The Most Famous Mythical Monster in Every Country

Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster aren't the only cryptids that haunt the public's imagination. Almost every culture on Earth has its own mythical monster, from winged beasts to sea serpents. To see the most famous cryptid in each country, check out the graphic below.

The online lending site CashNetUSA worked with illustrator Laimute Varkalaite to put together this map of legendary creatures. The monsters represented here come from sources like the book Monsters and Mythical Creatures from Around the World by Heather Frigiola. To gauge a cryptid's regional popularity, the map's creators pulled data from Google searches.

Some beasts are known around the word: The dragon was the most-searched for example in England, China, and Switzerland. Others are more unique to their country of origin. In Cuban folklore, the Madre de aguas is a horned, bullet-proof snake the size of a palm tree. According to search data, this is the most popular monster in North America.

Bigfoot is the United States's top cryptid, but it's just one creature the country has come up with. Here are the most famous mythical animals by state.