Cryptozoology is a term coined by the late Bernard Heuvelmans to describe the study of creatures whose existence has not been substantiated, though Heuvelmans himself credited Ivan T. Sanderson as the first person to use the word.

Literally translated, it means "The study of hidden animals(or life )"

'Cryptids' fall mainly into three categories.

The first group consists of creatures that are, as of yet, completely unknown and undiscovered.

The second group are creatures who are known to exist, or have existed, but somehow have shown up in a place or time in which they seemingly do not belong.

The third category is the strangest of all and hard for some to accept, due to the fact that it is commonly theorized this group may be paranormal in nature and not flesh and blood at all. While this category is controversial and subjective for now, the amount of evidence from eye witness accounts across the globe seems to indicate  that not all cryptid encounters can be explained away by conventional methods or neatly tucked into place on a taxonomical chart.