About International Cryptozoology Museum
There are natural history museums, and then there is a museum where alleged Bigfoot hair, Yeti droppings, mysterious footprints, monster sculptures, and a full-size model of a fish once thought extinct all share the same collection. The International Cryptozoology Museum is devoted to cryptids, animals reported in stories and sightings but not verified by conventional zoology, along with once-mysterious animals that eventually turned out to be real.
Founder Loren Coleman began assembling cryptozoological material decades before the museum opened. The collection grew from a private cabinet of curiosities into thousands of artifacts, replicas, pop-culture objects, casts, specimens, photographs, and pieces connected to famous creature reports. The museum lists hair samples attributed to Bigfoot, Yeti, Yowie, and Orang Pendek, a sample described as fecal matter from a small Yeti, numerous footprint casts, a FeeJee Mermaid replica, and large sculptures of creatures from cryptozoological lore.
Not everything inside is presented as proof that monsters are hiding in the woods. A major part of the collection is about the culture surrounding unknown animals: eyewitness stories, expeditions, hoaxes, movies, toys, artwork, and the human urge to keep looking. The coelacanth is especially fitting. Scientists knew it from fossils before a living specimen was documented in 1938, making it a useful reminder that occasionally an animal can surprise science without proving every creature story true.
After years in Portland and an earlier Bangor location, the museum opened its new home at 490 Broadway in Bangor on June 1, 2026. The building is open year-round according to the museum, but hours and holiday closures can change. Check the official site before visiting, especially because old addresses still appear in search results.