Creatures, Myths & Legends

3 obscure cryptozoological creatures you may have never heard of

By T.K. Randall
January 15, 2025 ·  13 comments

An artist's impression of the Loveland frog. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 4.0 Tim Bertelink Stories of cryptozoological creatures - that is, creatures that are rumored to exist but that are not officially recognized by science - can be found all across the world.

While you will have heard of some of them - here are three others that you may be less familiar with.

The Loveland Frog

Also sometimes referred to as the Loveland frogman, sightings of this bizarre humanoid amphibian were first reported in Loveland, Ohio back in 1955 when a businessman reported seeing a group of three frog-like creatures standing next to a bridge. Several other sightings followed, including one in 1972 involving a police officer who claimed to have seen the creature crossing a road.

Descriptions of the creature vary, but most accounts suggest that it stands approximately 4 feet tall, has leathery skin and a frog-like head with glowing red eyes.

No definitive evidence of its existence, however, has ever been found.

Mokele-Mbembe

In the dense rainforests of the Congo River Basin, locals speak of a creature known as the Mokele-Mbembe - a massive, semi-aquatic beast that resembles an extinct sauropod dinosaur.Descriptions of the creature vary, but it is typically depicted as having a long neck and small head.

The name Mokele-Mbembe roughly translates to "one who stops the flow of rivers," - seemingly a reference to the alleged size of the creature.

Some have suggested that Mokele-Mbembe could be a relic from the dinosaur age - some sort of 'living fossil' - though the likelihood of a population of such creatures surviving tens of millions of years without being discovered seems unlikely to say the least.

The Thunderbird

First introduced into North American folklore by Native American tribes, the Thunderbird is often described as a gargantuan bird with a wingspan large enough to darken the sky.

Some accounts suggest that it is large enough to carry off an entire bison in its talons.

Though the Thunderbird is primarily a figure of mythology, there have been occasional sightings by modern-day witnesses. Skeptics, however, argue that these reports are either likely to be hoaxes or cases of misidentification - typically of known bird species such as eagles or vultures.

To date, no conclusive evidence of an extant species of giant bird consistent with the legend has ever been found.

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Tags: Cryptozoology, Cryptid