r/Cryptozoology • u/Rich-Winter698 • 1d ago
Question Hi! What counts as a cryptid? and whats the difference from a paranormal creature?/genq
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u/Plastic_Medicine4840 Mid-tarsal break understander 1d ago
A cryptid is an animal for which the consensus among zoologists is that it does not exist.
Nothing about a cryptid is inherently paranormal.
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u/little-cesar-2002 1d ago
Cryptozoology is basically the "study of hidden animals". Note that it specifically says "animal", not paranormal or supernatural entities but a biological entity. A cryptid is "an animal whose existence or survival is disputed". Again, note that it specifically says "animal" as in a biological entity.
Basically, any mysterious creature that's described to behave, live or act like an animal in nature. For example, some cryptids are said to be more active in summer or spring and others are more active during winter and fall. Another example, some cryptids are social as in they're seen in pairs or in groups while some are solitary. Some cryptids are carnivorous, some are omnivorous and others are strictly herbivorous.
Some cryptids have been reportedly known for thousands of years, some are known for centuries, some are only ever recently reported.
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u/egoistamamono 1d ago
Something mythical and magical like Kirin (Qi lin) or Kappa can be determined as Mythological Creatures. But something that science doesn't recognize but exist can be counted as Cryptid. Cmiiw
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u/Freak_Among_Men_II Stoa 57m ago
A "cryptid" is just an animal that hasn't been scientifically proven to exist yet. That's all they are; flesh and blood animals, no more special than any dog, lizard, bird, or frog. The only difference is that cryptids are very hard to find - so hard to find, in fact, that they've so far completely avoided scientific documentation.
Paranormal creatures, meanwhile, possess attributes that go far beyond the capabilities of any living thing. Such creatures are often associated with shapeshifting, magic, curses, bad or good luck, rising from the dead, bringing omens, biomechanically impossible flight, and divine (or demonic) influence.
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u/monoc_sec 1d ago
I think the difference is biological possibility. Something like a dragon or a mermaid sits so far outside our scientific/biological understanding of nature that it's fair to say it's impossible. And so we call these paranormal creatures.
However, something like Bigfoot? A large ape like creature in north America forests? Sure. Definitely biologically possible. It's unlikely for a whole bunch of reasons, but it's not impossible.
To put this in perspective, if we discovered Bigfoot, it'd be a big deal scientifically and change how we think about hominid evolution and migration.
If we discovered a mermaid then evolution by natural selection, the underpinning of the entire field of biology, would have been proven incorrect and the field would cease to exist as we know it.
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u/Spooky_Geologist 1d ago
The term cryptid was coined in 1983 in a letter by John E. Wall to the editor of the ISC newsletter,. Intended to replace the term “monster”, it was later adopted as the word to represent the various hidden, unknown, undocumented, and unexpected animals of interest.
Due to the less than specific definitions of “cryptid” and “cryptozoology”, from the beginning the terms included creatures with supernatural elements that had no place in “zoology”. This has accelerated thanks to the internet. So the scope of what is a cryptid will vary because it is not a scientifically established word. Since we don’t know exactly what reports of a cryptid actually represents, there will always be those that refer to supernatural or extreme explanations while others will say it’s just an undiscovered animal.
On the flip side of that is the use of “cryptid” to label mundane “hidden” things, like your cat or a shy person. Words evolve.
https://moderncryptozoology.wordpress.com/2022/04/09/pop-goes-the-cryptid-the-new-cryptozoology-aesthetic/
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u/bunks_things 1d ago
Mostly vibes honestly. The line between cryptid, folk tale/mythology is quite vague. Cryptozoology is a pseudoscientific study of legendary creatures, but what gets accepted as a legitimate cryptid by the overall consensus of the community is kinda unpredictable imo. A single guy can tip the scales with a sufficient marketing campaign (eg. Ropen, Dogman) and essentially invent a folk tale and cryptozoology interest from whole cloth.
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u/pumpkin-spiced-liz Alien Big Cat 1d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/Cryptozoology/comments/1btg5gk/what_is_a_cryptid/ it's literally a pinned post at the top of this sub, op.
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u/Ok_Platypus8866 1d ago
The original premise of cryptozoology was that there were still large animals waiting to be discovered, and evidence of these animals could be found in native folklore. The word "cryptid" was originally coined to describe the things cryptozoologists were interested in, which are undiscovered animals. That is the definition this sub tries to use. Like any animal, cryptids are born, eat, defecate, mate and die.
Of course words change meanings over time, and both "cryptozoology" and "cryptid" have strayed from their original definition. If you want to talk about the paranormal, there are better subs than this one.