Sea Serpent
A giant, snake-like sea monster sighted in oceans around the world since ancient times. Sighting reports by warship crews survive from the 19th century. Theories about its true identity include the oarfish.
Cryptids
Unidentified Mysterious Animals: creatures such as Tsuchinoko and Nessie that have been reported by witnesses but never confirmed to exist.
Entries: 51
New Nessie (Zuiyo-maru Carcass)
The carcass of a huge long-necked creature hauled up by a Japanese fishing boat off New Zealand in 1977. It caused a sensation as a possible surviving plesiosaur, but the leading theory is that it was the rotting carcass of a basking shark.
Namitaro
A giant-fish cryptid said to live in Takanami Pond in Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture. It is said to be 2 to 4 meters long and is seen as a carp-like fish. One theory is that it is a carp that has lived long and grown huge.
Takitaro
A giant-fish cryptid said to live in Lake Otori in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture. There are sightings of fish over 2 meters long, and surveys have been carried out many times. The leading theory is that it is an unusually large char or similar fish.
Issie
A giant aquatic cryptid said to live in Lake Ikeda, Kagoshima Prefecture. It became famous after a group sighting in 1978. The leading theory is that it is a giant mottled eel. We explain the sightings and the theories about its identity.
Caddy (Cadborosaurus)
A sea-serpent-type cryptid sighted off the coast of British Columbia on Canada's west coast. It was named by a newspaper in the 1930s, and a photo survives of a carcass said to have been found in a whale's stomach. Its identity is debated.
Mokele-mbembe
A dinosaur-like cryptid said to live in the lakes and rivers of the jungles of the Republic of the Congo. Rumored to be a surviving sauropod, it was investigated on site in 1988 by a team from Waseda University in Japan.
Migo
A plesiosaur-like cryptid said to live in Lake Dakataua on New Britain island, Papua New Guinea. A Japanese TV program filmed footage in 1994, but analysis suggests it showed saltwater crocodiles.
Hibagon
An ape-like cryptid repeatedly sighted around the Hiba mountains of Hiroshima Prefecture in 1970. The uproar was so great that the local town office set up a desk to deal with it.
Nessie (Loch Ness Monster)
A long-necked monster said to live in Loch Ness, Scotland. Sightings increased from the 1930s, making it one of the most famous cryptids in the world.
Tsuchinoko
A Japanese cryptid described as a snake with a short, fat body that moves by jumping. It goes by many local names and became the subject of a nationwide boom in the 1970s.