We live in an age where information is basically everywhere. Have a question you need answered? Google it. It’s hard to imagine how people managed without all of this digital help, but go back just a hundred years ago and people did pretty well for themselves. 

Nonetheless, they still made mistakes back then, including when it comes to nature. There are so many animals who people just didn’t believe in and were labeled as fictitious before they were eventually discovered.

The Giant Squid is one of the more famous instances of going from a myth to a documented sea creature. For many years, this squid was considered a hoax by the general public, likely due to living in incredibly deep parts of the ocean, which are difficult for humans to find. 

In 2004, the first ever image of a Giant Squid was taken in Japan, 2004. Then in 2006, a 24 foot female was captured by scientists from Japan’s National Science Museum. Nowadays, many people speculate that these Squid could explain the numerous Kraken sightings hundreds of years ago.

Famous for its odd anatomy, the Platypus is one of the strangest looking creatures alive. Resembling a cross between a beaver and a duck, it has sharp spurs of venom on its hind legs and was the cause of discourse in the 18th century. 

Understandably, most European scientists and zoologists laughed off tales of this creature, until it was eventually proven to be real after many expeditions. 

Famous for its potent, venomous bite, the Komodo Dragon lives on the island of Komodo, Indonesia. Stories told about these ten foot long reptiles were laughed off and ignored until 1910, when one was killed after being captured. Later, several others were captured and documented.

We don’t know everything. As far as our science has come, we can’t pretend that every single species on earth has been documented. Who knows?  Come 20 years,we could potentially discover even more “fictional” animals.