Mythical Animals That Actually Existed

The giant moa of New Zealand, once believed to be a mythical bird, was a 12-foot flightless giant that truly existed

The narwhal, with its long spiral tusk, was once thought to be a unicorn swimming in Arctic waters

Griffin legends may have been inspired by fossilized Protoceratops skulls found in ancient gold-mining areas

Giant squids, once called krakens in sailor stories, are real deep-sea creatures reaching up to 40 feet long

The okapi, cousin of the giraffe, was dismissed as mythical by Western scientists until its discovery in 1901

Dragons in Asian folklore may have stemmed from ancient dinosaur fossil discoveries misunderstood by early people