ranger was bounced from the Wild West to a future where cryptids had destroyed the human race, leading to him being sent back again to go and kill cryptids. Monsters in that future, the Final Wasteland region, include skunk-apes, chupacabras, abominable snowmen and the Mongolian death worm.
119	* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'': The Awakening brought many cryptids out of the closet. Some are paranormal animals developed from normal ones (e.g. mermaids as Awakened seals), while others as previously shy beings that didn't feel the need to hide any longer (sasquatches).
120	* ''TabletopGame/UrbanJungle'''s "Occult Horror" supplement includes stats for several North American cryptids as they exist in the game world, including the "Shersey" Devil and the "Ashwoods Monster", which combines the appearance of the Flatwoods Monster with the PortentOfDoom aspect of the Mothman.
121	* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' has the [[https://yugioh.fandom.com/wiki/Danger!?so=search Danger!]] archetype, which is made of several cryptids that share the effect where the player reveals them, then the opponent chooses a random card for the player to discard. If the discarded card was not a copy of the revealed monster, then the player gets to special summon it and draw a card. All the monsters in the archetype also have effects that trigger upon being discarded.
122	[[/folder]]
123
124	[[folder:Toys]]
125	* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'': Keetongu is a legendary, fully sentient and sapient humanoid beast whose existence became a legend after his kind had been exterminated. Part of the 2005 story is about the search for Keetongu, with some characters doubting he exists. He was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally intended]] to be a nod to ''Film/KingKong'', being far larger than the rest of the cast and even climbing atop a tower only to get shot down (though Keetongu's tough enough to survive), but his height was decreased when Toys/{{Lego}} decided that they'd only sell one figure of him rather than two: his to-scale model from the "Tower of Toa" playset was removed and replaced with another giant beast, so Keetongu was only released as a standard-sized Titan figure.
126	[[/folder]]
127
128	[[folder:VideoGames]]
129	* ''VideoGame/BarrowHill'': ''Bracken Tor'' will evidently involve cryptid sightings of mysterious predatory beasts in Cornwall. (That is, if it actually does get out of DevelopmentHell...) The game's promotional website displays comments allegedly posted by people who've encountered these creatures.
130	* ''VideoGame/BigfaceMarshMadness'' is an indie horror game featuring a monster that is a parody of Bigfoot who can only be warded off by recording him.
131	* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' includes several cryptid monsters that the player will encounter and must defeat during the game.
132	* ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'' features Lena and Morell, an elderly couple of "Cryptozoologists" (as well as their assistant Gary, the [[JerkAss "Cryptofascist"]]) who are in town searching for the Insulidian Phasmid, a giant psychic stick-bug-like creature. You can ask Lena about various other cryptids, much to [[ByTheBookCop your partner Kim's]] consternation.
133	* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'': The members of Mission Control are all really into "[=UMAs=]" (Unidentified Mysterious Animals, the Japanese term for "cryptid", which is therefore apparently the normal term in English in the ''Metal Gear'' universe as well) and frequently talk about them to Snake. There is also a Tsuchinoko in the game which you can capture (or eat), and bringing it back alive unlocks the Infinity Face Paint on a NewGamePlus. ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'' also has a cryptid Otaku used to justify the CrossOver with ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter''.
134	* ''VideoGame/{{Seaman}}'': Seaman is said to be an ancient creature from Egypt discovered by French biologist/archaeologist named Dr. Jean Paul Gassé in the 1930s. Taking a sample of a seaman's eggs back to France with him, he started conducting research on the creature's evolution; the player is tasked with following his work in the present day, raising a seaman through all of its evolutionary stages.
135	* ''VideoGame/ShadowHeartsFromTheNewWorld'': Natan's personal sidequest involves hunting down and capturing different cryptids inside a special pot. Said pot is then taken to a shaman who uses the power held by the captured creatures to grant/power up Natans's skills.
136	[[/folder]]
137
138	[[folder:Web Comics]]
139	* ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' has dragons (intelligent technology users), Bigfeet (subterranean with a stone age culture), unicorns (animal intelligence, used as steeds by the Bigfeet because unicorns leave no tracks), and the Loch Ness Monster. Jean has spoken of exploiting Bob's verified WeirdnessMagnet power to search for others like yetis and chupacabras and such.
140	[[/folder]]
141
142	[[folder:Web Original]]
143	* ''WebVideo/BedtimeStoriesYoutubeChannel'': One episode covers the legend of TheMothman, which terrorized residents of Point Pleasant, West Virginia from 1966 to 1967.
144	* ''WebVideo/BritishCryptids'' is an AnalogHorror {{Mockumentary}} series about unknown creatures of the British Isles. While all of the creatures are wholly original as opposed to the usual pre-existing cryptids this trope usually has, such as the Yorkshire Yeti and the Woodwose being a take on Bigfoot.
145	* ''WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail'': In "myths & legends", Strong Bad does a {{Mockumentary}} that claims the cardboard cut-out of the Bear Holding a Shark is based on a real creature of mysterious myth (or possibly legendary legend) that lurks in the woods of Free Country USA.
146	* [[https://www.cryptopia.us/site/ Cryptopia]] is a website dedicated to telling the stories of the rarest and most obscure cryptids, and the weirdest. Many of them, like the Octo-Squatch and the Bremerton Monstrosity, have been seen only once in history, or by only a single person traumatized beyond measure by what they say they saw. Others are considered local legends seen by a handful of people over the years, who described encounters with similar--if not the same--entities.
147	[[/folder]]
148
149	[[folder:WesternAnimation]]
150	* ''Franchise/Ben10'' features an alien called Big Chill whose appearance is based off TheMothman, and another alien named Shocksquatch who's based on [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti sasquatches]].
151	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Detentionaire}}'' features a creature known as the Tatzelwurm (sometimes spelled "Tazelwurm" or "Tazelworm"), based on the cryptid of the same name. They come in a variety of colours, with the red one being the rarest, one of which, nicknamed Taz, wears a sweater and is A. Nigma High's official school mascot. In one episode, Lee jokingly refers to it as "the Loch Ness Monster's first cousin".
152	* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' occasionally features investigations of cryptids and other alleged creatures in various episodes, including a lake monster, [[FearsomeCrittersOfAmericanFolklore the hidebehind]] and a crashed UFO.
153	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': A number of cryptids and similar beings have appeared over the show's run:
154	** Pinkie encounters a [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti quadrupedal yeti]] while traveling to Yakyakistan in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E11PartyPooped Party Pooped]]", while a [[YowiesAndBunyipsAndDropBearsOhMy tri-horned bunyip]] appears in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E22PPOVPonyPointOfView P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View)]]".
155	** The Great Sprout in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS9E10GoingToSeed Going to Seed]]" plays the role of an in-universe cryptid, ticking off most of the category's boxes -- mysterious nature, highly elusive and difficult to catch or observe, ambiguously real and prone to causing divisive opinions regarding whether it actually exists or not.
156	** [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW The IDW comics]] feature several other such beasts, including a highly feline {{Chupacabra}} and a humanoid squash monster referred to as a "sass squash".
157	* ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'': Some of the creatures that the Ghostbuster and their successors ''WesternAnimation/ExtremeGhostbusters'' face are cryptids, although most of the time are paranormal entities like ghosts and demons. Some examples of cryptids in the series are Bigfoot, the Jersey Devil and a Lake Monster.
158	* ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'': While most monsters have been made up from scratch for the franchise, the various series and movies have featured the likes of the Yeti, Loch Ness Monster, yowie, and chupacabra. One issue of the 1997 comic book series even had the MokeleMbembe get in on the action!
159	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretSaturdays'': The whole premise of the show finding and dealing with cryptids. Creator Jay Stephens deliberately refused to use any of the more commonly-known creatures in the show, with the more popular cryptids only ever referenced as being past encounters at best. [[spoiler: The only exception to this rule is the Yeti, which is the true identity of series villain V. V. Argost]].
160	[[/folder]]
161
162	[[folder:RealLife]]
163	* Globsters: These are unidentified organic masses of skin and organs that wash up on beaches from time to time. Globsters such as the "St. Augustine Monster" are often assumed to be cryptids, although necropsies may prove them to be known animal carcasses rendered hard to recognize by decomposition.
164	* The United Kingdom has a history of mysterious big cats of various sorts (officially known as "[=ABCs=]"[[note]]Anomalous, or Alien, Big Cats[[/note]]), for example the Beast of Bodmin Moor, the Beast of Exmoor, the Cotswolds Big Cat and the Galloway Puma.
165	** Some of the stories are centuries-old and may derive from phantom dog legends, such as the Yeth Hound of Dartmoor (which inspired ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheBaskervilles'') and the Black Shuck of Suffolk (which inspired a song by Music/TheDarkness).
166	** A lot of the more recent (ie. late twentieth century onwards) ones are usually attributed to pet big cats being released in the 1970s after the laws were changed to stop people owning big cats, or animals that had been held illegally which escaped or were released when they became too difficult to manage. Some sightings might possibly be explained as domestic cats (or, in Scotland, wildcat-domestic cat hybrids) that were seen near to a viewer [[DepthDeception being misinterpreted]] as larger animals seen further away.
167	** Big cat stories got a fair bit of media coverage in the 1980s and 1990s, especially in [[UsefulNotes/BritishNewspapers the tabloids]] which exaggerated the stories and may have even made some of them up. In 1995, for example, a large cat skull was found in Cornwall [[ContrivedCoincidence shortly after]] a government report had disproved the existence of the Beast of Bodmin Moor. It was sent to London to be examined by the Natural History Museum, which determined that it was the skull of a leopard that had been dead for several decades and had likely come to Britain as part of a leopard-skin rug -- leading to the conclusion that it had likely been planted in order to keep the "Beast" story going following the government report.
168	** Although there have been less of these stories in the last few years, they do occasionally still crop up.
169	* The ''[[https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Salawa Salawa]]'' was a dog-like cryptid blamed for dozens of attacks on humans in Egypt in the late 1990s. Authorities at the time didn't consider it much of a mystery - police killed one of the animals which they identified as a hyena, and suggested other attacks were likely feral dogs or fennec foxes[[note]]Notably, an American television crew which investigated the killings followed an animal which matched descriptions of the ''Salawa'', only to discover it was a particularly large fennec[[/note]] - but the ''Salawa'' received a lot of press coverage painting it either as an unknown monster or even an incarnation of the [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Egyptian God Set]].
170	* Myth/BrazilianFolklore has a number of creatures that are relatively recent legends, and are mix-and-match of real animals, like the Capelobo and the Mapinguari.
171	* Europeans once thought a number of RealLife animals were this trope until they had hard proof of their existence. For example:
172	** '''Komodo Dragon:''' [[spoiler:Very large lizard.]] How its existence was deemed a myth is beyond us.
173	** '''Mountain Gorilla:''' [[spoiler:Great ape, cousin of the lowland gorilla]] Believed to be a native superstition until a German hunter killed two of them.
174	** '''Okapi:''' [[spoiler:What looks like a cross between a giraffe, a deer, and a zebra.]] Yeah, we wouldn't believe you, either. Even the people actively searching for it assumed it was an unidentified species of antelope, [[spoiler:[[ThereIsAnother not a second extant giraffid]]]].
175	** '''Platypus:''' [[spoiler:Like a beaver with a duck bill, except it also lays eggs and the males have venomous feet.]] Initially (and some would say reasonably) assumed to be the work of a rogue taxidermist.
176	[[/folder]]

Context Main / OurCryptidsAreMoreMysterious