Cryptid
A creature whose existence has been claimed but is not yet recognised by mainstream zoology — usually known only from witness reports.
Definition
A cryptid is, by definition, an entity for which the evidence is testimony rather than specimen. The term was coined in the 1980s by John Wall to give the field a name better than “monster” — something that could include the Mothman or the Beast of Bray Road without prejudging whether they are animals, spirits, or hallucinations.
Most of the entries in this guide are cryptids in this sense: their record is the cumulative weight of independent witnesses, not a body in a freezer. That distinction is important. Cryptozoology asks what people are seeing. This guide asks the same question and adds: regardless of the answer, what should the people who encounter these things do?