Last updated on February 16th, 2024 at 06:00 pm
This blog has featured cryptids such as Jackalope and Haggis and Drop Bears. Most cryptids are followed with the belief that they exist or believed to exist at one time.
Then there are Created Cryptids. These animals are from tall tales and folklore. This unique selection feature creatures that right from the start were hoaxed, but people have pretended they are real.
In fact, they take immense pride in these cryptids. Reddit and Creepypasta have added entities like Slenderman and Sirenhead, but they will need to age more before they reach the status of these legendary creatures. Since I live in the United States these are the ones most familiar.
Starting with the Pacific Tree Octopus. Ever heard of it? Shows how rare a cryptid it is. Octopus Paxarbolis.
The cause promoting the endangered and rare tree octopus includes it’s own website and fan club.
It lives in the Olympic National Forest and around Puget Sound. The area rains so frequently that the trees never fully dry out. The creatures live and travel among the tree branches and rest in pools of water. They are very shy and avoid people.
It was actually a hoax started by a teacher in 1998 named Lyle Zapato. It was meant to evaluate his seventh grade class. But the cause for the tree octopus has been adopted by jokesters and now has a life of its own. In 1998 an online petition and campaign started to protect this unique amphibious cephalopod.
The people of Rhinelander are fiercely proud of their created cryptid called the Hodag. This cryptid turned a small town in Wisconsin into a tourist attraction.
Starting from a very hoaxed photo this created cryptid is everywhere in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Captured in October 1893 by a hunting party, the Hodag was exhibited in several county fairs . The Hodag is the town’s mascot and tourist attraction. He is an honorary citizen of Rhinelander and the people love him.
Moving out to the American West, we have the jackalope. This beloved cryptid has his own post.
https://www.smokehoax.com/2019/08/jackalopes/
On your western journey, you may encounter Hoop Snakes. More dangerous than rattlesnakes, the Hoop Snakes will grab its tail in its mouth and roll itself after you. They can travel extremely fast.There might be some truth in this one. People may have seen a sidewinder in motion. And sometimes snakes swallow their tails by accident. But the imagery of a snake rolling after you in a perfect circle is pure fiction.
Moving back to the forest areas the predators were many. None are more dreaded than the Side Rock Bolter. This huge creature is a whale/snakelike creature with spikes at the end of his tail. He rams his tail spikes into the top of a mountain peak and waits.
Stories explain he somehow camouflages with the mountain. When the Bolter spies prey, such as hikers or elk, he suddenly hurls himself down the mountain usually causing an avalanche. He will climb to another mountain and wait again. Rockslides are pointed out as evidence of a Bolter to tourists and visitors.
Want to see a Splinter Cat?? This feline is a large cougar like animal with a powerful build and a large thick skull. If you see this a Splinter Cat is nearby.
It is recommended to shout and run about waving your arms over your head so you are not mistaken for a tree He establishes his range and hunts for tree dwelling prey by ramming his head into tree trunks and splitting them in half. While not vicious by nature it is still a wild animal to be treated with caution. Artist is Richard Svensson.
Interested in cryptid cats? We have more!
The fierce Wampus Cat has six legs, resistance to magical spells and great intelligence .This big cat lives in forested and mountainous areas and hunts elk and moose. This creature is so admired for its fighting spirit that six states have him as a mascot for their high schools.
Then we have the cactus cat,in the southwestern US. They live in hollowed cacti and is covered in thorns. They have long spines from it’s hind legs and tail.They attack and cause fatal stab wounds.They slash cacti and come back when the cacti juice has fermented in the sun. They get drunk and howl all night long.This photo is from good old Worth 1000. His creator “gwenovich” for Plantimals 3.
The Squonk originated in Pennsylvania but seems to have spread its range . It is a hideous, miserable little entity that lives near human places like parks or neighborhood. It is highly empathic and cries constantly. Anyone near him will pick up these telepathic cries. If you feel depressed or miserable for no real reason, look carefully at your surroundings. A squonk might be nearby.
Appalachian Northwest had the Snallygaster. The name “Snallygaster” is a mispronunciation of the term Schnellegeister – which originated from the German term “schnelle geist,” or “quick spirit.”
Despite its odd name it was a fearsome beast. A winged reptilian bird with bulletproof skin and razor -sharp claws. This creature hunted sheep, cattle, and people. President Theodore Roosevelt claimed to go on a hunt for this monster. It turned out to be a hoax created during the Prohibition by moonshiners to keep people out of the woods.
On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment was approved, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt ending the ban on alcohol. The Snallygaster has not been reported since.
Honorable mention goes to a few others.
Tommyknockers are excluded. Some claimed they are brownie type creatures brought over by Welsh miners. Or some accounts claim they are spirits of dead miners which would make them ghosts.
Excluded is the Jersey Devil because it is believed to be a possible cryptid.
Also missing is the snipe. It exists as a real bird although snipe hunts are legendary as pranks played on the newest member of a group. If there were any I missed, please let me know!
(To my guests not using a laptop, please scroll down to view our recent posts and tag cloud)
https://www.change.org/p/donald-j-trump-save-the-endangered-pacific-northwest-tree-octopus
http://www.hodagpress.com/about.htm
https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Pacific_Northwest_Tree_Octopus
https://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
http://mythologicalbeastiesandco.blogspot.com/2010/05/splinter-cat.html
https://boredomtherapy.com/s/tree-octopus?as=799&asv=1&bdk=0
https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Splinter_Cat
https://powerlisting.fandom.com/wiki/Cactus_Cat_Physiology
https://www.southernthing.com/what-is-a-wampus-cat-2651119362.html