Animals - the Living, the Dead, the Unknown. And some that aren't in any catagory.

Cryptid - an animal whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated, such as the yeti.

That's the Oxford Dictionary definition.

Included in this would be Mothman, Giant Anaconda(s), Goatman, Yeti, Chupacabra, Loch Ness Monster, Lycanthrope(s), Mermaid(s), Dragon(s), and Sasquach. Some others that are much less common include the Mongolian Death Worm, Orang Pendek, Inkanyamba, Thunderbirds, Emela Ntouka, Skunk Ape(s), and 'Atmospheric Beasts'.

While the existence of these creatures hasn't been proved, it hasn't been DISPROVED either. After all, how do you show something isn't?

Now, there are also numerous animals that have been promoted from cryptid to animal. Like the Devil Bird, Ziphius, Bondegezou, Kangaroo, Platypus, Sea Serpent, Komodo Dragon, Mountain Gorilla, Okapi, and the Giant Squid. Photos here.

I also want to direct you to some mini-animals here, and some interesting color variations here, as these animals are cool, but not overly special for the most part. (Although the 'Melanistic Bengal Tiger' is pretty cool.)

Finally, what do Wooly Mammoths, Passenger Pigeons, Tasmanian Tigers, Baiji (River Dolphin), Japanese Wolves, Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers, Eastern Cougars, Japanese River Otters, Mexican Grizzly Bears, and Javan Tigers have in common?

Answer - They're all extinct. Or so we think. And yet, sightings are made to this day (by sober people, that's important.) Some, like the Woodpecker, have more than 15 documented and official sightings, albeit without the actual bird captive to back them up.

And to wrap this up is the Mastodon. It's been extinct for 11,000 years or so, right? Maybe not. An Englishman by the name of David Ingram took a walkabout of sorts around the newly discovered North America (A walkabout is something Australians do to clear their mind, usually involving wandering in the outback.). So on David's 2,000 mile or so walk, he saw what you would expect - Native Americans, buffalo, deer, etc. But he also describes everything in detail, the buffalo, the geography if the land - and the mastodons. Why is this significant? Because not only did he show he was where he thought he was, but he accurately described animals that were unknown to him, and so he wasn't expecting them to be there. When was this? Fairly recent in perspective - about 500 years ago. So you tell me; what else could he have been describing? I don't believe we've had elephants in North America, and there aren't other animals that remotely fit the description.