# What's your favorite Cryptid/ monster etc? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 13, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009 "2010-10-13T15:36:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/1 "2010-10-13T15:36:34Z")
Chupacabra? Bigfoot? Goblins or maybe the infamous Mongolian Death worm? What legendary critter/ being is your favorite? I’m always looking for interesting creatures to sculpt, so I thought what better forum than the dope to learn about strange stuff from around the world. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/2 "2010-10-13T16:23:13Z")
> [@Acid\_Lamp](#): > > Chupacabra? Bigfoot? Goblins or maybe the infamous Mongolian Death worm? What legendary critter/ being is your favorite? I’m always looking for interesting creatures to sculpt, so I thought what better forum than the dope to learn about strange stuff from around the world. El Chupacabra, with Spring-Heel Jack coming in a close second. The Mothman is third. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/3 "2010-10-13T16:27:07Z")
Spring heel jack is pretty cool. I hadn’t thought of him in ages. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/4 "2010-10-13T16:42:02Z")
I used to be pretty fond of the Loch Ness Monster but I had a co-worker who was always talking about el chupacabra and that got me interested in it. Plus it’s fun to say. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/5 "2010-10-13T18:42:31Z")
Whatever vocalized “[the Bloop](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bloop)”. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/6 "2010-10-13T18:50:52Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Whatever vocalized “[the Bloop](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bloop)”. The bloop is bigger than my house. I don’t think there is enough AB foam in the world to sculpt that likeness. Besides everyone knows that was Cthulhu farting in his sleep. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/7 "2010-10-13T18:54:00Z")
[Mokele-mbembe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mokele-mbembe) ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/8 "2010-10-13T18:57:08Z")
Another vote for the Loch Ness Monster. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/9 "2010-10-13T19:02:32Z")
[Mokele-mbembe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mokele-mbembe), a [dinosaur-like](http://www.cryptomundo.com/wp-content/mokele3_01.jpg) creature that lives in a lake in the Congo. Also, the [Mapinguari](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mapinguari) of South America. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/10 "2010-10-13T19:42:29Z")
For a good long time, I was convinced the [1896 Giant Octopus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Augustine_Monster)was probably the real deal–it was reasonably well-researched, and there wasn’t a smoking gun debunking it. Then a nearly-identical specimen washed ashore in Chile. Analysis showed it was essentially a gutted whale. More precise analysis of the 1896 specimen suggested the same thing. Alas, a beautiful theory butchered by ugly fact. ETA: We have the homegrown [Alkali Lake Monster](http://www.unknownexplorers.com/alkalilakemonster.php)out here in Nebraska if you want to get exotic. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/11 "2010-10-13T22:07:50Z")
The Giant Eagles/Thunderbirds of North America. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/12 "2010-10-13T22:38:38Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > The Giant Eagles/Thunderbirds of North America. ooooh! Now that has potential…😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jormungandr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jormungandr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jormungandr)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/13 "2010-10-14T02:39:31Z")
La Llorona, which my mother claimed she and her friends heard outside a restaurant in Texas, located near the Rio Grande, before she got married. > **[La Llorona](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Llorona)** > > La Llorona (American Spanish: \[la ʝoˈɾona\]; "The Crying Woman" or "The Wailer") is a Mexican vengeful ghost who is said to roam near bodies of water mourning her children whom she drowned in a jealous rage after discovering her husband was cheating on her. > Early colonial times provided evidence that the lore is pre-Hispanic, originating in the central highlands. However, La Llorona is most commonly associated with the colonial era and the dynamic between Spanish conquistadores and indigenous wom... ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/14 "2010-10-14T09:36:34Z")
A friend of mine has told me that he, when he was a boy scout, had camped by Loch Ness, but none of the scouts had seen a single trace of Nessie. We attributed it to the fact that they were too young to drink whisky. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/15 "2010-10-14T10:01:04Z")
Only one? ☹ From the Legend of St Michael at Aralar, the dragon (which is described as “an enormous lizard” and never pictured with wings) and Basajaun (“the lord of the forest”), who sort’a looks like the Bigfoot/Yeti gang but speaks perfectly fine Basque (mind you, the one in that story isn’t real, but an enemy of the main character in disguise). In this legend, St Mike does not kill the dragon (who is the Devil coming to torture Teobaldo de Goñi) but shoo him away: I like that detail. From Galician legends, both the duende (gnome/fae) called Agujero and A Santa Compaña. A Santa Compaña (the holy company/squadron/partnership) may a cristianization of the Celtic Wild Hunt and/or of banshees: it’s formed by condemned souls, who roam the hills at night moaning their sorrow and who will add to their number anybody who sees them. The duende has a hole (agujero) in his hand: he likes moving things around the house, but he also has an irresistible impulse to pick things up, so by dropping some flour on the floor, you can keep him busy all night (as the flour keeps falling through his hand) and thus prevent him from being able to move your items around. From Catalan legend, Comte Arnau. This man was a very cruel lord, and completely obsessed with hunting. Any peasants who could escape his lands, did; he killed his wife by knocking her over when she was standing on the stairs before his castle, begging him not to go hunting on Good Friday; he would hunt down men when other big prey were not available. When he died, St. Peter told him “well, you certainly can’t get into Heaven, as your sins are darker than the blackest night” and the Devil said “but your wife, for some reason, insists in loving you, and her love prevents me from dragging you into Hell, where you belong”. He now races across the sky on stormy nights, astride a fiery steed, chasing the storm clouds and throwing spears of lightning at anybody stupid enough to be outside at such times. One thing I like about knowing my share of Spanish legends is that they’re exotic for people from Elsewhere 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/16 "2010-10-14T11:34:32Z")
I just remembered one more, a cryptid that haunted my nightmares for years after seeing _Dot and the Kangaroo_… the bunyip. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/17 "2010-10-15T02:51:40Z")
No love for Mothman? Local cryptid makes good… ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/18 "2010-10-15T03:21:31Z")
> [@Acid\_Lamp](#): > > > [@Sailboat](#): > > > > Whatever vocalized “[the Bloop](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bloop)”. > > The bloop is bigger than my house. I don’t think there is enough AB foam in the world to sculpt that likeness. Besides everyone knows that was Cthulhu farting in his sleep. Thank Og I’m not the only person who said this! My fave? Mothman all the way, baby! ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/19 "2010-10-15T06:04:19Z")
Loch Ness Monster~ the lore goes back centuries. ---
**Author:** ![Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cornelius_Tuggerson)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009/20 "2010-10-15T16:47:40Z")
Tree octopuses and capybaras are my personal favorites. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-cryptid-monster-etc/557009.md?page=2)