Cryptid/ Mythological Creature Encyclopedia

Snallygaster

Animal Class: Reptile

Diet: Carnivorous

Note: These Creatures are widely believed to be Extinct.

Snallygasters were reportedly very aggressive and had a bad habit of attacking, killing, and eating small children. Many towns told their residents to shoot these creatures on sight.

The last reported sighting of a Snallygaster was in 1936 in Southern Maryland when a very old male was struck and killed by a truck during a road crossing.

They laid eggs in caves that were deep in the mountains and these eggs vaguely resemble the eggs that are laid by a Cassowary.

Male Snallygasters were reportedly a rare sight become females usually killed and ate them after mating or even while mating.

Their favorite food was Deer and they killed them by snatching them in their talons and dropping them from very high in the sky.

Being Reptiles, they hibernated through Winter and this feature is a big part of what lead to their downfall as it was very easy for hunters to track them down and kill them in their sleep.

Their wings were very fragile and many hunters chose to aim for their wings with bullets and arrows. This grounded them and made them easier to fight.

There are stories that say that small populations of Snallygasters tried to hide out in the Pine Barrens, but were forced to leave them upon encountering Jersey Devils, who were very aggressive at the time due to also being in danger of extinction. However, it appears that some Snallygasters may have mated with some Jersey Devils as there have been unconfirmed reports of creatures that look like a hybrid between a Jersey Devil and a Snallygaster living deep in the Pine Barrens.

Extra Fun Fact: There is a rumor in Massachusetts that says a woman that was accused of being a Witch during the Salem Witch Trials ran away and hid from her accusers in a cave. A Snallygaster whose talons and beak were infused with venom is said to have protected her while she hid. This stories is widely told as a joke because there is almost no evidence that any Snallygasters even lived in that part of Massachusetts at the time or any evidence that Snallygasters were capable of producing venom.