15 Lesser-Known Cryptids You Should Be Warned About

Name a cryptid. Name another cryptid. OK, now name one that is neither Bigfoot nor the Loch Ness Monster. It starts getting uphill at this point, doesn't it? This lack of knowledge about dubious zoology is worrying. Suppose you ever come across a mysterious creature. What will you tell the detail-hungry media? "It was a thing with some stuff?" Of course not -- they'll laugh at you. If you want the respect afforded to serious monster hunters, you need to be knowledgeable. We have prepared a primer for you here, so you can start your education about lesser-known cryptids. You're welcome.

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THE HONEY ISLAND SWAMP MONSTER is the result of an impossible love story. The Honey Island Swamp in Louisiana is home to a giant creature, the offspriSource: Atlas Obscura

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THE DINGONEK eats hippos. If you know anything about hippos, you know that a creature that preys on them is not to be messed with. An EurMore: 7 Monsters That Bigfoot Hunters Are Too Scared to Believe In

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THE BEAST OF BUSCO has a fearsome bite. An alligator snapping turtle could bite off a piece of you. This beast was supposed to be a snapping turtle thMore: 7 Monsters That Bigfoot Hunters Are Too Scared to Believe In

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THE LIZARD MAN OF SCAPE ORE SWAMP is the terror of South Carolina. According to some, lizard people rule the world. It's hard, however, toSource: Animal Planet

11

THE KONGAMATO is an African pterodactyl. The Kaonde people of Zambia carry charms to ward off the kongamato, a word meaning overturner of boats. ThiSource: Face2Face Africa

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THE MONGOLIAN DEATH WORM is a deadly dick joke. It is shaped like a sausage about two feet long, has no head nor legs and is So poisonous that merelySources: History of Geology/Scientific American, Pieter Dirkx

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THE OZARK HOWLER looks positively adorable. It lives in the Arkansas Ozarks. It howls (presumably). And judging by this photo taken in 2015Source: 4029 News

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THE MALAWI TERROR BEAST was on the BBC. In 2003, this hyena-like thing killed a few people and maimed several more in Dowa, Malawi. It could have beenSource: BBC

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THE BEAST OF GEVAUDAN terrorized 18th-century France. King Louis XV sent hunters to take down this beast like a wolf, yet not a wolf, which killed aSource: HISTORY

4

OGOPOGO was a celebrity before Nessie. While the Loch Ness Monster jumped to the spotlight in 1933, newspapers were already talking about Ogopogo in 1More: 7 Monsters That Bigfoot Hunters Are Too Scared to Believe In

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THE SKUNK APE stinks up Florida. The skunk ape seems to be some kind of Bigfoot except that it lives in the Everglades, and smells badly. Could it be Source: Smithsonian Magazine

2

THE POPE LICK MONSTER is the Joker of cryptids. Legend has it that this half-human, half-goat thing is the sole survivor of a circus train crash. AftMore: 7 Monsters That Bigfoot Hunters Are Too Scared to Believe In

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THE JERSEY DEVIL was made up by Benjamin Franklin. According to legend, this winged devil was born when a mother cursed her 13th child in hMore: 6 Urban Legends That Were Totally Made Up By Celebrities