31 Days of Monsters 2014: The Skunk Ape

The Skunk Ape is a southeastern relative of Bigfoot. Like Bigfoot, it's a large ape-like humanoid that leaves enormous footprints and a noisome signature wherever it goes. I first heard of the Skunk Ape from an Encyclopedia Brown story in elementary school. Recently alleged photos of the Skunk Ape have surfaced that have given cryptozoologists hope that the creature actually exists. Why anyone would want a huge, potentially dangerous big hairy monster that smells like rotten eggs to exist is beyond me.

31 Days of Monsters: Sea serpents

For as long as humans have attempted to travel over and make a living from the planet's oceans, they have told tales of monstrous serpents that hunt beneath the waves. Whether the stories were fantasies spun by sailors too long at sea, or misunderstood natural occurrences, the fear of something lurking beneath the waves has a permanent place in the nightmares of mankind.

31 Days of Monsters: Pukwudgie

The Pukwudgie are small goblins from East Coast Native American legend. They are normally not hostile to humans, but when pushed can kill with a touch. They are extremely fast, seeming to appear and disappear instantaneously. They are expert marksmen with a spear and clever masters of disguise. It's not known whether they are just good at appearing as other creatures, or are natural shapeshifters, but they most often turn into porcupines or full sized humans.

31 Days of Monsters: The Mapinguari

The Mapinguari is a legendary beast of South America with backwards facing feet; disgustingly stinky, matted fur; a single eye in it's featureless head; and a large gaping mouth in its belly. The Mapinguari can move silently through the forest in order to ambush its prey, but it's thick, powerful arms and legs are capable of tearing whole trees from the ground. Cryptozoologists believe the creature may actually be a vestige population of giant sloth, but that doesn't explain the Mapinguari's strange appearance.