What’s lurking in the woods, skies, and waters of our world? Throughout history, people have reported seeing mysterious creatures that don’t seem to match any known animal. These mystery beasts are called cryptids. Some are probably just misidentified animals or made-up stories, but others have even stumped experts. Here are 10 of the creepiest cryptids spotted out there that still have people scratching their heads about what they truly are. Spooky!

10: Mothman

A giant, red-eyed winged humanoid was spotted in Point Pleasant, West Virginia in the 1960s, earning the nickname “Mothman.” Witnesses say it was over 7 feet tall with a wingspan over 10 feet wide. It flew after people at speeds over 100 mph! Some report feeling hypnotized by its glowing eyes. Over 100 people saw it, including groups of people together ruling out a lone crazy witness. It seemed to be warning the town of something bad as sightings peaked right before a bridge collapsed killing 46 people. Mothman hasn’t been seen since, but what was this creature and what happened to it?

9: Jersey Devil

In the New Jersey Pine Barrens, a flying creature with horns, hooves, and a tail has been seen for over 260 years. Dubbed the “Jersey Devil”, it’s rumored to be the child of a human woman and the devil himself! Hundreds of sightings have been reported in the wooded area it calls home. It reportedly moves quickly between trees and lets out a horrifying scream. Cryptozoologists wonder if it could be a freak mutation of a known animal or maybe even a dinosaur throwback evolving undisturbed in the remote wilderness over generations. Either way, I’m not going camping there anytime soon!

8: Mongolian Death Worm

Would you believe there’s a legendary 5 foot long bright red worm said to spit acid and deliver electric shocks roaming the Gobi Desert? Locals think touching the Mongolian Death Worm’s skin can kill you instantly! However, the creature has been spotted dozens of times slithering over sand dunes from a distance. But when people try to get a closer look, it seems to disappear or burrow underground. Scientists have analyzed the sand in the area and found no traces of acid or electricity, but the sightings persist. What is going on here?!

7: Alien Big Cats

England and Australia have been invaded by mysterious big cats! These large felines leave massive paw prints, mutilate livestock, and are spotted prowling through the countryside. Known as “alien big cats” or ABCs, they don’t seem to be native species. The most famous is England’s “Beast of Bodmin Moor”, first seen in 1983, described as a gigantic black panther up to 6 feet long. Australia has reports of a giant feral tabby cat dubbed the “Queensland Tiger” as big as a lion! Where did these cats come from, how did distinct species get to these far-flung lands, and most importantly, are they dangerous to humans?!

6: Honey Island Swamp Monster

In 1963 two hunters in Louisiana claimed to see a hairy 7 foot tall creature with gray hair, dark skin, and glowing yellow eyes in the Honey Island Swamp. Dubbed the “Honey Island Swamp Monster”, more sightings soon followed by credible locals stunned by the beast wandering the swamps. Wildlife experts found unusual 16 inch long four-toed footprints too big to be a bear. Honey Island Swamp is remote but some theorize the beast may have escaped from a traveling circus train wreck in the area in the 1890s. But what kind of animal leaves four-toed tracks that size?!

5: Giant Squid

Stories of massive squids attacking ships go back hundreds of years, but scientists didn’t confirm the giant squid was real until 2004! Jelly-like remains discovered in sperm whale stomachs showed they grow up to 43 feet long and weigh up to 1,900 pounds. They live at depths around 3,000 feet deep making them extremely hard to observe and study. Their eyes are the size of soccer balls to spot prey in the pitch black depths! After decades of being considered a fantasy creature, could other seemingly mythical sea monsters one day prove to be real too?

4: Kraken

Speaking of legendary sea beasts, Norse tales going back over 1,000 years warn of a gigantic many-armed cephalopod called “kraken” big enough to pull down ships! Modern scientists debate rather than just one species, kraken stories may be exaggerated tales inspired by giant squid sightings or discoveries of sperm whale fights with giant squids leaving behind severed tentacles on beaches after their battles. But legends say kraken had lobster-like shells and whale-like teeth very different from squids, leaving open the tiny, but tantalizing possibility that reports were based on an even bigger and deadlier monster of the deep we have yet to prove exists!

3: Chupacabra

The chupacabra (“goat sucker” in Spanish) is said to have leathery skin with deadly quills running down its back like a dinosaur, standing on two legs 3 to 4 feet tall with powerful hind legs like a kangaroo allowing it to leap 20 feet in a single bound! This beast is infamous for reportedly draining the blood from livestock, first garnering attention in Puerto Rico and Mexico in the 1990s. While rare sightings continue today, DNA tests on a few carcasses revealed diseased coyotes and dogs with extreme cases of mange explaining their unusual appearance. But a few samples showed unidentifiable DNA, meaning rare encounters with a true chupacabra can’t be ruled out just yet!

2: Loch Ness Monster

One of the most famous cryptids is Nessie, the Loch Ness monster said to inhabit Scotland’s Loch Ness lake. Reports date back 1,500 years of a long-necked aquatic creature resembling a dinosaur paddling about and rearing its head above the water. Sonar searches have detected large, fast-moving underwater objects too big for common wildlife but they remain unidentified. Photos and videos have yet to provide definitive proof, with many exposed as hoaxes. With over 1,000 eyewitness accounts, could a prehistoric beast be living in the isolated lake? If so, it likely represents a remnant populatiom of plesiosaurs that somehow escaped extinction!

1: Bigfoot

And the most spotted and widely believed-in cryptid is Bigfoot across the forests of North America! This mysterious upright walking ape-man reportedly stands 7 to 10 feet tall, weighs 800 pounds, and leaves massive human-like footprints. Thousands have heard its eerie screams echoing in the woods. Sightings include entire groups yet no carcass has ever been found. Many photos and recordings exist but all proven to be fakes. Still, the sheer number of reports from credible witnesses suggests an undiscovered primate does lurk in our wilds. The best evidence was tracks in the snow by experienced hunters and forest rangers confounded by their discovery. Skeptics fear admitting Bigfoot is real means our woods may still harbor unknown large predators dangerously close to humans!

Those are 10 of the creepiest cryptids spotted out there sending chills down spines and leaving more questions than answers about what they could possibly be. So next time you go hiking, camping, or swimming in remote areas … you never know what creature you might disturb lurking in the trees, skies or waters! Stay alert and safe out there as monsters can come in mysterious forms yet to be understood by science!