User blog:AustinDR/My Favorite Cryptids

So Halloween is coming soon, and here's some of my favorite cryptids. Cryptids are creatures that are believed to exist, but haven't been confirmed by the scientific community. This isn't an exhausted list and is subject to change.

1) The Loch Ness Monster: Probably one of the most famous examples of a cryptid in cryptozoology. Believed to be an ancient creature such as a plesiosaur, the Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie, is believed to inhabit Loch Ness. Described as having a long neck, flippers, and endless humps, accounts of the creature date far back to the time of Saint Columbia. Interest in the creature continued until in the 1930s, an alleged photograph of the monster dubbed the Surgeon's Photograph goes down in history as one of the best cases for the existence of Nessie. Even though the photograph was a hoax, many others had given their accounts of the Loch Ness Monster through the use of sonar and photography.

2) Grey aliens: They are stock characters for ufology, often the first thing that people would think of when contemplating the existence of extraterrestrial life. Many theories have arisen as efforts of figuring out what these beings are. Some range from the Greys being time travelers going back to a time that once was. Others believe that they are a slave race who abduct humans to collect samples from them due to being artificially infertile. Some conspiracy theorists even assert that the Greys are descendants of humanity billions of trillions of years in the future. Or they believe that they are the masterminds behind the assumed New World Order.

3) Bigfoot and the Abominable Snowman: Bigfoot or the Sasquatch is an ape-like, humanoid creature believed to have been sighted in several parts of North America. Some believe that the Sasquatch is either an ancient ape species that had escaped extinction, or some even assume that Bigfoot is the missing link that researchers have been searching for. The Abominable Snowman is similar to Sasquatch in some fashion, the exception being that the creature was sighted in the mountains of the Himalayas. There have been some samples of hair believed to have been those of a Yeti's that were analyzed to be the fur of an extinct species of bear from the time of the ice age.

4) Mongolian Death Worm: In the Gobi Desert, there is believed to be a large species of worm that is said to have lethal venom that could kill anyone who even slightly touched the creature. It can even generate electricity. The worm was also known to hunt camels, and would then lay its eggs in the intestines.

5) Slide-Rock Bolter: These are whalelike creatures who dwell in the Colorado mountains. They are ambush predators that consume everything in their path. Blending into the mountains, the Slide-Rock Bolter would release its grip on the side of the mountain which would always need to be around 45 degrees. It was attributed with the disappearance of several tourists.

6) Two-Toed Tom: This legendary creature is actually an alligator believed to inhabit swamps in the Southeastern United States. Two-Toed Tom was far from being just an alligator. Some stories paint Two-Toed Tom as being a nigh-demonic serial killer who chooses his victims out for sadistic reasons aside from eating them. Two-Towed Tom was mentioned in a few works such as Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman.

7) Reptilians: Aw, yes. These things. As their name suggests, they are lizard-like in appearance, but they have the ability to shapeshift (or some believe that they have highly advanced suits that allow them to change their form at will. They make up the crucial portions of some conspiracy theories. Some suggest that many famous celebrities or rulers have reptilian ancestry; others believe that they run the nefarious Illuminati. Some even believe that they are the creators of the Grey aliens and used them as a slave race. They are believed to feed on human blood and much like with Pennywise the Dancing Clown or the Creeper, reptilians use fear and negative traits as sweeteners for their meat.

8) Shadow People and Black Stick Men: Shadow People are believed to be many things: interdimensional travelers; malevolent ghosts or demons; us passing through the fourth dimension much like in Interstellar; or just tricks of the eyes. They are attributed to causing sleep paralysis, but their intentions are uncertain. Arguably the most dangerous of their kind is the Hat Man. Black Stick Men are what happens when you take drawings of simple stick figures and give them sentience. They are believed to be two-dimensional in appearance, and can even generate electrical discharges. Unlike with other paranormal entities, Black Stick Men are not connected to supernatural events. So, they just appear randomly for no real rhyme nor reason. They are believed to feed on negative emotions and their presence incites aggression and uneasiness.

9) Wendigo: In Native American myth, a Wendigo is born when a hapless human commits the act of cannibalism in desperation. As punishment, they are transformed into a monster with an insatiable hunger that would never be quenched. They don't have a corporal form; but they are often represented as antlered-humanoids.

10) Jersey Devil: its origin story is really unique. The story goes that when a mother of 12 kids was due to have a 13th, she in annoyance, prayed for that child to be a devil. The baby is born, and appears to be relatively normal. But then it of course transforms into a horrible abomination, escaping into the woods.

11) Spring-Heeled Jack: It is a humanoid, winged creature believed to have terrorized people back in the Victorian era. It got its name due to its habit of jumping onto the windshields of unsuspecting drivers. It was a relatively mischievous entity.

12) Chupacabra: It is a blood-sucking creature that interestingly had some alterations with design over the years. I remember the Chupacabra as being an extraterrestrial similar in figure to the aforementioned Grey aliens. But then in Texas, the Chupacabra took on a more canine appearance. Many suggest that the Chupacabra is actually an escaped science experiment from the labs, and some have even claimed to have reserved the bodies of strange looking animals they had killed.