Tales of the Cryptids: Mysterious Creatures That May or May Not Exist

These mysterious creatures have been hiding—some of them for centuries—from the seeking eyes and minds of top scientists, cryptozoologists, and everyday folks. And along the way, some surprises have come about.

Hoaxes have been exposed, such as the Fiji mermaids, really only man-made statues of monkey heads and fish tails. Mysteries have been solved, such as the "extinct" prehistoric fish, the coelacanth, living in the deep oceans near Africa. But most cry...