Amazingly, there is actually a special area of science for animals that don’t even exist! It’s called Cryptozoology and it involves the study of unknown species. Sound weird? Well here are some the most famous examples of cryptozoology from Australia and the rest of the world!

The very first one is of course the Bunyip. There are lots of different versions of what a bunyip might look like, ranging from a giant goat to a something looking a bit like a walrus. According to legend, they are said to live in swamps, billabongs, creeks, riverbeds and waterholes.

Then there is the Yowie which according to stories, is a kind of ape-like creature that gets around in the forests and mountains of the outback. There is no real proof of Yowies, but there are stories of similar creatures in both the Himalayas and in North America.

In the Himalayas, the Abominable Snowman is an ape-like creature said to live in the mountains of Nepal and Tibet. Locally it’s called the Yeti and is part of the indigenous mythology. Also, in North America, Bigfoot or Sasquatch is said to be a large ape-like creature living in the forests.

The Loch Ness Monster is one of the best-known species of cryptozoology. While there’s been no physical evidence of it’s existence, lots of people claim to have seen the creature since it first came to attention in 1933, and it is affectionately referred to by the pet name “Nessie”

There are also classical examples of cryptozoology including the Cyclops from the ancient Greeks– a giant with one eye in the center of its forehead, and the unicorn which is a horse with a single horn on its head. Some cryptozoologists now think that when people from Europe first saw the rhinosaurous, they thought they were really fat unicorns.

One example of crypotzoology that has been proven to exist is giant squids. Once thought to be legends of the sea, seen only by sailors who had been away from land for too long, giant squids are now known to exist. There is even a picture on one in this article: Giant Squid Found.