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Throughout the centuries there have been stories and legends of creatures such as Yeti, the Loch Ness Monster, Pegasus, and Chimera, for example. It’s interesting to see how every culture has beliefs that come from stories that have been concocted and passed down to future generations. Whether a culture still believes in these beings or not, the legends they’ve created still live on.

Today, we’re going to learn about some more mythological beings that have been created throughout the centuries, but this time they’re not gods, and they’re not people, instead, we’re focusing this article on animals.

You’ve probably heard of many beasts that you know don’t exist, for example, a unicorn or a dragon. It’s silly to think of a dragon walking down the street breathing fire on people’s houses. But did you ever wonder about where the ideas for these creatures came from? Let’s take a look at some fascinating imaginary beasts.

Yeti - One legend that continues to be told and believed by many is that of the Yeti or abominable snowman. The name Yeti is a Tibetan term that means Himalayan mountain spirit. For centuries, Tibetans and Sherpas from Nepal have been telling the story of a large human-like being that has long shaggy hair, big feet and amazing strength. People have claimed to see this creature for as long as the story has been told, but no one had ever been face to face with it, or had any evidence of it. That is, however, until 1925 when an expedition photographer claimed to have seen one and took a picture of the large footprints left behind. No one knows for sure if the prints are real, but it keeps the legend of the Yeti alive.

Chimera - From Greek mythology comes the story of the Chimera. This fire-breathing beast had the body of a lion with a horned goats head coming out of its back and a serpent as its tail. The origin of this mythical creature probably came from the mountains in Turkey where explosive natural gas spouted out from cracks in the rocks. Due to this amazing phenomena that people at the time couldn’t explain, they made up the Chimera.

Pegasus - Another creature created by the Greeks was Pegasus, a winged horse. He was always described as white with golden wings and was tamed by one man, Bellerophon. Together, Pegasus and Bellerophon defeated the destructive Chimera by flying above him and dropping lead into the Chimera’s throat which melted by his firey breath and choked him.

Loch Ness Monster - Dating back to 565 AD, the story of the Loch Ness monster has been passed around. It is believed by many that a lake called the Loch Ness in Scotland holds a very big animal with a small head, slim neck and huge body. In 1933, the story became very popular when an innkeeper reported that they saw a beast in the water. The story made newspapers, causing people to believe it was real. And, in 1934, a picture of the monster was taken, however, 60 years later, the man who took it admitted that it was fake. No one knows for sure if the creature exists, but to this day, the Loch Ness lake is one of Scotland’s top tourist attractions.