The Spotter's Guide to Cryptids (Around the World with 50 Legendary Creatures)

While most field guides identify known flora and fauna, this book focuses on the mythical beings known as cryptids—legendary creatures who exist in folklore, but who have never been proven to exist. Every page provides a new description of a hidden creature you may never have heard of, along with the history and storytelling traditions that have kept their legends alive. The Spotter’s Guide to Cryptids covers these beings from around the globe, with chapters organized by continent. Readers will encounter dinosaur-like beasts, lake-dwelling serpents, hairy bipedal ape-men, gigantic birds, and many other freaky and fascinating characters. From familiar beasts like sasquatch and kraken to lesser-known creatures like the Mongolian death worm and the Namibian flying snake, monster expert Dr. Emily Zarka makes every reader a cryptozoologist, providing a thoughtful and global look at cryptids and what we can learn from them about human nature and imagination.