American Things that go Bump in the Night Quiz

Answer: Skunk Ape

The skunk ape is said to be an upright primate that emits a horrible, skunk-like stench. They have been reported since the early 1900s and described as 6-10 feet tall, aggressive, meat-eating, furry humanoids. This legendary creature is to the Florida swamps what Big Foot is to the Pacific Northwest.
The likelihood of jaknginger ever seeing a skunk ape is slim as she will never enter the Florida swamps.

Answer: Altamaha-Ha

The Altamaha-Ha is a legendary creature believed to live in the waters of the Altamaha river. It is described variously as sturgeon-like with bony ridges and/or with an alligator- like snout. When rotting remains were found on Wolf Island, excitement grew, but they proved to be a hoax, possibly by a performance artist known as Zardulu, whose own existence has also been called into question.
The other options are aquatic cryptids from the Congo, Italy and Patagonia.
Red team's smpdit reflects that wild swimming could be somewhat hazardous considering how many unknown creatures are apparently out there!

Answer: Lizard Man

The Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp is a relatively new cryptid; the first reported sighting of it was in 1988. A teenager said he was chased after changing a flat tyre, but at the time, police presumed it was a bear. Lizard Man is reportedly around seven feet tall, with scaly skin, red eyes and has three toes on each foot. Several sightings and reports of vandalism in the area all reveal gouges, dents, scratches and bite marks on the cars. One car had holes torn in the hood/bonnet and pieces of the engine ripped out. Large three-toed footprints have been associated with at least one of the cars and prints failed to gain a match with any known animal footprints. One of the last sightings was from a man who said he shot and maimed the creature and brought blood and a few scales as proof.

However, as with many reports, it was proved to be a hoax. Leith90 scraped this question out of the mire before it got bogged.

Answer: The Mothman

The Mothman is described as a bird-man with glowing red eyes. It was reportedly seen from 1966-1967. There was a tragic bridge collapse in Point Pleasant, WV killing 46 people in December 1967. Tying the sightings and events together, John Keel's book "The Mothman Prophecies" was published in 1975. Richard Gere starred in a movie with the same name in 2002. Point Pleasant has a festival in September each year. Jaknginger thinks she will pass on looking for the Mothman the next time she's in West Virginia, although she may drive through the town Point Pleasant strictly for fact-gathering purposes.

Answer: Pine Barrens

The origin of the Jersey Devil legend lies somewhere in colonial times - it has been attributed variably to a woman's curse on her 13th baby (Mother Leeds) and an insult to a rival of Benjamin Franklin. A great number of sightings of the Devil were reported in 1909, likely due to a form of mass hysteria.

The Pine Barrens are still mostly undeveloped despite the passage of the Garden State Parkway through the region; the name refers to the acidic soil which limited the growth of agriculture. The state is divided into four regions; the Pine Barrens are in the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

This question was flown into the quiz by player pusdoc, who grew up in the great state of New Jersey.

Answer: Pukwudgie

"But the mischievous Puk-Wudjies,
They the envious Little People"
Harking from Wampanoag (Massachusetts) Pukwudgies are described as being "little wild man of the woods that vanishes" They are thought to be shapeshifters, but are generally described as walking upright, with a spiked back, but troll-or human like at the front. They create mischief, can make fire, and have been accused of luring people to their deaths.
J.K.Rowling has also mentioned them in the "Harry Potter" canon as a magical creature.
Red Team's smpdit hopes not to encounter one on a dark night.

Answer: Frog

Two police officers, two weeks apart, reported seeing a creature resembling a frog. The first officer, Ray Shockey, claimed he saw it in his headlights and that it crouched like a frog then stood up to climb over the barrier. The second officer shot it. He retrieved the creature and showed it to Shockey who confirmed that that was what he had seen. The 'humanoid frog' turned out to be a large iguana.
Leith90 can confirm that no creatures were hurt while changing this idea into a question.

Answer: Giant alligator snapping turtle

Endowed with the affectionate name of Oscar, the 'Beast of Busco' made headlines in the 1940s mainly due to the over the top attempts of the lake's owner to capture the creature. They did capture a film of it, but like the footage of the other famous aquatic cryptic 'Nessie', none of it was irrefutable. Many sightings of a 'giant turtle' were reported in the area before and since, but nothing has ever been caught. Snapping turtles have extremely long lifespans, so Oscar may still be zipping about scaring the locals.
Red Team's smpdit is quite happy to leave Oscar right where he is.

Answer: Louisville, KY

The Pope Lick Monster, also known as the Goat Man, is said to reside in Pope Lick Creek in Louisville, Kentucky. Specifically, the legendary monster was reportedly seen on multiple occasions near a railroad trestle. A short film, "The Legend of the Pope Lick Monster" debuted in 1988. Because there have been several deaths, and to thwart off further adventure seekers, Norfolk Southern Railway provided a verbal warning at the beginning of the film.
This creature reminds jaknginger of the fairy tale "Three Billy Goats Gruff".

Answer: Thunderbird

Legends of Thunderbirds abound in mythology in the Americas as large winged creatures who have the power to bring thunder and lightning. They have moved however from a mythology classification to entering into the area of cryptozoology due to the alleged capture of a giant bird by two Arizona cowboys in the 1890s, who claimed to have shot the bird, whose leathery wingspan was as wide as a barn.

The Pokemon 'Zapdos' is one of the legendary birds along with 'Moltres' and 'Articuno'. Red team's smpdit used to happily play Pokemon with her son but doesn't fancy coming across a pterodactyl sized bird creature, thank you very much .