Help me determine the taxonomy of popular cryptids and fictional creatures.
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There actually have been proposed scientific names for Bigfoot, some in jest, but one of which is serious and based solely on its footprints. In that case, the binomial is called an ichnospecies.
https://www.sasquatchcanada.com/uploads/9/4/5/1/945132/meldrum_paper_-_ichnotaxonomy.pdf
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Of course, the taxonomy would extend beyond just the binomial. Are they hominids or a different branch of the anthopoid apes?
I assume that this is a different question from “what real or known animals do you think cryptids are?” I read it as, assuming that they are what they are believed to be, how would they be taxonomically classified?
Would unicorns be in the genus Equus, or is the horn a significant enough morphological difference to place it in a different clade?
Where would Mothman fit in the tree of life?
Dragons: would they be dinosauria, squamata, or something else entirely?
Funnily enough, as I type this, my iTunes chose a song about Skin-walker. I mean, they are conceived of as humans, but their shape-shifting ability is not something most humans can do.
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Assuming that most of the photos online are scientifically correct, I imagine that they are just a species of horse with some kind of odd keratin growth. There seems to be possible subspecies and a hybrid or something with wings.
Most likely a rare species of giant moth (probably in the Superfamily Bombycoidea). It is nocturnal and often associated with forecoming disasters.