Cryptozoology: Difference between revisions

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{{Redirect|Cryptobiology|the metabolic state in extremophilic organisms|Cryptobiosis}}

'''Cryptozoology''' is a [[pseudoscience]] and [[subculture]] that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated,<ref>{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Cryptozoology |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108133551/https://www.lexico.com/definition/cryptozoology |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |title=Cryptozoology |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> particularly those popular in [[folklore]], such as [[Bigfoot]], the [[Loch Ness Monster]], [[Yeti]], the [[chupacabra]], the [[Jersey Devil]], or the [[~~Mokele~~-mbembe]]. Cryptozoologists refer to these entities as ''[[List of cryptids|cryptids]]'', a term coined by the subculture. Because it does not follow the [[scientific method]], cryptozoology is considered a pseudoscience by mainstream science: it is ~~neither~~ a branch of [[zoology]] nor of [[folklore studies]]. It was originally founded in the 1950s by zoologists [[Bernard Heuvelmans]] and [[Ivan T. Sanderson]].

'''Cryptozoology''' is a [[pseudoscience]] and [[subculture]] that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated,<ref>{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Cryptozoology |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108133551/https://www.lexico.com/definition/cryptozoology |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |title=Cryptozoology |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> particularly those popular in [[folklore]], such as [[Bigfoot]], the [[Loch Ness Monster]], the [[Yeti]], the [[chupacabra]], the [[Jersey Devil]], or the [[mokele-mbembe]]. Cryptozoologists refer to these entities as ''[[List of cryptids|cryptids]]'', a term coined by the subculture. Because it does not follow the [[scientific method]], cryptozoology is considered a pseudoscience by mainstream science: it is a branch of neither [[zoology]] nor [[folklore studies]]. It was originally founded in the 1950s by zoologists [[Bernard Heuvelmans]] and [[Ivan T. Sanderson]].

[[File:Patterson_Gimlin_Bigfoot.jpg|thumb|right|A frame from the [[Patterson–Gimlin film]] (1967), whose filmmakers claimed to feature [[Bigfoot]] in Northern California. Bigfoot is a popular figure in cryptozoology.]]

Scholars have noted that the subculture rejected mainstream approaches from an early date, and that adherents often express hostility to mainstream science. Scholars studying cryptozoologists and their influence (including cryptozoology's association with [[Young Earth creationism]]) noted parallels in cryptozoology and other pseudosciences such as [[ghost hunting]] and [[ufology]], and highlighted uncritical media propagation of cryptozoologist claims.

==Terminology, history, and approach==

As a field, cryptozoology originates from the works of [[Bernard Heuvelmans]], a ~~[[Belgium|~~Belgian]] zoologist, and [[Ivan T. Sanderson]], a Scottish zoologist. Notably, Heuvelmans published ''[[On the Track of Unknown Animals]]'' (French: {{lang|fr|Sur la piste des bêtes ignorées}}) in 1955, a landmark work among cryptozoologists that was followed by numerous other similar works. In addition, Sanderson published a series of books that contributed to the developing hallmarks of cryptozoology, including ''Abominable Snowmen: Legend Come to Life'' (1961).<ref name="REGAL-326-329">Regal (2011a: 326–329).</ref><ref name="MULLIS-2021-185a">Mullis (2021: 185): "Historians attempting to trace the beginnings of cryptozoology typically locate the practice's origins in the mid-twentienth century when Belgian-French zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans (1916–2001), with deference to Scottish-born naturalist Ivan T. Sanderson (1911–1973), is believed to have coined the term."</ref> Heuvelmans himself traced cryptozoology to the work of [[Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans]], who theorized that a large unidentified species of seal was responsible for sea serpent reports.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Leecy |date=2021-01-23 |title=The Beginnings of Cryptozoology |url=https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/2021/01/23/the-beginnings-of-cryptozoology/ |access-date=2023-05-22 |website=ScIU |language=en-US}}</ref>

As a field, cryptozoology originates from the works of [[Bernard Heuvelmans]], a Belgian zoologist, and [[Ivan T. Sanderson]], a Scottish zoologist. Notably, Heuvelmans published ''[[On the Track of Unknown Animals]]'' (French: {{lang|fr|Sur la piste des bêtes ignorées}}) in 1955, a landmark work among cryptozoologists that was followed by numerous other similar works. In addition, Sanderson published a series of books that contributed to the developing hallmarks of cryptozoology, including ''Abominable Snowmen: Legend Come to Life'' (1961).<ref name="REGAL-326-329">Regal (2011a: 326–329).</ref><ref name="MULLIS-2021-185a">Mullis (2021: 185): "Historians attempting to trace the beginnings of cryptozoology typically locate the practice's origins in the mid-twentienth century when Belgian-French zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans (1916–2001), with deference to Scottish-born naturalist Ivan T. Sanderson (1911–1973), is believed to have coined the term."</ref> Heuvelmans himself traced cryptozoology to the work of [[Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans]], who theorized that a large unidentified species of seal was responsible for sea serpent reports.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Leecy |date=2021-01-23 |title=The Beginnings of Cryptozoology |url=https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/2021/01/23/the-beginnings-of-cryptozoology/ |access-date=2023-05-22 |website=ScIU |language=en-US}}</ref>

''Cryptozoology'' is 'the study of hidden animals' (from [[Ancient Greek language|Ancient Greek]]: κρυπτός, ''kryptós'' "hidden, secret"; [[Ancient Greek]] ζῷον, ''zōion'' "[[animal]]", and λόγος, ''logos'', i.e. "knowledge, study"). The term dates from 1959 or before— Heuvelmans attributes the coinage of the term ''cryptozoology'' to Sanderson.<ref name="REGAL-326-329"/><ref name="OED-CRYPTOZOOLOGY">Additionally, see discussion at "cryptozoology, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2016. Web. 25 October 2016.</ref> Following ''cryptozoology'', the term ''cryptid'' was coined in 1983 by cryptozoologist J. E. Wall in the summer issue of the [[International Society of Cryptozoology]] newsletter.<ref name="Regal-2011-B">Regal (2011b: 197–198).</ref> According to Wall "[It has been] suggested that new terms be coined to replace sensational and often misleading terms like 'monster'. My suggestion is 'cryptid', meaning a living thing having the quality of being hidden or unknown ... describing those creatures which are (or may be) subjects of cryptozoological investigation."<ref name="WALL-COINS-CRYPTID">Wall, J. E. (1983: 10): "The Spring, 1983, issue featured an interview with Paul LeBlond and Forrest Wood, in which it was suggested that new terms be coined to replace sensational and often misleading terms like "monster." My suggestion is "cryptid," meaning a living thing having the quality of being hidden or unknown. As far as I know, this would be an entirely new word, describing those creatures which are (or may be) subjects of cryptozoological investigation."</ref>

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The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' defines the noun ''cryptid'' as "an animal whose existence or survival to the present day is disputed or unsubstantiated; any animal of interest to a cryptozoologist".<ref name="OED-CRYPTID">"cryptid, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2016. Web. 25 October 2016.</ref> While used by most cryptozoologists, the term ''cryptid'' is not used by academic zoologists.<ref name="PAXTON-2011">Paxton (2011: 7–20).</ref> In a textbook aimed at undergraduates, academics Caleb W. Lack and [[Jacques Rousseau (secular activist)|Jacques Rousseau]] note that the subculture's focus on what it deems to be "cryptids" is a pseudoscientific extension of older belief in monsters and other similar entities from the folkloric record, yet with a "new, more scientific-sounding name: cryptids".<ref name="LACK-ROUSSEAU-153">Lack & Rousseau (2016: 153, cf. p. 272).</ref>

[[File:Arthur_Grant_loch_ness_sketch.png|thumb|right|Anonymous sketch by A. Grant from a book on the Loch Ness monster by [[Rupert Thomas Gould]] (1934). Like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster has historically been of significant interest to cryptozoologists.]]While biologists regularly identify new species, cryptozoologists often focus on creatures from the [[folklore|folkloric]] record. Most famously, these include the [[Loch Ness Monster]], [[Champ (folklore)]], [[Bigfoot]], the [[chupacabra]], as well as other "imposing beasts that could be labeled as monsters". In their search for these entities, cryptozoologists may employ devices such as motion-sensitive cameras, night-vision equipment, and audio-recording equipment. While there have been attempts to codify cryptozoological approaches, unlike biologists, zoologists, botanists, and other academic disciplines, however, "there are no accepted, uniform, or successful methods for pursuing cryptids".<ref name="REGAL-326-329" /> Some scholars have identified precursors to modern cryptozoology in certain medieval approaches to the folkloric record, and the psychology behind the cryptozoology approach has been the subject of academic study.<ref name="REGAL-326-329" />

[[File:Arthur_Grant_loch_ness_sketch.png|thumb|right|Anonymous sketch by A. Grant from a book on the Loch Ness monster by [[Rupert Thomas Gould]] (1934). Like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster has historically been of significant interest to cryptozoologists.]]

[[File:Patterson Gimlin Bigfoot.jpg|thumb|A frame from the [[Patterson–Gimlin film]] (1967), whose filmmakers claimed to feature [[Bigfoot]] in Northern California. Bigfoot is a popular figure in cryptozoology.]]

While biologists regularly identify new species, cryptozoologists often focus on creatures from the [[folklore|folkloric]] record. Most famously, these include the [[Loch Ness Monster]], [[Champ (folklore)|Champ]], [[Bigfoot]], the [[chupacabra]], as well as other "imposing beasts that could be labeled as monsters". In their search for these entities, cryptozoologists may employ devices such as motion-sensitive cameras, night-vision equipment, and audio-recording equipment. While there have been attempts to codify cryptozoological approaches, unlike biologists, zoologists, botanists, and other academic disciplines, however, "there are no accepted, uniform, or successful methods for pursuing cryptids".<ref name="REGAL-326-329" /> Some scholars have identified precursors to modern cryptozoology in certain medieval approaches to the folkloric record, and the psychology behind the cryptozoology approach has been the subject of academic study.<ref name="REGAL-326-329" />

Few cryptozoologists have a formal science education, and fewer still have a science background directly relevant to cryptozoology. Adherents often misrepresent the academic backgrounds of cryptozoologists. According to writer [[Daniel Loxton]] and paleontologist [[Donald Prothero]], "[c]ryptozoologists have often promoted 'Professor [[Roy Mackal]], PhD.' as one of their leading figures and one of the few with a legitimate doctorate in biology. What is rarely mentioned, however, is that he had no training that would qualify him to undertake competent research on exotic animals. This raises the specter of 'credential mongering', by which an individual or organization feints a person's graduate degree as proof of expertise, even though his or her training is not specifically relevant to the field under consideration." Besides Heuvelmans, Sanderson, and Mackal, other notable cryptozoologists with academic backgrounds include [[Grover Krantz]], [[Karl Shuker]], and [[Richard Greenwell]].<ref name="LOXTON-PROTHERO-2013-304-305">Loxton & Prothero (2013: 304–305).</ref>

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=== Expeditions ===

Cryptozoologists have often led unsuccessful expeditions to find evidence of cryptids. Bigfoot researcher [[René Dahinden]] led searches into caves to find evidence of sasquatch, as early sasquatch legends claimed they lived in rocky areas. Despite the failure of these searches, he spent years trying to find proof of bigfoot.<ref>{{Cite book |~~last~~=Loxton |~~first~~=Daniel |title=Abominable science! origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and other famous cryptids |last2=Prothero |first2=Donald R. |date=2013 |publisher=Columbia university press |isbn=978-0-231-15320-1 |location=New York |pages=32}}</ref> [[Count|Lensgrave]] Adam Christoffer Knuth led an expedition into [[Lake Tele]] in the Congo to find the [[Mokele-mbembe]] in 2018. While the expedition was a failure, they discovered a new species of green algae.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Madsen |first=Fie West |date=2018-11-28 |title=Lensgreve Christoffer Knuth har brugt kæmpe summer på vild dinosaur-jagt: 'Vi fandt noget, som ingen har set før' |url=https://www.bt.dk/content/item/1240591 |access-date=2023-12-11 |website=www.bt.dk |language=da}}</ref>

Cryptozoologists have often led unsuccessful expeditions to find evidence of cryptids. Bigfoot researcher [[René Dahinden]] led searches into caves to find evidence of sasquatch, as early sasquatch legends claimed they lived in rocky areas. Despite the failure of these searches, he spent years trying to find proof of bigfoot.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Loxton |first1=Daniel |title=Abominable science! origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and other famous cryptids |last2=Prothero |first2=Donald R. |date=2013 |publisher=Columbia university press |isbn=978-0-231-15320-1 |location=New York |pages=32}}</ref> [[Count|Lensgrave]] Adam Christoffer Knuth led an expedition into [[Lake Tele]] in the Congo to find the [[Mokele-mbembe]] in 2018. While the expedition was a failure, they discovered a new species of green algae.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Madsen |first=Fie West |date=2018-11-28 |title=Lensgreve Christoffer Knuth har brugt kæmpe summer på vild dinosaur-jagt: 'Vi fandt noget, som ingen har set før' |url=https://www.bt.dk/content/item/1240591 |access-date=2023-12-11 |website=www.bt.dk |language=da}}</ref>

===Young Earth creationism===

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{{blockquote|Cryptozoology purports to be the study of previously unidentified animal species. At first glance, this would seem to differ little from zoology. New species are discovered by field and museum zoologists every year. Cryptozoologists cite these discoveries as justification of their search but often minimize or omit the fact that the discoverers do not identify as cryptozoologists and are academically trained zoologists working in an ecological paradigm rather than organizing expeditions to seek out supposed examples of unusual and large creatures.<ref name="CARD-23-32">Card (2016: 23–32).</ref>}}

Card notes that "cryptozoologists often show their disdain and even hatred for professional scientists, including those who enthusiastically participated in cryptozoology", which he traces back to Heuvelmans's early "rage against critics of cryptozoology". He finds parallels with cryptozoology and other pseudosciences, such as [[ghost hunting]] and [[ufology]], and compares the approach of cryptozoologists to colonial big-game hunters, and to aspects of European imperialism. According to Card, "[m]ost [[list of cryptids|cryptids]] are framed as the subject of indigenous legends typically collected in the heyday of [[comparative folklore]], though such legends may be heavily modified or worse. Cryptozoology's complicated mix of sympathy, interest, and appropriation of indigenous culture (or non-indigenous construction of it) is also found in [[New Age]] circles and dubious "[[Indian burial grounds]]" and other [[legend]]s [...] invoked in ~~[[haunting]]s~~ such as the [[The Amityville Horror|"Amityville" hoax]] [...]".<ref name="CARD-24-25">Card (2016: 24–27).</ref>

Card notes that "cryptozoologists often show their disdain and even hatred for professional scientists, including those who enthusiastically participated in cryptozoology", which he traces back to Heuvelmans's early "rage against critics of cryptozoology". He finds parallels with cryptozoology and other pseudosciences, such as [[ghost hunting]] and [[ufology]], and compares the approach of cryptozoologists to colonial big-game hunters, and to aspects of European imperialism. According to Card, "[m]ost [[list of cryptids|cryptids]] are framed as the subject of indigenous legends typically collected in the heyday of [[comparative folklore]], though such legends may be heavily modified or worse. Cryptozoology's complicated mix of sympathy, interest, and appropriation of indigenous culture (or non-indigenous construction of it) is also found in [[New Age]] circles and dubious "[[Indian burial grounds]]" and other [[legend]]s [...] invoked in hauntings such as the [[The Amityville Horror|"Amityville" hoax]] [...]".<ref name="CARD-24-25">Card (2016: 24–27).</ref>

In a 2011 foreword for ''The American Biology Teacher'', then [[National Association of Biology Teachers]] president [[Dan Ward (educator)|Dan Ward]] uses cryptozoology as an example of "technological pseudoscience" that may confuse students about the scientific method. Ward says that "Cryptozoology [...] is not valid science or even science at all. It is monster hunting."<ref name="WARD-2011-440">Ward (2011: 440).</ref> [[History of science|Historian of science]] [[Brian Regal]] includes an entry for cryptozoology in his ''Pseudoscience: A Critical Encyclopedia'' (2009). Regal says that "as an intellectual endeavor, cryptozoology has been studied as much as cryptozoologists have sought hidden animals".<ref name="NAGEL-50">Nagel (2009: 50).</ref>

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== Organizations ==

There have ~~been several~~ organizations, of varying types, dedicated or related to cryptozoology. These include:

There have museumseveral organizations, of varying types, dedicated or related to cryptozoology. These include:

* [[International Fortean Organization]] – a network of professional Fortean researchers and writers based in the United States

* [[International Society of Cryptozoology]] – an American organisation that existed from 1982 to 1998

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In 2003, cryptozoologist [[Loren Coleman]] opened the [[Loren Coleman#International Cryptozoology Museum|International Cryptozoology Museum]] in [[Portland, Maine|Portland]], [[Maine]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Southern |first=Marleen Shepherd The |date=2005-10-26 |title=Renowned cryptozoologist got his start at SIUC |url=https://thesouthern.com/news/renowned-cryptozoologist-got-his-start-at-siuc/article_3af791e9-fe76-5a43-98bc-e59b9ad3a7a6.html |access-date=2023-05-24 |website=Southern Illinoisan |language=en}}</ref> The museum houses more than 3000 cryptozoology related artifacts.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-11-06 |title=Crypto museum opens in new location {{!}} wlbz2.com |url=http://www.wlbz2.com/news/article/177863/3/Crypto-museum-opens-in-new-location |access-date=2023-05-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106160627/http://www.wlbz2.com/news/article/177863/3/Crypto-museum-opens-in-new-location |archive-date=2015-11-06 }}</ref>

== Examples of cryptids ==

Some of the most famous creatures considered to be cryptids include [[Bigfoot]], the [[Loch Ness Monster]], the [[Yeti]], the [[chupacabra]], [[Mothman]], and the [[Jersey Devil]]. Living populations of supposedly extinct animals are also often considered to be cryptids. The actual likelihood that these organisms continue to exist varies, but examples include the [[thylacine]], the [[Ground sloth|giant ground sloth]], the [[megalodon]], and the [[ivory-billed woodpecker]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lund |first=Nicholas |date=2013-09-05 |title=Crying Wolf. And Auk. And Tasmanian Tiger. |url=https://slate.com/technology/2013/09/fake-wildlife-sightings-probably-extinct-night-parrot-thylacine-auk-and-ivory-billed-woodpecker.html |access-date=2025-11-15 |work=Slate |language=en-US |issn=1091-2339}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author1=Lydia Smith |date=2023-06-15 |title=Could the megalodon still exist today? |url=https://www.livescience.com/animals/extinct-species/could-the-megalodon-still-exist-today |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=Live Science |language=en}}</ref> Many cryptids are also often theorized to be extinct species; for example, the [[Loch Ness Monster]] is often theorized to be an extant [[plesiosaur]] and the [[Mokele-mbembe]] is thought to be a [[Sauropoda|sauropod]] dinosaur. There are thousands of local cryptid legends from around the world including the [[Loveland frog]], the [[Mapinguari]], the [[Fresno nightcrawler]], the [[Skunk ape]], the [[Burrunjor]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dimri |first=Bipin |date=2022-12-29 |title=Ancient Monster of Australia: the Tale of the Burrunjor |url=https://www.historicmysteries.com/myths-legends/burrunjor/29658/ |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=Historic Mysteries |language=en-US}}</ref> the [[Great South Bay Giant Horseshoe Crab]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-01 |title=Gigantic Horseshoe Crab Reported in Great South Bay » Fire Island News & Great South Bay News |url=https://www.fireislandnews.com/features/gigantic-horseshoe-crab-reported-in-great-south-bay/ |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=www.fireislandnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGbuuW989vk |title=The Giant Horseshoe Crabs of Great South Bay |date=2025-11-13 |last=lil WaterBill |access-date=2025-11-15 |via=YouTube}}</ref> the [[Inkanyamba]], the [[Kasai Rex]], the [[Ningen (folklore)|Ningen]], and [[List of cryptids|many more]].

==See also==

* [[List of cryptids]]

* [[Ethnozoology]]

* [[Fearsome critters]], fabulous beasts that were said to inhabit the timberlands of North America

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 {{Short description|Pseudoscience that studies creatures}}
+{{Redirect|Cryptobiology|the metabolic state in extremophilic organisms|Cryptobiosis}}
 {{protection padlock|small=yes}}
 {{Use American English|date=May 2018}}
 {{Paranormal|main}}
-'''Cryptozoology''' is a [[pseudoscience]] and [[subculture]] that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated,<ref>{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Cryptozoology |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108133551/https://www.lexico.com/definition/cryptozoology |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |title=Cryptozoology |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> particularly those popular in [[folklore]], such as [[Bigfoot]], the [[Loch Ness Monster]], [[Yeti]], the [[chupacabra]], the [[Jersey Devil]], or the [[Mokele-mbembe]].  Cryptozoologists refer to these entities as ''[[List of cryptids|cryptids]]'', a term coined by the subculture. Because it does not follow the [[scientific method]], cryptozoology is considered a pseudoscience by mainstream science: it is neither a branch of [[zoology]] nor of [[folklore studies]]. It was originally founded in the 1950s by zoologists [[Bernard Heuvelmans]] and [[Ivan T. Sanderson]].
+'''Cryptozoology''' is a [[pseudoscience]] and [[subculture]] that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated,<ref>{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Cryptozoology |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108133551/https://www.lexico.com/definition/cryptozoology |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |title=Cryptozoology |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> particularly those popular in [[folklore]], such as [[Bigfoot]], the [[Loch Ness Monster]], the [[Yeti]], the [[chupacabra]], the [[Jersey Devil]], or the [[mokele-mbembe]].  Cryptozoologists refer to these entities as ''[[List of cryptids|cryptids]]'', a term coined by the subculture. Because it does not follow the [[scientific method]], cryptozoology is considered a pseudoscience by mainstream science: it is a branch of neither [[zoology]] nor [[folklore studies]]. It was originally founded in the 1950s by zoologists [[Bernard Heuvelmans]] and [[Ivan T. Sanderson]].
-[[File:Patterson_Gimlin_Bigfoot.jpg|thumb|right|A frame from the [[Patterson–Gimlin film]] (1967), whose filmmakers claimed to feature [[Bigfoot]] in Northern California. Bigfoot is a popular figure in cryptozoology.]]
 Scholars have noted that the subculture rejected mainstream approaches from an early date, and that adherents often express hostility to mainstream science. Scholars studying cryptozoologists and their influence (including cryptozoology's association with [[Young Earth creationism]]) noted parallels in cryptozoology and other pseudosciences such as [[ghost hunting]] and [[ufology]], and highlighted uncritical media propagation of cryptozoologist claims.
 ==Terminology, history, and approach==
-As a field, cryptozoology originates from the works of [[Bernard Heuvelmans]], a [[Belgium|Belgian]] zoologist, and [[Ivan T. Sanderson]], a Scottish zoologist. Notably, Heuvelmans published ''[[On the Track of Unknown Animals]]'' (French: {{lang|fr|Sur la piste des bêtes ignorées}}) in 1955, a landmark work among cryptozoologists that was followed by numerous other similar works. In addition, Sanderson published a series of books that contributed to the developing hallmarks of cryptozoology, including ''Abominable Snowmen: Legend Come to Life'' (1961).<ref name="REGAL-326-329">Regal (2011a: 326–329).</ref><ref name="MULLIS-2021-185a">Mullis (2021: 185): "Historians attempting to trace the beginnings of cryptozoology typically locate the practice's origins in the mid-twentienth century when Belgian-French zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans (1916–2001), with deference to Scottish-born naturalist Ivan T. Sanderson (1911–1973), is believed to have coined the term."</ref> Heuvelmans himself traced cryptozoology to the work of [[Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans]], who theorized that a large unidentified species of seal was responsible for sea serpent reports.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Leecy |date=2021-01-23 |title=The Beginnings of Cryptozoology |url=https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/2021/01/23/the-beginnings-of-cryptozoology/ |access-date=2023-05-22 |website=ScIU |language=en-US}}</ref>
+As a field, cryptozoology originates from the works of [[Bernard Heuvelmans]], a Belgian zoologist, and [[Ivan T. Sanderson]], a Scottish zoologist. Notably, Heuvelmans published ''[[On the Track of Unknown Animals]]'' (French: {{lang|fr|Sur la piste des bêtes ignorées}}) in 1955, a landmark work among cryptozoologists that was followed by numerous other similar works. In addition, Sanderson published a series of books that contributed to the developing hallmarks of cryptozoology, including ''Abominable Snowmen: Legend Come to Life'' (1961).<ref name="REGAL-326-329">Regal (2011a: 326–329).</ref><ref name="MULLIS-2021-185a">Mullis (2021: 185): "Historians attempting to trace the beginnings of cryptozoology typically locate the practice's origins in the mid-twentienth century when Belgian-French zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans (1916–2001), with deference to Scottish-born naturalist Ivan T. Sanderson (1911–1973), is believed to have coined the term."</ref> Heuvelmans himself traced cryptozoology to the work of [[Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans]], who theorized that a large unidentified species of seal was responsible for sea serpent reports.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Leecy |date=2021-01-23 |title=The Beginnings of Cryptozoology |url=https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/2021/01/23/the-beginnings-of-cryptozoology/ |access-date=2023-05-22 |website=ScIU |language=en-US}}</ref>
 ''Cryptozoology'' is 'the study of hidden animals' (from [[Ancient Greek language|Ancient Greek]]: κρυπτός, ''kryptós'' "hidden, secret"; [[Ancient Greek]] ζῷον, ''zōion'' "[[animal]]", and λόγος, ''logos'', i.e. "knowledge, study"). The term dates from 1959 or before— Heuvelmans attributes the coinage of the term ''cryptozoology'' to Sanderson.<ref name="REGAL-326-329"/><ref name="OED-CRYPTOZOOLOGY">Additionally, see discussion at "cryptozoology, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2016. Web. 25 October 2016.</ref> Following ''cryptozoology'', the term ''cryptid'' was coined in 1983 by cryptozoologist J. E. Wall in the summer issue of the [[International Society of Cryptozoology]] newsletter.<ref name="Regal-2011-B">Regal (2011b: 197–198).</ref> According to Wall "[It has been] suggested that new terms be coined to replace sensational and often misleading terms like 'monster'. My suggestion is 'cryptid', meaning a living thing having the quality of being hidden or unknown ... describing those creatures which are (or may be) subjects of cryptozoological investigation."<ref name="WALL-COINS-CRYPTID">Wall, J. E. (1983: 10): "The Spring, 1983, issue featured an interview with Paul LeBlond and Forrest Wood, in which it was suggested that new terms be coined to replace sensational and often misleading terms like "monster." My suggestion is "cryptid," meaning a living thing having the quality of being hidden or unknown. As far as I know, this would be an entirely new word, describing those creatures which are (or may be) subjects of cryptozoological investigation."</ref>
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 The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' defines the noun ''cryptid'' as "an animal whose existence or survival to the present day is disputed or unsubstantiated; any animal of interest to a cryptozoologist".<ref name="OED-CRYPTID">"cryptid, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2016. Web. 25 October 2016.</ref> While used by most cryptozoologists, the term ''cryptid'' is not used by academic zoologists.<ref name="PAXTON-2011">Paxton (2011: 7–20).</ref> In a textbook aimed at undergraduates, academics Caleb W. Lack and [[Jacques Rousseau (secular activist)|Jacques Rousseau]] note that the subculture's focus on what it deems to be "cryptids" is a pseudoscientific extension of older belief in monsters and other similar entities from the folkloric record, yet with a "new, more scientific-sounding name: cryptids".<ref name="LACK-ROUSSEAU-153">Lack & Rousseau (2016: 153, cf. p. 272).</ref>
-[[File:Arthur_Grant_loch_ness_sketch.png|thumb|right|Anonymous sketch by A. Grant from a book on the Loch Ness monster by [[Rupert Thomas Gould]] (1934). Like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster has historically been of significant interest to cryptozoologists.]]While biologists regularly identify new species, cryptozoologists often focus on creatures from the [[folklore|folkloric]] record. Most famously, these include the [[Loch Ness Monster]], [[Champ (folklore)]], [[Bigfoot]], the [[chupacabra]], as well as other "imposing beasts that could be labeled as monsters". In their search for these entities, cryptozoologists may employ devices such as motion-sensitive cameras, night-vision equipment, and audio-recording equipment. While there have been attempts to codify cryptozoological approaches, unlike biologists, zoologists, botanists, and other academic disciplines, however, "there are no accepted, uniform, or successful methods for pursuing cryptids".<ref name="REGAL-326-329" /> Some scholars have identified precursors to modern cryptozoology in certain medieval approaches to the folkloric record, and the psychology behind the cryptozoology approach has been the subject of academic study.<ref name="REGAL-326-329" />
+[[File:Arthur_Grant_loch_ness_sketch.png|thumb|right|Anonymous sketch by A. Grant from a book on the Loch Ness monster by [[Rupert Thomas Gould]] (1934). Like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster has historically been of significant interest to cryptozoologists.]]
+[[File:Patterson Gimlin Bigfoot.jpg|thumb|A frame from the [[Patterson–Gimlin film]] (1967), whose filmmakers claimed to feature [[Bigfoot]] in Northern California. Bigfoot is a popular figure in cryptozoology.]]
+While biologists regularly identify new species, cryptozoologists often focus on creatures from the [[folklore|folkloric]] record. Most famously, these include the [[Loch Ness Monster]], [[Champ (folklore)|Champ]], [[Bigfoot]], the [[chupacabra]], as well as other "imposing beasts that could be labeled as monsters". In their search for these entities, cryptozoologists may employ devices such as motion-sensitive cameras, night-vision equipment, and audio-recording equipment. While there have been attempts to codify cryptozoological approaches, unlike biologists, zoologists, botanists, and other academic disciplines, however, "there are no accepted, uniform, or successful methods for pursuing cryptids".<ref name="REGAL-326-329" /> Some scholars have identified precursors to modern cryptozoology in certain medieval approaches to the folkloric record, and the psychology behind the cryptozoology approach has been the subject of academic study.<ref name="REGAL-326-329" />
 Few cryptozoologists have a formal science education, and fewer still have a science background directly relevant to cryptozoology. Adherents often misrepresent the academic backgrounds of cryptozoologists. According to writer [[Daniel Loxton]] and paleontologist [[Donald Prothero]], "[c]ryptozoologists have often promoted 'Professor [[Roy Mackal]], PhD.' as one of their leading figures and one of the few with a legitimate doctorate in biology. What is rarely mentioned, however, is that he had no training that would qualify him to undertake competent research on exotic animals. This raises the specter of 'credential mongering', by which an individual or organization feints a person's graduate degree as proof of expertise, even though his or her training is not specifically relevant to the field under consideration." Besides Heuvelmans, Sanderson, and Mackal, other notable cryptozoologists with academic backgrounds include [[Grover Krantz]], [[Karl Shuker]], and [[Richard Greenwell]].<ref name="LOXTON-PROTHERO-2013-304-305">Loxton & Prothero (2013: 304–305).</ref>
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 === Expeditions ===
-Cryptozoologists have often led unsuccessful expeditions to find evidence of cryptids. Bigfoot researcher [[René Dahinden]] led searches into caves to find evidence of sasquatch, as early sasquatch legends claimed they lived in rocky areas. Despite the failure of these searches, he spent years trying to find proof of bigfoot.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Loxton |first=Daniel |title=Abominable science! origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and other famous cryptids |last2=Prothero |first2=Donald R. |date=2013 |publisher=Columbia university press |isbn=978-0-231-15320-1 |location=New York |pages=32}}</ref> [[Count|Lensgrave]] Adam Christoffer Knuth led an expedition into [[Lake Tele]] in the Congo to find the [[Mokele-mbembe]] in 2018. While the expedition was a failure, they discovered a new species of green algae.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Madsen |first=Fie West |date=2018-11-28 |title=Lensgreve Christoffer Knuth har brugt kæmpe summer på vild dinosaur-jagt: 'Vi fandt noget, som ingen har set før' |url=https://www.bt.dk/content/item/1240591 |access-date=2023-12-11 |website=www.bt.dk |language=da}}</ref>
+Cryptozoologists have often led unsuccessful expeditions to find evidence of cryptids. Bigfoot researcher [[René Dahinden]] led searches into caves to find evidence of sasquatch, as early sasquatch legends claimed they lived in rocky areas. Despite the failure of these searches, he spent years trying to find proof of bigfoot.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Loxton |first1=Daniel |title=Abominable science! origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and other famous cryptids |last2=Prothero |first2=Donald R. |date=2013 |publisher=Columbia university press |isbn=978-0-231-15320-1 |location=New York |pages=32}}</ref> [[Count|Lensgrave]] Adam Christoffer Knuth led an expedition into [[Lake Tele]] in the Congo to find the [[Mokele-mbembe]] in 2018. While the expedition was a failure, they discovered a new species of green algae.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Madsen |first=Fie West |date=2018-11-28 |title=Lensgreve Christoffer Knuth har brugt kæmpe summer på vild dinosaur-jagt: 'Vi fandt noget, som ingen har set før' |url=https://www.bt.dk/content/item/1240591 |access-date=2023-12-11 |website=www.bt.dk |language=da}}</ref>
 ===Young Earth creationism===
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 {{blockquote|Cryptozoology purports to be the study of previously unidentified animal species. At first glance, this would seem to differ little from zoology. New species are discovered by field and museum zoologists every year. Cryptozoologists cite these discoveries as justification of their search but often minimize or omit the fact that the discoverers do not identify as cryptozoologists and are academically trained zoologists working in an ecological paradigm rather than organizing expeditions to seek out supposed examples of unusual and large creatures.<ref name="CARD-23-32">Card (2016: 23–32).</ref>}}
-Card notes that "cryptozoologists often show their disdain and even hatred for professional scientists, including those who enthusiastically participated in cryptozoology", which he traces back to Heuvelmans's early "rage against critics of cryptozoology". He finds parallels with cryptozoology and other pseudosciences, such as [[ghost hunting]] and [[ufology]], and compares the approach of cryptozoologists to colonial big-game hunters, and to aspects of European imperialism. According to Card, "[m]ost [[list of cryptids|cryptids]] are framed as the subject of indigenous legends typically collected in the heyday of [[comparative folklore]], though such legends may be heavily modified or worse. Cryptozoology's complicated mix of sympathy, interest, and appropriation of indigenous culture (or non-indigenous construction of it) is also found in [[New Age]] circles and dubious "[[Indian burial grounds]]" and other [[legend]]s [...] invoked in [[haunting]]s such as the [[The Amityville Horror|"Amityville" hoax]] [...]".<ref name="CARD-24-25">Card (2016: 24–27).</ref>
+Card notes that "cryptozoologists often show their disdain and even hatred for professional scientists, including those who enthusiastically participated in cryptozoology", which he traces back to Heuvelmans's early "rage against critics of cryptozoology". He finds parallels with cryptozoology and other pseudosciences, such as [[ghost hunting]] and [[ufology]], and compares the approach of cryptozoologists to colonial big-game hunters, and to aspects of European imperialism. According to Card, "[m]ost [[list of cryptids|cryptids]] are framed as the subject of indigenous legends typically collected in the heyday of [[comparative folklore]], though such legends may be heavily modified or worse. Cryptozoology's complicated mix of sympathy, interest, and appropriation of indigenous culture (or non-indigenous construction of it) is also found in [[New Age]] circles and dubious "[[Indian burial grounds]]" and other [[legend]]s [...] invoked in hauntings such as the [[The Amityville Horror|"Amityville" hoax]] [...]".<ref name="CARD-24-25">Card (2016: 24–27).</ref>
 In a 2011 foreword for ''The American Biology Teacher'', then [[National Association of Biology Teachers]] president [[Dan Ward (educator)|Dan Ward]] uses cryptozoology as an example of "technological pseudoscience" that may confuse students about the scientific method. Ward says that "Cryptozoology [...] is not valid science or even science at all. It is monster hunting."<ref name="WARD-2011-440">Ward (2011: 440).</ref> [[History of science|Historian of science]] [[Brian Regal]] includes an entry for cryptozoology in his ''Pseudoscience: A Critical Encyclopedia'' (2009). Regal says that "as an intellectual endeavor, cryptozoology has been studied as much as cryptozoologists have sought hidden animals".<ref name="NAGEL-50">Nagel (2009: 50).</ref>
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 == Organizations ==
-There have been several organizations, of varying types, dedicated or related to cryptozoology. These include:
+There have museumseveral organizations, of varying types, dedicated or related to cryptozoology. These include:
 * [[International Fortean Organization]] – a network of professional Fortean researchers and writers based in the United States
 * [[International Society of Cryptozoology]] – an American organisation that existed from 1982 to 1998
@@ Line 82: / Line 84: @@
 In 2003, cryptozoologist [[Loren Coleman]] opened the [[Loren Coleman#International Cryptozoology Museum|International Cryptozoology Museum]] in [[Portland, Maine|Portland]], [[Maine]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Southern |first=Marleen Shepherd The |date=2005-10-26 |title=Renowned cryptozoologist got his start at SIUC |url=https://thesouthern.com/news/renowned-cryptozoologist-got-his-start-at-siuc/article_3af791e9-fe76-5a43-98bc-e59b9ad3a7a6.html |access-date=2023-05-24 |website=Southern Illinoisan |language=en}}</ref> The museum houses more than 3000 cryptozoology related artifacts.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-11-06 |title=Crypto museum opens in new location {{!}} wlbz2.com |url=http://www.wlbz2.com/news/article/177863/3/Crypto-museum-opens-in-new-location |access-date=2023-05-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106160627/http://www.wlbz2.com/news/article/177863/3/Crypto-museum-opens-in-new-location |archive-date=2015-11-06 }}</ref>
+== Examples of cryptids ==
+Some of the most famous creatures considered to be cryptids include [[Bigfoot]], the [[Loch Ness Monster]], the [[Yeti]], the [[chupacabra]], [[Mothman]], and the [[Jersey Devil]]. Living populations of supposedly extinct animals are also often considered to be cryptids. The actual likelihood that these organisms continue to exist varies, but examples include the [[thylacine]], the [[Ground sloth|giant ground sloth]], the [[megalodon]], and the [[ivory-billed woodpecker]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lund |first=Nicholas |date=2013-09-05 |title=Crying Wolf. And Auk. And Tasmanian Tiger. |url=https://slate.com/technology/2013/09/fake-wildlife-sightings-probably-extinct-night-parrot-thylacine-auk-and-ivory-billed-woodpecker.html |access-date=2025-11-15 |work=Slate |language=en-US |issn=1091-2339}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author1=Lydia Smith |date=2023-06-15 |title=Could the megalodon still exist today? |url=https://www.livescience.com/animals/extinct-species/could-the-megalodon-still-exist-today |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=Live Science |language=en}}</ref> Many cryptids are also often theorized to be extinct species; for example, the [[Loch Ness Monster]] is often theorized to be an extant [[plesiosaur]] and the  [[Mokele-mbembe]] is thought to be a [[Sauropoda|sauropod]] dinosaur. There are thousands of local cryptid legends from around the world including the [[Loveland frog]], the [[Mapinguari]], the [[Fresno nightcrawler]], the [[Skunk ape]], the [[Burrunjor]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dimri |first=Bipin |date=2022-12-29 |title=Ancient Monster of Australia: the Tale of the Burrunjor |url=https://www.historicmysteries.com/myths-legends/burrunjor/29658/ |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=Historic Mysteries |language=en-US}}</ref> the [[Great South Bay Giant Horseshoe Crab]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-01 |title=Gigantic Horseshoe Crab Reported in Great South Bay » Fire Island News & Great South Bay News |url=https://www.fireislandnews.com/features/gigantic-horseshoe-crab-reported-in-great-south-bay/ |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=www.fireislandnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGbuuW989vk |title=The Giant Horseshoe Crabs of Great South Bay |date=2025-11-13 |last=lil WaterBill |access-date=2025-11-15 |via=YouTube}}</ref> the [[Inkanyamba]], the [[Kasai Rex]], the [[Ningen (folklore)|Ningen]], and [[List of cryptids|many more]].
 ==See also==
 <!--Please don't add any links that are already in the article!-->
+* [[List of cryptids]]
 * [[Ethnozoology]]
 * [[Fearsome critters]], fabulous beasts that were said to inhabit the timberlands of North America

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