Wyoming is a wild and wonderful landscape, but being the state with the lowest population and still fairly large, there are parts of the state that could very well be hiding things. Cryptids are beings or creatures that aren't considered to be confirmed as existing, but have sightings and other evidence that might lead to their possible existence.

Many animals that we know for certain exist today were once considered cryptids, so it might not be out of the realm of possibility for these creatures to exist, though most experts think it's rather unlikely.

Wyoming has several cryptids that may call the Cowboy State their home.

This one is pretty obvious that any place where there are plenty of trees to hide among, Bigfoot sightings will be prevalent. In fact, there was a documented bigfoot sighting in the Medicine Bow National Forest, just outside of Laramie. And of course, Yellowstone tourists always seem to see Sasquatch among the eerie trees.

This cryptid is technically Montana's to claim, but being that I don't think possible mythical creatures really care about state lines, we're going to claim it as well. The Shunka Warakin is a particularly large wolf-like animal, similar to Dire Wolves that went extinct thousands of years ago. It's said to live in the mountainous region of the Rocky Mountains, and feed on various livestock and pets of ranchers unlucky enough to be in its path.

Did you know that Wyoming has it's own "Nessie?" Lake DeSmet in Johnson County is the theorized home of "Smetty," a lake monster with sightings all the way back as far as the early 1800s. "Local ranchers often told stories about seeing a 30 to 40 foot long looking like a “long telephone pole with a lard bucket attached.” Other recorded physical characteristics include a “bony ridge along the back, with a resemblance to a horse’s head coming out of the water in a swimming motion.” " 

Now, we know this one isn't actually a cryptid, but it is listed as one on various cryptid databases. Probably because outsiders aren't aware of the Jackalope's creation in Douglas back in the 1930s. And possibly because everyone's favorite past time still involves convincing out-of-towners that they might see a Jackalope while traversing the plains. It's right up there with Snipe hunting.

This is an interesting case where evidence was found of a cryptid, but later lost to history. The San Pedro Mountains Mummy was found in Carbon County in 1932. While it appeared to be a fully grown human male, it only stood approximately a foot tall. Many believed it was a hoax, but others noted the similarity to the Nimergar — a Shoshone legend of hostile miniature humans from the region.

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