15 Creatures from Old Maps That Explorers Swore Were Real
Cartographers populated the blank spaces on their maps with mythical creatures during the era of exploration, when large swaths of our planet were still unknown and enigmatic. These weren’t just artistic flourishes or ornamental features.
Many explorers reported sightings with complete conviction because they sincerely thought these monsters lurked in far-off waters and uncharted territories. These are 15 mythical animals that were depicted on prehistoric maps and were described by adventurers who claimed to have seen them up close.
Sea Serpents
Across almost every ocean, countless sailors reported seeing huge snake-like creatures. It was said that these enormous animals could encircle whole ships and pull them under the sea.
These creatures were especially dreaded by Norse seafarers, who were described in detail as having heads that resembled horses or dragons and snakes that were hundreds of feet long.
The Kraken
This legendary cephalopod terrorized sailors throughout the North Atlantic. Described as a creature so vast it could be mistaken for an island, the Kraken would suddenly drag ships into the depths with its massive tentacles.
The earliest descriptions appear in Norwegian writings from the 1200s, with countless sightings reported well into the 18th century.
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Mermaids
These half-fish, half-human creatures were depicted in the logbooks of well-known explorers like Christopher Columbus and on maps all throughout the world. During his trips to the Americas, he documented seeing “feminine forms” rising from the sea.
The majority of mermaid sightings were probably mistaken manatees or dugongs, particularly by sailors who were longing to see human forms after months at sea.
Blemmyes
Depicted on African maps as headless humans with faces embedded in their chests, the Blemmyes were described in detail by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History. European explorers to central Africa continued reporting encounters with these humanoids well into the Middle Ages, insisting they represented a distinct race of beings living in remote mountains.
The Bonnacon
Medieval maps of Eastern Europe often featured this bizarre bull-like creature with a unique defensive mechanism. The Bonnacon supposedly expelled burning dung that could cover three acres of land when threatened.
Travelers claimed the animal could accurately aim this projectile waste at pursuers, making it impossible to capture alive.
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Skiapods
Also known as Monopods, these one-legged humans appeared on maps of India and parts of Asia. Their most distinctive feature was an enormously oversized foot, which they supposedly used as a parasol when resting. Multiple Greek and Roman accounts mention these creatures, with Alexander the Great’s chroniclers claiming to have encountered them during eastern campaigns.
The Cynocephali
Dog-headed men populated maps of distant lands from Asia to Africa. Marco Polo himself described encountering dog-headed people on the Andaman Islands, noting they had completely human bodies but the heads and teeth of large mastiffs.
These beings were so widely accepted that some medieval scholars debated whether they had souls and could be converted to Christianity.
Anthropophagi
These cannibalistic humanoids appeared on maps of unknown territories and struck fear into explorers. With mouths in their chests instead of their heads, they were believed to feast exclusively on human flesh.
Sir Walter Raleigh mentioned them in his accounts of Guiana, claiming native peoples warned him about these creatures living in the mountains.
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The Panotii
Humans with ears so enormous they could wrap them around their bodies like cloaks populated Asian maps. These beings reportedly used their ears as blankets when sleeping and as wings to glide short distances.
Chinese explorers documented similar beings in their travels westward, suggesting the legend spread across multiple cultures independently.
Dragons
No mythical creature appeared more consistently across world maps than dragons. Chinese explorers documented Imperial dragons controlling the weather, while European sailors reported winged serpents guarding island treasures.
The dragon’s universal presence across unconnected cultures led many scholars to believe these creatures must have existed in some form.
The Leucrota
This beast combined the features of lions, horses and badgers according to Roman accounts, appearing on maps of Ethiopia and India. The Leucrota could supposedly mimic human voices to lure travelers into traps before consuming them whole.
European explorers reported hearing strange human-like calls in dense jungles that they attributed to these creatures.
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The Yale
This antelope-like animal appeared on medieval maps of India and Africa, distinguished by its movable horns. Unlike normal animals, the Yale could supposedly swing its horns in any direction during combat, making it nearly impossible to defeat.
Marco Polo described creatures matching this description during his travels through Mongolia.
The Vegetable Lamb
This bizarre half-plant, half-animal supposedly grew in central Asia, connected to the ground by a stem until it consumed all surrounding vegetation. Once European explorers reached the region, they found cotton plants, suggesting the legend originated from misunderstood descriptions of cotton growing on plants rather than being sheared from sheep.
Griffins
These majestic creatures with eagle heads and lion bodies were believed to guard gold deposits in remote mountains. Ancient Greek explorers insisted griffins actively mined gold themselves, protecting their hoards from human thieves. The legend persisted for centuries, with griffins appearing on maps of Central Asia well into the Renaissance.
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The Manticore
Persian explorers first described this red lion with a human face, three rows of teeth, and a tail that shot poisonous spines. The creature appeared on maps of India and was described by multiple Greek historians who swore Persian accounts were accurate.
Many zoologists now believe the legend combined sightings of tigers with exaggerated tales of their ferocity.
Our Evolving Understanding
As exploration expanded and scientific observation improved, these fantastic creatures gradually disappeared from our maps. What once seemed certain to our ancestors has given way to a more accurate understanding of our world.
Yet these legends remind us how the human mind fills in gaps in knowledge with creativity and wonder when faced with the unknown. The creatures that populated ancient maps represent more than just myths. They show us how explorers made sense of unfamiliar environments and strange animal sightings before modern science could explain them.
Their stories continue to capture our imagination even as satellite imagery has removed all the blank spaces from our maps.
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