Hoan Kiem Turtle
A legendary giant turtle said to live in Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam. Told of as the divine turtle to which a hero returned a sacred sword, it was confirmed to be one of the world's largest softshell turtles.
Confirmed Cryptids
Creatures once thought to be myths, legends or extinct that were later proven to be real, such as the okapi, the coelacanth and the giant squid.
Entries: 14
Pygmy Hippopotamus
A small hippopotamus of the forests of West Africa. Its skull was known in the 19th century, but its living form was a mystery and it was considered a "phantom animal" until one was captured in the early 20th century. It is one of the world's three great rare animals, with the okapi and giant panda.
Oarfish (Ryugu no Tsukai)
A long, slender silver deep-sea fish over 3 meters long. It is thought to be behind sea serpent and mermaid legends, and is known in Japan for the folk belief that it heralds earthquakes. Research has found no link to earthquakes.
Narwhal
A whale of the Arctic seas with a single long tusk. In medieval Europe its tusks were traded at high prices as the horns of the legendary unicorn. It is the real "unicorn of the sea."
Giant Panda
A member of the bear family known for its black-and-white coat. It became known to Western science only in 1869 and was long considered a "phantom animal." It is one of the world's three great rare animals; we explain its discovery and what we know today.
Platypus
An egg-laying mammal with a duck's bill. When a specimen reached Britain in 1798, it was so strange that scientists suspected it was a stitched-together fake. We explain how it came to be accepted as real.
Iriomote Cat
A wild cat found only on Iriomote Island in Okinawa Prefecture. Long known to the islanders, it was scientifically confirmed only in 1965. We explain the story of this 20th-century discovery in Japan.
Coelacanth
An ancient fish thought to have gone extinct about 66 million years ago. A living one was found off South Africa in 1938, astonishing the world; it is the classic "living fossil." We explain how it was discovered.
Giant Squid
A giant deep-sea squid that can exceed 10 meters in total length, said to be behind the legendary sea monster the kraken. In 2004, Japanese researchers photographed a living giant squid for the first time in the world.
Komodo Dragon
The world's largest lizard, living on islands in Indonesia. It was told of in rumors as a "land crocodile," confirmed by Europeans in 1910 and described as a new species in 1912.
Okapi
A relative of the giraffe with zebra-like stripes. Rumored as a "phantom animal" of the Congo rainforest, it was discovered in 1901. It is one of the world's three great rare animals.
Bonobo
An ape very similar to the chimpanzee. Long not distinguished from chimpanzees, it was recognized as a different animal from a museum skull only in 1929. We explain the story of "the last ape to be discovered."
Frilled Shark
A deep-sea shark that retains a primitive form. Long and slender like an eel, it has been suggested as the true identity of sea serpents. It was described as a new species in 1884 from specimens from Sagami Bay, Japan.
Gorilla
An ape long told of in legends and rumors as a hairy giant of the forest. It was scientifically described in 1847. Its name comes from "Gorillai," a word in an ancient Carthaginian voyage account.