7 Mythical Creatures That Existed in Real Life

7 Mythical Creatures That Existed In Real Life For the most part, myths are stories of old, once told by those who wanted to explain a phenomenon, or by parents who wanted to scare their kids into good behavior. But, because we're so much more rational than our ancestors were, we modern humans know better than to believe in them. Most of us, anyway. We're looking at you, bigfoot hunters. But, what if you knew that some mythical creatures actually existed? Or at least were based on reality? How would you feel knowing you're sharing the planet with terrifying, vampire-like creatures and gigantic deep-sea krakens? Well, you're about to find out. While most myths are based on nothing but a bag of popcorn, today, we're counting down 7 Mythical Creatures That Existed In Real Life. Welcome to another episode of Forever Green. And, if you're wondering whether the werewolf is more than just a legend, then you'll definitely want to stick around for number one. Because you'll be terrified. Strap in, and let's get started. Number 7 – Vampire Deers The Vampire Deer, a real-life mythical monster. Looking like an animal out of a Blade movie, these unique deers grow some pretty scary-looking teeth. The term Vampire Deer is actually a nickname for a Chinese water deer, which, despite its name, is mostly to be found in European countries. The thought of encountering a blood-sucking deer in the forest is quite unnerving, to say the least. But, don't fret. These guys couldn't suck your blood even if they wanted to, because those teeth are just for show. While you'd expect a male deer to grow horns on top of its head, like the rest of the species, this specific subspecies of musk deer grows vampire-like fangs from its upper jaw instead. Its cute, teddy-like features coupled with those long, canine teeth make them look like something straight out of a fairy tale. These white-bellied musk deer are an endangered species, highly vulnerable due to their prized musk pod commonly used as a base note in expensive perfumery. There are only a few surviving in the world, meaning these wonderful creatures may soon become a myth after all. 6. Krakens For centuries, people have spun tales of sea monsters with giant tentacles that drag people to their doom. But, is there any truth to such tentacled fables? Supposedly, this mythical octopus lurks in dark waters, just waiting to grab at your entire boat with its giant tentacles and drag you down to the depths of the ocean. Ancient fishermen said the Kraken was roughly the size of a number of small islands. But, scientists today are pretty sure the legends are based on very real giant squid. The largest of these elusive giants ever found weighed nearly a ton and measured 59 feet in length, which is about the length of 10 average humans. At least one paleontologist believes he found evidence of Triassic squid that were up to 100 feet in length, though his theory is not yet well supported. And while large squids have been proven to exist, the tales of the Kraken may have been a little over-exaggerated. It's also unlikely they were particularly fond of sinking ships or suctioning off the faces of quirky pirates. Perhaps it was the fear factor the fishermen had during their encounter with these giant squid that made them appear even bigger and gave way to all kinds of myths. Before we move on, here's a quick challenge for you. If you can leave a like on this video, smash that subscribe button, and turn on the notifications in less than 5 seconds, you will have 10 years of amazing luck. Hurry up and try it, it actually works. Number 5 – Hobbits Everyone knows hobbits as the mythical creatures that once saved Middle Earth from a treacherous piece of jewelry. But what's less common knowledge is that a small-statued race of proto-humans with primitive feet really did walk the Earth with larger humans about 200,000 years ago. In 2003, archaeologists found the remains of a 3-foot-tall adult female in a cave on a remote Indonesian island. Initially, they speculated the skeleton might have belonged to a person with dwarfism, which is nothing new. But what set this skeleton apart was the presence of extremely large primitive feet. Though scientists fail to mention if they were particularly hairy. There also appears to be a disappointing lack of evidence of elvish ears, so scientists may not be as quick to bind to the existence of hobbits as Lord of the Rings fans would. Since 2003, scientists have found far more examples of these real-life hobbits, and have since classified them as Homo Florensiensis. No, they did not find them in the Shire, and no one really knows how these olden-day hobbits went extinct. But it's nice to think of them as mythical creatures. 4. Chupacabras The chupacabra is not only downright terrifying, but it's not as old and mythical as you probably thought it was. The chupacabra is a vampiric creature first sighted at the beginning of the century in Puerto Rico, which means it's not only Latin, but it's a millennial as well. Chupacabra is Spanish for goat sucker, but it's also been said to drain the blood of dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits, and other domesticated animals. Now we're not so sure about the blood-sucking part, but there is evidence that such a creature exists, as people have actually killed or found corpses of animals believed to be chupacabras. Finders usually describe them as having a dog-like appearance with thick, hairless skin like an elephant. Chupacabra corpses almost always turn out to be coyotes suffering from a severe form of mange, a disease which causes them to lose their hair and look terrifying. If you've ever been shocked by the sight of a hairless chihuahua, you can probably see how a person might mistake a hairless coyote for a blood-sucking monster. Well, there's an easily solved mystery. Number 3, Bunyips The bunyip is a little like Australia's Loch Ness monster in that it lives in swamps and rivers, and has never been photographed despite the fact that hundreds of people claim to have seen it. The bunyip is an aboriginal legend said to look like a cross between a crocodile and a horse, and according to Australian history, the name means devil. Supposedly, bunyips stalk and kill human beings, and are said to make an unnerving hollow boom sound like a shotgun. But there may be some proof of its existence, or at least enough to trace back its mythical origins. In 1839, the remains of an animal called a diprodont were discovered in Australia, which proved that a huge, rhino-sized marsupial similar in appearance to what people described as the bunyip indeed once roamed the outback. It's unlikely they stalked and ate humans, as the diprodont was actually an herbivore. But it's not hard to imagine that an angry diprodont would react similarly to an angry rhino or hippo when disturbed by humans who hunted them. Diprodonts died out about 20,000 to 40,000 years ago, which was long after the arrival of the aboriginal people. This suggests that the legends might have come from real-life encounters between humans and these real-life bunyips. Number 2 – Dragons 4th century BC Chinese historian Cheng Ku once discussed dragon remains that were found in the region that is now known as the Sichuan province. It's likely that similar fossils were also known in Europe, giving rise to the stories and legends of fire-breathing monsters. One probable hypothesis for the origin of the dragon legend is the discovery of dinosaur bones, such as those of the Dracorex hogwarshia. Dracorex hogwarshia was a 25-foot-long dragon-like dinosaur, and its name is Greek for Dragon King of Hogwarts. Yes, the fossilized dinosaur got its name from a bunch of school kids. But if fossils aren't enough to inspire the imagination, it's also likely that medieval people encountered actual dragons in Indonesia. Home of the fearsome Komodo dragon According to the Smithsonian, wild Komodo dragons can weigh more than 150 pounds and can exceed 10 feet in length. And unlike what most of us are taught to believe, medieval dragons weren't necessarily enormous. Raphael's famous painting of Saint George and the dragon depicted a beast no larger than a lion, not too far off from a real-life Komodo dragon. Sorry to burst your bubble there, but neither of these creatures had wings. So it's unlikely that dragons were ever ridden by blonde chalices and incinerated entire armies of white walkers. But if you put a medieval knight in the same room as a Dracorex hogwarshia or a Komodo dragon, chances are he'd probably believe dragons were real. It is now time for today's subscriber pick. Today's photo was sent to us by a subscriber wondering about this mythical creature. If you too come across a photo online and want us to look into it, just send it over to us and we may even feature it in one of our future videos. So we looked into this four-eyed goat with four horns, and the only thing that comes close is this footage we discovered of a not-so-mythical two-headed goat. Its mutation is actually the result of a well-known genetic disorder, so it's more likely this legendary picture was photoshopped. Oh well. But let us make it up to you with our final mythical creature theory on today's list. Before we reveal number one, be sure to check out other amazing videos on our channel, and give us a like if you enjoyed this video so far. Tell us in comments which one of these you like the most and why. 1. Werewolves Before you go nuts thinking guys like Taylor Lautner and their impossible six-packs can shapeshift into vicious wolves. Sorry, but the sexy werewolf is definitely a millennial legend. However, there is a pretty logical explanation that may have given way to the myths. You see, back in medieval times, there was no such thing as vaccination, and rabies was common not only in wild animals, but also in the family dog. And a bite from a rabid animal could transform an upright gentleman into an irrational, crawling, drooling animal that might attack and bite his or her friends and loved ones if he was in a mood. Once a person was bitten, there was no way to stop the virus from taking over. And if that person happened to be particularly hairy, well, you can see how the werewolf legend might have been born. And that's it for the mythical creatures that existed in real life. Did we miss out on any? Let us know in the comments below if you've ever encountered a living legend.