Chupacabra

The Chupacabra is a legendary cryptid rumored to inhabit parts of the Americas, most commonly in Puerto Rico (where the first sighting was reported in 1995), Mexico, and the U.S. The name literally means "goat sucker" and comes from the animal's habit of attacking and drinking the blood of its victims. Physically, it is said to be a heavy creature, the size of a small bear with a row of spines reaching from its neck to the base of its tail. It looks like a reptile, having leathery or scaly greyish skin with a forked tongue and large fangs. It is said to hiss and screech when startled and leave behind a sulfuric stench. It has been reported to hop great distances in several instances.

In 2004, there were reports in Texas, but it was found that the actual creature was a coyote with a very severe case of mange. There was a report in Russia in 2006 that still remains unsolved. There are skeletons being found every year but so far nothing conclusive has been found.

Rods

Rods are a rather new topic of cryptozoology. Videos of rod-shaped objects moving quickly through the air have fueled speculation that the atmosphere is filled with an unknown species or small UFOs. Subsequent experiments have shown that these rods naturally appear in film because of an optical illusion. For example, sometimes the flapping of bird wings has been shown to produce rod-like effects due to motion blur if the camera is shooting with relatively long exposure times.

Jersey Devil

The Jersey Devil is a legendary creature said to inhabit southern New Jersey. It is sometimes referred to as the Leeds Devil and is described as a flying biped with hooves. It was first reported in 1735 and is referenced in Native American folklore.

There is another story of the creature, probaby the most popular, which tell the origin of the Jersey Devil: Mother Leeds had 12 children. After the 12th child was born, she stated that if she had another, it would be the devil. In 1735, Mother Leeds was in labor on a stormy night with number 13. The child was born normal and alledgedly changed form where it appeared to have hooves, a horse's head, bat wings, and a forked tail. The "creature" killed the midwife and flew up the chimney. In 1740, a member of the clergy exorcised the devil for 100 years, and it wasn't seen again until 1890.

There was a Deborah Leeds, who is thought to be "Mother Leeds." Her husband Japhet, according to records, had twelve children, and they lived in the Leeds Point section of New Jersey.

The devil has been seen flying in the air as a white creature which doesn't seem affected by being shot at. It was blamed for livestock killings in the 1840s. In January 1909, there were thousands of reports of the devil. The Jersey Devil has been spotted as recently as 2007 and 2008.

Lake Monsters

These monsters reside in freshwater lakes. Stories of them reach back into mythology. Other stories are told locally as folklore or simple rumors. The best known lake monster would be "Nessie" the Loch Ness monster.

Most sightings are considered to be misinterpretation of known or natural phenomena, such as seals, otters, large fish, light distortions, or sometimes fallen trees in the water. They are rumored to appear like plesiosaurs or sometimes other giant aquatic dinosaur-looking reptiles.

There are lake monsters all over the world and are often tourist attractions.

Mothman

The Mothman is a creature reportly seen in the Charleston and Point Pleasant area of West Virginia from 1966 to 1967. Most witnesses describe the creature as a winged, man-sized beast with red eyes and huge moth-like wings. There are many conspiracy theories regarding the creature and some think it is just totally misidentified.

(Note from Mindy: I have to admit, I tend to believe there IS something to this cryptid creature, as I've heard many stories stemming from all over the US that describe a similar phenomenon.)

There was a popular movie about the stories, specificly stemming from Point Pleasant, WV. The rumor that comes from Point Pleasant is that the creature only appears before a disaster occurs.

Theories

There are several theories concerning the Mothman:

• Supernatural theories - John Keel, author of the Mothman Prophecies, believes that Mothman is related to parapsychological events in the area including UFO activity, Men in Black encounters, and poltergeist activity. There were also Bigfoot and black panther sightings as well as mutilations that occurred prior to the Silver Bridge collapse in 1967.
• Misidentified Bird - Some believe it is simply a Sandhill Crane - which in the 1960s was a problem in the area - which has a wingspan up to 7 feet.
• Hoaxes - of course, with any phenomenon, unfortunately you will have some people create hoaxes for attention.

Bigfoot/ Sasquatch/ Swamp Ape/ Yeti

Last, but certainly NOT least, is Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch. Bigfoot is an alleged ape-like creature reportedly inhabiting forests. He is described as a large, hairy bipedal humanoid that ranges between 6-10 ft. tall and weighs approximately 500 lbs. Its hair is usually described as dark brown, sometimes with a reddish tint to it. Witnesses describe large eyes with a pronounced brow ridge and a low-set forehead. It was named for the gigantic footprints that have been found for years which have been as large as 24 inches long and 8 inches wide. Most tracks have 5 toes, but there have been variants which report 3 to 6 toes.

The scientific community considers Bigfoot to be a combination of folklore, misidentification, and hoaxes. It is not supported mainly because of the improbable large numbers necessary to maintain a breeding population. There have been stories of these "wildmen" for many years. Stories differ in details but are found on every continent except Antarctica. There are several names for the beast, among them Skunk Ape, which is the name generally given in the southern regions on the U.S., especially Florida in the Everglades. The Yeti, also known as the Abominable Snowman, is basically Bigfoot that lives in the Himalayan mountain ranges of Nepal and Tibet.

Bigfoot believers believe the creature is a never-found species of ape or a relict population of Gigantopithecus. Others think it's a species of Paranthropus or a Neanderthal or Homo erectus. There are some groups that also raise the possibility that it is an alien creature that could possibly travel between dimensions. This theory could explain why no one has ever found one deceased or ever captured one alive, and it could explain why there is little evidence even though Bigfoot creatures have been reported for years.

One of the most popular area groups of Bigfoot researchers is http://www.brfo.net.