Florida
-
Specs
Specs is a cryptid and possible Lazarus taxon. It was sighted in Florida in 1959. It was seen in a large underwater cave at about 35 feet deep. It was reported to have a cylindrical body measuring five and a half feet long, eight spiny legs, and stood three feet off the sea floor. It had a pointed head with stalks that have brown spotted eyes the size of silver dollars on the end. It was called Specs by the press due to a team going back to try to get ‘specs’ on the creature. It has been compared to the Spiny Lobster, or the Japanese Spider Crab, both being…
-
Lucy And Nancy Creature
The Lucy And Nancy Creature is a cryptid sighted in Florida in 1849. Its name comes from the fact it was sighted by people aboard the ship Lucy And Nancy. It was described as a sea serpent measuring ninety feel long, and seven feet across. It had a dirty brown back, a large serpentine head, and clawed fins that were several feet in length. Renowned Cryptozoology Bernard Heuvelmans suggested it could either be a long necked aquatic mammal, or a giant eel. Citations: Newton, Michael. Florida’s Unexpected Wildlife: Exotic Species, Living Fossils, and Mythical Beasts in the Sunshine State. United States, University Press of Florida, 2007.
-
Giant Armadillos
The Giant Armadillos are cryptids that were sighted in the early 1970s in an orange grove near Tampa Florida. The sighting was recorded by Brad LaGrange from a witness identified as Jane. The witness was awoken by snuffling and rooting sounds. He looked and saw creatures with pointed ears, slim tails, and armored backs. He speculated they measured between four to five feet in length. They were witnessed multiple times over the next two weeks by Jane and her family members. They were unfamiliar with local wildlife and thought little of it. It is notable that the area where Florida now was once home to the extinct species Holmesina septentrionalis,…
-
Carolina Parakeet
The Carolina Parakeet is a cryptid classified as a Lazarus Taxon (an animal believed to be extinct but then found alive again). The Carolina Parakeet was first described in 1891 and goes by the scientific name Conuropsis carolinensis. It’s a small bird with green plumage that has sections of yellow and orange. It is the only bird in the parakeet family native to North America and could be found in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Due to their tendency to eat fruit, many were killed en mass by farmers. This along with them being sold as pets, or used as decorations for women’s hats, led to their extinction. The last…
