Full disclosure: I choose to believe in the possible existence of cryptids. Sort of. I like the idea that there are strange, undiscovered creatures hidden in the shadows of our world. I'm well aware of how utterly unlikely it is that cryptids and other folkloric creatures exist, but I'm certainly not alone in my blinding enthusiasm for them. We recently asked the readers in our Community forum to tell us about their favorite local cryptids, and to paraphrase a great (fictional) person, the responses make us want to believe.
From a creature that's more rabbit than human, to a herd of extremely local Bigfoots, to a mad scientist's escaped "Melon Heads," our readers (and staff!) told us about a wide variety of incredible beasties from their regional folklore. You can see some of our favorite responses below. If you want read about more local cryptids, or tell us about a favorite unknown creature of your own, head to the Community forums and join the conversation! The truth is out there... but the myths are a lot more fun.
Old Ned
Lake Utopia, New Brunswick
"Apparently there's a monster in that lake. 'Old Ned,' they call him, and sightings go back into local indigenous folklore. My grandfather claimed to have seen it as a boy, serpent-like and scaly and swimming very quickly across the lake. You can well imagine that hearing that story, the imagination of six-year-old me latched in to what that must have been like for my grandfather's 10-year-old self back in the 1920s!" — yodaddeo
Big Muddy Monster
Murphysboro, Illinois
"Murphysboro, Illinois, (near Southern Illinois University-Carbondale) has repeated sightings (and smellings) of the Big Muddy Monster. Many believe it may be related to (if not the same as) the Creve Coeur Monster, sighted near the St. Louis suburb. This is an animal often likened to Sasquatch in size and appearance, but with a distinct 'skunky' smell. Those who believe the two cryptids are the same surmise that the animal swam down the Big Muddy River in Murphysboro to the Mississippi River and, thence, north to the Missouri River, by which it swam to a bend in the river near Creve Coeur." — flashgourd
Bunny Man
Northern Virginia
"Virginia, it's the Bunny Man, but I don't know if we can consider it a cryptid or a ghost story. One story is that he was a man who escaped a state facility and lived in the forest and wore rabbit pelts to stay warm. The other is the same except, there's an experiment that goes horribly wrong (like all good cryptid tales) at the facility and he becomes ... HALF MAN/HALF BUNNY!" — jonathancarey
Rougarou
Louisiana
"Here in Louisiana, the local cryptid is the rougarou, which has many spellings, and derives from the French loup-garou, which literally means 'werewolf.' Although relatively common across the French-speaking world, like so many things, it appears to have gained particular prominence in the swamps of Louisiana." — theinsomniac4life
Lake Worth Monster
Lake Worth, Texas
"In the wilds on north Tarrant County roamed the Lake Worth Monster, supposedly caught on camera in 1969. Never saw it myself, but it caused a big scare in the area." — bubbahargo
Grassman
Ohio
"Cuyahoga Valley National Park has a giant hominid called the 'Grassman' and he has three toes for some reason. I really hope he's more Swamp Thing than Bigfoot." — Samir Patel
