Uploaded July 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Some cryptids, once thought to be myths, against all odds turned out to be real animals. Here are seven of the most incredible.
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The word ‘Cryptid’ refers to any entity whose existence has yet to be documented outside of legends and myths — like… the Loch Ness Monster. But believe it or not, many real animals you might recognize today were once cryptids themselves, thought to exist only in folklore.
As humankind has explored more and more remote parts of our planet’s surface, increasingly fantastical organisms have been discovered. So, for this entry into the archives, we’re going to catalogue seven real animals once upon a time thought to be cryptids.
0:00 Intro
0:37 Giant Squid
1:49 Oarfish
2:48 Komodo Dragon
3:36 Manatee
4:17 Mountain Gorilla
5:13 Platypus
5:50 Venus Fly Trap
6:33 Outro
Academic Sources:
Giant Squid History - Australian Geographic: https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2021/08/the-giant-squid-a-short-history/
Oarfish History - Grace Costantino: blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2014/10/the-quest-for-sea-serpent-oarfish-or.html
Komodo Dragon History - Hanneke Meijer: theguardian.com/science/2017/may/17/here-be-dragons-the-million-year-journey-of-the-komodo-dragon
Manatee History - Caty Fairclough: https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/marine-mammals/mermaids-manatees-myth-and-reality
Mountain Gorilla Monster History - Boyce Rensberger: washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1977/12/25/the-myth-of-the-ferocious-gorilla/e9ed89f2-8e19-4164-bef2-ea5cd9dd947c
Platypus Discovery - Abby Ohlheiser: washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/04/01/the-platypus-is-so-weird-that-scientists-thought-the-first-specimen-was-a-hoax
Venus Fly Trap History - The Parliament of Things: theparliamentofthings.org/book-articles/the-plants
Footage Credit:
Oarfish
youtube.com/watch?v=_xWaQ5E07yk
youtube.com/watch?v=-yIWfCAC5y0
youtube.com/watch?v=hzW5Jx3fybM
Giant Squid
youtube.com/watch?v=eOXkUrhclcc
Venus fly trap
youtube.com/watch?v=PYMYxw4Llow
youtube.com/watch?v=AqNQxKxQdsU
Thumbnail
flickr.com/photos/nordelch/14013315296
#CuriousArchive #Cryptids #Mystery
Some cryptids, once thought to be myths, against all odds turned out to be real animals. Here are seven of the most incredible.
---
Subscribe to stay up to date with The Archive: youtube.com/channel/UCweDKPSF65wRw5VHFUJYiow?sub_confirmation=1
Curious Archive Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/Curious_Archive
Instagram: instagram.com/CuriousArchive
Facebook: facebook.com/CuriousArchiveYoutube
The word ‘Cryptid’ refers to any entity whose existence has yet to be documented outside of legends and myths — like… the Loch Ness Monster. But believe it or not, many real animals you might recognize today were once cryptids themselves, thought to exist only in folklore.
As humankind has explored more and more remote parts of our planet’s surface, increasingly fantastical organisms have been discovered. So, for this entry into the archives, we’re going to catalogue seven real animals once upon a time thought to be cryptids.
0:00 Intro
0:37 Giant Squid
1:49 Oarfish
2:48 Komodo Dragon
3:36 Manatee
4:17 Mountain Gorilla
5:13 Platypus
5:50 Venus Fly Trap
6:33 Outro
Academic Sources:
Giant Squid History - Australian Geographic: https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2021/08/the-giant-squid-a-short-history/
Oarfish History - Grace Costantino: blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2014/10/the-quest-for-sea-serpent-oarfish-or.html
Komodo Dragon History - Hanneke Meijer: theguardian.com/science/2017/may/17/here-be-dragons-the-million-year-journey-of-the-komodo-dragon
Manatee History - Caty Fairclough: https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/marine-mammals/mermaids-manatees-myth-and-reality
Mountain Gorilla Monster History - Boyce Rensberger: washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1977/12/25/the-myth-of-the-ferocious-gorilla/e9ed89f2-8e19-4164-bef2-ea5cd9dd947c
Platypus Discovery - Abby Ohlheiser: washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/04/01/the-platypus-is-so-weird-that-scientists-thought-the-first-specimen-was-a-hoax
Venus Fly Trap History - The Parliament of Things: theparliamentofthings.org/book-articles/the-plants
Footage Credit:
Oarfish
youtube.com/watch?v=_xWaQ5E07yk
youtube.com/watch?v=-yIWfCAC5y0
youtube.com/watch?v=hzW5Jx3fybM
Giant Squid
youtube.com/watch?v=eOXkUrhclcc
Venus fly trap
youtube.com/watch?v=PYMYxw4Llow
youtube.com/watch?v=AqNQxKxQdsU
Thumbnail
flickr.com/photos/nordelch/14013315296
#CuriousArchive #Cryptids #Mystery
