You do not have to travel to Loch Ness to see the beast or the plains of South Dakota to capture ‘Big Foot’. Mythical creatures and weird beasts and beings have been around for as long as humanity has had imagination. There is even a pseudoscience field for the study of creatures whose existence has not yet been proven. Cryptozoology is the study of animals that are either extinct or have never been seen by humans before. Sound a bit like the Twilight Zone? Over the past century, there have been many claims made about fantastic and terrifying creatures, and some people have even been taken in by hoaxes and manipulations. Here we take a look at the best hoax creatures ever:
Mermaid Tales
Mermaids have captured the imagination of people worldwide and reports of the beautiful sirens of the sea; half fish, half woman have always thrilled and enthralled us.
The alleged remains of a mermaid washed up on a Malaysian Island. This photograph did the rounds via email for several years until it was established that the ‘mermaid’ was the work of sculptor Juan Cabana.
Sea Monster
It’s not just mermaids that have been created by Cabana; a full range of terrifying sea creatures have been ‘found’ in his imagination.
Photographic proof of weird and fantastic creatures used to be considered irrefutable proof of their existence, but with the advent of computer software and digital manipulation, the number of hoax creatures has multiplied.
Big Foot And Nessie
These are two of the most famous mythical creatures of all time. Big Foot sightings and evidence have increased with the power of the digital age.
From taxidermy specials to grainy photos with blurry detail, both Big Foot and Nessie have made their claim on the title of the most magnificent hoax creatures of all time.
This photograph of the Loch Ness Monster was released in 1934 and was seen as proof of the legend of the Loch until it was exposed as a fake. Can you be sure though?
Tantalizing Taxidermy Hoax Creatures
Not satisfied with photographs and videos there is an amazing collection of taxidermy animals that have been presented as real when in fact they are a complete hoax.
Some are seemingly rather obvious and modeled on fantasy creatures, but others are not so easy to spot as fakes.
From two-headed squirrels to amazing bats with webbed feet, the art of the taxidermist is to mount a realistic depiction of an animal using the existing cured skin of the animal stretched over a frame.
Mostly used for hunting trophies and in some museums, the art has been used to create some of the most elaborate hoax creatures of all time.
