What even is a "cryptid"?

In Part Two of the RSS-warming series... Let's talk about cryptids, baby - Mal introduces her research on lesser-known cryptids from wildlife expert Forrest Galante Mokele Mbembe: The Congo Dinosaur - A sauropod-like creature with sightings dating back to a German captain in 1913 The Ozark Howler - Mal describes a nine-foot beast with "the tail of a cat and the body of a dog" and a horrifying howl that sounds like "an elk and a wolf that ends in a woman's scream." Screaming Mr. Potato Head - Tom describes the Jersey Devil, "an awful amalgam" with bat wings and a horse’s head that screams at people Misidentification of rare species - Many so-called cryptid sightings may actually be rare, endangered species We don’t know what we don’t know - Jordan: "Is it too much of a leap for us to think that maybe there are species that we haven't discovered yet that are also going extinct and are rare?" Cryptids and UFOs - Just like UFOs, it’s not a question of whether cryptids exist, but what they are Boring Cryptids - Tom points out most cryptids aren't exciting: "It's like, here's a little deer... it's just a damn little grass eating guy." The Coelacanth - a six-foot prehistoric fish thought extinct for millions of years until rediscovered in the 1930s. When does a cryptid graduate? - Jordan: "How does something go from being a cryptid to not a cryptid anymore?" Creatures that don't want to be found - Jordan: "If something doesn't want to be documented or found... it's not going to be.” Even the photographers struggle - Mal notes how "nature photographers have to sit in a bush for five weeks" just to get one picture of an elusive animal Cognitive closure is a hell of a drug - Tom: “for most people... the idea that things are wild and unpredictable is too scary." Fiction bleeding into…”fact”? - Mal shares how the first chupacabra witness had "very recently watched the film Species" A desire to be decentered - Mal likes to think maybe we badly want “to have life be this big, beautiful thing that you're just witnessing." The Whale Penis Theory - You’re gonna have to go find out. Come talk to us at godsghostsUFOs.com! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ggupodcast.substack.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices