On August 26-27, ‘monster hunters’ converged on Loch Ness, the lake in the Scottish Highlands famous for being home to a legendary monster named ‘Nessie’, to undertake what was billed as the biggest search for the folkloric creature in 50 years.
- Nessie is what is known as a ‘cryptid’, a creature that is unknown, legendary, or extinct and whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated.
- Cryptids have been reported on every continent and several cultures. Some famous cryptids include Mokele Mbembe, the dinosaur-like creature of the Congo; the Chupacabra of Latin America and the Caribbean; the BigFoot or Sasquatch of North America and the Yeti of the Himalayas.
- Cryptozoology is the study of animals that are rumored to exist. Such creatures are called “cryptids.” It is largely considered a ‘pseudoscience’, with no scientific basis at all.
- Cryptozoology is not a quest for animals but for monsters. It represents a valorous last stand to preserve awe and mystery in an over-charted, over-exploited world.
