List of cryptids
Summary
Cryptids are animals or other beings whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated by science. Cryptozoology, the study of cryptids, is a pseudoscience claiming that such beings may exist somewhere in the wild; it has been widely critiqued by scientists. The subculture is regularly criticized for reliance on anecdotal information and because in the course of investigating animals that most scientists believe are unlikely to have existed, cryptozoologists do not follow the scientific method. Many scientists have criticized the plausibility of cryptids due to lack of physical evidence, likely misidentifications and misinterpretation of stories from folklore. While biologists regularly identify new species following established scientific methodology, cryptozoologists focus on entities mentioned in the folklore record and rumor.
Originally created by 152.163.206.193
7/31/2002, 5:45:22 AM
Modified
4/22/2026, 4:41:17 AM
Recent revisions
/* See also */
/* Flying */ Removing quotations, re: language present in cited source
Added citation for the description of the Flatwoods Monster
/* Flying */ thunderbird inclusion has been challenged repeatedly. please read the talk page archives and seek consensus before attempting to re-add
/* See also */
/* Hominid */ remove generic image that looks like every other entry on this list. the description is literally "Sasquatch Yeti Bigfoot Bugerbear Yowie". generic or indistinct images are of no value to readers. the massive number of low quality images makes this list harder to read, especially on mobile
Removing alternate names for Mothman, none were present in either cited source
/*Hominid*/ Location standardization, ref clean-ups and checking
/* Terrestrial */ Standardizing place names where applicable, expanding/reformatting refs. Also, in /*Aquatic, or semi-aquatic */ : Republic of the Congo and Democratic RotC are two different countries, re: location of Mokele-mbembe
/* Aquatic or semi-aquatic */ Attempting to standardize place names, expanding references. Redirecting reference for ''A. peluda'' so it actually goes to the article.
Reverted [[WP:AGF|good faith]] edits by [[Special:Contributions/GoatLord234|GoatLord234]] ([[User talk:GoatLord234|talk]]): Unsourced, no WP article
/* Terrestrial */
/* Terrestrial */ remove one of the citations from phantom kangaroo. blogs are not reliable sources and two sources is more than enough to support inclusion
/* Terrestrial */ use more accessible language, avoid taxonomic descriptions that are less familiar to a general audience and may falsely suggest that the cryptid has been verified and classified by mainstream biologists
/* Aquatic or semi-aquatic */ [[MOS:OVERLINK]], [[MOS:SOB]]
/* Aquatic or semi-aquatic */
/* List */ [[MOS:GEOLINK]]. the locations could use further standardization
Added rows for 'Beast of Busco,' 'Phantom Kangaroo.' Cited.
/* Terrestrial */ removed {{Citation needed}} tag from explanatory note at Thylacine and inserted piped link to [[Thylacine#Possible revival]]. the linked article section describes current and past efforts with multiple citations. better to link to the relevant on-wiki discussion rather than delve into it here
Copy edit, formatting standardization, esp. for description columns. Added several CN templates to unsourced statements.
