Sharon A. Hill<p><strong>Pop Cryptid Spectator 18</strong></p><p>Hi, everyone. </p><p>The <em>Pop Cryptid Spectator</em> is about the proliferation of depictions of cryptids in popular culture. In particular, these depictions are outside the context of the original, and serious, concept of cryptozoology as a specialized branch of zoology. </p><p>I realize this is a very niche topic. First, you have to know about cryptozoology. Then, you have to have some concept about how it was framed in its early inception. Finally, you have to be aware of, and interested in, the modern cryptid landscape, which exploded with new and imaginative ideas. Cryptids are EVERYWHERE today. And their presence in popular culture rarely has anything to do with a scientific endeavor to find a mystery animal unknown to science.</p><p>That calculation results in a tiny population of people that is going to get the gist of this specific newsletter. If you are one of them, thanks for coming along with me on this journey. </p><p>There are self-styled cryptozoologists and even scholars writing about these topics that don’t see the subject through the lens of pop cryptids. Even they aren’t catching this vibe. It’s still important for me to document the pop cryptid concept, since it helps me understand what’s happening in real time and tease out the reasons why cryptids are so popular these days, both commercially and socially. As always, I’m here to deliver examples of this popularity with each edition.</p><p>Through the pop cryptid lens, the creatures called “cryptids”, as defined and redefined continually through products of our society, transcend the idea of a “hidden animal” to be identified by zoological science. This is no longer the primary goal. Instead, the pop cryptid model shines a light on the many other purposes and goals. It’s important to document these cultural ideas because they can affect how we identify with the places we live or visit and our beliefs and our immediate environment. Cryptids are used in the stories we tell to convey important messages about ourselves and how we see the world. They reflect our fears and our relationship with the nature or the beyond-nature. The stories also play a huge role in tourism and media products. Let me illustrate…</p><p>In this edition:</p><ul><li>Jersey Devil is a Cryptid of the Moment</li><li>Cryptid AI vlogs</li><li>SpiracyCon goes heavy on cryptids and Christian commentators</li><li>What’s with the “archiness” of water monsters?</li><li>Monster Festivals Season – Thank the Mothman</li><li>In Research Of… The Mothman Prophecies deep dive</li><li>Pop Cryptid trivia</li></ul><p><strong>Jersey Devil is a Cryptid of the Moment</strong></p><p>One can reasonably argue that the Jersey Devil (JD) is not a cryptid because it was viewed as a folklore creature, a mass panic event, or, in reality, a political smear campaign, instead of an animal to be discovered. However, JD clearly ranks as a top pop cryptid. It’s a fantastic creature and I love it. <em>Reactor</em> magazine has <a href="https://reactormag.com/the-jersey-devil-is-ready-for-its-close-up" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a lovely article</a> about how a current book of poetry, a play, and a comic about the Jersey Devil have arrived to show it is still beloved. The three very different ways of utilizing the same subject show how versatile JD is. The writer remarks that it is “a combination of the Jersey Devil’s unique qualities and vague history that make it so appealing to writers and storytellers right now.”</p><p><strong>Cryptid AI vlogs</strong></p><p>I wrote <a href="https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/2025/06/22/ai-cryptid-vlogs/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a new piece for <em>Modern Cryptozoology </em>about the sudden proliferation of cryptid vlogs</a> on visual social media platforms.</p> <p>Starting in June 2025, video blog shorts have been materializing daily featuring cryptids rendered with amazing realism. They are meant to be humorous, with the cryptids pointing the phone cam at themselves and their friends, making jokes, and showing the viewer what it’s like to be their best selves. They talk, sing, demonstrate life skills, discover cool things, and even interact with people. Check out the piece <a href="https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/2025/06/22/ai-cryptid-vlogs/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><strong>SpiracyCon goes heavy on cryptids and Christian commentators</strong></p><p>I just want everyone to take a look at the header for <a href="https://spiracycon.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">SpiracyCon</a>. This is really something!</p><p>This conspiracy conference promises “a world of intrigue and revelation!” “With a wide variety of speakers—bold investigators, daring theorists, and passionate truth-tellers… this event promises to challenge everything you think you know.” You wouldn’t expect cryptids to feature so prevalently – maybe UFOs and JFK. But, the dogman/werewolf, Bigfoot, and Mothman imagery is concerning when the content is advertised as “a thrilling mix of talks and discussions that dive deep into topics like government cover-ups, unexplained phenomena, and forbidden knowledge.” The term “truth seekers” is mentioned several times.</p><p>Of the content creators on the speakers list of 19 so far, 16 have “Christian” or Biblical studies in their bio. The other 3 might just not say it out loud, but clearly know this is an event with a seriously militant Christian vibe. Four mention Bigfoot research or cryptids in general. More than a few bios are downright terrifying in an evident personality disorder kind of way. If you know anything about the insane conspiracy ideas such as aliens as demons, Bigfoot as Nephilim, and Satanic allegations against one’s political enemies, you can bet what will be mentioned here will be even worse.</p><p>I would not be the least bit comfortable in such a crowd. However, it is not new that ideas about cryptids are popularly blending with the supernatural and occult, government coverups, and End Times Biblical stuff. Some people go hard core. Take this as a wake-up call – not all cryptid fans are in it for the fun. </p><p><strong>What’s with the “archiness” of water monsters?</strong></p><p>Charles Paxton and Adrian Shine have a new journal article out examining the “sticky” cultural image of water monsters depicted with “arches” of their long, serpentine bodies out of water. The conclusion of the article is that only very few eyewitness reports describe these “arches” in contrast to the very many media, art, and consumer imagery that does. </p> <p>The more common description of “humps” (showing no space between the flesh and the water), while not examined in this article, is treated in Shine’s book <em>A Natural History of Sea Serpents</em> where he argues that the appearance of humps are frequently the result of natural wakes or waves on calm water. There is no related trend of eyewitnesses reporting “arches” even though the common pop-cultural depiction of, say, Nessie, shows these. This conclusion contrasts with other evidence that clearly suggests that pop-cultural depictions of cryptids influence eyewitness reports of seeing them. So, this is an intriguing finding. </p><p>It’s important to emphasize that NO vertebrate animal can move in a way that creates vertical “arches”, not even snakes. The best nature can do is a series of surface breaches just on the surface, such as when dolphins or porpoises travel in a line. Therefore, if a witness reports “arches” instead of humps, they can fairly be deemed to be mistaken to some degree.</p><p>A closing note on this, the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c335rr1enelo" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">BBC had a write-up</a> where they got things confused regarding arches vs humps. People definitely see humps, but not arches. </p><p><strong>Monster Festivals Season – Thank the Mothman</strong></p><p>Town <a href="https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/cryptid-town-festivals/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">monster festival</a> season continues: The Grafton monster festival, in its second year as one of several cryptid festivals located in West Virginia, <a href="https://www.wvnews.com/mountainstatesman/grafton-monster-festival-draws-hundreds-celebrates-local-lore-with-cosplay-lectures-and-live-music/article_2e4f4c10-d6d5-4d9c-9ef2-61410e29d6cf.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">was a huge success</a>, and Port Henry, New York will hold its <a href="https://www.cnhi.com/rss_feed/port-henry-to-celebrate-40-years-of-champ-day/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">40th Champ Day</a> at Lake Champlain in early August. </p><p>Several other events coming in later summer and fall are ramping up to attract more visitors than ever as previous visitors tell their friends and families and word spreads via social media. Typically, these festival feature vendors, bands, and speakers. The speakers are frequently content creators, or associated with a TV show, what we colloquially call “para-celebs”. It used to be ghost hunters who got all the attention; but this social cachet is now rubbing off on cryptid investigators. If you visit one in your area, let me know how it was by emailing me! </p><p>Why do we have cryptid town festivals multiplying and growing every year? Mothman. Several new festivals, such as for Ol’ Green Eyes, Albatwitch, Grafton, Van Meter, and more, are spun from the template of Point Pleasant’s Mothman Festival.</p><p><strong>In Research Of… The Mothman Prophecies deep dive</strong></p><p>Here is a fantastic two-parter podcast that you must check out. Jeb Card and Blake Smith of <em>In Research Of… </em> go step by step through <em>The Mothman Prophecies (2002) </em>film. They compare the book to the movie and discuss aspects of the film and the phenomenon that you will certainly not have heard before. Instead of the usual Wikipedia-referencing shallow cryptid podcast, indulge with two extremely well-versed commentators sharing their thoughts on Mothman, movies, John Keel, and pop cryptids.<br>Part 1 <a href="https://inresearchof.libsyn.com/s04-bonus-the-mothman-prophecies-part-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://inresearchof.libsyn.com/s04-bonus-the-mothman-prophecies-part-1</a><br>Part 2 <a href="https://inresearchof.libsyn.com/s4-bonus-the-mothman-prophecies-part-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://inresearchof.libsyn.com/s4-bonus-the-mothman-prophecies-part-2</a></p><p>The Mothman festival, one of the most popular cryptid town festivals in the world, was almost certainly a result of this movie. And, remember, without the Mothman festival, there would probably not be the plethora of other monster festivals worldwide that we have today.</p><p><strong>Pop Cryptid trivia</strong></p><p>See if you can answer this movie trivia question.</p><p><em>What actress has appeared in TWO movies as a cancer-stricken wife of a man who embarks on a personal journey involving a cryptid?</em></p><p>Click here to go to my “<a href="https://sharonahill.com/reveals/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">reveal</a>” page with the answer.</p> <p>Thanks for reading.</p><p>Please continue to send me links to interesting news and content. I really appreciate that. Email sharon(at)sharonahill.com. </p><p>For more, click on <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-goes-the-cryptid/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop goes the Cryptid landing page</a>. Make sure you <a href="https://sharonahill.com/subscribe-to-posts/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">subscribe </a>to all the posts – it’s always free and I don’t send annoying spam. </p><p>Pop Cryptid Spectator is also available on <a href="https://sharonahill.substack.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Substack</a>. Please share this with cryptid fans you know!</p> <span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator</span> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-17/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 17</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-17/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 17</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-16/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 16</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-16/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 16</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-15/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 15</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-15/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 15</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-14/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 14</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-14/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 14</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-13/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 13</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-13/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 13</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-12/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 12</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-12/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 12</a></strong></p> <p></p> <p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/1/" target="_blank">#1</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/ai-cryptids/" target="_blank">#AICryptids</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/alien-big-cats/" target="_blank">#alienBigCats</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/bigfoot/" target="_blank">#Bigfoot</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/bigfoot-life/" target="_blank">#BigfootLife</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/cryptid/" target="_blank">#cryptid</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/cryptids/" target="_blank">#cryptids</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/cryptozoology/" target="_blank">#Cryptozoology</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/fiji-mermaid/" target="_blank">#FijiMermaid</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/mokele-mbembe/" target="_blank">#mokeleMbembe</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/north-american-pine-squid/" target="_blank">#NorthAmericanPineSquid</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/pacific-northwest-tree-octopus/" target="_blank">#PacificNorthwestTreeOctopus</a></p><p><a href="https://sharonahill.com/?p=9707" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">sharonahill.com/?p=9707</span><span class="invisible"></span></a></p>
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#AICryptids
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Modern Cryptozoology<p><strong>AI Cryptid Vlogs</strong></p><p>In June 2025, video blog shorts have been materializing daily featuring cryptids rendered with amazing realism. They are meant to be humorous, with the cryptids pointing the video cam at themselves and their friends, making jokes, and showing the viewer what it’s like to be them being their best selves. They talk, sing, demonstrate life skills, discover cool things, and even interact with people. These vids can be quite entertaining. However, the novelty is already wearing off as there are so many flooding the platforms with varying quality. Let’s look at a few. </p><p><strong>Bigfoot</strong></p><p>The first channel that kicked it off was <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@bigfootvlogs" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.tiktok.com/@bigfootvlogs</a>. The first video was on May 28, 2025. And the scene exploded over the following weeks. There are so many Bigfoot vlogs and re-posters now that I can’t untangle who is doing what. Bigfoot is usually rendered as a chestnut or dark brown, husky creature, sometimes more muscular than Bigfoot is usually portrayed, with a dark gorilla-like face. Sometimes, however, he resembles a giant orangutan. Because this is an AI generated Bigfoot, this version is collectively what the culture says it looks like. </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3F1yTvmWqQ" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3F1yTvmWqQ</a></p><p>He carries a selfie stick so you get the personal and steady view. In some, he has a wolf dog named Lobo. Bigfoot often finds drugs, and the punch line is that he always uses them. Most of these aren’t very funny, though they have their moments. In some longer videos, Bigfoot’s look differs from clip to clip, even having an entirely different voice or accent, which is sloppy and annoying. Also, yes, there is a female Bigfoot blog. Many of these videos are rather PG-13 in ratings, but kids are certainly watching them. </p><p><strong>Yeti</strong></p><p>So far, the individual Yeti vlogs or those along with Bigfoot are not very good. The Yeti is depicted as white-furred with a dark face, which is a very pop culturally derived version. The realism is less convincing and these are just not well written so far. Sometimes, the face might be pink or the head shape different across the same video. Often appearing with Bigfoot, Yeti has not found his influencer niche yet. </p><p><strong>Yowie</strong></p><p>This one is bloody hilarious. The key is that the Yowies have personality and use Australian slang. (Remember how much we loved Crocodile Dundee and Steve Irwin? Same fun vibe.)There are two top Yowie creators: @Big_Yowie is rendered as a dark brown Bigfoot relation, and Kev the Yowie is more orangutan-like. I subscribe to big_yowie as the realism on this channel is superb. He likes to drive (badly), and blow things up (real good) – sometimes in combination, such as when driving off a cliff. One of the best bits is when he teaches you how to swim, and fist fight a shark. Check it out on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Kev is a bit more salty in language, not as naturally funny, but your mileage may vary. </p><p><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@big_yowie/video/7514151492429958443?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7513322067216254506" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.tiktok.com/@big_yowie/video/7514151492429958443?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7513322067216254506</a></p><p><strong>Mothman</strong></p><p>There are a few Mothman vlogs out there as well. This has potential, but isn’t quite there yet. Mothman tends to comment on the same things in the woods as Bigfoot. This Mothman vlog comments on the fact that the creature looks different in each clip, a useful point. The truth is that Mothman is not as well-defined as Bigfoot, so the face, physique and wing descriptions can be more, uh, fuzzy.</p><p><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mothman.vlogs/video/7512589692185906463" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.tiktok.com/@mothman.vlogs/video/7512589692185906463</a></p><p><strong>Flood of AI creature vlogs</strong></p><p>According to <a href="https://tech.yahoo.com/ai/articles/hilarious-ai-generated-bigfoot-vlogs-220016587.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">this June 2025 article</a>, the explosion in these types of creative projects are due to the availability of Google’s video generator Veo 3 that has more realistic results. To make a fun depiction, you no longer need a costume and makeup! In fact, you simply <a href="https://photutorial.com/bigfoot-vlog-trend/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">put a description in a prompt</a>. The voices and movements sync up. All you need to make a video of your own is skill with the software, the funds for the digital tools, and some writing talent to generate a distinct personality for your cryptid. </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnRtkEZNsOM" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">This source</a> notes that the Bigfoot vlogs meme has really caught on, generating consistent engagement and sharing. Other videos are surfacing to teach you how to do it yourself. </p><p>It’s certain that <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/discover/cryptid-vlogs" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">other cryptid vlogs</a> will follow. I see some with Rougarou, Nessie, werewolf, Jersey Devil, chupacabra, and skinwalker. The wendigo makes an appearance in one of the Yeti vlogs. These are mostly pretty awful, but if the trend continues, you’ll see them improve and proliferate. </p><p><strong>The Danger of AI video</strong></p><p>There is little to fret about from the serious cryptid hunter; these are clearly made for fun and may become profitable as well. Most viewers won’t readily understand how they were made, but will enjoy them for entertainment. However, the danger of AI is obvious when it’s used to create with the intent to deliberately fool people. Therefore, no video or image can now be reasonably considered as evidence for a cryptid. By default, if the visual is clear, we should assume it is hoaxed, manipulated, or created outright, as that is so simple to do. The ubiquity of AI means that those aiming to get useful evidence of a cryptid animal will have to up their game as well. </p><p>For more on AI cryptids, check out <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-11/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 11</a>, and <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-15/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">15</a>, and <a href="https://sharonahill.com/chaneque-video-debunked/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Chaneque video unmasked</a></p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/tag/ai-cryptids/" target="_blank">#AICryptids</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/tag/bigfoot/" target="_blank">#Bigfoot</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/tag/bigfoot-video/" target="_blank">#BigfootVideo</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/tag/bigfoot-vlog/" target="_blank">#BigfootVlog</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/tag/meme/" target="_blank">#meme</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/tag/mothman/" target="_blank">#mothman</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/tag/tiktok/" target="_blank">#TikTok</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/tag/yeti/" target="_blank">#Yeti</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/tag/yeti-vlog/" target="_blank">#YetiVlog</a></p>
Sharon A. Hill<p><strong>Pop Cryptid Spectator 15</strong></p><p>Hello and welcome to the 15 edition of Pop Cryptid Spectator – a newsletter solely meant to indulge my interest in the subject of cryptids in popular culture. If you’re reading it, that’s awesome; I appreciate it. It’s important to me to document changes in the thinking about mysterious animals over modern times. It’s not just some weird fringe subject, it’s mainstream now. The modern stories and events associated with mysterious animals reflect societal views and the different agendas of subgroups involved in the topic. This edition does go a bit heavy on the traditional view of cryptozoology, where people are interested in finding a real animal behind the <a href="https://www.hancockhouse.com/products/rumors-of-existence-newly-discovered-supposedly-extinct-unconfirmed?srsltid=AfmBOoojJIWj4dOhTXRh1i9w3lvg3LyooDqOYCxYbH87-wKG5bXhTtaQ" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">rumors of existence</a>. But, things will go off the rails, as everything has in this wacky 21st century. Thanks for joining me on this kooky trip. </p><p>In this edition:</p><ul><li>Florida Bigfoot Conference review</li><li>Sasquatch heads around town</li><li>AI cryptids: Faked Nessie sightings</li><li>AI cryptids: Fake Yeti photo circulating</li><li>AI Fake Coelacanth News</li><li>Mokele-mbembe and Creationists’ corruption</li><li>Cryptid media: The Cryptid Factor podcast</li></ul><p><strong>Florida Bigfoot Conference review</strong></p><p>Amanda from Swell Entertainment attended the Great Florida Bigfoot Conference in Ocala a few weeks ago and posted a video review. I found several parts interesting but also, there was a lot of the same old thing that always happens with cryptid conferences (vs conventions which are more fan oriented). However, conferences usually suggest a more serious audience but cryptid events in general seem to be leaning more towards merchandise sales and para-celebrity attractions, with almost no scholarly presenters (maybe because there are so few). </p><p>For example, Amanda says there was considerable time given to the audience to supply content. That is, there was a panel discussion that was mostly audience questions, and there was a big session of testimonials where people were encouraged to tell their (sometimes long and rambling stories). Often, these events get one or two big name speakers from TV shows to draw fans. The quality of content is hit or miss.</p><p>Amanda didn’t have a strong background in Bigfoot information. This can be an advantage or disadvantage for a fair review. The advantage is that she had fresh eyes on the content and was unimpressed by the quality of much of the evidence presented, the over-reliance on eyewitness testimony, and poorly documented physical traces (like footprints). Additionally, she noted the drama that took place regarding a certain skunk ape researcher (if you know, you know – I know), who felt he should have been the main draw at this and previous events. Not only do these events not invite scholars (who are mostly going to be skeptics), they also have much ado about internal squabbles re: claiming areas, ideas, and even evidence, for themselves. All of this shows how “zoology” based cryptid research is <a href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/is-cryptozoology-scientific/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">unscientific</a>. She even noted that very few presenters had a scientific background, and there was considerable fringe talk regarding conspiracies, government coverups, and even obvious nonsense about pseudoarchaeology and Roswell’s alien bodies. None of this is at all surprising. </p><p>From her comments, and from my past experience from such events, it seems that this event really leans into an agenda that transcends Bigfoot as simply a mystery to be solved. Going by the popularity of UAPs and eccentric ideas about nature, a portion of Bigfoot audiences will buy into scary concepts without foundation, where belief and personal testimony outweigh scientific evidence and critical evaluation. That’s not rational, that’s <em>religion</em>.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTiOZXToRk8" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTiOZXToRk8</a></p><p><strong>Sasquatch heads around town</strong></p><p>Moving on to a more lighthearted, and very “pop cryptid” story, Seattle artist Henry is on a mission to <a href="https://www.king5.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/evening/muralist-henry-paint-1000-sasquatch-heads-seattle/281-64ea0095-0823-4446-a2fb-31bc9015e8c7" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">paint 1000 Sasquatch faces across the city</a>. He loves to create his cartoon, friendly-fanged version of the big guy and thinks it’s a nice way to connect the community with a common theme. He is still taking requests for locations on his website <a href="https://www.henry.art/1000-murals.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.henry.art/1000-murals.html</a>, if you have a spare space that needs a furry face. </p> <p><strong>AI cryptids: Faked Nessie sightings</strong></p><p>I really didn’t anticipate that so many cryptid stories in the news would roll back around to AI. But with this slop taking over the internet and making that technology less useful every day, this is the way it’s going. The Loch Ness Centre has to consider that every photo they get purportedly of Nessie might be AI generated. In past decades, photo editing and hoaxes was a likely possibility, but now, the photos can be not only heavily manipulated through AI, but created entirely from prompts, not even needing some real event as a basis. The Centre has had to <a href="https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/14660075/loch-ness-monster-experts-dodgy-ai-fakes/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">employ a team of consultants</a> to examine the visual evidence for this kind of humbuggery. </p><p>Actually, the easier route is to not accept this kind of evidence at all. The odds are overwhelming that any image is not going to show anything worthwhile. Evidence needs to be far better than that. </p><p><strong>AI cryptids: Fake Yeti photo circulating</strong></p><p>For this story, I’m trying not to despair because the content is so blatantly fake that it should be obvious to anyone. But people still are circulating it as evidence of the Yeti. It’s so popular that <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/animal-photo-bear-fake/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Snopes.com had to put up a debunk of it</a>. It began with an AI generated photo appearing on X (which I always call Xitter, pronounced “shi-ter”) showing a weird bear-like creature next to a man. It got over a million views. Within a few weeks, the image was being circulated on TikTok as evidence of the Yeti. This is not the first time that AI has been used to fool people with photo evidence of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/fact-check/1883-photograph-of-bigfoot-or-sasquatch-is-ai-generated-idUSL1N38T0FV/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a hairy giant</a> and <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-2/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">other cryptids</a>. The internet is making us stupid. I just hope most people see this as a form of modern art/commentary, and not real. </p> <p><strong>AI Fake Coelacanth News</strong></p><p>And, finally, on the AI front, is the fake news circulated this week that a coelacanth (a cryptozoologist’s favorite <a href="https://sharonahill.com/the-red-herring-2/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">red herring</a> for mystery monsters that may still exist) was found off the coast of California. I wrote <a href="https://sharonahill.com/fake-california-coelacanth/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a separate post about this</a> which you received if you are <a href="https://sharonahill.com/subscribe-to-posts/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">subscriber</a>. It’s a depressing state of affairs when news media will simply regurgitate fiction as fact without checking. But this is a warning that it’s happening all the time and we need to be aware. Be SKEPTICAL! Check the sources.</p><p><strong>Mokele-mbembe and Creationists’ corruption</strong></p><p>In the past few PCS editions, I’ve mentioned the growing popularity of neodinosaurs (a term that was coined by Fortean and OG cryptozoology commentator Ivan Sanderson). In particular, the mokele-mbembe stories are showing up on media sites documenting the resurgence of belief by locals that a brontosaurus-like creature still exists in the Congo basin in Africa. <a href="https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-congos-dinosaur-of-discord/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">A new piece from New Lines mag</a> continues the story by emphasizing the connection of this tale to those trying to disprove evolution. The article packs a punch. I have to share a quote:</p><blockquote><p><em>Mokele-mbembe is the Congo Basin’s bigfoot. Or that’s what it’s become, anyway — a cryptid. Nobody is sure when the myth originated, but it was born among the basin’s communities, who passed it down as an oral tradition. Locals tell me the myth was spiritual at first — a metaphor, perhaps, for humankind’s delicate relationship with the land. But today, nobody can say with certainty what exactly it meant because foreigners long ago twisted it well beyond recognition. </em></p><p><em>“Congolese people originally believed mokele-mbembe was a spiritual being, not a real dinosaur,” Oyange told me last year. “But that all changed when the white man came to Africa.” A confluence of European colonial expansion into Africa and the birth of paleontology gave rise to a version of mokele-mbembe that was a literal, flesh-and-blood, swamp-dwelling reptilian beast. Tales passed around by explorers, missionaries and colonial functionaries became warped by notions from Victorian literature and emerging science.</em></p></blockquote><p>Take. Note. It is perfectly clear that the idea of a living dinosaur in the Congo was a manufactured myth. Unfortunately, it is still heavily promoted by a few backwards thinkers who insist that the Bible is a science book. And, worse than that, the locals now believe the modern myth. Similarly, the ideas of lake monsters and many other cryptids, especially Bigfoot, were linked to native stories by white people even where there was originally no strong similarity to the creature in the folklore. In time, the oral traditions merged with modern media depictions and the distinction between the two is lost, even to the point where modern Natives will equate their ancient tales to the manufactured media version of the creature. There have been several studies showing that when you go back to the original native tales of supernatural creatures, they do not resemble the exaggerated named cryptid of today. This article is worth a read.</p><p><strong>Cryptid media: Cryptid Factor podcast</strong></p><p>And now for something completely comedic. I have been listening to <em>The Cryptid Factor</em> when it was a radio show that turned into a podcast. I can’t remember the year I first heard it but I think it was 2008 or 2009. It was one of the earliest cryptid-related podcasts, though I use that term “cryptid-related” loosely. It’s more “cryptid-themed”. It wasn’t always easy to keep up. There were long breaks between episodes. For example, they are officially up to episode <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/106/" target="_blank">#106</a> in the 17 years that the show has been in existence. That’s 6.23 episodes per year. However, I forgive them because it’s hosted by TV and movie actor Rhys Darby, whom I first knew from one of my favorite shows, <em>Flight of Conchords</em>. Rhys is a busy guy, even appearing on the <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2016/02/rhys-darby-x-files-monster.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">special <em>X Files</em> series event in 2016 as a cryptid himself</a>. So the podcast crew couldn’t always manage a regular schedule. In the past 5 years, I gave up listening because I figured it was defunct. Instead, interest was surging on the pop cryptid wave! When I resubscribed a few months back, I realized that their fandom had expanded. Rhys and his cohosts now regularly promote the show, it’s on YouTube and they have a Shopify merch site! Clearly, hanging on to the brand through the lean times paid off. If you search for “cryptid” on BlueSky or Instagram social media feeds today, you’ll get Rhys as part of the results! </p> <p>Like I said, the show is more comedic than anything. It’s all about having fun and being very silly. After all this time, I’m still not sure what the crew really believe or disbelieve but it doesn’t matter (since I have a liking for New Zealand accents). They have a genuine interest, but still not too much in depth knowledge, about cryptids and related subjects. I do credit Rhys for introducing me to the concept of the Taniwha (a mysterious creature of New Zealand that sort of serves as the catch-all monster, like the Bunyip of Australia). Even though the main purpose of the podcast appears to be an excuse for a trio of zany friends to make jokes and humorous sound effects, talk about their international travel, and “weekly” weird news stories, occasionally, some cryptid content is included. I love it. The Cryptid Factor was totally part of the Pop Cryptid scene before it even began!</p> <p>Thanks for reading! Send comments, questions, or suggestions to sharon(at)sharonahill.com. If you want to send some cryptid plushies or other merch, or books to review, email for my physical mailing address.</p><p>For more, click on <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-goes-the-cryptid/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop goes the Cryptid landing page</a>. Make sure you <a href="https://sharonahill.com/subscribe-to-posts/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">subscribe </a>to all the posts – it’s always free and I don’t send annoying spam. </p><p>Pop Cryptid Spectator is also available on <a href="https://sharonahill.substack.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Substack</a>. Please share this with cryptid fans you know!</p> <span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator</span> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-14/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 14</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-14/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 14</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-13/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 13</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-13/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 13</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-12/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 12</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-12/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 12</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-11/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 11</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-11/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 11</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-10/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 10</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-10/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 10</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-9/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 9</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-9/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 9</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-8/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 8</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-8/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 8</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-7/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 7</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-7/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 7</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-issue-6/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 6</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-issue-6/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 6</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-5/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 5</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-5/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 5</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-4/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 4</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-4/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 4</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-3/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 3</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-3/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 3</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-2/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 2</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-2/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 2</a></strong></p> <p></p> <p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/1/" target="_blank">#1</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/2/" target="_blank">#2</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/ai-cryptids/" target="_blank">#AICryptids</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/bigfoot/" target="_blank">#Bigfoot</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/bigfoot-hunters-die/" target="_blank">#BigfootHuntersDie</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/cryptid/" target="_blank">#cryptid</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/cryptid-fake/" target="_blank">#cryptidFake</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/cryptid-tv-show/" target="_blank">#cryptidTVShow</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/giant-owls/" target="_blank">#giantOwls</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/godzilla-sighting/" target="_blank">#GodzillaSighting</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/google-earth/" target="_blank">#GoogleEarth</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/hood-cryptids/" target="_blank">#HoodCryptids</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/out-there-crimes-of-the-paranormal/" target="_blank">#OutThereCrimesOfTheParanormal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/pop-cryptids/" target="_blank">#popCryptids</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/scryptids/" target="_blank">#scryptids</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/skinwalker/" target="_blank">#Skinwalker</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/the-cryptid-factor/" target="_blank">#TheCryptidFactor</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/wendigo/" target="_blank">#Wendigo</a></p><p><a href="https://sharonahill.com/?p=9171" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">sharonahill.com/?p=9171</span><span class="invisible"></span></a></p>
Sharon A. Hill<p><strong>Pop Cryptid Spectator 12</strong></p><p>Hello and welcome to Pop Cryptid Spectator no 12 – an “approximately weekly” collection of thoughts and opinions about Pop Cryptids. What are Pop Cryptids? Well, I’ve been working on idea that for a while now and it is coalescing around the observation that cryptozoology is far less about zoology than about the various creatures of cryptozoology and their popularity. And, the subject creatures are far less zoological than ever before, at least since the term “cryptozoology” was invented. Hence, this week’s collection of the various examples of how mainstream cryptids are these days.</p><p>In this edition:</p><ul><li>New cryptid alert: North American Pine Squid</li><li>Bigfoot in the Backyard</li><li>Be the Bigfoot</li><li>Cryptid media: Nessie, the Musical</li><li>Big little cat makes headlines in UK</li><li>Fiji mermaid seen at Margate beach in Kent</li><li>The mokele-mbembandwagon</li></ul><p><strong>North American Pine Squid</strong></p><p>I bet you haven’t heard of this cryptid! Or, if you live on YouTube, you might have. But if you know of hoaxes from the late 1990s, it might sound familiar. The North American pine squid is being touted online, particularly on TikTok, as a large, black mass of tentacles that emerges from a pine tree and feeds on people and/or pinecones. The creature is said to be lurking in the forests of the Pacific Northwest and the Appalachians (clue <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/1/" target="_blank">#1</a> – these would likely be different species because of the lack of pine forests in between). It “swims” above the forest floor. From what I can tell, the tall tale of this fearsome creature went mainstream around September of 2024. I totally missed it, maybe because I’m not a regular consumer of TikTok that is like 90% garbage content. The <em>NAPS</em> is a rip off of the Pacific Northwest tree octopus, a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Northwest_tree_octopus" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">hoax</a> from 1998. But, hey, it’s the 21st century and <em>we can haz AI naow</em>! Someone birthed the new, more evil variant and it grew. So we can count the <em>NAPS</em> as another in a growing list of AI cryptids. And, make no mistake, there are many people who have no education regarding the natural world and may assume these are real animals. Here is <a href="https://sypstudios.com/north-american-pine-squid" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the “fascinating truth”</a> about the pine squid.</p><p><strong>Bigfoot in the Backyard</strong></p><p>A group of National Weather Service investigators, documenting storm damage, captured an image of a dark figure in the woods west of Uniontown, in western Pennsylvania. The incident made it to the local news. What they saw was not Bigfoot but an extremely common Bigfoot sillouette placed in the forested land surrounding the property. Bigfoot sighting reports are quite common here, as the area is part of the Chestnut Ridge, now known as a “Gateway to the Paranormal” thanks to a local county tourism initiative. I often wonder who makes the choices about stories to include in the news. But, maybe it was someone who wanted to demostrate the Pop Cryptid idea. You will quickly run out of fingers with which to count the properties who have a Bigfoot sign or marker in their yard like this or more obvious. They abound. People seem to enjoy displaying their love for Bigfoot, or their hope that the yard ornaments will attract a curious monster, or at least some like-minded neighbors. Check out the <a href="https://www.foxweather.com/lifestyle/big-foot-sasquatch-messmore" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">article</a>, if you can spare a minute you will never get back.</p><p><strong>Be the Bigfoot</strong></p><p>If you really are obsessed by Bigfoot, soon you will have the opportunity to be one in a digital simulation called Bigfoot Life. The Demo is out now. You can scare animals and other humans, throw rocks, bang on a tree with a big stick, eat berries, steal picnic baskets, etc.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOX_lUAs1Dw" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOX_lUAs1Dw</a></p><p><strong>Cryptid media: Nessie, the Musical</strong></p><p>The Guardian posted a short trip through some interesting depictions of the Loch Ness monster on TV and in film. The headline for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/mar/24/simpsons-werner-herzog-nessie-nessies-david-lean-loch-ness-monster" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">“From The Simpsons to Werner Herzog: the coolest, craziest, scariest Nessies ever”</a> turned out to be misleading and disappointing as the short-ish article only touched upon a handful of selections including an appearance on The Simpsons, and the movies <em>The Secret of the Loch</em>, and <em>Incident at Loch Ness</em> (which I need to rewatch because it was lots of fun). Mostly the piece was intended to publicize a new Nessie musical in Edinburgh this summer.</p><p><strong>Big little cat makes headlines in UK</strong></p><p>Hardly a week goes by without some story from the UK adding to the rumors that big cats (usually of the zoologically ambiguous “black panther” type) are slinking around the villages and fields. The examples are almost universally terrible. But people want so badly to believe they have encountered the elusive creatures, which are typically named after their locations (Beast of Bucks, in this case). This recent claim comes from a man who lives “near” Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England and it’s accompanied by a video. The entirely black feline is seen on the edge of a “skip” or dumpster in USAnian English, and then it jumps in to pick at the trash. The video does not show it exiting so we never see the creature head on. You can see the video <a href="https://whatsthejam.com/pets-and-animals/big-cat-feared-to-be-on-loose-after-mystery-beast-spotted-on-skip-in-village/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">here</a>. This is not a big cat. It’s a hefty domestic cat. The camera location and angle give the impression of it being large. But it does not at all resemble a jaguar or leopard (the only two wild cats that fall under the general term “black panther”). Many photographic and video claims show similar black felines that are all almost certainly just regular house cats where the surroundings allow for a perception of exaggerated size.</p> <p>As an aside, in the US, our locally named beasts aren’t usually big cats but varieties of bipedal monsters. (Beast of Whitehall, Beast of Boggy Creek, Beast of Bray Road, etc.)</p><p><strong>Fiji mermaid seen at Margate beach in Kent</strong></p><p>A news story circulated this week about a couple walking the beach on March 10 in Margate, Kent, England, who came across a strange object. With a front described as “skeletal” and the back end of a fish, the object, which looks to be about 2 ft long, is a replica of the Fiji mermaid. The original story from <a href="https://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/news/mystery-surrounds-skeleton-like-figure-discovered-on-kent-321665/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Kent Online</a> didn’t pick up on this but subsequent outlets recognized the relation to the infamous hoax from 19th century associated with P.T. Barnam. Clearly, this object copies that depiction. However, what was most frustrating is that no article that I could find described what the Margate object was made from. There is no way it could have survived made of a real fish and paper mache – and it definately does not look like a genuine fish tale. It seems most likely it was made of resin. I could not find a good match online; the head is more alien-like than most depictions. Also, there is no mention of who picked it up and took it, because SOMEONE had to. This makes me think that it could have been a deliberate plant as a hoax.</p><p><strong>The mokele-mbembandwagon</strong></p><p>In <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-7/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">PCS no. 7</a>, I linked to an article on SyFy that was spun off from a February <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/congo-basin-mokele-mbembe-deforestation" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Nat Geo article</a> regarding the increased local sightings of mokele-mbembe in the Congo Basin in Africa. The Nat Geo article was a good one, noting the resurgence of a contemporary legend in response to deforestation in the region. The story of this cryptid began in the very early 20th century when it was framed as a “saurian”. Cryptozoologists and Creationists loved the highly romanticized, “Lost World” idea of a surviving dinosaur living in the unexplored African jungles. With the rise of Pop Cryptids in culture, mokele-mbembe is having another spotlight moment along with growing interest in sightings of other prehistoric survivor cryptids such as Kasai Rex, the thunderbird, megalodon, and the ropen. This week, not only did IFLScience copy SyFy (I often think these two enties are related), but now <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/a64220094/mokele-mbembe-dinosaur-congo/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Popular Mechanics</a> joined the fun with an article that took snippets from knowledgable writers such as Darren Naish (who is an expert on the “Prehistoric Survivor Paradigm” – the cryptozoological habit of resurrecting extinct animals as potential explanations for mystery animal reports), Eddie Guimont, and Loren Coleman regarding their view of living dinosaurs to get clicks related to the creature. Like the other copycats, this article uses the same brontosaurus imagery and also drops clues that the writer doesn’t actually know much about cryptozoology. At least this piece may introduce readers to the thoughts of more qualified individuals than those of Creationists or uncritical cryptozoological explorers who seem to simply embellish and repeat witness stories. </p><p>There remains zero evidence that any large creature that went extinct many millions of years ago is still out there for us to find. But the facts never seem to stand in the way of a good story about popular cryptids.</p><p>According to Google trends, it does not appear that people are searching for more info on mokele-mbembe. Maybe they don’t know how to spell it. But speculation on the creature regularly turns up on Reddit and in other online cryptid content.</p><p>For more on the background of cryptids as extinct animals, see my 2014 article <a href="https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/prehistoric-survivors-they-are-really-most-sincerely-dead/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">“Prehistoric Survivors? They are Really, Most Sincerely Dead”</a>. (Excuse the terrible formatting, though, since the publishing website never checked their pages after a upgrade years ago.)</p><p>And to close out, I was sent this pic of a very cryptid sign posted at the Venice canals in California this week. </p> <p>Thanks for reading! Send comments, questions, or suggestions to sharon(at)sharonahill.com. If you want to send some cryptid plushies or other merch, or books to review, email for my physical mailing address.</p><p>For more, click on <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-goes-the-cryptid/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop goes the Cryptid landing page</a>. Make sure you <a href="https://sharonahill.com/subscribe-to-posts/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">subscribe </a>to all the posts – it’s always free and I don’t send annoying spam. </p><p>Pop Cryptid Spectator is also available on <a href="https://sharonahill.substack.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Substack</a>. Please share this with cryptid fans you know!</p> <span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator</span> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-11/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 11</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-11/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 11</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-10/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 10</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-10/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 10</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-9/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 9</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-9/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 9</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-8/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 8</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-8/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 8</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-7/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 7</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-7/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 7</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-issue-6/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 6</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-issue-6/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 6</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-5/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 5</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-5/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 5</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-4/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 4</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-4/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 4</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-3/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 3</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-3/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 3</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-2/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 2</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-2/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 2</a></strong></p> <p></p> <a href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-1/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="">Pop Cryptid Spectator 1</span></a> <p><span class=""></span></p> <p><strong><a class="" href="https://sharonahill.com/pop-cryptid-spectator-1/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Pop Cryptid Spectator 1</a></strong></p> <p></p> <p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/1/" target="_blank">#1</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/ai-cryptids/" target="_blank">#AICryptids</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/alien-big-cats/" target="_blank">#alienBigCats</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/bigfoot/" target="_blank">#Bigfoot</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/bigfoot-life/" target="_blank">#BigfootLife</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/cryptid/" target="_blank">#cryptid</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://sharonahill.com/tag/cryptids/" 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