Cryptids

The “study of unknown animals” is one definition of cryptozoology, but animals that are classified as cryptids seem to be known through stories or through a limited number of eyewitnesses. They are just unknown in the sense of being unclassified by Western science.

Creatures like Nessie, Ogopogo, ropen, indava, and Mokele-Mbembe may be so-called “prehistoric” living representatives of plesiosaurs, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs. Science does not require that “ancient” creatures must be extinct. Extinction is just an axiom or general assumption regarding creatures that are portrayed in textbooks as ancient. The Coelacanth is one example of a supposedly ancient creature that was discovered to be still living (early 20th Century discovery). But not everyone believes this fish to be ancient.

Old legends of dragons may be partially based on actual creatures that were living centuries ago. Some dragons may have been dinosaurs; others, pterosaurs (commonly, but imprecisely, called “pterodactyls”).

Not everyone believes that every species of pterosaur is extinct.

Scientific reasoning and testing can be applied to some evidence of cryptids, even though cryptozoology seems on the fringe of science or

a pseudo-science. But please carefully consider each of these cryptids.