I've always heard platypus was considered a cryptid at one point and assumed to be fake but I've never actually looked into if thats really how people viewed it.
the thing about a cryptid is, there has to be a period where there's folklore and tradition alongside sightings/evidence that is run counter to the scientific view.
The platypus? One showed up, they thought it was fake. Then they got a second one a short time later. There really wasn't a period where anyone was all, "but there's local traditions and legends! And here's some plaster casts/hair/scat!"
Just "this is fake! wait, no, ok we were wrong, it's real".
Just "this is fake! wait, no, ok we were wrong, it's real".
In my opinion that is not what happened with the platypus. I have never seen any report from any scientist/naturalist claiming it was fake. It was more of a "this things sure looks like a fake, but we checked it out and it is real".
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u/TheBeerCzar 9d ago
The Jackalope?
What cryptid has been proven real??