A cryptid are animals of presume existence by cryptozoologist, their basis to believe they exist are anecdotal or other evidence considered insufficient by the scientist. While biologist identify new species following scientific methodology, cryptozoologist focus on folklore record and rumours. The creatures believed that are cryptid are usually mythological but not necessarily supernatural, some examples are: Big foot, the Yeti, the Moth-Man and the Loch Ness Monster.
They can be considered a modern day animal legend because of the way they are known. Usually they become famous from a story that happened to the friend of a friend or a person that was passing by and never returned. They have the same cultural formation as the mythologic monsters from past ages like the Kraken or the Minotaur, they become from stories told from mouth to mouth and the first teller is unknown. Usually their stories are good from preventing little childrens to do dangerous things like the old legends were told to taught something about the hard life during those days. Another fact to believe that they are moden day animal legends is the way they are disseminated into the internet, previously I said that the stories were told from mouth to mouth but nowadays they are share by users of websites and become viral almost instantly, this gives these stories a reach never seen before but the only thing it does is to multiplicate the range that the old legends held.
The term cryptid is also used to described extinct creatures said still inhabit in specific areas as a way of not taking responsibilities of the human behaviour toward the extinction of other animal species.
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