More Than Just a Myth

Many of us have heard of and debated, skeptic and believer alike, whether creatures such as Bigfoot and the Yeti exist. And is there really something prehistoric swimming in the depth of Scotland's Loch Ness?

What evidence we have is grainy and lacking. Most often it turns out to be no more than a hoax. A harmless prank. Believers keep on believing. What if there really is still something out there? Skeptics dismiss such cryptids as nothing more than a myth until they can get more undeniable proof.

Sure we don't have any undeniable proof (at least not yet) but did you know there was a time in which we thought a creature was a myth but it turned out to be real? In fact, it happened more than once.

Here are some creatures we were very sure were just stories but turned out to be very real!

The Platypus

This animal almost looks like a science experiment gone wrong. Half duck, half mammal. Maybe beaver or otter? It even lays eggs! What for strange creature is this?

You'd think such an animal couldn't be real, only existing in myth like mermaids and dragons.

In 1799, when the platypus was first heard of, those who only saw the taxidermized remains of it when it was brought back by travelers to Australia thought it was a hoax. Nothing more than a duck bill glued to the body of a beaver to gain attention and most likely money. Quite honestly, wouldn't you?

After much examination, scientists could find no evidence of a hoax. No stitching, glue, or anything of the sort. Some scientists still weren't convinced. Until they were finally able to observe platypuses living in the wild in Australia.

The Rhinoceros

The unicorn is one of the most well known mythical creatures.

One early explorer by the name of Marco Polo claimed to have seen one during his travels. Did he really see a majestic white horse with a magical spiral like horn protruding from the middle of it's forehead?

He described the creature as having the head of a wild boar, feet like an elephant with a large horn protruding from its forehead. As you gather up a picture in your mind with that description, it might start looking less like a unicorn and more like a rhinoceros.

The Gorilla

Surely, you'd think if there was an apelike creature called Bigfoot lurking in the dense woods of US Pacific Northwest, we'd know it. We'd see it or at least its fur or droppings left behind at some point.

When the first travelers visited Africa, they came back with accounts of man like hairy beasts. Most didn't take them seriously thinking they were only exaggerating. Scientists only laughed at such stories.

What's more fascinating is that the gorilla or mountain gorilla to be exact wasn't proven to exist until 1902. That's really not that long ago.

The Giant Squid

Sailors would come back with tales of the kraken. A giant sea monster that pulls unsuspecting ships down into the sea with its tentacles. While tales of a monstrous sea creature massive enough to capsize ships might likely be an exaggeration, the animal that we called "the kraken" turned out to be very real!

Not many believed the giant squid existed until the remains of one washed up on a Denmark beach in 1857. It still wouldn't be until many years later, in 2004, when one was photographed alive.

The Okapi

Much like the platypus, the okapi looks like a combination of two or more animals put together. Half zebra or deer, half giraffe, maybe.

Those who traveled to the African Congo didn't believe the native's stories of the Okapi. Believing to be nothing more than a myth, it was originally given the name "the African unicorn".

Quite honestly, to me, it looks like an animal to come out of the ice age!

You never know what creatures are out there waiting to be discovered. As for us believers, we'll keep on believing!

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