They discovered that some of Appalachia’s scariest legends might not be just stories after all! Deep in the mountains, researchers found real creatures that could have inspired terrifying tales passed down for generations. From giant, shadowy beasts lurking in the woods to strange, glowing eyes peering through the darkness, these animals are straight out of a nightmare. Some are rare species, while others are newly discovered, adding even more mystery to the region. Could the legendary Mothman or the wailing banshees have real-life counterparts? Watch now and decide for yourself if the truth is even creepier than the myths! Animation is created by Bright Side.
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FunTranscript
00:00In the middle of a dense, foggy forest, you spot glowing red eyes.
00:05Suddenly, a strange clicking sound breaks the silence.
00:09It's not just in your head.
00:11Stretching over 2,000 miles from Newfoundland to central Alabama,
00:15the Appalachian Mountains hide terrifying creatures,
00:18like Bigfoot and the wampus cat.
00:21You might think they're just myths,
00:23but there's actually a chilling explanation behind them.
00:28First up, the Mothman.
00:30This creature is a superstar in the world of horror stories,
00:33but not many people know that its legend actually started in the heart of Appalachia,
00:38in Point Pleasant, West Virginia.
00:41Back in 1966, two couples were driving
00:44when they suddenly came across a human-sized moth,
00:47about 7 feet tall, with glowing red eyes.
00:52They totally freaked out and sped up,
00:54but the strange creature flew and chased after the car,
00:57making a screeching sound until it finally disappeared.
01:01After this encounter, the group told the police
01:04that the creature looked like a tall, muscular man with huge, white wings,
01:09but they couldn't see its face because of the hypnotic effect of its eyes.
01:14Since then, the Mothman has become a famous urban legend.
01:18People swear they've seen similar creatures in other parts of the U.S.,
01:22like Chicago and Gallipolis, Ohio.
01:25Theories about what people saw range from a balloon with a flashlight tied to it
01:29to extraterrestrial beings visiting Earth.
01:33But it's also possible that it was just a bird,
01:36more specifically, a barred owl.
01:39People probably mistook a bird for this creature
01:42because the barred owl looks eerie in the dark.
01:45It has spooky eyes and makes creepy clicking sounds.
01:49After all, these birds aren't huge,
01:51so it's strange how they've been mistaken for such a scary monster.
01:55Wait, what did people actually see then?
01:59The second strange beings are known as the Moon-Eyed People.
02:03This was a group of bearded, flat-faced, pale people with big blue eyes
02:08who supposedly lived all across Appalachia.
02:12Why did I say supposedly?
02:14Well, because no one could ever prove they actually existed.
02:18The stories about them were part of the Cherokee folklore,
02:21so we don't really know how reliable the information is.
02:26Still, their legends creeped out both locals and visitors in Appalachia.
02:31The Moon-Eyed People were said to come near a house at night,
02:35and people inside would hear them talking.
02:38But they were warned not to go outside,
02:40and no matter what happened, they couldn't watch them.
02:44By morning, they'd find their corn gathered, as if someone had helped them.
02:48Or the opposite.
02:50Fields completely cleared like a whole group of men had been working there
02:53and taken all the crops.
02:56One of the most famous stories about them
02:58involves a mysterious stone wall found at Fort Mountain State Park.
03:03It was built between the years 500 and 1500,
03:06but no one knows who actually built it.
03:10Some people believe it was the Moon-Eyed People's work,
03:13and the ruins today are proof they really existed.
03:17They might not be delusional though.
03:20One theory suggests that the Moon-Eyed People were actually Welsh people.
03:24At the time, they were in Appalachia, mining the mountains.
03:28And the Cherokee gave them this nickname
03:30because they lived underground and had great night vision.
03:34Hey kitty kitty, come here!
03:37Oh wait, what's that?
03:39According to legends, the wampus cat is a half-dog, half-cat creature
03:43that roams the Appalachians after dark, or just before dawn.
03:48And it can run totally upright on two legs.
03:51So if it comes running after you like a human would,
03:54you'd better hide fast and don't look at it.
03:57Rumor has it that its yellow eyes can pierce the hearts and souls
04:01of anyone unlucky enough to cross its path,
04:04driving them to the edge of madness.
04:07OK, that's probably just folklore,
04:10but the real-life creature that might be hiding behind these legends
04:13isn't much friendlier.
04:15The stories describe the wampus cat as a kind of underwater panther,
04:19so some experts believe it sounds a lot like a mountain lion.
04:24Apparently, they're really strong swimmers
04:26and cross a large lake without much difficulty.
04:30Now, let's say you're driving in the Appalachian region at night.
04:34Suddenly, you spot an animal in the middle of the road.
04:38You slow down and take a closer look.
04:40It looks like a deer, but there's something...off.
04:44Its eyes are too close together, its head is misshapen,
04:48its neck is too long, and its legs move in unnatural ways,
04:53almost like a puppet on strings.
04:56Oh, and even if you honk, this creature won't move.
05:00It's definitely not afraid of you.
05:03This is the knot deer.
05:05Although some people have reported sightings as far away as Texas,
05:09and even Norway, it's definitely an Appalachian myth.
05:13One young woman said she was hiking when she spotted a doe.
05:17Suddenly, the animal looked right at her,
05:19and she noticed that all of its knees were bent backwards.
05:23Any direction a deer's knee is supposed to go,
05:26the deer's knees did not.
05:28Oh, my.
05:30Anyway, the internet is flooded with people talking about the knot deer
05:34and its creepy behavior.
05:36But the thing is, we can't find a single photo or video
05:40that proves it actually exists.
05:42So what could it be?
05:45One explanation points to sick animals.
05:48There's a neurological condition known as CWD
05:51that affects different deer species like elk, moose, and even reindeer.
05:57It causes the brains of infected animals to degenerate,
06:00leading to loss of body functions and abnormal behavior.
06:04Since the symptoms match what some people describe as knot deer behavior,
06:09it makes sense to think this condition could be behind the strange sightings.
06:15The last creature on our list, the one and only Bigfoot.
06:20You know, that large, hairy, human-like creature
06:22that walks upright and roams the dense forest in the US.
06:26In the Appalachian Mountains,
06:28there have been Bigfoot sightings from the Adirondacks in New York
06:31all the way down to the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Georgia.
06:35This bizarre figure has haunted our imagination for decades,
06:39but scientists believe it could actually be a humble black bear in disguise.
06:45It turns out the American black bear is found in many of the same areas
06:49where people claim to have spotted Bigfoot.
06:53Studies show that for every 1,000 increase in the bear population,
06:57there was a 4% increase in Bigfoot sightings.
07:01And there are two main reasons why the American black bear could be the perfect imposter.
07:07The first reason, they're big.
07:09Adult males can weigh up to 660 pounds and grow up to 6 feet long.
07:15The second reason, while we think they primarily walk on four legs,
07:19they are perfectly capable of standing upright.
07:22In fact, not only are they capable, they do it all the time.
07:26They stand up to get a better look at something,
07:29sniff the air, or just to appear bigger when they feel threatened.
07:33When they do that, they definitely look like a human-like figure.
07:38And for those people who aren't used to being around bears,
07:41it's easy to mistake them for something more sinister and out of this world.
07:46Now, you might be wondering why so many strange sights and creatures
07:50are said to live in the Appalachian,
07:52and the answer might be linked to the region's age.
07:56The process that led to the creation of these mountains
07:59has been going on for over 480 million years,
08:03which means they're older than Saturn's rings, for example.
08:07Over all this time, the region has gone through some drastic changes in its composition,
08:13creating a huge number of ecological niches with varying elevations,
08:17slopes, aspects, temperatures, and rainfall.
08:21And according to experts, the reason the region is so full of bizarre legends
08:25isn't just because the mountains are old, but because they still look old.
08:31Since a large part of Appalachia is basically untouched by humans,
08:35much of that ancient biodiversity is still around and seems unknown to us.
08:41This has created a landscape full of deep forests, mist-covered valleys, and winding rivers,
08:47a place where secrets seem to be hiding in the fog.
08:51And over the centuries, the isolation of the Appalachians only allowed these stories to grow.
08:57That's it for today!
08:58So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
09:03Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!