Surprisingly Plausible Real-Life Explanations For Mythical Creatures

From Redditor /u/hetep-di-isfet:

An archaeologist notes an ancient Egyptian story, "Shipwrecked Sailor," where a man washes ashore and meets a huge serpent. The serpent tells him hundreds like him were wiped out by a falling star.

Egyptians likely did not know about dinosaurs. However, Wadi Hitan has thousands of Eocene whale skeletons. People might have seen these skeletons and thought they were giant snakes. Herodotus also tells similar stories of flying snakes in Egypt. If you saw the skeletons without trails, you might assume they could fly.

Did It Exist?

Wadi Al-Hitan, or "Whale Valley," exists. It holds giant whale fossils.extinct archaeocetiThe archaeoceti fossils are in the sands. These skeletons look like huge snakes because of the long spines, lacking whale features.

These whale fossils probably sparked the giant flying snake stories. People misidentified some flipper bones as the creatures' wings.

From Redditor /u/Daily_Dose13:

One theory suggests the Ragnarok myth describes an impact. The "Midgard snake" might be an object entering the atmosphere.

From Redditor /u/denshi:

A bronze age meteorite hit Estonia and became key to Finnish mythology. Perhaps this myth spread to the Nordics.

Did It Exist?

We cannot prove the Kaali Meteorite Crater FieldImpacts created the basis for the legendary Midgard snake plunging to Earth during Ragnarok, but this is a good guess. Over 7,000 years ago, a meteorite hit the Estonian island of Saaremaa. It broke up in the air, making several large impact sites. The force of the chunks hitting land caused a nuclear-level event that likely killed several people and wildlife, and destroyed everything in their path.

Groups lacking knowledge of meteorites or their destructive power likely assigned meaning to the event based on their beliefs. Thus, the Midgard snake might actually point to this huge, violent natural event fitting the Norse idea of destroying gods and lands.

From Redditor /u/jamesianm:

Seeing humpback whale pods at the beach where I surf, I often see their backs as they surface. Sometimes one breaches mouth-first, showing a giant mouth. Other times, a giant tail emerges. If you didn't know what a whale was, mistaking multiple whale backs for a huge snake coil is easy. I strongly suspect this caused sea serpent legends.

Redditor /u/You called me.:

That is one origin. Look at the oarfish. It might be the more likely origin because it grows huge. Eleven meters is the largest published length. Sightings show up to 17 meters.

Did it exist?

Humpback whales partially surfacing may affect sea serpent myths, but the idea of theoarfishis the more likely creature. National Geographic reports this.National GeographicThe oarfish grows up to 30 feet long. It lives deep in the ocean. It only nears the surface if strong ocean currents push it up.

The oarfish is blue and purple in its home water. However, those washed ashore or caught have died or are near death, giving them a dull silver look.

Old drawings and descriptions of giant sea serpents show oarfish images almost perfectly. These depictions feature long, spiny parts on heads, fins, and spines.

Redditor /u/Taleya:

You want the real gold standard? You want Aboriginal tales from the Dreamtime. These tales have records proven to predate the last ice age. They shared space with megafauna in Australia; their crypto creatures link directly to now-extinct animals.

Did it exist?

"Dreamtime"refers to storiesthat explain Aboriginal beliefs about spiritual and living worlds. These stories span over 65,000 years, meaning some animals described could be extinct megafauna. One animal is called abunyipA bunyip lives in Australian swamps and water. It has a long neck, a round head, and the body of a large animal like an ox or manatee.

ThediprotodonProfessor Owen named the diprotodon in 1838. Others wrote about the creature in their journals while exploring the Australian area. The diprotodon, orgiant wombatThe diprotodon lived in marshes. It stood six feet tall. People think it was last seen 65,000 years ago. This makes it one extinct megafauna likely in Dreamtime stories.

Redditor /u/NerdGuy13:

A roc might have existed. It likely took inspiration from the elephant bird of Madagascar. That bird stood about nine feet tall, like a large ostrich. These birds did not become extinct until the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries.

Did It Exist?

Scientists confirm elephant birds roamed Madagascar as recently as the 1600s, according to Admiral Ètienne de Flacourt.Histoire de la Grande Isle de MadagascarThis text describes the creature with the name Vouronpatra.VouronpatraThese birds reached three meters (9.8 feet) tall and weighed close to 1,000 pounds.

Middle Eastern stories describe the Roc as a bird.The Roc is massive enough to carry large mammals, like elephants or rhinos, in its talons.Marco Polo wrote that the mythological bird was native to Madagascar. This makes the Elephant Bird the Roc mentioned in legends more likely.

From Redditor /u/Hattix:

The cyclops comes from Greek mythology. Search for an elephant skull online. You will find a huge hole in the middle that looks like a single eye. Add this to the fact that the Cretan dwarf mammoth left subfossil bones on Crete. These bones were easily found. The mammoth stood one meter at the shoulder, and it could form a giant humanoid.

Did It Exist?

Cyclopia is a real condition. It causes a fetus to split its eye cavities into two separate areas, resulting in one eye in the head center. This disorder is "incompatible with lifeThis condition causes miscarriages and still births. Thus, no cyclops exist. People then wonder about stories of large, seemingly adult cyclops in Roman and Greek mythology.

Some suggest blacksmiths with eye patches as the origin. However, the idea ofelephant skulls as the basisholds more weight. A dwarf elephant skull is closer to human size than other, larger elephants. This may have sparked the cyclops idea as a humanoid.

Another theory suggests acromegaly disorder inspired the cyclops tales. Acromegaly makes a person's hand, feet, and face grow larger than normal, obscuring some vision. This could make the one-eyed backstory a literary description of the cyclops' sight.

From Redditor /u/AvatarTreeFiddy:

The Māori people of New Zealand told stories about the Pouakai. This was a monstrous bird big enough to hunt and eat humans.

Many believe these stories refer to the Haast's Eagle. This eagle was the largest species ever on Earth. It weighed about 30 lbs and had a wingspan near 10 feet. It lived on New Zealand's South Island and mostly hunted the flightless moa bird, which weighed about 500 lbs. Because its main prey was so large, the eagle likely targeted lone humans too.

The Haast's eagle went extinct around 1400, shortly after the Māori arrived in New Zealand. Habitat loss and Māori hunting of the moa likely caused this extinction.

Did it exist?

Pouakai and Haast's Eagle are the same creature.Scientists say so.With tiger-like claws and the ability to hit prey up to 50 miles per hour, the eagle could scare humans away. The bird lived in the forests when Māori arrived in New Zealand, then went extinct between 1,000 and 1,400 years ago.The eagle had tiger-like claws.The eagle had up to 50 miles per hour impact speed. The eagle was large enough to scare and guard itself from humans. The bird lived in the forests when Maori arrived in New Zealand. It went extinct between 1,000 and 1,400 years ago.

From Redditor /u/HypersonicHarpist:

Mythical unicorns likely came from travelers in Africa or Asia who wrote about rhinoceroses to Europe. Asian rhinos exist in India, Nepal, and Indonesia. Ancient Greek art sometimes showed lions looking like dogs. The word hippopotamus comes from Greek words meaning "river horse." This makes it simple to see how a Greek traveler described a rhino as a one-horned horse.

Linguistic evidence supports this. Four hundred years ago, people thought there were two rhino types: those with two horns were called "rhinoceros" and those with one horn were called "unicorn." Thus, unicorn described both real rhinos and the mythical one-horned horse. Only as zoology grew into a science did "unicorn" refer only to the mythical creature.

Remnants of the original use remain. The genus for the scientific names of Asian rhinos (which have one horn) isunicornis.

Did it exist?

The fairy tale unicorn never existed in reality, but theunicorn rhinocerosdid exist. It was thought to have shaggy fur and a single horn on its head.Siberian unicornlived in Eurasia until about 39,000 years ago.

This large herbivore roamed the wild and likely formed the basis for the horse-with-one-horn shown in myths passed down for thousands of years.

From Redditor /u/drquakers:

The Yeti. Scientists recently sequenced DNA from so-called Yeti evidence, and it all turned out to be bears—some extinct, some still around. I found the crossbreed of the black bear and the polar bear the most interesting one.

Did it exist?

Yetis are the version of Bigfoot found in the snowy mountains of places like Tibet or the Himalayas, but these legendary monsters are not real. Terrified witnesses saw bears, and DNA testing verified this on samples claimed to come from Yetis.DNA testing verified this.Testing was done on samples claimed to come from Yetis.

One sample even showed results from a dog, proving the creatures do not exist.

From Redditor /u/benpaco:

Environmental scientist discusses Steller's Sea Ape. Steller held high respect in botany and zoology. He named or discovered many famous Russian and Alaskan animals, including the Steller's sea cow, Steller's sea lion, sea otters, and others. Everything Steller described proved true, despite doubts. People doubted a sea cow as large and calm as he said, or otters with thicker fur. The sea ape is the only exception.

This creature swam around Steller's ship, smaller than the men, furred, and ape-like. It played mockingly, supposedly juggling and playing with kelp before dodging bullets and swimming away. Some suggest Steller mocked the captain, whom he called an "ape of the sea." Others think a rival scientist edited Steller's work. Still, some believe this was a real sighting of a deformed sea lion.

I think the sea ape was a unique animal, not an ape. It might be a specific species or subspecies of otter, or another marine or semi-aquatic mammal. Sea mink lived on the opposite coast of the United States then. This does not mean a larger, similar animal could not have played in Alaska waters.

I am not a German expert, but Steller's original manuscripts went through translation and back-translation before publishing. Rivals might have added this story to damage his standing. However, the words for "tossing around playfully" and "juggling" seem similar. The kelp might have spun in the water, not been tossed like a circus act. Still, it seems unlikely that a scientist known for avoiding exaggeration would invent a creature to mock a colleague or seek fame. I accept its existence.

Did it exist?

According to Atlas Obscura,Atlas Obscura, no sightings exist of anything like Steller's sea ape description. Steller said it had a dog's head with long whiskers, pointed ears, large eyes, and a round, fat body that narrowed toward the tail. It featured split fins on the tail and back. The fur on its body was "red and cow-colored." Steller did not see the animal as sick; he described it as playful.

On an Alaska expedition, Steller shared a ship with a captain Steller disliked. Steller got scurvy before reaching their destination.Many people still believe the sea ape was a joke to the captain.Facial hair matched Captain Vitus Bering's description. Some suggest a disfigured sea otter, but no one agrees because the creature was not sick. Steller found his sea otter on the same trip, making people wonder why he missed the same creature with deformities.

This mythical creature remains unidentified. Norwegian zoologist Leonhard Stejneger argues Steller's report describes the creature.The report aptly describes a fur seal.

From Redditor /u/LameOCallahan:

Many diseases trace the "Vampire/Vampyr" myth's origin. Rabies fits the myth best.

In olden days, people tied suspected cases to trees. Three days later, the disease changed them drastically. They showed extreme light sensitivity, paleness, aggression, excessive drooling. They could attack, experiencing either severe slow fatigue or adrenaline rushes.

Did It Exist?

Vampires draw from many sources for their forms in books, TV, and movies. Bram Stoker's Dracula has a basis in these inspirations.Dracula supposedly came from the bloodthirsty Vlad the Impaler. Rabies might explain vampire origins by debunking their existence while explaining their creation.Some claim vampires came from Vlad the Impaler's blood. But what about stories of the nocturnal creature before the 1897 novel? Rabies might explain vampire origins, proving they do not exist.

In the 1700s, vampires caused fear and talk, overlapping with a rabies outbreak in Hungary. According to Medical News Today,Medical News TodayMultiple disease and creature traits match. Vampires are usually male, matching rabies' higher incidence in males. Rabies causes hypersexuality and a strong dislike for strong smells, mirrors, and light. These traits match popular culture vampires, who dislike garlic, prefer night, and avoid mirrors. Rabies also causes insomnia and makes people wander while others sleep.

From Redditor /u/rockeh:

I read that changelings often have Angelman syndrome. This causes an elfin look, a happy mood, water fascination, and severe mental retardation.

From Redditor/u/TheMightyGoatman:

Children with autism seem normal for 12 to 18 months. Then they suddenly change, becoming withdrawn and quiet. You might think fairies stole your child and left an imposter.

Did It Exist?

Changelings tales feature fairies taking human children, leaving one behind. Parents then see their baby become unemotional, mute, unresponsive, or different from before. Autism symptoms appear around a few months to two years, matching Changeling folklore ages. Many...Scientific studies theorizethe myths stem from people unaware of the disorder, giving a reason for the child's changes.

Another possibility involves a child being born with Down's Syndrome or other disabilities or diseases.these conditions change their appearance from other babies or children in the family.This explains how they alter their look compared to family members.

From Redditor /u/PunchBeard:

I believe Bigfoot exists. Or at least did until recently. I doubt it is a unique species. My theory suggests what people see is a normal animal, likely a large brown bear with serious genetic deformities.

Encountering a seven-foot bear with mange, a deformed skull, and scars from fighting other bears triggers a "fight or flight" reaction. You see something like that, then pull away. When you stop, you lack certainty about what you saw, so your brain fills in details. You take a deformed animal and mix it with an imaginative mind knowing the popular Bigfoot look, and you get a real Bigfoot sighting.

Did It Exist?

In 2016,National Geographicshared the story of an American black bear that injured its front legs and learned to walk upright. Called Pedals, the bear thrived with this new way to move. It proved animals adapt to injuries. Pedals earned a comparison to Bigfoot for its travel method, making it possible other bears adapted the same way and kept the Sasquatch myth alive.

No evidence supports Bigfoot as real.DNA sequencingdone to his snowy cousin the Yeti points to a bear. If bears cause Himalayan sightings, bears in American wooded areas likely cause Bigfoot sightings—especially since Pedals show they can walk upright permanently. Add in...diseases like mange, which causes fur patches to fall out, and the mythical creature descriptions become real.

From Redditor /u/7LeagueBoots:

While working in the Amazon, I heard about a creature called a Chullanchaqui. They make gardens in the forest, usually of one plant type, and you must walk around them if you meet them. If you must pass, ask permission, walk through fast, and do not touch anything. Fail to obey, and the Chullanchaqui will attack you.

Forest gardens are the large leaf-cutter ant hives. If you touch them or mess with the plants inside, the ants attack you.

Did it exist?

ChullachaquiA gnome guardian of the Amazon rainforests supposedly takes other people's shapes to lead them deep into the woods. This creature has one foot larger than the other and guards the medicinal Chullachaquicaspi tree.It ambushed those that destroy vegetation.It destroyed vegetation.

The Chullachaqui does not exist. Leafcutter ants help protect and propagate the rainforests.It protected and propagated the rainforests.They shear back plants and move soil, which helps the rainforests they live in. They accost any predators.It accosted any predators.These actions do not account for a shape-shifting creature luring people deep into the forest or helping them stay safe if they respect the rainforests.

Ants might cause the invisible retaliation, but the shape-shifting stays unexplained and mythical.

From Redditor /u/DuploJamaal:

Medieval Europe featured unbelievable stories of African animals. These beasts were huge, with a snake-like head, a leopard body, a lion's haunches, and hart-like hooves. They became the mythological Questing Beast from King Arthur folklore.

They were just giraffes.

Did it exist?

TheQuesting Beast, or theBeste Glisant(barking beast) in the French version of the Arthurian legends described a fearsome beast in a 13th-century translation ofTristan and Isoldeas having a stag's feet, a serpent's head, a leopard's body, and a lion's thighs and tail. It also made a haunting "questing" noise, an old word for "barking" or "baying," which punned the creature's purpose.

The first Western record of a giraffe's first encounter sounds very similar to the questing beast. When Julius Caesar brought one to Rome from Africa, it was called a"camelopard"and people thought it was a mix of the two animals with a very long neck. Looking at a giraffe today, we see the cloven hooves, the snake-like neck, and the lion-like tail, things that seemed fantasy to people in medieval England. Giraffes do make somepretty weird noisesthat would bespookyto hear in the wild.