Meets The Weird » Cryptid of the Month

Cryptid Of The Month: The Skunk Ape

John D — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:05:03 +0000

Sometimes referred to as the Bigfoot of the South, the Skunk or Swamp Ape is a hominid that is said to inhabit the South Eastern United Sates. The skunk ape gets its name from the horrible odor that seems to accompany most sightings of the creature. They are described by witnesses as having brown to blackish fur and stand on average about 6 feet tall, though some witnesses have reported specimen as tall as 10 feet. The skunk ape most walks upright on its hind legs, but some reports indicate that swamp apes will sometimes drop to all fours to run. While there have been skunk ape sightings throughout the swamps of the South East, a large majority of sightings occur in the Florida Everglades.

Skunk ape sightings in the state of Florida date back as far as 1818 when residents spotted the creature in Apalachicola. Sightings continue to this day with the most recent Florida sighting being reported in the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization database occurring in March of this year. The incredible consistency in the descriptions that accompany sightings in Florida have led researchers to believe that if an unknown primate species exists, it most likely does so in the swamps of Florida. Taking up most of the southern tip of Florida, the Everglades provide almost 4 million acres of sparsely populated swamp for the skunk ape to call home without ever having to see a single human. Adding to the mystery, the local Seminole and Miccosukee Indian tribes that have lived in the Everglades for centuries are very reluctant to speak to outsiders about the creature.

Skunk Ape @ Wikipedia

Cryptid Of The Month: The Mongolian Death Worm

John D — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:31:37 +0000

Said to live in the sands of the Gobi desert, tales of the Mongolian Death Worm have been told by Mongolians for as long as anyone can remember. Called olgoi-khorkhoi by locals, the death worm is reported to range in size from 2 to 5 feet long and have a wide red body, killing its prey with either a spray of sulfuric acid or electrical discharge. First described in western literature by Prof. Roy Chapman Andrews in 1926, no specimen has been found nor have any photographs of the creature emerged. Infact, several expeditions to the region have failed to uncover any evidence that the death worm exists outside of local folklore. However, access large portions of the Gobi along the Chinese/Mongolian border is prohibited. Unless researchers are allowed into the region, the mystery of the Mongolian Death Worm may never be laid to rest.

Mongolian Death Worm @ Wikipedia

Cryptid of the Month: The Chupacabra

John D — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:09:02 +0000

First reported during the mid 1990′s in Puerto Rico, the Chupacabra (who’s name literally means “goat sucker” in Spanish) is said feed on the blood of livestock. In 1995 the first reported animal deaths attributed to this creature were reported when a farmer in Orocovis, Puerto Rico discovered eight of his sheep dead and completely drained of blood. This may not have been the first chupacabra attack however as similar killings occurred in the town of Moca some 40 miles to the North East in 1975. These earlier attacks were originally blamed on El Vampiro de Moca (which may or may not be the same creature that was later described as the chupacabra). Following the initial attacks in 1995, spread across Latin communities starting in South Florida and progressing across the US and into Latin America.

Most commonly described as being reptilian in appearance with green to grey skin, the chupacabra stands 3 to 4 feet tall with row of spines/quills starting on its head and continuing down its back. The creature is said to have bulging red eyes, a snake-like tongue and large fangs. Moving in much the same way as a kangaroo, some witnesses have reported that the chupacabra could leap up to 20 feet in a single hop. Quite contrary to its most common description, the chupacabra has also been described as looking like some unknown breed or wild dog. (Though because alleged chupacabra corpses that fit this description are often identified as dogs or coyotes, I believe sightings using this description are most likely actually sightings of dogs or coyotes.)

Like its description theories of the chupacabra’s origin also vary. Some believers in the reptilian description think that the creature is some sort of extraterrestrial species, while others accuse NASA of unleashing the creature on the world after failed genetic experiments. Other groups prefer more terrestrial explanations for the mysterious animal deaths, packs of wild dogs. Unfortunately, the evidence of surgical-like wounds does not fully support this theory, though being the simplest solution Occam’s razor would suggest that it is most likely correct. Personally I lean a little more towards the fantastic in my “theory” of the chupacabra’s origin. I think the chupacabra, if it exists, is an extraterrestrial species that was inadvertently brought to Earth on a UFO in much the same way that terrestrial non-native species are introduced to a region by cargo ships and other vessels. Maybe the chupacabra was even a pet, lost or left by an irresponsible alien on a visit to earth.

We will likely never know where this creature comes from, or if it even exists at all. As the tale of the chupacabra spreads, increasing numbers non-obvious animal deaths are being blamed on the chupacabra muddying the waters for investigators seeking the truth about the creature some refer to as the Latin American Bigfoot.

Chupacabra @ Wikipedia

El Chupacabra @ lorencoleman.com