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American Bestiary Fifty cryptids. One per state.
The Swamp Monster, drawn as a hominid and hoax said to live in Delaware. (opens the full-size plate in a new tab)
Swamp Monster illustration by Tavo Montañez.

Swamp Monster

Hominid / Hoax

A raccoon coat and a mask, worn by actor Fred Stevens for a newspaper circulation stunt.

A bipedal, ape-like hominid haunting Delaware's swamps whose natural nocturnal behavior was definitively proven to be a localized newspaper hoax.

Etymology. Named after the town of Selbyville and its proximity to the Great Cypress Swamp.

Anatomy. Witnesses reported a frightening, hairy, ape-like creature. In reality, its physiology consisted entirely of a large, vintage raccoon coat and an awkward, oversized mask worn by a human actor.

Ecology. Reported to lurk heavily along the wooded areas and traveled roads of the Great Cypress Swamp (also known as Burnt Swamp) in southern Delaware.

Behavior. It deliberately sprinted along Cypress Road and made loud noises specifically to ensure it was seen by passing motorists.

Mythology. The legend achieved fever-pitch in 1964 but was a completely fabricated stunt orchestrated by 'Delmarva News' editor Ralph Grapperhaus and actor Fred Stevens to jump-start stalling newspaper subscriptions. Decades later, Stevens confessed the ruse and revealed the mask to a reporter.