We all know that “back in the day” people weren’t as educated, and so mistakes like “Hey, I thought unicorns exist” were common. If there are horses and rhinoceroses, why in the heck can’t there be a combination of the two? Well, those days are over! Except they’re not. Here are 8 animals some people still think are real.
1. Unicorns
By far the most innocent mistake on the list. Unicorns are close enough to real horses that by some freak accident one or two could (maybe?) potentially be real. As one of the top “go to” mythical creatures it’s appeared in Harry Potter, toilet commercials, and ice-cream commercials. With this kind of media presence unicorns make a convincing case for themselves. But they obviously don’t exist.
2. Dragons
Here too, I blame the media. The media made Trump happen, and it also made a surprising amount of 21st century adults believe that dragons are real. Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, How to Train a Dragon, Eragon – heck, sometimes I wish dragons were real!
3. Bonnacons
A bonnacon is a legendary creature that is essentially a bull with inward-curving horns and a horse-like mane. The case for these animals comes from ancient depictions of it in historical (medieval) bestiaries (books about beasts). The animal appears so often that many biology students mistakenly believe it to be real.
4. Vegetable Lambs
A creature that is both a plant and an animal. A lamb that bears fruits. A plant that is… uhm… a lamb? Yeah, people think this is real. This “animal” is especially interesting because it has been mentioned several times across different cultures and different books. It’s first mention was in Jewish folklore, but biologists, poets, and writers have mentioned it multiple times too.
5. Aspidochelone
A turtle that is actually an island floating through the ocean. I mean, okay, it does paint a beautiful picture. We all know that turtles can be huge, but many kids today still think they can be big enough to be an entire island!
6. Jackalope
A rabbit with horns! HOW bloody cool is that? I wish these were real, because I would want one as a pet. This animal comes from North American folklore, and many kids today still believe it’s a real animal. It doesn’t help that people make stuffed Jackalopes and hang them on walls.
7. Bigfoot
We’re getting into some controversial territory here, because technically there’s no proof that Bigfoot doesn’t exist. But that won’t stop me from putting it on the list. Bigfoot isn’t real. The footsteps are fake, the footage is blurry, and the stories are made up. I’m sorry, but if a creature like Bigfoot existed, we’d definitely know for sure.
8. Loch Ness Monster
Another mythical creature; this time from Scotland. A huge study was conducted across the Ness river (photos, sonar, the whole shebang), and no evidence emerged that a creature like the Loch Ness Monster inhabits the territory.
