Chupacabras(01 of21)
Open Image ModalPhylis Canion holds the head of what she called a Chupacabras at her home in Cuero, Texas, on Aug. 31, 2007. She found the strange-looking animal dead outside her ranch and thinks it is responsible for killing many of her chickens. (credit:Eric Gay, AP)
Loch Ness Monster(02 of21)
Open Image ModalA view of the Loch Ness Monster, near Inverness, Scotland, on April 19, 1934. The photograph, one of two pictures known as the "surgeon's photographs," was allegedly taken by Col. Robert Kenneth Wilson, though it was later exposed as a hoax by one of the participants, Chris Spurling. On his deathbed, Spurling revealed that the pictures were staged by himself, Marmaduke and Ian Wetherell, and Wilson. References to a monster in Loch Ness date back to St. Columba's biography in 565 A.D. More than 1,000 people claim to have seen "Nessie," and the area is, consequently, a popular tourist attraction. (credit:Keystone / Getty Images)
Bow-Nessie(03 of21)
Open Image ModalIn England, a kayaker took this photo on Lake Windemere, near Bowness in Cumbria. "At a distance, I thought it was some sort of large dog," said Tom Pickles. "Then I realized just how long it was." Ever since the first reports of Bow-Nessie emerged in 2006 from Lake Windermere, a legend has taken root with people wondering if this could be a not-too-distant relative of the legendary Loch Ness Monster of Scotland. (credit:Tom Pickles, The Westmorland Gazzette)
Loch Ness Sighting(04 of21)
Open Image ModalThis is a photo of boats at Urquhart Bay, Loch Ness, Scotland, on Aug. 6, 1983, made by American wildlife photographer Erik Beckjord. It shows splashes on the surface of Loch Ness made by an unidentified object (white mark at center right), which Beckjord claimed could have been made by the Loch Ness Monster. (credit:Erik Beckjord, AP)
Loch Ness Monster Fin(05 of21)
Open Image ModalRobert H. Hines, president of the Academy of Applied Science, released this photo during a 1972 investigation of Loch Ness. Hines said his expedition took photo, which he said showed the fin of the Loch Ness Monster, and that it was substantiated by sonar and other scientific data that strongly suggests there is a large marine creature inhabiting Scotland's Loch Ness. (credit:AP)
Mersey Monster(06 of21)
Open Image ModalThis mysterious shape was captured by photographer Mark Harrison while riding on a ferry off the Seacombe district of Wirral in the United Kingdom on the morning of May 25. Experts claim that it could be a harbor porpoise or a basking shark, but Harrison says, "Me? Clearly, I believe it's Nessie on her hols!" (credit:Mark Harrison / @inniebear)
Nessie and Alaska's Illie May Be Sleeper Sharks(07 of21)
Open Image ModalThis 2000 image shows biologist Bruce Wright in salt waters in southeast Alaska with a small Pacific sleeper shark that was caught on a research cruise. He believes much bigger versions of this shark group could be the true identity of Scotland's Loch Ness Monster and Alaska's Lake Iliamna creature known as Illie. (credit:Courtesy of Bruce Wright)
Dorset Pliosaur(08 of21)
Open Image ModalThe giant jaws of a huge marine reptile are on permanent display at Dorset County Museum in the UK. Dating back around 155 million years, the pliosaur skull was discovered on the nearby Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, and is one of the largest and best preserved fossils of its kind ever found. (credit:Dorset County Council)
Montauk Monster(09 of21)
Open Image ModalEast River Monster(10 of21)
Open Image ModalBigfoot in Rutherford County, N.C.(11 of21)
Open Image ModalThomas Byers snapped this photo of "Bigfoot" along Golden Valley Church Road on March 22, 2011. (credit:Thomas Byers)
California Bigfoot(12 of21)
Open Image ModalThis is a 1977 still photo from a 16 millimeter film made by Ivan Marx reportedly showing the legendary Bigfoot cavorting in the hills of Northern California. (credit:AP)
Washington State Sasquatch(13 of21)
Open Image ModalThis is a black and white print from a color movie Frank White said he took in the forest near Bellingham, Wash., on Oct. 8, 1977. "I'd call it a North American ape," said White. "You can call it a Sasquatch or anything you like." (credit:AP)
Georgia Bigfoot(14 of21)
Open Image ModalThis still-frame image from video provided by Bigfoot Global LLC shows what is claimed by them to be a Bigfoot or Sasquatch creature in an undisclosed area of a northern Georgia forest in June 2008. (credit:Bigfoot Global LLC, AP)
Bigfoot Footprint(15 of21)
Open Image ModalThe legend of Bigfoot has baffled many people for decades, especially when images like this one are released. A footprint measuring 17-and-3/4 inches long and 7-and-1/2 inches wide was discovered Aug. 26, 1980, at a residence in the Conemaugh Township area of Johnstown, Pa. A very well-defined print was left behind, if indeed it was Bigfoot, plus a left print was found eight feet away in a more wooded area. Along with the footprints, reports of strange noises and a very unusual but strong odor coincided with the account. (credit:AP)
Bigfoot Plaster Cast(16 of21)
Open Image ModalKen Gerhard of Houston holds a duplicate plaster cast footprint at the Texas Bigfoot Conference in Jefferson, Texas, on Oct. 15, 2005. The event was hosted by the Texas Bigfoot Research Center. (credit:D.J. Peters, AP)
Bigfoot Casts(17 of21)
Open Image ModalAl Hodgson, a volunteer guide at the Willow Creek-China Flat Museum, holds up a plaster cast of a Bigfoot imprint displayed at the museum's Bigfoot Wing in Willow Creek, Calif., on June 5, 2000. The wing was built to bring tourists interested in the legendary creature to the economically depressed ex-lumber town. (credit:Rich Pedroncelli, AP)
Bigfoot Body?(18 of21)
Open Image ModalAbominable Snowman Footprint(19 of21)
Open Image ModalThis alleged Abominable Snowman footprint photo was taken near Mount Everest on Dec. 13, 1951. (credit:Topical Press Agency / Getty Images)
The Jersey Devil(20 of21)
Open Image ModalAn artist's rendition of the Jersey Devil, based on eyewitness reports of a creature said to roam the Pine Barrens area of New Jersey. (credit:Public Domain)
Mothman(21 of21)
Open Image ModalA large Mothman sculpture stands along Main Street on Dec. 11, 2007, in Point Pleasant, W.Va. More than 40 years after the first reported sighting of the mysterious creature later dubbed "Mothman," residents here have embraced his legend, helping to turn the town into a destination for people in search of an offbeat tourism experience. (credit:Jeff Gentner, AP)