The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word cryptid as “An animal whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated, such as the yeti.” For the following witnesses to living cryptids, there is no dispute. In this series of National Cryptid Society’s case files, you will read what the witnesses have experienced in their own words.
Keep an open mind when reading these accounts, and also remember one’s perception and memory of an event can be influenced by the emotions felt at the time of the occurrence. The contributors to this series of articles are doing the best they can to recount what are in some cases very shocking and traumatic experiences.
If you have a personal cryptid sighting story you would like to tell us, our contact information is at the bottom of this article.
NCS Case File #43: Skunk Ape Sighting Near Ocala National Forest, Florida
Submitted by Rob
Date: Mid to late June 2017
“I was driving down 182nd ave (known by locals as Forest road 8) and I turned this corner and no more than 35-40 yards ahead I seen what I believe to be a Florida skunk ape (Bigfoot of Florida). It was so quick I didn’t have time to get my phone and snap a picture but it came from sunny hill preservation into the Ocala national forest.
It took one stride to cross the road. Estimating it to be 7-9 foot tall about 3 1/2 foot wide long mammoth like fur. I stopped in the middle of the road astonished trying to see it through the woods and absolutely nothing there. No trace no noise, absolutely nothing.”
NCS Notes:
- The Florida Skunk Ape is a widely known cryptid and there are many sightings in and around the Ocala National Forest.
- Skunk Apes have been known by different names and have been seen in the area for hundreds of years.
- “Stories relating to Skunk Ape encounters may go back to early Indian legends, which speak of giants living along the Kissimmee River, and the “Sand People” and “Mangrove People.” Some believe these legends were describing skunk apes.”~ Charlie Carlson, “Weird Florida: Your Travel Guide to Florida’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets”
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Monsters In Print: A Collection Of Curious Creatures Known Mostly From Newspapers
This collection of over 170+ articles, direct from newspapers of the 1800s and 1900s, brings some of the most bizarre, amazing, and incredible stories of true monster encounters out of the past and into your hands! Presented with zero spin or bias, this book delivers just the facts and allows you, the reader, to decide for yourself if the stories within actually happened or not.
From the funny to the frightening, the sincere to the weird, there is something for everyone within these pages!
The National Cryptid Society 
I recently did a 1500 mile mountain bike ride from AlAbama to Key West and had a very strange encounter in the Ocala National Forest on a remote firebreak just before Juniper Prarie TH. It was about 11:30 at night and I was traversing some very heavy tree fell when I heard something big breaking large branches and trees no more than 60 feet behind me. This continued for about 3 miles until I hit the main fire road at which point I began to scream and cuss at the top of my lungs to get whatever ideas tracking to me to scram. I had an almost identical encounter at Tiger Bay State forest. I have seen many creatures in these woods but have never had anything break trees that high off the the ground before. It sounded as if a tractor was clearing the brush behind me. Big branches and trees snapping. I’m One thing that gives me the chills is that it would stop when I stopped. I have seen many bears and hogs and none of those animals stick around long enough to make a constant commotion like that. Something was tracking me that night, and was smart enough to follow just out of my line of sight. I am a local and I frequent these woods very often and have never had another experience like this.
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I recently did a 1500 mile mountain bike ride from Alabama to Key West and had a very strange encounter in the Ocala National Forest on a remote firebreak just before Juniper Prarie TH. It was about 11:30 at night and I was traversing some very heavy tree fell when I heard something big breaking large branches and trees no more than 60 feet behind me. This continued for about 3 miles until I hit the main fire road at which point I began to scream and cuss at the top of my lungs to get whatever was tracking to me to scram. I had an almost identical encounter at Tiger Bay State forest. I have seen many creatures in these woods but have never had anything break trees that high off the the ground before. It sounded as if a tractor was clearing the brush behind me. Big branches and trees snapping. One thing that gives me the chills is that it would stop when I stopped. I have seen many bears and hogs and none of those animals stick around long enough to make a constant commotion like that. Something was tracking me that night, and was smart enough to follow just out of my line of sight. I am a local and I frequent these woods very often and have never had another experience like this.
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Skunk apes as big foot is called, lives further south in the everglades of Florida. Big foot is not a ape, he has a human looking face with human hands and feet. They live in tribes and are very intelligent,
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