8 Legendary Monsters Lurking In New Mexico That Will Haunt Your Dreams
If you’ve lived here a while, you may have heard of most of these New Mexico urban legends. They roam the state, haunt our dreams, and play tricks on our imaginations – especially when we are alone on those dark, dark nights! So, here are some creepy things in New Mexico that might just surprise you someday:
Have you run into any of these ghastly New Mexico urban legends? Which of them scares you the most? Talk to us in the comments!
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New Mexico Urban Legends
What are some creepy or weird New Mexico animals?
New Mexico is a beautiful state with lots to do and see, but a lot of it is wilderness – and with wilderness typically comes some creepy crawlies. Some of the more infamously weird New Mexico animals (and insects) include ones we can hardly see unless we’re looking for them, like the tiny-but-weird Socorro isopod. In the mountains near Socorro, New Mexico is a natural warm spring that houses some of the rarest animals in the world. These little fellas are a species of tiny freshwater crustaceans that kind of look like “roly-poly” or “pill” bugs. In 1988, the springs dried up and the isopods died. Not to be allowed to go extinct, scientists at the University of New Mexico repopulated the spring with captive specimens to ensure the future of this tiny, weird animal in New Mexico.
Are there any mythical creatures in New Mexico?
Well, they’re “mythical” for a reason, right? Sure, you won’t find any unicorns here (bummer), but you will find some other creepy critters that might as well be mythical – or ones that are currently mythical but thought to exist anyway by many people and cultures, like Bigfoot or the Chupacabra. So, what about mythical creatures in New Mexico? Here, it’s said that the Navajo spirit witch known as Skinwalkers may roam (along with the rest of the desert southwest). Another mythical creature – or spirit – said to roam the deserts of New Mexico includes the Mexican banshee known as La Llorona, and then there’s El Coco, a boogeyman-type of character said to abduct children at night. New Mexico, you’re creepy.
What kinds of eerie New Mexico cryptids are there?
With lots of local lore come lots of potential cryptid sightings, and honestly, we’re here for it. Other than the above-mentioned New Mexico cryptids, beings, or paranormal sightings, there are far more. New Mexico is a place of legend and spirit, and its cryptid population is said to embody exactly that. One of our favorite New Mexico cryptids isn’t really a cryptid at all so much as a Native American legend known as the Thunderbird. Thunderbirds exist in many cultures and myths, and sometimes, New Mexico natives swear they still see this supposedly extinct creature from time to time in the Doña Ana Mountains near Las Cruces.