Atlas of mysteries

Cryptids and legends

Yeti, Nessie and other accounts of unknown animals.

Results: 19

A hairy figure in ice attracted investigators and the Smithsonian; evidence of a model explains the sensational exhibit.

Manipulation detectedWinona County, Minnesota

A short film of a biped became central to the Bigfoot dispute; digital processing improved copies without supplying a new specimen.

UnverifiedBluff Creek, California

Two couples’ account of a winged figure near the TNT area grew into a legend later linked to the Silver Bridge collapse.

UnverifiedPoint Pleasant, West Virginia

A fish with fleshy fins proved to be a living representative of a lineage known from fossils.

An explanation existsEastern coast, Chalumna region

EventCryptids and legendsHistorical filming in 1933 and 1935

An archival release in 2020 moved the latest known film of a living thylacine from 1933 to 1935.

An explanation existsBeaumaris Zoo, Hobart, Tasmania

In January 1909 footprints, noises and newspaper stories turned a local legend into a regional sensation.

UnverifiedPine Barrens and southern New Jersey

EventCryptids and legends1899–1901: specimens obtained and scientifically identified

An account of an animal unfamiliar to Europeans changed when complete skin and skulls became available.

An explanation existsIturi forests

EventCryptids and legendsShore discovery in September 1808

An unusual carcass prompted a dispute about sea serpents and the way decomposition changes a shark.

Under reviewStronsay, Orkney Islands

EventCryptids and legendsAttacks during 1764–1767

Real fatal eighteenth-century attacks prompted royal hunts and a lasting monster tradition; the animals’ precise identity remains disputed.

Under reviewGevaudan, Margeride uplands