Cryptozoology

! Cryptozoology- Searching for Unknown or Thought to be Extinct Creatures !
Photo - Okapi > This Native to the Ituri Rainforest was once a Cryptid.

Cryptozoology, from the Greek means "study of hidden animals". This refers to the search for animals whose existence has not been proven. This includes looking for living examples of animals that are considered extinct, such as dinosaurs, animals whose existence lacks physical evidence but which appear in myths, legends, or are reported, such as Bigfoot and the Chupacabra. Also included are strange creature sightings wild animals dramatically outside their normal geographic ranges, such as phantom cats or "ABCs" (an initialism commonly used by cryptozoologists that stands for Alien Big Cats).
The animals cryptozoologists study are often referred to as cryptids, a term coined by John Wall in 1983. Cryptozoologists are a specialized branch of monster hunters. Since their ultimate goal is to discover a new species of animal, a new subspecies or a thought to be extinct species, the science of cryptozoology is rooted in biology. The more a creature shows evidence of being supernatural, the less likely it is that cryptozoologists would be interested in it. Not many cryptozoologists investigate the strangest things like ghostly demon cats, Mothman or werewolves. Ghost hunts are left to the paranormal investigators and a few fringe cryptozoologists. On the other hand, there are very few animals, however mythical they may be, that have never stirred the interest of a cryptozoologist. This is because perfectly real animals have often been obscured by so much folklore that they seemed ridiculous.
Cryptozoologists look for creatures like sea serpents and the yeti, hoping to gather enough evidence to prove that these beings exist. They also look for more commonplace animals, such as the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, the Giant Vampire Bat, the Inflatable Hedgehog and the Pygmy Elephant. Although cryptozoology doesn't get much respect from other scientific disiplines, it has had some spectacular success stories, including the Pongo (now known as the Gorilla), the Okapi (an animal that looks like a cross between a giraffe and zebra), and the Coelacanth (a prehistoric fish thought to be extinct). The Giant Squid, Spindlehorn and Hoan Kiem Turtle are other examples of still existing species that were brought to the attention of modern science but formerly thought to be cryptids.