Not long ago, animals such as gorillas and pandas were thought to be nothing more than legend.
Now we see them on television documentaries and at zoos all the time. But stories still exist of animals undiscovered by humans. Sometimes, we’re lucky enough to catch a small peek at these cryptids.
15. Bear or Bigfoot?
A carving of America's favorite cryptid.
Whether you know it as Bigfoot or Sasquatch, it’s probably the cryptid you’ve heard of the most. Not only is Bigfoot the poster child for cryptozoology, it’s also the most-filmed unknown creature.
When a group of friends went on a hike, they filmed what they thought was a black bear. But that was quickly called into question when the creature stood up and assumed a human-like stance.
5 CREEPY CRYPTID Sightings Caught On Camera & Spotted IRL
14. The Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster imagined as an ancient plesiosaur.
If Bigfoot is the world’s most famous cryptid, the Loch Ness Monster is a close second. It got its name in the 1930s, but stories about the Scottish creature trace back to the sixth century. Some accounts identify the lake creature as a surviving plesiosaur, a type of aquatic dinosaur. Others describe something closer to a giant snake. The video here seems to show the latter.
It’s one of the most recent videos showing the creature, and one of the few not outright named a hoax.
Top 5 Loch Ness Monster Sightings
13. Ogopogo
A strange sighting in a Canadian lake.
Loch Ness isn’t the only lake with a legendary inhabitant. Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada, has long been rumored to hide a mysterious aquatic beast. The most famous sighting of Ogopogo occured in 1946, when people in at least 30 different vehicles spotted it from a beach.
Witnesses have come forward with encounters as recently as 2018. Going further back in time, Ogopogo was often seen by First Nations people and may have been regarded as a water spirit. The video here was taken underwater by a GoPro camera. Check out these hosts dissecting the video for proof of its authenticity.
Ogopogo Lake Monster!! Under Water Video [Canada Lake Champlain] 2018
12. Alien Big Cats
An invading beast stalking through England.
There are many species of big cats across the world. However, England does not have an ecosystem that could support such a superpredator. That’s why sightings of panther-like cats across the kingdom, which date back to the 1760s, are so strange.
In 2011, the Center for Fortean Zoology found DNA evidence of a “leopard” in the country, and a boy was actually attacked by one of the creatures in 2000, leaving him with scratches and scars.
Take a look at some of the photographic evidence for the existence of these out-of-place felines.
Are British Big Cats Roaming the Country Side?
11. Skinwalker Scream
Traditional Navajo skinwalker ceremonial costume.
The Skinwalker is part of traditional Navajo folk tales. It is similar to the werewolf legend in that a human gains the ability to transform into a beast. However, many Navajo don’t regard Skinwalkers as legend. They’re thought to be medicine men or witches who use dark magic to harm others. Not much is known about the legend, because Navajo people are usually unwilling to discuss the truth of the Skinwalker with outsiders.
In this video, a man follows strange sounds through a friend’s property until he’s frightened by a terrifying scream in the darkness. Pay close attention to the video, as you can see a pair of glowing eyes leaping to the ground in the distance just before the sound itself.
Skinwalker scream caught on camera?
10. Bigfoot's Most Famous Appearance
A famous still from the Patterson film.
No list of cryptids caught on camera would be complete without a glimpse at the most famous example in history. Over 50 years later, debate about the film’s authenticity still rages. The video was filmed in 1967 at Bluff Creek in Northern California, which means the quality of the footage isn’t the best.
In this video, image stabilization has been used to show the creature’s movements more clearly. Modern technology hasn’t solved the debate around the footage. But it does give a new perspective to a video you’ve seen before.
Bigfoot - Patterson/Gimlin Footage, Stabilized, 10/20/67
9. Mattie Anne's Mysterious Guest
The image to look for in the following video.
The video here is unique in a few ways. First, it was filmed in 2018, making it one of the most recent cryptid videos. It’s also part of an ongoing saga. YouTube user Mattie Anne uploaded the video after several weeks of hearing strange sounds in her yard. When she finally decided to investigate, she caught something truly bone-chilling.
Despite the frightening noises leading her on this wild goose chase, Mattie persisted and caught the creature on video. Be sure to watch the entire video in order to see the cryptid as it ducks behind a tree after Mattie catches it on film. Mattie has updated her story with more videos since the original was posted, so you can dig into the mystery.
Scary creature caught on camera
8. The Ningen
An artist's rendering of the giant, sentient beast.
The ocean is a terrifying place. Despite advances in technology, humans don’t know much about what lives in the depths of our planet’s waters. The possibilities are endless, because animals in the ocean have evolved in different ways from those on land. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the Ningen.
The Ningen is part of Japanese aquatic legend, spawning from the tales of fishermen and sailors. It is a giant creature that shares characteristics of whales, rays, and even mermaids. Sightings indicate that the beast is at least 20 meters in length, and some describe the creature as having human-like qualities. Like most sightings, this footage of the Ningen comes from the depths of the water surrounding Antarctica.
5 Times People Accidentally Spotted Mythical Creatures on Tape!
7. Dark Creature in Iraq
Some creatures are unnamed and unnerving.
The origins of this creature living in the wilderness of Iraq are unknown. It appears to be human-like with jet black skin or fur. The creature’s eyes are clearly visible, though its shape is hard to make out even at such a close distance.
The natural movements of the creature make its demonic look even more frightening.
5 Mysterious Creatures Caught on Tape : Top 5 STRANGE Creatures
6. Werewolf in Brazil
Are there people who turn into monsters?
Chances are, you’re familiar with the legend of the werewolf. They are people who transform into bloodthirsty wolves against their will and stalk prey in the night. There’s an unusually large number of werewolf videos from Brazil, and this is perhaps the most convincing. Filmed in a backyard, the creature in the video moves with both human and canine characteristics.
Werewolf Caught On Tape CNN Breaking News 2015
5. Feline Skinwalker
Skinwalker legends have been in one form or another throughout human history.
Back to the Skinwalker legend for this video, which was shot in 2017. Hikers were able to film what looks like a type of big cat in a rocky valley. Looking closely, the animal has a strangely bent spine and a posture that closely resembles a human on all fours. When the creature spots the hikers, it takes off. When it does, its shape changes into a more recognizable big cat.
Perhaps this is a deformed cat caught at two different angles. But the changes in its shape are certainly worth checking out.
5 Times People Accidentally Spotted Mythical Creatures on Tape!
4. Bigfoot in Central Oregon
Sometimes images of Bigfoot are more convincing than others.
Cryptid videos are notoriously short and unfocused. This encounter is different, showing us a bold creature that isn’t easily spooked. At one point, the animal even moves toward the group of young witnesses. The ape-like creature remains in the open for nearly 3 minutes and seems more annoyed than startled by its spectators.
One note: if you watch the video with audio on, you’ll need a high tolerance for screaming teenage girls
Possible Bigfoot sighting in Central Oregon
3. Tasmanian Tiger
The thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, is more than legend. It actually existed for millions of years and was once common in Tasmania, New Guinea, and Australia. This canine marsupial was at the top of the local food chain until hunting and disease caused its extinction in the early 1930s.
Since then, reports of living Tasmanian tigers have spread throughout its territory. Though the animals were nocturnal in nature, some of the video evidence shows clear images of the creature in daylight. This video shows the most compelling recent footage of the living thylacine.
4 Mysterious Videos That Prove The Tasmanian Tiger Still Exists
2. Iceland Worm
The Iceland Worm, or Lagarfljot Worm, has roots in mythology all the way back to the 1340s. The most famous evidence of its existence came out in 2012, when a serpentine creature was caught on film swimming through Lagarfljot, a freshwater lake. While the creature itself is obscured beneath the lake’s surface, its movements are incredibly clear.
In 2014, Iceland created a truth commission to study this film and other evidence for the water monster. Its conclusion: there is no reason to doubt the existence of the Lagarfljot Worm.
Icelandic lake monster Lagarfljot Worm seen again
1. Dire Wolf
You’re probably familiar with dire wolves from Game of Thrones. In reality, dire wolves did once exist. They were prehistoric predators that prowled North America. Like the thylacine, many people claim to have encountered the giant dogs, which had a shoulder height over 3 feet.
This footage, first uploaded in 2015, shows a confrontation between the filmer’s dog and what appears to be a living dire wolf. The movements are too authentic to be a hoax, though there is some debate about whether or not the creature is just a large modern wolf. Either way, it is a truly frightening video showing what lurks in the wild.
Note: Some might find this footage disturbing, as the creature does attack the filmer’s dog. Most reports confirm that the dog survived.
Huge Wolf Attacks Dog
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