(Sasquatch, Loch Ness Monster)
Throughout history, humans have been fascinated with exotic animals. Descriptions of mermaids, fire-breathing dragons, and giant birds are the stuff that dreams are made of. The earth's animal population is indeed wondrous and there are no doubt many startling species that have yet to be documented. However, there are some fantastic creatures that are just too good to be true... Abominable Snowman, Sasquatch, Loch Ness Monster, etc.
Cryptozoology may be characterized as the claim that extraordinary, large animals exist, but remain hidden even in well populated or visited regions. Such claims include Yeti, also known as the "abominable snowman" of the Himalayas; Sasquatch or "Bigfoot", a large human or ape like being in the US Pacific Northwest; "Nessie" a dinosaur like reptile in Scotland's Loch Ness, as well as similar animals in the African, Asian, or South American tropics.
The problem with all these claims, sightings, and speculations is that one animal can not exist alone. Even one or two breeding pairs would merely place the species on the cusp of extinction. In order to survive an entire population of old and young, males and females, children and infants would have to exist, and would have had to survive throughout its evolutionary time. As a minimum we may estimate no less than fifty individuals as necessary to make survival possible if not permanent
For a population to survive it would have to forage on a variety of resources for water, food, and shelter. This implies the need for a considerable range or territory with adequate vegetation or animal prey to supply the energy needs of the animals. If large, the beings could not be confined to a small, remote area, but must be expected to travel widely. Simply stating the parameters of the problem makes it clear that such an animal is not likely to remain hidden or out of sight of human visitors for long.
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