- The Loch Ness Monster, Big Foot, the Yeti.
These are all unexplained creatures
which people believed roamed the remote places of the world.
But while these monsters are infamous,
there are many mysterious and frightening cryptids
which lurk in strange places,
just out of sight of the human eye.
And you may not even be aware of them.
So those are exactly what we're going to talk about today.
(ghostly roar)
Here are 10 mystifying cryptids that hide in the shadows.
Number 10 is the Snallygaster.
The Snallygaster is said to live
in parts of Maryland, in Washington D.C.
Descriptions of it go back to German immigrants
from the 1730s who recorded how a town was terrorized
by a terrible creature that resembled a cross
between a reptile and a bird,
but with large teeth instead of its beak.
Even in the 21st century,
there have been eyewitness accounts
of this terrifying dragon-like animal.
One way that locals used to warn off the Snallygaster
when it was near, was to paint a 5-pointed star
on the outside of a building.
If you ever visit parts of Maryland in Washington D.C.,
and see such a star painted on a barn or a home,
you know that the beast has been sighted.
It's foolhardy to discard these rituals
as simple superstition.
Especially considering that the Snallygaster
reportedly drinks human blood.
Number nine is the Tokoloshe.
(gentle ghostly music)
The Tokoloshe has been seen for centuries in South Africa.
It's said that the creature is small,
dwarf-like, and has hair all over its body.
Some people have mistaken it for a monkey.
But when the Tokoloshe reveals its true personality,
there is no doubt that it is
something dangerous and frightening.
The Tokoloshe is often seen scuttling
around the banks of a river.
But many have also attributed
supernatural properties to it,
such as possession in bringing about misfortune.
When the Tokoloshe is near,
some locals put their children's beds up on brick piles,
so that they're raised off of the floor.
This is because when the Tokoloshe appears,
it can climb up onto the bed and carry out its attacks.
Whether an animal or a supernatural entity,
the Tokoloshe is known for bringing ruin down
upon all who encounter it.
Number eight is the Utah Dire Wolf.
One cryptid that we know existed is the Dire Wolf.
And some believe this animal still exists
in small populations throughout Utah.
Scientists believe that the Dire Wolf went extinct
as far back as 125,000 years ago.
It was massive, reaching at least the same size
as the largest wolves that we've seen today,
if not much larger.
It also had far larger teeth,
which were used to shear through flesh.
Several encounters with this supposedly extinct creature
had been recorded including one man
who shot the animal point blank
and yet it survived unscathed.
Some have postulated that the Dire Wolf is still roaming
parts of the US, is very secretive,
and has much thicker hide than common wolves,
making it almost impervious to any hunting weapon.
Number seven is the White River Monster.
(gentle ghostly music)
Reports of the White River Monster
go back to at least the 1800s if not further back.
This aquatic creature supposedly lives in the White River
in Northeastern Arkansas, hence the name.
And it has an interesting story and history.
Some believe the creature had an impact on the Civil War
when it attacked some boats on the river,
but it wasn't officially first-sighted until 1915.
An eyewitness described it
as a massive gray object in the water,
at least as long as three cars.
When the creature was seen in 1971,
it was described as having
a large horn protruding from its head,
and spines running along its back.
Encounters with the creature
have taken on a more sinister element
ever since several people reported seeing it
come out of the water, walking on land,
and crushing anything in its path.
Number six is the Nuckelavee.
(gentle ghostly music)
The Nuckelavee is an Arcadian mythological creature
which roamed the coastal areas of Northern Scotland
for thousands of years.
Seen as the worst of all demons,
the creature's supposedly contained by the ferocious waves
of the surrounding sea,
but can crawl up onto land and devour passersby.
The Nuckelavee has been depicted
as resembling a human with equine features.
This myth, however, may have its basis in something
which is truly out there and still undiscovered.
Similar stories have been told of encounters
with this creature throughout Ireland,
and as far as the Scandinavian countries.
All of them described the same being
having a huge gaping mouth and covered in veins
which pulsate with black putrid blood.
Number five is the Bunyip.
(gentle ghostly music)
In Australia, the indigenous population
has many frightening descriptions of things
which are still undiscovered by the wider world.
Once such cryptid is the Bunyip.
The full translation of the word means evil spirit.
But some believe it's a legitimate animal
waiting to be discovered in the vast emptiness
of the Australian outback.
The Aboriginal people truly fear the Bunyip
which is said to be a huge creature of darkness.
But exact descriptions are always vague.
This could be due to the elusiveness of the Bunyip,
if it actually exists.
It's been said to have starfish-like appendages,
tusks and a huge snout like a crocodile.
Some believe the Bunyip is more than simple storytelling
and is in fact a surviving relic
from when much larger animals,
known as megafauna, walked the earth.
Animals so big they could swallow a human whole.
Number four is the Lizard Man of South Carolina.
(gentle ghostly music)
Some of the most uncomfortable descriptions of cryptids
are those which seem almost human.
These are the many cryptids
which are described as humanoid in appearance.
And the Lizard of South Carolina is just one of them.
As recently as the 1980s,
there were news reports and investigations
into the Lizard Man,
with some claiming that their family pets
had been consumed by it.
Another eyewitness report described
how the Lizard Man had hunted down a deer
and was carrying it across a highway.
The Lizard Man continues to be
of interest in the local area,
and though interest in the cryptid has wavered,
rumors persist that on long stretches of lonely road,
it can still be seen darting between the trees,
looking for its next meal.
Number three is the Beast of Bray Road.
(gentle ghostly music)
In Wisconsin, the Beast of Bray Road
has been seen several times.
This cryptid has a terrifying appearance,
looking like a human being
with the twisted features of a dog.
Researchers believe that the stories of this creature
should be seen as independent from werewolf mythology
as it appears to be more like
a human dog hybrid than a wolf.
First reported in 1935,
the Beast of Bray Road has one characteristic
which makes it more imposing than most.
Unlike other similar cryptids,
the Beast of Bray Road has been seen moving in packs.
In one encounter, three of the creatures were observed
drinking from a watering hole together.
The fact that they may live in groups
makes them even more dangerous
than any cryptid wandering alone.
Number two is the Bullebak.
(gentle ghostly music)
Troll mythology is common throughout the world.
They're described sometimes as being
much larger than humans or much smaller,
but always as a kind of perverted form of humanity.
One myth, however, lays the tantalizing possibility
at our feet that such a creature does indeed exists.
The Bullebak has been seen crawling out
from underneath the bridge of the same name in Amsterdam.
It crosses one of the city's many canals,
where some believe the creature hides,
traveling through the vast network of waterways.
Folklorists argue about whether the creature
is an angry spirit or some kind of physical being.
But in all descriptions,
the Bullebak is known to be particularly fond
of unwary passersby and children,
reaching up from beneath the bridge
to pull them into the water.
And number one is the Rougarou.
(gentle ghostly music)
In the swamps surrounding Greater New Orleans,
there's a legendary creature which some believe
is just waiting to be discovered.
The Rougarou was first described
by French settlers in Louisiana.
And the creature seems to have
followed them from the Old World.
Eyewitness accounts of the Rougarou
describe it as walking like a stooped human being
but with fur over its face and large fangs.
Early stories claim that the creature was a product
of a human disease or blood curse
transmitted from person to person.
But some believe the creature
is of an entirely different kind.
It's said that this creature still wanders
through the thick swamps of Louisiana.
And maybe the reason behind
some of the unusual disappearances in the region.
But what exactly happened to those that have gone missing?
Maybe too much to bear thinking about.