Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience involving the search for animals whose existence has not been proven. Cryptozoology is not a recognized branch of zoology or a discipline of science. It is an example of pseudoscience because it relies heavily upon anecdotal evidence, stories, and alleged sightings.
Cryptozoology comes from the Greek word kryptos meaning “hidden” and the word zoology which means the “study of animals.” Cryptozoology includes looking for living examples of animals that are considered extinct, such as dinosaurs. It also includes animals whose existence lacks physical evidence but which appear in myths, legends, or reported sightings, such as Bigfoot. Cryptozoology is also the study of wild animals dramatically outside their normal geographic ranges, such as phantom cats (also known as Alien Big Cats). The animals cryptozoologists study are often referred to as cryptids.
There was probably no legendary creature as horrifying as the Kraken, a giant sea monster. According to stories this huge, many armed, creature looked like an island when motionless and could reach as high as the top of a sailing ship's main mast with its arms deployed.
The Kraken was said to dwell off the coasts of Norway and Greenland. The legend of the Kraken is probably what we know today as the giant squid or cephalopod. Though they are considerably less than a mile and a half across, they are large enough to wrestle with a sperm whale.