00:00In the middle of a dense, foggy forest, you spot glowing red eyes.
00:05Suddenly, a strange clicking sound breaks the silence.
00:09It's not just in your head.
00:11Stretching over 2,000 miles from Newfoundland to central Alabama,
00:15the Appalachian Mountains hide terrifying creatures,
00:18like Bigfoot and the wampus cat.
00:21You might think they're just myths,
00:23but there's actually a chilling explanation behind them.
00:28First up, the Mothman.
00:30This creature is a superstar in the world of horror stories,
00:33but not many people know that its legend actually started in the heart of Appalachia,
00:38in Point Pleasant, West Virginia.
00:41Back in 1966, two couples were driving
00:44when they suddenly came across a human-sized moth,
00:47about 7 feet tall, with glowing red eyes.
00:52They totally freaked out and sped up,
00:54but the strange creature flew and chased after the car,
00:57making a screeching sound until it finally disappeared.
01:01After this encounter, the group told the police
01:04that the creature looked like a tall, muscular man with huge, white wings,
01:09but they couldn't see its face because of the hypnotic effect of its eyes.
01:14Since then, the Mothman has become a famous urban legend.
01:18People swear they've seen similar creatures in other parts of the U.S.,
01:22like Chicago and Gallipolis, Ohio.
01:25Theories about what people saw range from a balloon with a flashlight tied to it
01:29to extraterrestrial beings visiting Earth.
01:33But it's also possible that it was just a bird,
01:36more specifically, a barred owl.
01:39People probably mistook a bird for this creature
01:42because the barred owl looks eerie in the dark.
01:45It has spooky eyes and makes creepy clicking sounds.
01:49After all, these birds aren't huge,
01:51so it's strange how they've been mistaken for such a scary monster.
01:55Wait, what did people actually see then?
01:59The second strange beings are known as the Moon-Eyed People.
02:03This was a group of bearded, flat-faced, pale people with big blue eyes
02:08who supposedly lived all across Appalachia.
02:12Why did I say supposedly?
02:14Well, because no one could ever prove they actually existed.
02:18The stories about them were part of the Cherokee folklore,
02:21so we don't really know how reliable the information is.
02:26Still, their legends creeped out both locals and visitors in Appalachia.
02:31The Moon-Eyed People were said to come near a house at night,
02:35and people inside would hear them talking.
02:38But they were warned not to go outside,
02:40and no matter what happened, they couldn't watch them.
02:44By morning, they'd find their corn gathered, as if someone had helped them.
02:48Or the opposite.
02:50Fields completely cleared like a whole group of men had been working there
02:53and taken all the crops.
02:56One of the most famous stories about them
02:58involves a mysterious stone wall found at Fort Mountain State Park.
03:03It was built between the years 500 and 1500,
03:06but no one knows who actually built it.
03:10Some people believe it was the Moon-Eyed People's work,
03:13and the ruins today are proof they really existed.
03:17They might not be delusional though.
03:20One theory suggests that the Moon-Eyed People were actually Welsh people.
03:24At the time, they were in Appalachia, mining the mountains.
03:28And the Cherokee gave them this nickname
03:30because they lived underground and had great night vision.
03:34Hey kitty kitty, come here!
03:37Oh wait, what's that?
03:39According to legends, the wampus cat is a half-dog, half-cat creature
03:43that roams the Appalachians after dark, or just before dawn.
03:48And it can run totally upright on two legs.
03:51So if it comes running after you like a human would,
03:54you'd better hide fast and don't look at it.
03:57Rumor has it that its yellow eyes can pierce the hearts and souls
04:01of anyone unlucky enough to cross its path,
04:04driving them to the edge of madness.
04:07OK, that's probably just folklore,
04:10but the real-life creature that might be hiding behind these legends
04:13isn't much friendlier.
04:15The stories describe the wampus cat as a kind of underwater panther,
04:19so some experts believe it sounds a lot like a mountain lion.
04:24Apparently, they're really strong swimmers
04:26and cross a large lake without much difficulty.
04:30Now, let's say you're driving in the Appalachian region at night.
04:34Suddenly, you spot an animal in the middle of the road.
04:38You slow down and take a closer look.
04:40It looks like a deer, but there's something...off.
04:44Its eyes are too close together, its head is misshapen,
04:48its neck is too long, and its legs move in unnatural ways,
04:53almost like a puppet on strings.
04:56Oh, and even if you honk, this creature won't move.
05:00It's definitely not afraid of you.
05:03This is the knot deer.
05:05Although some people have reported sightings as far away as Texas,
05:09and even Norway, it's definitely an Appalachian myth.
05:13One young woman said she was hiking when she spotted a doe.
05:17Suddenly, the animal looked right at her,
05:19and she noticed that all of its knees were bent backwards.
05:23Any direction a deer's knee is supposed to go,
05:26the deer's knees did not.
05:28Oh, my.
05:30Anyway, the internet is flooded with people talking about the knot deer
05:34and its creepy behavior.
05:36But the thing is, we can't find a single photo or video
05:40that proves it actually exists.
05:42So what could it be?
05:45One explanation points to sick animals.
05:48There's a neurological condition known as CWD
05:51that affects different deer species like elk, moose, and even reindeer.
05:57It causes the brains of infected animals to degenerate,
06:00leading to loss of body functions and abnormal behavior.
06:04Since the symptoms match what some people describe as knot deer behavior,
06:09it makes sense to think this condition could be behind the strange sightings.
06:15The last creature on our list, the one and only Bigfoot.
06:20You know, that large, hairy, human-like creature
06:22that walks upright and roams the dense forest in the US.
06:26In the Appalachian Mountains,
06:28there have been Bigfoot sightings from the Adirondacks in New York
06:31all the way down to the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Georgia.
06:35This bizarre figure has haunted our imagination for decades,
06:39but scientists believe it could actually be a humble black bear in disguise.
06:45It turns out the American black bear is found in many of the same areas
06:49where people claim to have spotted Bigfoot.
06:53Studies show that for every 1,000 increase in the bear population,
06:57there was a 4% increase in Bigfoot sightings.
07:01And there are two main reasons why the American black bear could be the perfect imposter.
07:07The first reason, they're big.
07:09Adult males can weigh up to 660 pounds and grow up to 6 feet long.
07:15The second reason, while we think they primarily walk on four legs,
07:19they are perfectly capable of standing upright.
07:22In fact, not only are they capable, they do it all the time.
07:26They stand up to get a better look at something,
07:29sniff the air, or just to appear bigger when they feel threatened.
07:33When they do that, they definitely look like a human-like figure.
07:38And for those people who aren't used to being around bears,
07:41it's easy to mistake them for something more sinister and out of this world.
07:46Now, you might be wondering why so many strange sights and creatures
07:50are said to live in the Appalachian,
07:52and the answer might be linked to the region's age.
07:56The process that led to the creation of these mountains
07:59has been going on for over 480 million years,
08:03which means they're older than Saturn's rings, for example.
08:07Over all this time, the region has gone through some drastic changes in its composition,
08:13creating a huge number of ecological niches with varying elevations,
08:17slopes, aspects, temperatures, and rainfall.
08:21And according to experts, the reason the region is so full of bizarre legends
08:25isn't just because the mountains are old, but because they still look old.
08:31Since a large part of Appalachia is basically untouched by humans,
08:35much of that ancient biodiversity is still around and seems unknown to us.
08:41This has created a landscape full of deep forests, mist-covered valleys, and winding rivers,
08:47a place where secrets seem to be hiding in the fog.
08:51And over the centuries, the isolation of the Appalachians only allowed these stories to grow.
08:57That's it for today!
08:58So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
09:03Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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