- Cryptids, mystical creatures that have been documented
but remain elusive in this world.
However, as time goes on, the conversation
regarding cryptids has increased in both scope and number.
The number of reported cryptids existing has exploded.
The following are the 10 most common
to be reported to exist today.
Here are 10 mystical cryptids
that may actually exist, part two.
Number 10 is Altamaha-ha.
Discovered by the local Tama Native American tribe
in Georgia, United States, long before its colonization
by Britain, the Altamaha-ha lurks in the waters
in and around the Altamaha River.
Lurking in streams and rice fields,
it's often referred to as Altie for short,
but the Altamaha-ha is most often spotted
near the mouth of the river,
particularly in the city of Darien
and other parts of Georgia's McIntosh County.
The creatures has been described
as having the body of a gigantic sturgeon,
with a long bony crest that runs all the way
along its spine and its massive tail.
Altamaha-ha's body is grayish in color,
and it moves along using two large fins
as front limbs, and a long tail with a flipper at its end.
The scariest feature of this cryptid is the snout,
which resembles that of a crocodile,
complete with sharp teeth.
Number nine is Dobhar-chú.
Also known as the king otter, the Dobhar-chú is a creature
that is said to inhabit the waters of Ireland.
Said to look like a cross between a dog
and a sea otter, with thick skin
and a protective layer of fur,
this mysterious creature is truly vicious.
It's allegedly responsible for the death
of at least one person, a woman named Gráinne,
who was attacked by the king otter in the 17th century.
Gráinne was outside washing clothes when it attacked,
tearing her into pieces.
Her husband heard her screams from inside the house
and ran out to see the end result.
His wife was dead.
He killed the beast, and then another one of them
when it attacked him shortly after.
Gráinne's gravestone is still in Cornwall cemetery today,
but is the threat of the Dobhar-chú truly over?
Number eight is the Black Demon.
For as long as human beings have swam
in the world's oceans, they feared the giant beasts
that call these waters home,
specifically, the sharks.
But there's one shark that truly makes
the sea a dangerous place.
Spotted off the waters of the Baja Coast in Mexico,
the Black Demon of Cortez is a massive black shark
that many believe is an ancestor
of the gargantuan megalodon.
Experts have chimed in, saying the giant creature
could be a whale shark or even an oversized
great white shark with melanism, a condition
in which dark-colored pigments overdevelop in the skin,
making it much darker in hue
than the average great white would appear.
However, others are convinced that there
is a monstrous predator out there,
ready to swallow you whole the moment you go for a swim.
Number seven is Tahoe Tessie.
Said to inhabit Lake Tahoe in California,
Tahoe Tessie is a serpent-like creature
that has been spotted multiple times
by a number of witnesses.
Stories of her date back to the mid 19th century,
where they were shared by the Paiute and Washoe tribes
who lived in the area.
Reporter James Whitworth Argyle named the monster
after Tahoe Tess, a local prostitute he was fond of,
and the name modernized to better reflect
the infamous Nessie in Scotland.
Some of those who spotted the monster
have said Tessie is only three meters long,
while others have claimed she could be
up to 24 meters in length.
Her coloring also ranges from green to black.
With such a range in descriptions,
could it be that there are multiple Tessies?
Perhaps this secretive creatures has managed
to reproduce, making the waters even more dangerous.
Number six is Akkorokamui.
A figure out of Shinto and Aku folklore,
Akkorokamui is a monstrous half-octopus, half-human creature
that's said to call Funka Bay in Hokkaido, Japan, home.
However, it's been apparently seen
in a number of other watery locations in other countries,
such as Korea and Taiwan, for hundreds of years.
Considered to be female in gender,
this aquatic monster is described as being
over 120 meters in length, and bright red in color.
John Batchelor, who allegedly saw the creature
in the 19th century, described her color
as resembling the color of the reflection
of the setting sun upon water.
It's also believed that should you find yourself
in her tentacles' grasp, it's nearly impossible to escape.
It's no wonder why Akkorokamui has gained
then nickname Ashkente Mat, or the long-fingered woman.
Number five is the Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp.
First spotted in 1988 by Christopher Davis,
a 17-year-old resident of Lee County, South Carolina,
the Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp inhabits
the area's swampland, and is said to be responsible
for damaging multiple vehicles.
The creature is described as greenish humanoid
with scaly snake-like skin,
three-fingered hands, and red eyes.
It stands over two meters tall
and always appears to be wet,
as if it's just crawled out of the swamp
from which it's named.
Multiple other sightings have been reported
of the Lizard Man, including in 2015,
when a local television news program
revealed photos and video evidence of the monster
that was taken by individuals
that were never officially identified.
With this exception, no solid proof
of the Lizard Man has been brought forward.
However, the creature still has many locals terrified.
Number four is Black Shuck.
If you ever find yourself roaming the countryside
of East Anglia, England, be sure to keep an eye out
for the Black Shuck, because it may already
have its hungry eyes on you.
Often referred to as an omen of death,
the Black Shuck is a large ghostly black dog
with fiery eyes.
First mentioned in 1850 in Notes and Queries,
a scholarly journal published
by the Oxford University Press in the United Kingdom,
this terrifying monster's name is derived
from Scucca in Old English, which translates to devil fiend.
This is fitting, because the Black Shuck
prefers to prowl at night along dark footpaths,
yet it makes no sound when it walks,
no matter what ground is beneath its feet.
It's said that hearing the howl of this great beast
will make a person's blood run cold.
That is, assuming they're able to survive
the encounter at all.
Number three is the Ogopogo.
Said to inhabit the waters of Okanagan Lake
in British Columbia, Canada,
Ogopogo is a massive sea serpent
that has been taunting locals and monster hunters alike
since at least the 19th century.
That was when First Nations people
began telling stories of seeing it.
The creature is allegedly between 12 and 15 meters long
with a dragon-like head.
In 1978, skeptic Bill Steciuk spotted a trio
of large dark humps coming out of the lake,
which quickly made him a believer.
However, he's far from being the first to see Ogopogo,
as back in 1946, dozens of witness in 30 separate cars
all claimed to see the serpent rise out of the water
before disappearing again.
People still claim to spot the monster today,
with three separate sightings occurring
within a three-week period in September of 2018 alone.
Number two is Grootslang.
If you have a fear of snakes,
then get ready for your worst nightmare.
Considered to be a great mistake made by the gods,
the Grootslang is a primordial monster
said to be as old as the world itself
and so horrible that it was decided
by the powers that be that it couldn't continue existing.
Thus, it was split into two creatures,
creating the first elephant and the first snake.
However, one of the horrifying beasts escaped
the gods' plan and now terrorizes mankind.
The Grootslang is described as a colossal serpent
with huge tusks and long sharp teeth.
It's believed to still lurk inside a deep cave
in the Richtersveld, a desert in South Africa,
and both animal and human disappearances
have been blamed on the terrifying creatures' hunger.
And number one is the Mothman.
Spotted multiple times by several witnesses
in and around Point Pleasant, West Virginia,
the Mothman terrorized people between November 12th, 1966,
and December 15th, 1967.
That is when it disappeared.
It was first seen by a group of five men
who were digging a grave and saw it swoop down,
flying low from the trees over their heads
before disappearing again into the sky.
A few days later, the creature was seen
by a pair of young couples
who all corroborated the men's story.
Described as a man-sized creature with huge wings
and glowing red eyes, the Mothman has been connected
to the collapse of the Silver Bridge,
which took the lives of 46 people who were crossing it.
Since then, reported sightings have all but stopped.
However, the question is, is it still out there?
(spooky music)