Utah Cryptids

Bear Lake Monster

According to local folklore, the Bear Lake monster is, as the name suggests, an aquatic monster alleged to reside in Bear Lake, on the border between Utah and Idaho. It was first described in 1868 by politician Joseph Rich, though he'd later admit its falsity, calling it a "wonderful first-class lie." Its last reported sighting was in 2002. In recent years, it has become a tourist attraction.

Reports disagree regarding the details of the monster's form, but some central features are consistent. It is often described as serpentlike, around 50 feet long, with spikes along its back. It is said to travel through water faster than a locomotive.

Skinwalker Ranch

Located in Ballard, what was once Sherman Ranch is now called Skinwalker Ranch. The location has a history of UFO reports, and many descriptions of unusual and frightening events have emerged. These include visions of flying orbs, disappearing or mutilated cattle, and large red-eyed animals capable of withstanding gunshots.

The NIDsci monitored the location for several years, and was not able to substantiate the reports. However, their monitoring methods would be criticized for lack of rigor by Joshua Currows in his initial paper on demoneurology in 1997.

^{Pictured: The entrance to Skinwalker Ranch.}

St. George Stitchwraith

Several sightings of a walking corpse were reported within a several week span in 2004, which came to be known as the St. George Stitchwraith (though it was first spotted in New Harmony, and later in Hurricane). The Stitchwraith has been likened to a "reanimated carcase", its rotting skin having a dark purple hue, mostly covered by a black cloak. It is said to carry around a stitched plush doll, which has been described as "a collection of colorful stuffed animals, torn and sewn together". It is rumored to be hostile toward onlookers: Some describe it feasting on human flesh, while others claim it collects the corpses of its victims and stitches them together into a horrific mass. However, there have been no local deaths or missing persons which could be convincingly related to this creature in order to substantiate these claims.

Its most recent sighting was in 2015 in New Harmony. The Stitchwraith myth was referenced in the Fazbear's Fright horror attraction.

North Shore Monster

The North Shore monster, also called "Old Briney" is described as a crocodile-like creature with the head of a horse, said to dwell within the Great Salt Lake. Sightings as early as 1848 recognize it as a porpoise, which resulted in the naming of Porpoise Island. Its more well-known sighting was in 1877 by a group of workers.

It was eventually proposed that these sightings were the result of strange optical illusions stemming from fluctuations in the lake's salinity. Considering the lake has a maximum depth of 33 feet, it is unlikely that such a large creature could survive there.

The Shapeshifting Abomination

First spotted in 1995, the Shapeshifting Abomination is said to be a shiny gray blob with a jagged body and many limbs and heads, wandering the woods of Hurricane.

Descriptions of this monster disagree regarding whether it consists of rigid metal limbs or snake-like wires. The various heads and limbs attached to it also vary by report. It was originally described as having the head of a bear, as well as several metal heads, and its body as formless or jumbled, with a variety of protruding arms and legs which it uses to crawl like a spider, or drag itself along the ground. Many later accounts (2005 onward) claim instead that it has a humanoid form with a white clown face, with a large number of eyes scattered across the surface of its body. It is popularly concluded that the creature can change its form, restructuring its body and growing new heads at will. Though, critics have asserted instead that the lack of consistency between reports is evidence to their illegitimacy.

^{Pictured: Two witnesses' illustrations of the monster, demonstrating the degree of inconsistency between different accounts.}

Jerry the Jackalope

Jerry the Jackalope was a mythical creature allegedly spotted in Pine Valley, 1964. As the name suggests, it had the form of a jackalope; however, according to the original report, its back was 20 feet long and supported by roughly 10 pairs of legs, resembling a large furry centipede. It was first seen by local resident Cody Currows, who described the encounter as "a glimpse at the beyond, a creature of the heavens." There have only been 4 reported sightings in total, each claiming it to have a longer back and more legs than the last.

^{Pictured: A photo of the mythical jackalope, presumably forged.}