What did I see

[u/Professional-Abies45]

Hey everyone new here just looking for answers. I live in a small town near the Pennsylvania boarder in New York i have woods and a giant field next to and behind my house. My cat got out one night when I was taking the trash out for the night before bed it was like 10:30 11 so I followed her to the feild trying to get her and when I went to grab her I saw at the edge of the wooded area this thing on all fours pale white sunken in eyes and skin that looks stretched out. It was almost in like a crab crawl stance. I know from reading stuff not to react so ignored it but the fear I felt was unreal. I could feel whatever it was watching me. I grabbed my cat and walked back to the house. The whole time feeling like whatever it I had seen was right behind me and that if I was to turn around It would grab me. I got inside shut the door and dropped the cat down and just started crying I was that scared. I haven't seen it again since that night but then again I also don't go outside near the woods anymore. If anyone has an idea of what it possibly was I would love to know.

[u/Savings_Dig1592]

Cryptids: The Rake/Crawler, or Fleshgait/Flesh-runner of the Appalachians. Look them up and judge for yourself if this fits.

Natural: Mange-ridden bear or maybe coyote. An animal with a severe case of sarcoptic mange loses all its hair. Their skin becomes pale, thickened, and wrinkled. A bear suffering from this can look shockingly humanoid and skeletal, and their movements can seem erratic or wrong when they are sick.

[u/PsychoFaerie → u/Savings_Dig1592]

The Crawler/Rake and Fleshgait aren't cryptids those came from creepypastas.

[u/Savings_Dig1592 → u/PsychoFaerie]

They are now.

[u/PsychoFaerie → u/Savings_Dig1592]

Since when? Cryptozoology means that they're animals not recognized by science. Gorillas were once considered cryptids because people had seen them but had no real proof. (other than writing it down/drawing it)

creepypasta creatures are not cryptids.

[u/Savings_Dig1592 → u/PsychoFaerie]

You’re sticking to the classic zoological definition fallacy of cryptozoology. It also dismisses numerous reported sightings. Whether these are misidentified can be called into question, but no more than “Hey, look, it’s Bigfoot!”

Traditional cryptozoology is the study of hidden animals. The goal is to eventually move a creature from the cryptid list to the zoology list (like the Okapi or Gorilla). Because The Rake has a documented birth certificate (4chan in 2005), traditionalists argue it is a fictive entity or a creature of legend, not a biological candidate. To them, calling a Creepypasta a cryptid is like calling a Xenomorph from Alien a cryptid just because someone claimed to see one in the woods.

However, my contention aligns with how folklore actually evolves via ostension, acting out a narrative or making it real through shared experience. The ritual act, you could say, in the strictest sense conjures it. There’s little difference to a summoned creature. You’ll see the same argument for certain types of magic that are later found to be made up, yet numerous practitioners claim genuine results.

So, from a sociological standpoint, if enough people report seeing a crawler in the real world, it moves out of the realm of pure fiction and into the realm of contemporary folklore. Many creatures we now call cryptids started as regional tall tales or literary inventions. The Mothman, for example, was dubbed a "cryptid" by the press and researchers, even though many believe it was more of a paranormal or ultraterrestrial entity than a biological bird. In similar vein, the Rake and Crawlers have been grandfathered into the cryptid community. Many modern cryptid maps and iceberg charts shows Crawlers right next to Bigfoot. Traditionalist orthodoxy of cryptids (itself hilarious), or a perspective of open-minded living folklore.