Texas Cryptids

Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the monsters. From the bayous to the borderlands, the state is teeming with legendary creatures that defy logic and beg for a flashlight. First up: Texas Bigfoot, a.k.a. the Wild Man of the Navidad. This skunky, hulking figure has stalked East Texas since the 1830s and is still spotted in the Big Thicket today. The Texas Bigfoot Research Center insists it’s not a myth but a yet-undocumented primate, backed by strange prints, howls, and hair samples that match no known species. Then there’s the Lake Worth Monster, a goat-man-lizard hybrid that terrorized Fort Worth in 1969, leaping onto cars and allegedly throwing a tire 500 feet in front of dozens of witnesses. No culprit, or costume, was ever found.

Of course, no Texas cryptid list is complete without the infamous Chupacabra. First spotted in Puerto Rico, it found a second home in Texas, especially in Cuero, where rancher Phylis Canion famously taxidermied a hairless, fangy beast found on her property. DNA said coyote-wolf hybrid, but locals weren’t convinced. Then there’s La Lechuza, a shapeshifting witch-owl with a 7-foot wingspan and glowing eyes, known to whistle, mimic crying babies, and curse those who dare respond. Lastly, we meet El Nahual, a Mesoamerican shapeshifter said to transform into coyotes, owls, or even mist. Sightings along the Texas-Mexico border still happen today, including one terrifying encounter where a man fled a flying, fur-covered figure mid-Whataburger run.

Whether they crawl, fly, or throw tires, these cryptids are more than just scary stories…they’re cultural artifacts, rooted in Indigenous traditions, colonial history, and generations of oral lore. So if you’re out late in Texas, keep your goats inside, your fries warm, and maybe leave out a snack for Bigfoot. You never know what’s lurking in the dark.