Argopelter

Argopelter

Region of origin: Northern US forests

An ape-like fearsome critter that makes use of hollowed-out trees as both its home and its ammunition, the argopelter uses its whip-like arms to hurl large branches and pieces of the trees with lethal force down at the heads of loggers and lumberjacks who it feels are invading its territory. The argopelters are largely solitary creatures, due in part to scarcity of the owls and woodpeckers that are their food source keeping them spread out, and also a low reproduction rate as their pups are only born on the 29th of February.

[Sources referenced: X | X ]

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The Paraná Creature

The Paraná Creature

Region of origin: Carmen del Paraná, Itapúa, Paraguay

Discovered in late October, 2015 floating down the shoreline of the Paraná River in Paraguay, locals came across the decomposing corpse of a small, strange creature. It had wrinkled, frog-like skin and limbs but the hands, tail and face of a primate. Firefighters were called and several photographs were taken but no medical examination or positive identification is ever known to have taken place. Theories of its origins have ranged from a dead monkey whose body was affected by its time in the water to possibly being some kind of relation to the chupacabra.

[Sources referenced: X | X ]

Coonigator

Coonigator

Region of origin: Montpelier, Vermont

Sighted on several occasions rummaging through garbage and camp sites, there have been regular reports of a creature that is said to resemble a normal raccoon until witnesses saw its face, which has been described as reptilian and full of sharp teeth and compared to that of an alligator or the Critters from hit science-fiction horror franchise Critters. There is some belief it is a genuine hybrid creature roaming the woods of Vermont, either through mishaps of science or nature, others have put forward that it may be a gator or similar reptilian creature that evolved a coat of fur to survive the chilly New England climes, while yet another camp simply believes witnesses may have just seen some weird opossum in the dark.

[Sources referenced: X | X ]

Mahamba

Mahamba

Region of origin: Likouala swamplands, central Africa

The Bobangi and other nearby Central African tribes have mentioned a massive reptilian creature described as being some fifty feet in length inhabiting the larger bodies of water of the swamps around Likouala, comparing it to a massive crocodile or to other local lake monsters of cryptozoological fame such as the nguma-monene or mokèlé-mbèmbé, the latter said to inhabit Lake Tele also in the Likouala region. Some cryptozoologists assume it may be a giant crocodile, or an extant member of one of their prehistoric ancestors such as the deinosuchus, however descriptions which say it is similar to but distinct from a crocodile have led some to propose it may actually be a unidentified species related to the mosasaur that has adapted to living in fresh water.

[Sources referenced: X | X | X ]

The Ivanitsky Creature

The Ivanitsky Creature

Region of origin: Petropavlovsk village, Yakutsk, Russia

In an area with numerous sightings of flying humanoids, unexplained ghost-lights and UFO phenomena, the Ivanitsky family encountered another strange creature in their new home in Petropavlovsk in the early 1990s. Upon moving into the house, they heard a strange persistent chirping noise they initially assumed was a cricket, but after ten days they eventually uncovered the actual source: what appeared to be a dog-like animal that was then hiding underneath one of their beds. Attempting to force the animal out, the father of the family was instead met with a prehensile tentacle-like tongue that tried to grab his leg and it became quickly apparent they were not dealing with a dog but a blue-and-brown-furred animal with bat-like wings and a face described as being like a cast human mask with simple features and a triangular hole where the nose was. The panic between both the family and the creature led to a tussle resulting in the creature being beat near to death and left in a nearby excavation pit away from the home; when the father attempted to bring more witnesses to inspect it the creature had gone. There had been an earlier report of a similar creature encountered by a hunter in a cave near Mount Pidan back in the 1960s.

[Sources referenced: X | X | X ]

Swift Peter

Swift Peter

Region of origin: Mississippi

Rarely offering witnesses a clear sighting due to the speed that gave it its name, physical descriptions of Swift Peter have ranged from a red wolf to a half-fish beast to a winged mothman-like figure, but regardless of form the creature is associated with the particular habit of brutally attacking dogs and other pets in the region, carrying them off to feed or leaving them badly wounded or dead before taking back off into the brush when pursued. Peter has been a folk tale through the twentieth century, but sightings have persisted into the present day, with a reported sighting and supposed tracks found in 2013.

[Sources referenced: X | X | X ]

The Flatwoods Monster (Updated)

The Flatwoods Monster

Region of origin: Braxton County, West Virginia

In the late summer of 1952 in Braxton county, there was a rash of monster and UFO sightings, and while specifics varied greatly from account to account, the most documented case among them was the initial encounter in the forests near the village of Flatwoods, where a group of five children and one of their parents went exploring after what they thought might have been a UFO landing or crashing. Heading towards the area where the light they had seen seemed to settle, they found the area permeated by a pungent mist which left them with stinging eyes or a nauseous feeling, and some would later be treated for effects similar to exposure to mustard gas. As they continued through the woods they found what they described as a large, slender figure, looming 10-12 feet tall and seemingly either mechanical or wearing some kind metallic outfit or casing that fanned out near the bottom resembling an apron or frock, and a spade-shaped cowl surrounding its round, red face. The figure’s large eyes lit up bright enough to illuminate the surrounding woods, then hissed and moved towards the group, levitating slightly off the ground. The group ran away as it approached them and later came back with some local law enforcement and media to inspect the area who found nothing at the site other than some lingering trace of the gas’ scent and what appeared to be a black oil. After the story got out, there was reports of a mother and daughter coming forward to say they had seen a similar creature at their farm, and later another nearby sighting of a reptilian figure whose lower body was encased in the same floating, metallic base as the Flatwoods monster.

[Sources referenced: X | X | X | X ]

An updated version of this post.

Mothman

Mothman

Region of origin: Point Pleasant, West Virginia

Starting in November of 1966 in the area near Point Pleasant, there were numerous reported sightings of a large creature, black or dark brown in color with large glowing red eyes, with descriptions ranging from humanoid to a massive bird to something in-between. Most were just sightings but one couple said it chased their car down the road, keeping pace with them even as they reached speeds of 100 mile per hour. These sightings carried on for thirteen months, accompanied by phenomena like illness in witnesses, animal mutilation, technological malfunctions. One of the most widely-corroborated cryptid sightings, in all there were over one hundred people who had claimed they had seen the creature or otherwise experienced strange anomalous incidents that would get tied into the investigation. The sightings continued but slowed, and largely stopped around the same time as the collapse of the Silver Bridge into the Ohio River in December 1967, a tragic event that resulted in 46 deaths, for which many believe the presence of the strange creature had functioned as a omen or warning, and has since led to claims of similar creatures showing up in the time preceding other large disasters. Origins attributed to the creature range from the demonic to the extraterrestrial, or that West Virginia itself may just be a supernatural hotspot where reality is thin and extra-dimensional creatures like a Mothman may more easily slip through. Alternatively, many also write off the sightings as large bird such as a sandhill crane or maybe a giant owl obscured by the darkness, and connecting all the events leading up to the bridge’s collapse being a form of mass hysteria and apophenia fueled by Mothman coverage in the local papers. Imagined or not, Mothman remains a popular celebrity for Point Pleasant, receiving a statue and an annual festival in the city in 2002. Based on my research, I’m pretty sure everyone on the internet wants to date him.

[Sources referenced: X | X | X | X ]

Bighoot

Bighoot

Region of origin: West Virginia

A name coined by investigator and cryptozoologist Mark A. Hall, “Bighoot” is a term for a species or several species of large owls thought to have been encountered in the woods of West Virginia and across the Ohio River valley, in addition to sightings in the American southwest and the Caribbean islands. Some theories state they are surviving members of the species Ornimegalonyx oteroi, an extinct owl species that was indigenous to Cuba that reached heights of three-to-five feet to tall, while more fantastical versions describe Bighoots that are large enough to pick up and fly away with a person, and may have some human-like features (not unlike the Bahamas’ Chickcharney). Owls have often been put forward as possible explanations for cryptid and extraterrestial encounters, and the Bighoot is no exception, being proposed as the possible cryptid behind the cryptid of some of West Virginia’s various paranormal residents, including thunderbirds, the sasquatch-like yayhos and maybe even being at the core of one of the state’s more publicized incidents.

And if I may be indulgent for a moment, if weird owls are your thing, please check out my friend’s animated series, Obsidian National Forest.

[Sources referenced: X | X | X ]

 

The Grafton Monster

The Grafton Monster

Region of origin: Grafton, West Virginia

One night in mid-June of 1964, reporter Robert Cockrell was driving home when he approached a large white “obstruction” on the side of the road. As he passed, he ascertained it appeared to be a living creature, estimated about nine feet tall with white smooth skin and no discernible head. Panicked, Cockrell sped on, but returned later that night with two friends to try and find the creature. Any trace of the creature had disappeared, the grass in the spot where it had been looked matted as if something had been there but nothing nearby indicating where it had come from or gone. While searching, the three heard a strange whistling noise but were unable to locate a source of the sound. The story spread and while the monster was never sighted again, monster-hunting remained a popular activity around Grafton for the remainder of the summer. Details were scant and so too were possible explanations, but the creature’s seeming ability to vanish into thin air has led people to postulate it shares origins either extraterrestrial or extra-dimensional with other local sightings such as the Flatwoods Monster or Mothman.

[Sources referenced: X | X | X ]