When Cryptids Turn Out to Be Real

While cryptozoologists have yet to turn up a verified Bigfoot or Loch Ness Monster they have had their triumphs. When newspapers report that a formerly 'mythical' beast has been discovered to be a very real animal indeed, they rarely, if ever, give justice to the cryptozoologists who had been insisting all along that it was possible. Therefore, his article will strive to shine a light on just how often it happens that animals long thought to exist only in folk lore turn out to be flesh and bone, and those who have suffered ridicule in search of it, never get the chance at glory.

Cryptozoology, the study of animals believed to exist, but having no concrete evidence to prove that they exist, is a daunting field. Cryptozoologists are usually dismissed as crackpots who believe in the animals they seek, but that is usually not the case. In fact, like more mainstream scientists a Cryptozoologist is always seeking evidence to determine whether it supports the theory or not. Whether those who deride the efforts of those who search out 'Cryptids' as being more magic than silence want to admit or not, Cryptozoologists deserve credit for many discoveries that likely would not have been made without their help.

The platypus was considered to be nothing more than a hoax , when first encountered by Europeans, but those who had seen it remained adamant about it's existence. It is understandable that Europeans , who had no frame of reference by which to understand an egg laying, aquatic, venomous mammal would believe it to be nothing more than a folk tale creature geared toward unsettling foreigners. But alas, the platypus turned out to be flesh and bone! Imagine the chagrin of those who checked the carcass for stitching to prove it was a fake when they found none.