As Texas’s real hotbed of all things weird and wild (not sorry, Austin), Houstonians are no strangers to tall tales of mythical monsters. Ken Gerhard, a respected cryptozoologist who studies animals whose existence has not been proven by science, says that despite the city’s magnetic pull for oddities, there are “probably not as many as you’d think.” Though currently residing in upstate New York, Gerhard lived in Houston for 20 years and still returns to Texas for investigations and conferences. We caught up with him to get some insight into the most common cryptid sightings in the area and the mysteries that keep Houston residents looking over their shoulders at night.
Image: Monica Gallagher
Houston Batman
DOSSIER: No, not the traumatized billionaire in need of extensive therapy. The first sighting of the Houston Batman was reported in 1953 at an apartment complex on Third Street in the Heights. Neighbors were outside chatting when they spotted a seven-foot, winged figure perched in a tree, wearing what Gerhard describes in his book Encounters with Flying Humanoids as “a dark, tight-fitting uniform of some sort.” What’s more: the Batman was glowing before disappearing as quickly as he appeared.
GERHARD SAYS: “Seems to me like more of an alien type of thing.”
Image: Monica Gallagher
Houston Humanoid
DOSSIER: A local couple first encountered this strange, shaggy creature while jogging at Terry Hershey Park in 2011. They strayed off the path and spotted what they thought was a person in a hoodie, squatting inside a nearby grotto. A closer look revealed that the figure was completely covered—we’re talking scalp to sole—in matted hair. Its furry face sported a pair of large, round eyes, like those of a pug. They startled the cryptid, causing it to run off with its arms strangely limp and dangling. The next day, the pair returned with an investigator and found a half-eaten fish, humanlike footprints, and long strands of hair stuck on nearby branches.
GERHARD SAYS: “I don’t know if there have been other sightings out there or not. I’ve never had a follow-up.”
Image: Monica Gallagher
Bigfoot
DOSSIER: The Pacific Northwest doesn’t have an exclusive claim on Bigfoot (aka “Sasquatch”) sightings. Where there are pine trees, there are reports, and Gerhard, who worked with the Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization, says there have been around a dozen eyewitness accounts near Addicks Reservoir, The Woodlands, Spring, Shenandoah, and Porter Springs. All report roughly the same thing: a tall, shaggy ape-man, about 7.5 feet tall. The Texas variant appears slightly shorter than its cousins in other regions—running on all fours with reddish hair reminiscent of an orangutan’s.
GERHARD SAYS: “The Trinity River corridor is a very big hotbed of [Bigfoot] activity. The Sabine River and all of those tiny [wooded] areas of East Texas are pretty hot.”
Image: Monica Gallagher
Chupacabra
DOSSIER: False alarm! The demonlike goatsucker of Puerto Rico hasn’t made its way to the Houston area—yet. While there have been multiple reports, all have ultimately been dismissed as mangy, possibly starving coyotes and feral dogs. With their erratic fur, bald patches, and gnarled fangs and teeth, it’s easy to see how canines can get confused with this popular mythical beast. Gerhard investigated captured specimens from The Woodlands and Rosenberg but has yet to find any yielding previously unknown DNA.
GERHARD SAYS: “From like 2004 to 2010, there were a lot of these so-called [chupacabras]. I’ve examined the remains, and they were all dogs. But they did look really weird.”
Image: Monica Gallagher
Big Bird
DOSSIER: The use of “bird” here is really something of a misnomer. In Gerhard’s interviews with witnesses, the creature’s description aligns more with prehistoric pterosaurs than the feathered friends we know and love or, in the case of grackles, tolerate. A 1983 claim by a Houston police officer described a creature resembling Japanese monster movie star Rodan. Wingspans have been described as ranging from 6 to 15 feet. The Big Bird is reportedly featherless—covered instead in leathery beige or brown skin—and features a snakelike tail shaped like an arrowhead. The creature’s range extends well past Houston. Gerhard has investigated his fair share of similar sightings in San Antonio.
GERHARD SAYS: “1976: This was a big year for Big Bird reports in Texas. There was a whole bunch down in the Rio Grande Valley. It made international news. There were rewards out for this creature.”
Published in the After Hours issue of Houstonia Mag.
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