Mothman
A seldom-seen sentinel of Point Pleasant, the Mothman is one of the few scientifically confirmed and documented cryptids of North America. Though assumed to be native to the area it was originally sighted and still seems to inhabit to this day, near to the town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, locations of Mothman sightings have been as widespread as Wisconsin, Maine, and even Florida.
The Point Pleasant Mothman appears to be one distinct entity, though it has been sighted with offspring, and multiple mothman creatures are known to exist. Like the Sasquatch population of the Northwest, the mothfolk (as some refer to them) are generally self-sufficient and do not commonly interact with humans. However, due to a lack of natural defences and apparent subhuman intelligence, specially trained park rangers are appointed to keep an eye on them and deter poachers. Mothfolk, and specifically the Point Pleasant Mothman, are protected in law. Officially, a full close-range examination of a mothman creature has never been conducted.
The Point Pleasant Mothman, the entity usually referred to as Mothman is a large dark grey or black creature with large pupil-less red eyes and long feathery antennae. It stands between 5 1/2 and 6 feet in height and has a wingspan of between fifteen and twenty-two feet, though appears much larger in its ‘threat display’ posture. Its body is densely furred, and it has robust legs with sleeker hair. The creature has small arms that are usually concealed beneath its fur. Witnesses who have seen Mothman from behind have noted that the thicker fur does not begin until its middle back, and that the creature has defined buttocks, infamously and virally described by one ranger as "quite the ass".
The Point Pleasant Mothman is generally fearful of humans and flees if sighted but it has shown apparent fondness towards park rangers, leaving what seem to be gifts at their stations. These gifts are composed of bundles of sticks and vegetation containing tufts of fur presumed to be from the creature itself, strands of a silk-like material and what appear to be deer bones. Occasionally the bundles have contained the partially eaten remains of small rodents such as rats, and even once a mole. These ‘Mothman gifts’ may have inspired similar bundles featured in the 1999 horror film The Blair Witch Project.
From the contents of its gifts and witness reports, Mothman appears to be omnivorous, eating vegetation, the bark of trees, small mammals, and occasionally larger creatures such as deer. It is unknown if Mothman hunts the larger animals it eats, or whether it scavenges from animals that die naturally or are killed by predators. From observation and witness reports, it is considered unlikely that Mothman is a primary predator.
Mothman can of course fly, but it has been observed that it prefers to climb trees and other similar structures and glide from heights. True flight appears to be very energy intensive. When on the ground, the creature has been observed to 'waddle', walking in a wide stance with hunched posture.
Every three to five years, the Point Pleasant Mothman is sighted with offspring. The creature’s offspring are generally seen to be produced in groups of two to four. Debate has surfaced over which term is most appropriate for the offspring, experts usually argue for ‘clutch’ based on the creature’s vaguely birdlike attributes. The offspring themselves are usually referred to as mothlings or colloquially ‘mothbabies’. Some online communities have humorously suggested calling them ‘mothspring’, a combination of moth and offspring.
Mothlings are usually first sighted by rangers around mid May, appearing as small owl-like creatures with light grey fur. It is uncertain the age of these creatures, but by February their fur begins to darken, and their legs and wings, which are indistinct amongst their fur, become more visible. Rangers are known to affectionately refer to adolescent mothlings as ‘goblins’ and ‘gremlins’.
Mothlings do not show their parent’s fear of humans, but remain skittish. It has been suggested that the Kelly-Hopkinsville Encounter may have been the result of curious adolescent mothlings, due to their owl-like bodies with elongated legs. Mothlings cannot fly, but are very adept at climbing even in their ‘fluff ball’ stage. Young mothlings have been witnessed by rangers climbing up and down trees, sometimes at great speed on a warning call from the parent. Mothman is a highly protective parent, and will hiss and shriek in efforts to scare off threats.
It is unknown if mothlings are born live or hatched from eggs, nor is it known if Mothman births its offspring itself or has a mate. In the case of clutches of one, new offspring often appear much sooner than in the case of larger clutches, usually as soon as or shortly after the first offspring reaches the ‘gremlin’ stage of development. With larger clutches of four or five, it is common for there to be a runt. However, usually all sighted and identified mothlings are observed to make it to adulthood. Suggestions have been made that so-called Jersey Devil sightings are of a mothman creature that is the Point Pleasant creature’s mate, with sexual dimorphism being used to explain appearance differences, but there is no apparent dimorphism seen in the offspring, which look near identical to the parent fully grown.
When fully grown, which takes about two years from first sighting, mothlings leave their parent and do not return to the area of their birth. It is presumed this is to find their own territory, as Mothman has been noted as territorial. Due to its highly territorial nature, and the lack of sightings of additional adult mothfolk that do not correlate to the Point Pleasant individual's offspring, it has been hypothesised that the creature reproduces asexually. This is however disputed.
As previously noted, Mothman is keen to keep intruders out of its territory, usually by hissing, shrieking and adopting large threatening posture. On occasion, such as the famous 1966 case, Mothman has been known to give chase, flying incredibly quickly over long distances if needed. It has been suggested that the Point Pleasant Mothman was nesting with young offspring at the time of the 1966 sighting, which is why it pursued its witnesses. However, despite its desire to protect itself, its offspring, and its territory, Mothman has never been reported to attack humans.
The lifespan of a mothman creature has never been established, and all attempts at tracking creatures have failed. It is considered ‘not unlikely’ by cryptozoologists that the current Point Pleasant Mothman is the offspring of the creature first sighted in 1966.
So-called ‘Mothman Tourism’, like Sasquatch Tourism, is legal with restrictions, and park service sanctioned tours of the Point Pleasant territory are conducted between February and April. This window for ‘mothman spotting’ is recommended to avoid disturbing the creature while nesting. It is more recommended by officials and the park service that tourists instead attend the Point Pleasant Mothman Festival than venturing into the creature’s territory.
The Point Pleasant Mothman appears to be one distinct entity, though it has been sighted with offspring, and multiple mothman creatures are known to exist. Like the Sasquatch population of the Northwest, the mothfolk (as some refer to them) are generally self-sufficient and do not commonly interact with humans. However, due to a lack of natural defences and apparent subhuman intelligence, specially trained park rangers are appointed to keep an eye on them and deter poachers. Mothfolk, and specifically the Point Pleasant Mothman, are protected in law. Officially, a full close-range examination of a mothman creature has never been conducted.
The Point Pleasant Mothman
The Point Pleasant Mothman, the entity usually referred to as Mothman is a large dark grey or black creature with large pupil-less red eyes and long feathery antennae. It stands between 5 1/2 and 6 feet in height and has a wingspan of between fifteen and twenty-two feet, though appears much larger in its ‘threat display’ posture. Its body is densely furred, and it has robust legs with sleeker hair. The creature has small arms that are usually concealed beneath its fur. Witnesses who have seen Mothman from behind have noted that the thicker fur does not begin until its middle back, and that the creature has defined buttocks, infamously and virally described by one ranger as "quite the ass".
The Point Pleasant Mothman is generally fearful of humans and flees if sighted but it has shown apparent fondness towards park rangers, leaving what seem to be gifts at their stations. These gifts are composed of bundles of sticks and vegetation containing tufts of fur presumed to be from the creature itself, strands of a silk-like material and what appear to be deer bones. Occasionally the bundles have contained the partially eaten remains of small rodents such as rats, and even once a mole. These ‘Mothman gifts’ may have inspired similar bundles featured in the 1999 horror film The Blair Witch Project.
From the contents of its gifts and witness reports, Mothman appears to be omnivorous, eating vegetation, the bark of trees, small mammals, and occasionally larger creatures such as deer. It is unknown if Mothman hunts the larger animals it eats, or whether it scavenges from animals that die naturally or are killed by predators. From observation and witness reports, it is considered unlikely that Mothman is a primary predator.
Mothman can of course fly, but it has been observed that it prefers to climb trees and other similar structures and glide from heights. True flight appears to be very energy intensive. When on the ground, the creature has been observed to 'waddle', walking in a wide stance with hunched posture.
Offspring
Every three to five years, the Point Pleasant Mothman is sighted with offspring. The creature’s offspring are generally seen to be produced in groups of two to four. Debate has surfaced over which term is most appropriate for the offspring, experts usually argue for ‘clutch’ based on the creature’s vaguely birdlike attributes. The offspring themselves are usually referred to as mothlings or colloquially ‘mothbabies’. Some online communities have humorously suggested calling them ‘mothspring’, a combination of moth and offspring.
Mothlings are usually first sighted by rangers around mid May, appearing as small owl-like creatures with light grey fur. It is uncertain the age of these creatures, but by February their fur begins to darken, and their legs and wings, which are indistinct amongst their fur, become more visible. Rangers are known to affectionately refer to adolescent mothlings as ‘goblins’ and ‘gremlins’.
Mothlings do not show their parent’s fear of humans, but remain skittish. It has been suggested that the Kelly-Hopkinsville Encounter may have been the result of curious adolescent mothlings, due to their owl-like bodies with elongated legs. Mothlings cannot fly, but are very adept at climbing even in their ‘fluff ball’ stage. Young mothlings have been witnessed by rangers climbing up and down trees, sometimes at great speed on a warning call from the parent. Mothman is a highly protective parent, and will hiss and shriek in efforts to scare off threats.
It is unknown if mothlings are born live or hatched from eggs, nor is it known if Mothman births its offspring itself or has a mate. In the case of clutches of one, new offspring often appear much sooner than in the case of larger clutches, usually as soon as or shortly after the first offspring reaches the ‘gremlin’ stage of development. With larger clutches of four or five, it is common for there to be a runt. However, usually all sighted and identified mothlings are observed to make it to adulthood. Suggestions have been made that so-called Jersey Devil sightings are of a mothman creature that is the Point Pleasant creature’s mate, with sexual dimorphism being used to explain appearance differences, but there is no apparent dimorphism seen in the offspring, which look near identical to the parent fully grown.
When fully grown, which takes about two years from first sighting, mothlings leave their parent and do not return to the area of their birth. It is presumed this is to find their own territory, as Mothman has been noted as territorial. Due to its highly territorial nature, and the lack of sightings of additional adult mothfolk that do not correlate to the Point Pleasant individual's offspring, it has been hypothesised that the creature reproduces asexually. This is however disputed.
As previously noted, Mothman is keen to keep intruders out of its territory, usually by hissing, shrieking and adopting large threatening posture. On occasion, such as the famous 1966 case, Mothman has been known to give chase, flying incredibly quickly over long distances if needed. It has been suggested that the Point Pleasant Mothman was nesting with young offspring at the time of the 1966 sighting, which is why it pursued its witnesses. However, despite its desire to protect itself, its offspring, and its territory, Mothman has never been reported to attack humans.
The lifespan of a mothman creature has never been established, and all attempts at tracking creatures have failed. It is considered ‘not unlikely’ by cryptozoologists that the current Point Pleasant Mothman is the offspring of the creature first sighted in 1966.
So-called ‘Mothman Tourism’, like Sasquatch Tourism, is legal with restrictions, and park service sanctioned tours of the Point Pleasant territory are conducted between February and April. This window for ‘mothman spotting’ is recommended to avoid disturbing the creature while nesting. It is more recommended by officials and the park service that tourists instead attend the Point Pleasant Mothman Festival than venturing into the creature’s territory.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Eastern United States, most famously West Virginia but sightings are also common out of Ohio, Maryland and Kentucky.
Scientific Name
Pseudohominid Cryptolepidopterum
Lifespan
Unknown
Conservation Status
Protected, hunting and unauthorised ‘contact or interference’ prohibited by law and punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Average Height
5.5 - 6 feet
Average Length
Wingspan: 15 - 22 feet
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