Editing Cryptozoology

{{Short description|Pseudoscience that studies disputed or unsubstantiated creatures}}
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{{Use American English|date=May 2018}}
{{Paranormal|main}}
'''Cryptozoology''' is a [[pseudoscience]] and [[subculture]] that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated,<ref>{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Cryptozoology |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108133551/https://www.lexico.com/definition/cryptozoology |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |title=Cryptozoology |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> particularly those popular in [[folklore]], such as [[Bigfoot]], the [[Loch Ness Monster]], [[Yeti]], the [[chupacabra]], the [[Jersey Devil]], or the [[Mokele-mbembe]].  Cryptozoologists refer to these entities as ''[[List of cryptids|cryptids]]'', a term coined by the subculture. Because it does not follow the [[scientific method]], cryptozoology is considered a pseudoscience by mainstream science: it is neither a branch of [[zoology]] nor of [[folklore studies]]. It was originally founded in the 1950s by zoologists [[Bernard Heuvelmans]] and [[Ivan T. Sanderson]].
[[File:Patterson_Gimlin_Bigfoot.jpg|thumb|right|A frame from the [[Patterson–Gimlin film]] (1967), whose filmmakers claimed to feature [[Bigfoot]] in Northern California. Bigfoot is a popular figure in cryptozoology.]]

Scholars have noted that the subculture rejected mainstream approaches from an early date, and that adherents often express hostility to mainstream science. Scholars studying cryptozoologists and their influence (including cryptozoology's association with [[Young Earth creationism]]) noted parallels in cryptozoology and other pseudosciences such as [[ghost hunting]] and [[ufology]], and highlighted uncritical media propagation of cryptozoologist claims.

==Terminology, history, and approach==
As a field, cryptozoology originates from the works of [[Bernard Heuvelmans]], a [[Belgium|Belgian]] zoologist, and [[Ivan T. Sanderson]], a Scottish zoologist. Notably, Heuvelmans published ''[[On the Track of Unknown Animals]]'' (French: {{lang|fr|Sur la piste des bêtes ignorées}}) in 1955, a landmark work among cryptozoologists that was followed by numerous other similar works. In addition, Sanderson published a series of books that contributed to the developing hallmarks of cryptozoology, including ''Abominable Snowmen: Legend Come to Life'' (1961).<ref name="REGAL-326-329">Regal (2011a: 326–329).</ref><ref name="MULLIS-2021-185a">Mullis (2021: 185): "Historians attempting to trace the beginnings of cryptozoology typically locate the practice's origins in the mid-twentienth century when Belgian-French zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans (1916–2001), with deference to Scottish-born naturalist Ivan T. Sanderson (1911–1973), is believed to have coined the term."</ref> Heuvelmans himself traced cryptozoology to the work of [[Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans]], who theorized that a large unidentified species of seal was responsible for sea serpent reports.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Leecy |date=2021-01-23 |title=The Beginnings of Cryptozoology |url=https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/2021/01/23/the-beginnings-of-cryptozoology/ |access-date=2023-05-22 |website=ScIU |language=en-US}}</ref>

''Cryptozoology'' is 'the study of hidden animals' (from [[Ancient Greek language|Ancient Greek]]: κρυπτός, ''kryptós'' "hidden, secret"; [[Ancient Greek]] ζῷον, ''zōion'' "[[animal]]", and λόγος, ''logos'', i.e. "knowledge, study"). The term dates from 1959 or before— Heuvelmans attributes the coinage of the term ''cryptozoology'' to Sanderson.<ref name="REGAL-326-329"/><ref name="OED-CRYPTOZOOLOGY">Additionally, see discussion at "cryptozoology, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2016. Web. 25 October 2016.</ref> Following ''cryptozoology'', the term ''cryptid'' was coined in 1983 by cryptozoologist J. E. Wall in the summer issue of the [[International Society of Cryptozoology]] newsletter.<ref name="Regal-2011-B">Regal (2011b: 197–198).</ref> According to Wall "[It has been] suggested that new terms be coined to replace sensational and often misleading terms like 'monster'. My suggestion is 'cryptid', meaning a living thing having the quality of being hidden or unknown ... describing those creatures which are (or may be) subjects of cryptozoological investigation."<ref name="WALL-COINS-CRYPTID">Wall, J. E. (1983: 10): "The Spring, 1983, issue featured an interview with Paul LeBlond and Forrest Wood, in which it was suggested that new terms be coined to replace sensational and often misleading terms like "monster." My suggestion is "cryptid," meaning a living thing having the quality of being hidden or unknown. As far as I know, this would be an entirely new word, describing those creatures which are (or may be) subjects of cryptozoological investigation."</ref>

The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' defines the noun ''cryptid'' as "an animal whose existence or survival to the present day is disputed or unsubstantiated; any animal of interest to a cryptozoologist".<ref name="OED-CRYPTID">"cryptid, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2016. Web. 25 October 2016.</ref> While used by most cryptozoologists, the term ''cryptid'' is not used by academic zoologists.<ref name="PAXTON-2011">Paxton (2011: 7–20).</ref> In a textbook aimed at undergraduates, academics Caleb W. Lack and [[Jacques Rousseau (secular activist)|Jacques Rousseau]] note that the subculture's focus on what it deems to be "cryptids" is a pseudoscientific extension of older belief in monsters and other similar entities from the folkloric record, yet with a "new, more scientific-sounding name: cryptids".<ref name="LACK-ROUSSEAU-153">Lack & Rousseau (2016: 153, cf. p. 272).</ref>

[[File:Arthur_Grant_loch_ness_sketch.png|thumb|right|Anonymous sketch by A. Grant from a book on the Loch Ness monster by [[Rupert Thomas Gould]] (1934). Like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster has historically been of significant interest to cryptozoologists.]]While biologists regularly identify new species, cryptozoologists often focus on creatures from the [[folklore|folkloric]] record. Most famously, these include the [[Loch Ness Monster]], [[Champ (folklore)]], [[Bigfoot]], the [[chupacabra]], as well as other "imposing beasts that could be labeled as monsters". In their search for these entities, cryptozoologists may employ devices such as motion-sensitive cameras, night-vision equipment, and audio-recording equipment. While there have been attempts to codify cryptozoological approaches, unlike biologists, zoologists, botanists, and other academic disciplines, however, "there are no accepted, uniform, or successful methods for pursuing cryptids".<ref name="REGAL-326-329" /> Some scholars have identified precursors to modern cryptozoology in certain medieval approaches to the folkloric record, and the psychology behind the cryptozoology approach has been the subject of academic study.<ref name="REGAL-326-329" />

Few cryptozoologists have a formal science education, and fewer still have a science background directly relevant to cryptozoology. Adherents often misrepresent the academic backgrounds of cryptozoologists. According to writer [[Daniel Loxton]] and paleontologist [[Donald Prothero]], "[c]ryptozoologists have often promoted 'Professor [[Roy Mackal]], PhD.' as one of their leading figures and one of the few with a legitimate doctorate in biology. What is rarely mentioned, however, is that he had no training that would qualify him to undertake competent research on exotic animals. This raises the specter of 'credential mongering', by which an individual or organization feints a person's graduate degree as proof of expertise, even though his or her training is not specifically relevant to the field under consideration." Besides Heuvelmans, Sanderson, and Mackal, other notable cryptozoologists with academic backgrounds include [[Grover Krantz]], [[Karl Shuker]], and [[Richard Greenwell]].<ref name="LOXTON-PROTHERO-2013-304-305">Loxton & Prothero (2013: 304–305).</ref>

In a 2025 interview with science writer [[Sharon A. Hill|Sharon Hill]] "Cryptids have become cutified" ... The reason why cryptids are seeing a resurgence are because of the Internet, for example, the [[Flatwoods monster]] is seen in over 33 video games, but the real reason according to Hill is because for a while cryptids were thought to be real animals that some people had assigned magical powers to, and with some investigation the hope was that the magic could be stripped away and they would discover a real, perhaps unknown animal. “One of the reasons why I think that fell apart completely was because the [[International Society of Cryptozoology]] fell apart completely, so there were no longer any gatekeepers as of the early 1990’s to say ‘a cryptid is these animals that we are studying because we think it’s got a zoological basis’, those people were gone ... they were quite old, they died and there was nobody there to take over that gatekeeping aspect although some people tried. ... Then you saw an explosion of amateurs in the 2000s ... they became researchers that connected via the Internet. Now they start making media they can publish themselves ... it started to hit a younger and younger generation ... who love these creatures ... now everything can be a cryptid.”<ref>{{cite web |title=Episode 250 - Cryptids go Pop! with Sharon Hill |url=https://squaringthestrange.libsyn.com/episode-250-cryptids-go-pop-with-sharon-hill |website=squaringthestrange.libsyn.com |publisher=Squaring the Strange |access-date=30 March 2025 |language=English |date=March 28, 2025}}</ref>

Historically, notable cryptozoologists have often identified instances featuring "irrefutable evidence" (such as Sanderson and Krantz), only for the evidence to be revealed as the product of a hoax. This may occur during a closer examination by experts or upon confession of the hoaxer.<ref name="RADFORD-2014-167">Radford (2014: 161–170).</ref>

=== Expeditions ===
Cryptozoologists have often led unsuccessful expeditions to find evidence of cryptids. Bigfoot researcher [[René Dahinden]] led searches into caves to find evidence of sasquatch, as early sasquatch legends claimed they lived in rocky areas. Despite the failure of these searches, he spent years trying to find proof of bigfoot.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Loxton |first=Daniel |title=Abominable science! origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and other famous cryptids |last2=Prothero |first2=Donald R. |date=2013 |publisher=Columbia university press |isbn=978-0-231-15320-1 |location=New York |pages=32}}</ref> [[Count|Lensgrave]] Adam Christoffer Knuth led an expedition into [[Lake Tele]] in the Congo to find the [[Mokele-mbembe]] in 2018. While the expedition was a failure, they discovered a new species of green algae.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Madsen |first=Fie West |date=2018-11-28 |title=Lensgreve Christoffer Knuth har brugt kæmpe summer på vild dinosaur-jagt: 'Vi fandt noget, som ingen har set før' |url=https://www.bt.dk/content/item/1240591 |access-date=2023-12-11 |website=www.bt.dk |language=da}}</ref>

===Young Earth creationism===
A subset of cryptozoology promotes the pseudoscience of [[Young Earth creationism]], rejecting conventional science in favor of a literal [[Biblical hermeneutics|Biblical interpretation]] and promoting concepts such as "[[Young Earth creationism#Flood geology, the fossil record, and dinosaurs|living dinosaur]]s". [[Science journalism|Science writer]] [[Sharon A. Hill|Sharon Hill]] observes that the Young Earth creationist segment of cryptozoology is "well-funded and able to conduct expeditions with a goal of finding a living dinosaur that they think would invalidate evolution".<ref name="SCIENTIFICAL-AMERICANS-66">Hill (2017: 66).</ref>

[[Anthropology|Anthropologist]] Jeb J. Card says that "[[Creationism|[c]reationists]] have embraced cryptozoology and some cryptozoological expeditions are funded by and conducted by creationists hoping to disprove evolution."<ref name="CARD-32">Card (2016: 32).</ref> In a 2013 interview, [[paleontology|paleontologist]] [[Donald Prothero]] notes an uptick in creationist cryptozoologists. He observes that "[p]eople who actively search for [[Loch Ness Monster|Loch Ness monsters]] or [[Mokele-mbembe|Mokele Mbembe]] do it entirely as creationist ministers. They think that if they found a [[dinosaur]] in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]] it would overturn all of evolution. It wouldn't. It would just be a late-occurring dinosaur, but that's their mistaken notion of evolution."<ref name="NAT-GEO-2013-PROTHERO-INTERVIEW">Shea (2013).</ref>

Citing a 2013 exhibit at the [[Petersburg, Boone County, Kentucky|Petersburg, Kentucky]]-based [[Creation Museum]], which claimed that [[dragon]]s were once biological creatures who walked the earth alongside humanity and is broadly dedicated to Young Earth creationism, religious studies academic Justin Mullis notes that "[c]ryptozoology has a long and curious history with Young Earth Creationism, with this new exhibit being just one of the most recent examples".<ref name="MULLIS-2019-249">Mullis (2019: 249).</ref>

Academic Paul Thomas analyzes the influence and connections between cryptozoology in his 2020 study of the Creation Museum and the creationist theme park [[Ark Encounter]]. Thomas comments that, "while the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter are flirting with [[pseudoarchaeology]], coquettishly whispering pseudoarchaeological rhetoric, they are each fully in bed with cryptozoology" and observes that "[y]oung-earth creationists and cryptozoologists make natural bed fellows. As with pseudoarchaeology, both young-earth creationists and cryptozoologists bristle at the rejection of mainstream secular science and lament a seeming conspiracy to prevent serious consideration of their claims."<ref name="THOMAS-80-81">Thomas (2020: 80–81).</ref>

===Lack of critical media coverage===
Media outlets have often uncritically disseminated information from cryptozoologist sources, including newspapers that repeat false claims made by cryptozoologists or television shows that feature cryptozoologists as monster hunters (such as the popular and purportedly nonfiction American television show ''[[MonsterQuest]]'', which aired from 2007 to 2010). Media coverage of purported "cryptids" often fails to provide more likely explanations, further propagating claims made by cryptozoologists.<ref name="LACK-ROUSSEAU-170">Lack (2016: 170, cf. 159–160).</ref>

==Reception and pseudoscience==
There is a broad consensus among academics that cryptozoology is a [[pseudoscience]].<ref name="MULLIS-2021-185b">Mullis (2021: 185): "Eschewing the rigors of science, cryptozoologists publish for a popular audience rather than for experts resulting in the practice itself frequently being derided as a pseudoscience."</ref><ref name="THOMAS-2020-81">Thomas (2020: 81): "Cryptozoology, a pseudoscience originating in the work of Bernard Heuvelmans (1916-2001), is the search for evidence of creatures whose existence remains unproven according to Western scientific standards.</ref><ref name="USCINSKI-2020-38">Uscinski (2020: 38): "Cryptozoology is the pseudoscientific study of animals [...]"</ref><ref name="LACK-ROSSEAU-2016-153-174">Lack & Rosseau (2016: 153–174): "Cryptids are the focus of study in cryptozoology, a field most scientists label as pseudoscientific."</ref><ref name="LOXTON-PROTHERO-2013: 332, 320">Loxton & Prothero (2013: 332): "Whatever the romantic appeal of monster mysteries, cryptozoology as it exists today is unquestionably a pseudoscience." Loxton & Prothero (2013: 320): "Cryptozoology has a reputation of being part of a general pseudoscientific fringe—just one more facet of [[paranormal]] belief." (Both quotes from [[Donald Prothero]])</ref><ref name="CHURCH-2009-251-252">Church (2009: 251–252): "Cryptozoology has acquired a bad reputation as a pseudoscience [...] Until detailed, methodical research becomes standard practice among cryptozoologists, the field will remain disrespected by more traditional biologists and zoologists."</ref><ref name="ROESCH-MOORE-2002-71-78">Roesch & Moore (2002: 71–78): "Pointing to this rampant speculation and ignorance of established scientific theories in cryptozoology, as well as the field's poor record of success and its reliance on unsystematic, anecdotal evidence, many scientists and skeptics classify cryptozoology as a pseudoscience."</ref><ref name="LEE-2000-119">Lee (2000: 119): "Other examples of pseudoscience include cryptozoology, Atlantis, graphology, the lunar effect, and the Bermuda Triangle".</ref> The subculture is regularly criticized for reliance on anecdotal information<ref name="SHERMER-2003">Shermer (2003: 27).</ref> and because in the course of investigating animals that most scientists believe are unlikely to have existed, cryptozoologists do not follow the [[scientific method]].<ref name="DASH-2000">Dash (2000).</ref> No academic course of study nor university degree program grants the status of ''cryptozoologist'' and the subculture is primarily the domain of individuals without training in the natural sciences.<ref name="MULLIS-2021-185c">Mullis (2021: 185): "No university offers a degree in it so the vast majority of cryptozoologists lack any formal academic training in those fields that intersect with their interests, such as zoology, paleontology, or evolutionary biology."</ref><ref name="HILL-2017-66-CRYPTOZOOLOGY-DEGREE">Hill (2017: 66): "there is no academic course of study in cryptozoology or no university degree program that will bestow the title 'cryptozoologist'."</ref><ref name="BARTHOLOMEW-2012-121">Bartholomew (2012: 121): "There are no university degrees for cryptozoology, although a few real scientists from a variety of disciplines dabble in the subject, mostly in the field of zoology and biology. The search for hidden animals lies on the fringe of orthodox science, attracting a large number of amateurs who lack training in the natural sciences."</ref>

Anthropologist Jeb J. Card summarizes cryptozoology in a survey of pseudoscience and [[pseudoarchaeology]]:
{{blockquote|Cryptozoology purports to be the study of previously unidentified animal species. At first glance, this would seem to differ little from zoology. New species are discovered by field and museum zoologists every year. Cryptozoologists cite these discoveries as justification of their search but often minimize or omit the fact that the discoverers do not identify as cryptozoologists and are academically trained zoologists working in an ecological paradigm rather than organizing expeditions to seek out supposed examples of unusual and large creatures.<ref name="CARD-23-32">Card (2016: 23–32).</ref>}}

Card notes that "cryptozoologists often show their disdain and even hatred for professional scientists, including those who enthusiastically participated in cryptozoology", which he traces back to Heuvelmans's early "rage against critics of cryptozoology". He finds parallels with cryptozoology and other pseudosciences, such as [[ghost hunting]] and [[ufology]], and compares the approach of cryptozoologists to colonial big-game hunters, and to aspects of European imperialism. According to Card, "[m]ost [[list of cryptids|cryptids]] are framed as the subject of indigenous legends typically collected in the heyday of [[comparative folklore]], though such legends may be heavily modified or worse. Cryptozoology's complicated mix of sympathy, interest, and appropriation of indigenous culture (or non-indigenous construction of it) is also found in [[New Age]] circles and dubious "[[Indian burial grounds]]" and other [[legend]]s [...] invoked in [[haunting]]s such as the [[The Amityville Horror|"Amityville" hoax]] [...]".<ref name="CARD-24-25">Card (2016: 24–27).</ref>

In a 2011 foreword for ''The American Biology Teacher'', then [[National Association of Biology Teachers]] president [[Dan Ward (educator)|Dan Ward]] uses cryptozoology as an example of "technological pseudoscience" that may confuse students about the scientific method. Ward says that "Cryptozoology [...] is not valid science or even science at all. It is monster hunting."<ref name="WARD-2011-440">Ward (2011: 440).</ref> [[History of science|Historian of science]] [[Brian Regal]] includes an entry for cryptozoology in his ''Pseudoscience: A Critical Encyclopedia'' (2009). Regal says that "as an intellectual endeavor, cryptozoology has been studied as much as cryptozoologists have sought hidden animals".<ref name="NAGEL-50">Nagel (2009: 50).</ref>

In a 1992 issue of ''[[The Folklore Society|Folklore]]'', [[folkloristics|folklorist]] Véronique Campion-Vincent says:
{{blockquote|Unexplained appearances of mystery animals are reported all over the world today. Beliefs in the existence of fabulous and supernatural animals are ubiquitous and timeless. In the continents discovered by Europe indigenous beliefs and tales have strongly influenced the perceptions of the conquered confronted by a new natural environment. In parallel with the growing importance of the scientific approach, these traditional mythical tales have been endowed with sometimes highly artificial precision and have given birth to contemporary legends solidly entrenched in their territories. The belief self-perpetuates today through multiple observations enhanced by the media and encouraged (largely with the aim of gain for touristic promotion) by the local population, often genuinely convinced of the reality of this profitable phenomenon."<ref name="CAMPION-VINCENT-173">Campion-Vincent (1992: 160–183).</ref>}}

Campion-Vincent says that "four currents can be distinguished in the study of mysterious animal appearances": "Forteans" ("compiler[s] of anomalies" such as via publications like the ''[[Fortean Times]]''), "occultists" (which she describes as related to "Forteans"), "folklorists", and "cryptozoologists". Regarding cryptozoologists, Campion-Vincent says that "this movement seems to deserve the appellation of parascience, like [[parapsychology]]: the same corpus is reviewed; many scientists participate, but for those who have an official status of university professor or researcher, the participation is a private hobby".<ref name="CAMPION-VINCENT-173"/>

In her ''Encyclopedia of American Folklore'', academic [[Linda Watts]] says that "folklore concerning unreal animals or beings, sometimes called monsters, is a popular field of inquiry" and describes cryptozoology as an example of "American narrative traditions" that "feature many monsters".<ref name="WATTS-271">Watts (2007: 271).</ref>

In his analysis of cryptozoology, folklorist [[Peter Dendle]] says that "cryptozoology devotees consciously position themselves in defiance of mainstream science" and that:
{{blockquote|The psychological significance of cryptozoology in the modern world [...] serves to channel guilt over the decimation of species and destruction of the natural habitat; to recapture a sense of mysticism and danger in a world now perceived as fully charted and over-explored; and to articulate resentment of and defiance against a scientific community perceived as monopolising the pool of culturally acceptable beliefs.<ref name="DENDLE-2006-190-206">Dendle (2006: 190–206).</ref>}}

In a paper published in 2013, Dendle refers to cryptozoologists as "contemporary monster hunters" that "keep alive a sense of wonder in a world that has been very thoroughly charted, mapped, and tracked, and that is largely available for close scrutiny on Google Earth and satellite imaging" and that "on the whole the devotion of substantial resources for this pursuit betrays a lack of awareness of the basis for scholarly consensus (largely ignoring, for instance, evidence of evolutionary biology and the fossil record)."<ref name="DENDLE-2013-439">Dendle (2013: 439).</ref>

According to historian [[Mike Dash]], few scientists doubt there are thousands of unknown animals, particularly invertebrates, awaiting discovery; however, cryptozoologists are largely uninterested in researching and cataloging newly discovered species of [[ant]]s or [[beetle]]s, instead focusing their efforts towards "more elusive" creatures that have often defied decades of work aimed at confirming their existence.<ref name="DASH-2000"/>

Paleontologist [[George Gaylord Simpson]] (1984) lists cryptozoology among examples of human gullibility, along with [[creationism]]:
{{blockquote|Humans are the most inventive, deceptive, and gullible of all animals. Only those characteristics can explain the belief of some humans in creationism, in the arrival of UFOs with extraterrestrial beings, or in some aspects of cryptozoology. [...] In several respects the discussion and practice of cryptozoology sometimes, although not invariably, has demonstrated both deception and gullibility. An example seems to merit the old Latin saying 'I believe because it is incredible,' although Tertullian, its author, applied it in a way more applicable to the present day creationists.<ref name="SIMPSON-1984-1-16">Simpson (1984: 1–19).</ref>}}

Paleontologist Donald Prothero (2007) cites cryptozoology as an example of pseudoscience and categorizes it, along with [[Holocaust denial]] and [[Ufology#Pseudoscience|UFO abductions claims]], as aspects of American culture that are "clearly baloney".<ref name="PROTHERO-2007">Prothero (2007: 13–15).</ref>

In ''Scientifical Americans: The Culture of Amateur Paranormal Researchers'' (2017), Hill surveys the field and discusses aspects of the subculture, noting internal attempts at creating more scientific approaches and the involvement of [[Young Earth creationists]] and a prevalence of hoaxes. She concludes that many cryptozoologists are "passionate and sincere in their belief that mystery animals exist. As such, they give deference to every report of a sighting, often without critical questioning. As with the [[Ghost hunting|ghost seekers]], cryptozoologists are convinced that they will be the ones to solve the mystery and make history. With the lure of mystery and money undermining diligent and ethical research, the field of cryptozoology has serious credibility problems."<ref name="SCIENTIFICAL-AMERICANS-56-68">Hill (2017: 56–69).</ref>

== Organizations ==
There have been several organizations, of varying types, dedicated or related to cryptozoology. These include:
* [[International Fortean Organization]] – a network of professional Fortean researchers and writers based in the United States
* [[International Society of Cryptozoology]] – an American organisation that existed from 1982 to 1998
* [[Kosmopoisk]] – a Russian organisation whose interests include cryptozoology and [[Ufology]]
* The Centre for Fortean Zoology- an English organization centered around hunting for unknown animals

== Museums and exhibitions ==
The zoological and cryptozoological collection and archive of Bernard Heuvelmans is held at the [[Musée Cantonal de Zoologie]] in [[Lausanne]] and consists of around "1,000 books, 25,000 files, 25,000 photographs, correspondence, and artifacts".<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Turner|first=Stephanie S.|url=|title=Anthropology and Cryptozoology: Exploring Encounters with Mysterious Creatures|publisher=Routledge|year=2017|isbn=978-1-315-56729-7|editor-last=Hurn|editor-first=Samantha|location=Abingdon|pages=12–31|language=en|chapter=The place of cryptids in taxonomic debates|doi=10.4324/9781315567297-9|chapter-url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/place-cryptids-taxonomic-debates-stephanie-turner/e/10.4324/9781315567297-9}}</ref>{{Rp|19}}

In 2006, the [[Bates College Museum of Art]] held the "Cryptozoology: Out of Time Place Scale" exhibition, which compared cryptozoological creatures with recently extinct animals like the [[thylacine]] and extant taxa like the [[coelacanth]], once thought long extinct ([[living fossils]]). The following year, the [[American Museum of Natural History]] put on a mixed exhibition of imaginary and extinct animals, including the [[elephant bird]] ''[[Aepyornis maximus]]'' and the great ape ''[[Gigantopithecus blacki]]'', under the name "Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns and Mermaids".<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|18–19}}

In 2003, cryptozoologist [[Loren Coleman]] opened the [[Loren Coleman#International Cryptozoology Museum|International Cryptozoology Museum]] in [[Portland, Maine|Portland]], [[Maine]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Southern |first=Marleen Shepherd The |date=2005-10-26 |title=Renowned cryptozoologist got his start at SIUC |url=https://thesouthern.com/news/renowned-cryptozoologist-got-his-start-at-siuc/article_3af791e9-fe76-5a43-98bc-e59b9ad3a7a6.html |access-date=2023-05-24 |website=Southern Illinoisan |language=en}}</ref> The museum houses more than 3000 cryptozoology related artifacts.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-11-06 |title=Crypto museum opens in new location {{!}} wlbz2.com |url=http://www.wlbz2.com/news/article/177863/3/Crypto-museum-opens-in-new-location |access-date=2023-05-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106160627/http://www.wlbz2.com/news/article/177863/3/Crypto-museum-opens-in-new-location |archive-date=2015-11-06 }}</ref>

==See also==
<!--Please don't add any links that are already in the article!-->
* [[Ethnozoology]]
* [[Fearsome critters]], fabulous beasts that were said to inhabit the timberlands of North America
* [[Folk belief]]
* [[List of cryptozoologists]], a list of notable cryptozoologists
* [[Scientific skepticism]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
* [[Robert Bartholomew|Bartholomew, Robert E.]] 2012. ''The Untold Story of Champ: A Social History of America's Loch Ness Monster''. [[State University of New York Press]]. {{ISBN|978-1438444857}}
* Campion-Vincent, Véronique. 1992. "Appearances of Beasts and Mystery-cats in France". ''Folklore'' 103.2 (1992): 160–183.
* Card, Jeb J. 2016. "Steampunk Inquiry: A Comparative Vivisection of Discovery Pseudoscience" in Card, Jeb J. and Anderson, David S. ''Lost City, Found Pyramid: Understanding Alternative Archaeologies and Pseudoscientific Practices'', pp.&nbsp;24–25. [[University of Alabama Press]]. {{ISBN|978-0817319113}}
* Church, Jill M. (2009). ''Cryptozoology''. In [[H. James Birx]]. ''Encyclopedia of Time: Science, Philosophy, Theology & Culture, Volume 1''. [[SAGE Publications]]. pp.&nbsp;251–252. {{ISBN|978-1-4129-4164-8}}
* Dash, Mike. 2000. ''Borderlands: The Ultimate Exploration of the Unknown''. [[Overlook Press]]. {{isbn|0-440-23656-8}}
* Dendle, Peter. 2006. "Cryptozoology in the Medieval and Modern Worlds". ''Folklore'', Vol. 117, No. 2 (Aug., 2006), pp.&nbsp;190–206. [[Taylor & Francis]].
* Dendle, Peter. 2013. "Monsters and the Twenty-First Century" in ''The Ashgate Research Companion to Monsters and the Monstrous''. [[Ashgate Publishing]]. {{ISBN|978-1472418012}}
* Hill, Sharon A. 2017. ''Scientifical Americans: The Culture of Amateur Paranormal Researchers''. [[McFarland & Company|McFarland]]. {{ISBN|978-1476630823}}
* Lack, Caleb W. and [[Jacques Rousseau (secular activist)|Jacques Rousseau]]. 2016. ''Critical Thinking, Science, and Pseudoscience: Why We Can't Trust Our Brains''. Springer. {{ISBN|978-0826194268}}
* Lee, Jeffrey A. 2000. ''The Scientific Endeavor: A Primer on Scientific Principles and Practice''. [[Benjamin Cummings]]. {{ISBN|978-0805345964}}
* Loxton, Daniel and Donald Prothero. 2013. ''Abominable Science: Origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and other Famous Cryptids''. [[Columbia University Press]]. {{ISBN|978-0-231-52681-4}}
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* Thomas, Paul. 2020. ''Storytelling the Bible at the Creation Museum, Ark Encounter, and Museum of the Bible''. [[Bloomsbury Publishing]]. {{ISBN|978-0567687142}}
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{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|cryptozoology}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Cryptozoology}}

{{Cryptozoology|state=expanded}}
{{Pseudoscience}}
{{Creation Science}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cryptozoology| ]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience]]
[[Category:Subcultures]]
[[Category:Young Earth creationism]]
[[Category:Zoology]]