Cryptozoologists everywhere probably curse the title of this page due to the argument that cryptids are very “real”, just without sufficient evidence. However these “cryptids” are real animals that were initially thought of as fiction or a hoax.
One such example is the adorable platypus. These Australian natives are quite strange: they are a mammal that lays eggs, have a beaver paddle tail, a duck bill, hunt using electroreception, and the males even have venomous spurs!
It’s widely thought that Europeans initially believed the platypus to be a similar hoax to the Fijian Mermaid: a taxidermied creature stitched together.
The strange little platypus isn’t the only creature whose existence was doubted. The giant squid is also such a being, with the first specimens being discovered in 1981: long after tales of a giant sea monster permeated the human psyche.
The okapi for many years was also deemed a cryptid. It was even called the “African Unicorn” in the 19th century!
It wasn’t until 1901 when an okapi pelt and skull were shown to British governor of Uganda, Sir Harry Johnston, that the official Western classification of the creature was made.
It’s likely that these animals were classified as cryptids due to their remote habitats and strange looks. There’s a possibility that more cryptids will be classified as real animals as we continue to explore and map far-off and isolated areas on Earth.
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Cryptopedia 