Real Monsters...? -- FAK #21

The Brazilian Encantado is a mythological were-dolphin that transforms into a human at night to take pleasure in human activities such as festivals. They have the power to control storms and hypnotize humans as well as cast spells that cause sickness, insanity and death. The were-dolphins also seduce beautiful women and impregnate them before returning to the river to become dolphins But they never fully transform into humans and have to wear hats to conceal their unchanged blowholes. What the FAK? The Facts and Knowledge on Mythical Monsters Kraken are legendary sea monsters believed to live in the waters off the coasts of Norway and Iceland that attack ships. It's said that they wrap their arms around the ship, capsizing it, drowning or eating the crew. The Kraken was brought to the attention of the masses in the Natural History of Norway written by the Bishop of Bergen who collected the stories of fishermen said to have encountered it. In reality it's suspected that the Kraken may be linked to the giant squid which is 40 to 50 feet in length and have reportedly attacked ships. Somewhat of a newcomer on the monster scene is the Chupacabra which translates to Goat Sucker. First reported in 1995, this vampiric creature is mostly reported in northern Mexico and the United States and blamed for sucking the blood out of sheep, chickens and other livestock. It was originally described as a bipedal, reptile-like creature with sharp quills running down its back that hops like a kangaroo but has more recently been described as a hairless wild dog. Which are probably coyotes infected with a parasite that alters their appearance. No evidence of the Chupacabra's supposed victims actually being drained of their blood has ever been found. The Mongolian Death Worm is said to inhabit the southern Gobi Desert in Mongolia. Witnesses claim it's bright red with a thick body and 2 to 5 feet in length. With the ability to spew deadly acid and electrocute its victims from a distance with an electrical discharge. It's also believed that touching any part of the worm causes instant death. While scientists note that acid spraying and huge worms are found in nature, they're dubious of the electrical discharge claim and despite several investigations, the Mongolian Death Worm has yet to turn up. The concept of men transforming into wolves or lycanthropy dates back to ancient Greek mythology. The term has been linked to the story of Lycaon who was turned into a wolf as punishment by Zeus. Some authors believe that the werewolf legends were used to explain serial killings where victims appeared to be brutalized. One famous instance being Peter Stump, an alleged German serial killer executed in 1589 known as the Werewolf of Bedberg. Although modern researchers have tried to link ailments such as rabies and hypertrichosis to werewolf origins, these are not believed to have had significant, if any, influence on the legends. Lou Garou is the French version of the werewolf but has a distinct and more frightening difference. The ability to switch between human and wolf form at will with no dependence on the moon cycles that the more popular werewolf follows. Bigfoot is a giant ape-like creature believed to live in the forests of North America's Pacific Northwest. The name Bigfoot came into popularity in 1958 when footprints were found in California and cast into plaster. The story was published and picked up by the Associated Press and the name caught on. The hunt for evidence proving the existence of this 6-10 foot hairy humanoid creature includes a recently published and highly questionable study claiming evidence of Bigfoot's DNA. Giant footprints are often used as proof but turn out to be hoaxes. And Bigfoot supporters believe the creature to be a remnant of Gigantopithecus, the largest ape that ever lived at almost 10 feet tall, whose fossils are found in Asia. But while the scientific community discounts the existence of Bigfoot, the legend of a giant ape-like creature is found in many cultures all around the world. On November 5, 1966, two young couples had the first reported sighting of what is now called the Mothman, an enormous winged creature that terrorized Point Pleasant, West Virginia in the late 1960s. It was believed to be involved with the collapse of the Silver Bridge that killed 46 people and injured 9, being sighted at the event by many eyewitnesses. Between 1966 and 1967, over 100 people claimed to have seen the creature, all reporting it standing around 7 feet tall with bat-like wings and red eyes. After the bridge collapsed, there were only a few sightings of Mothman and then it quietly disappeared. But there are similar claims around the world of a creature surrounding huge disasters and some believe that it either appears before the It can be seen from a distance within the treetops, however search parties have been unable to find it. The Wendigo is a demonic spirit believed by Algonquin Native American tribes to take over humans and turn them into cannibals. Once possessed, they turn into a monster that has an unrelenting need for human flesh. They are said to be human-like but very tall and thin with yellowish decaying skin. By eating human flesh, someone makes themselves vulnerable to the demon and it was preferable to kill oneself than resort to cannibalism. Wendigo psychosis is a condition where even people with access to food will be overwhelmed with the need to eat human flesh. Such as Swift Runner that famously killed his entire family in 1878 and ate them despite being 25 miles from a supply post. Vampire mythology in many forms long predate Bram Stoker's Dracula, going as far back as the Mesopotamians and Ancient Greeks. But the European legends of the early 18th century are where most modern folklore originated. Vampires were described as being bloated and purplish in color from drinking blood, with blood coming from their mouth and nose. One of the methods for escaping the pursuit of a vampire was to drop salt or seeds, which the vampires are compelled to count each and every fallen grain of, a disorder known as Arithmomania. There were many methods from different cultures for preventing vampires from rising from their graves, including a brick in the mouth, holy water on the body, pouring boiling water over the grave, or pinning the corpse to the earth with metal spikes or, of course, wooden stakes. The 18th century vampire controversy saw widespread fear of vampires throughout Europe and led to villagers digging up corpses and often mistaking normal decomposition for evidence of vampires. Intestinal decomposition leads to bloating, causing blood to be forced up into the mouth, creating the illusion that the dead had been sucking blood. Yawar Mayahu is a small, red, vampiric creature from Australian Aboriginal folklore. He's around 4 feet tall, with a large mouth, with no teeth, and suckers on the ends of his toes and fingers to stick to his victims and suck their blood out. He doesn't hunt for food, rather he waits in trees for an unsuspecting person to walk by, drops down onto them, drains their blood, but leaves them with enough to stay alive. After working up an appetite, the Yawar Mayahu returns and swallows the victim whole and then regurgitates them. If the victim plays dead, they may escape as the Yawar Mayahu will only eat people that are alive. If he realizes you're alive, he'll continue to eat and regurgitate you, with the victim becoming shorter and redder each time until they become a Yawar Mayahu. I'm going to leave you with this Celtic mythological creature. What is it and how does it kill its victims? Before we go, here's last video's winner. Leave your answers in the comments below, be sure to subscribe for more facts and knowledge, and as always, thanks for watching.