The Menehune are a race of dwarfs in Hawaiian folklore. Hawaiian traditions refer to them as small- or short-statured people in remote mountainous forests. They live in isolation because they prefer to keep out of sight and avoid contact with other people. According to folklore, they lived on the islands for centuries before modern-day Hawaiians … Read more
The snallygaster is a mythical cryptid that features prominently in American folklore. It is a fantastical dragon-like creature usually represented as a cross between a reptile and a bird. Legend says it lives in caves in the South Mountains that form the northern part of the Blue Ridge range in Maryland. The earliest claimed sightings … Read more
The Dover Demon was a cryptid that some teenagers reported sighting in Dover, Massachusetts, from April 21 to 22, 1977. The reported sightings caused a stir in Dover and neighboring communities. However, the excitement subsided after there were no further reports. People have since been debating the Dover Demon sightings and offering explanations about what … Read more
The wampus cat is a cryptid that features in the folklore of rural Appalachia, including East Tennessee. Descriptions of the beast vary between localities and the narrator. Some accounts portray it simply as a cat-like creature. Others describe it as a fearsome, scary, ghoulish, or fiendish beast that prowls in the dark, making blood-curdling howls, … Read more
The chupacabra is a blood-sucking creature of modern legend, with stories of sightings originating in Puerto Rico. There have been thousands of reported sightings of this violent and vicious creature. Description The chupacabra is, as legend would have it, a 4-to-5-feet tall, spiky-backed creature with an oblong skull. The word “chupacabra” translates, somewhat underwhelmingly, as … Read more
Sea serpent Bessie is not as well-known as the Loch Ness Monster, but it may be considered a distant cousin. The creature’s habitat appears to mostly be around the Ohio side of Lake Erie. There have been multiple sightings reported, and some attacks have been attributed to the creature. Description Bessie, or rather her ancestors, … Read more
The Hodag is a so-called “fearsome critter” said to resemble an ox but with a frog-like head. The fabled beast is unique to the area of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, and has been part of local legend for a long time. Description Although the Hodag had been part of Rhinelander’s lore for as long as anyone could … Read more
The Ivory-billed woodpecker, Campephilus principalis, is officially classified as critically endangered or possibly extinct and generates a great deal of research and debate as to whether or not it still exists. Description The Ivory-billed woodpecker was the largest woodpecker to reside in the USA and, indeed, was one of the world’s largest of the species. … Read more
The Grassman is similar to Bigfoot, being a big, hairy, ape-like creature said to reside in the state of Ohio, USA. Description Ohio is known for its own version of Bigfoot, known as Grassman. Residents of the Buckeye State have been reporting Grassman sightings for 150 years. The name comes from the belief that the … Read more
The Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp is a cryptid from the folklore of South Carolina. The alleged creature lives in the swamps around Bishopville in Lee County and the neighboring Sumter County. Media coverage of Lizard Man sightings in the late 1980s brought Lee County to national attention, and now South Carolina holds an … Read more