general
Mothman is unique among cryptids in that it made a very pronounced appearance, was reported frequently during 1966 in the Point Pleasant area, and then disappeared again just as quickly.
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description/appearance
Descriptions of Mothman are strikingly similar. Mothman is consistently described as a being of six to eight feet (1.8-2.4m) in height. It lacks a noticeable head, but this may be due to its two large saucer-shaped eyes which glow red and have been described as being somewhat hypnotic. Witnesses may have overlooked this creature's head in lieu of gazing into its mesmerizing and terrifying eyes. On its back are two large wings, the joints of which are visible above the creature's nonexistent head. When unfolded, Mothman's wingspan is said to be ten to twelve feet (3.6m).
Mothman flies, but reports make specific mention of the wings not flapping. When achieving flight, Mothman simply ascends straight into the sky. A particular report claims Mothman is capable of traveling at flying speeds of 100 miles per hour (160kph), though given the rural roads and stormy weather conditions the reporters were driving upon when being chased by Mothman, this speed is dubious.
While Mothman may be an excellent flyer, it is not reported to be a skilled terrestrial being. Slow, shuffling, and halting have been used to describe its movements on the ground.
Reports also frequently mention disturbances with electronic equipment in relation to Mothman sightings. Equipment such as televisions and radios cease to work properly and emit any number of high pitched noises. Mothman also is alleged to emit an electronic, mechanical, or squeaking sound, particularly when in flight.
There have been allegations that the Mothman will kill canines it encounters. This has evolved into a provincial belief that Mothman may be responsible for dog disappeances or mutilation.
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range/habitat
Whatever Mothman might have been, it was extremely selective about where it made an appearance. Most if not all sightings occurred in the Point Pleasant area of West Virginia. Of these sightings, many were centralized around an area known as the TNT area. During World War II, several farm lots were converted into a site to manufacture trinitrotoluene. The site is now the McClintic Wildlife Area open to nature enthusiasts.
Mothman is also commonly associated with the Silver Bridge and the surrounding area. The Silver Bridge spanned the Ohio River, connecting Point Pleasant, West Virginia with Kanauga, Ohio. On December 15, 1967, the bridge suddenly collapsed. Forty six people were killed in the disaster while another nine were seriously injured.
Many eye-witnesses reported a sonic boom heard either the moment the bridge collapsed, or just moments before. Some associated this sonic boom with Mothman's wings. Later research of the collapsed bridge revealed that a recently innovated heat-treated carbon steel eye bar had broken and caused enough stress to the rest of the structure that it gave way with a loud snap.
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history/origin
Though there was no villain in the 40s or 60s Batman series of the name (though there was a Killer Moth in issue 63 of the 1951 comic), the similarity of humans in Lurex animal outfits to the reported terror of Point Pleasant was enough for a news editor to dub Mothman in an early report. The moniker stuck and the world has since referred to the large, red-eyed being as Mothman.
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timeline/major sightings
Reports of a creature fitting the description of Mothman are few in number. Most take place in Point Pleasant, but as noted below, there do exist similar reports elsewhere around the world though these are often attributed to separate cryptids.
November 16, 1963: After witnessing an unknown flying object land in a field, four people in Sandling Park, Hythe, Kent witnessed a headless being with huge bat-like wings shuffle towards them out of the darkness.
November 23, 1963: Two men investigating the report from several nights before found an area of flattened vegetation and two-foot long (0.6m) footprints in the soil.
November 15, 1966: Newell Partridge of Salem, West Virginia, reported seeing a large red-eyed creature. Partridge went inside his home and did not venture out again till the next morning only to find his hunting dog, Bandit, missing.
November 16, 1966: Roger and Linda Scarberry and Steve Mallette and his wife were chased down Highway 62 while driving at speeds allegedly reaching 100 miles per hour (160kph) by Mothman in flight. This took place after spotting the creature trying to free one of its wings from a wire in a road construction area. The body of a dog alongside the highway was also reported by this group.
November 16, 1966: Marcella Bennett, Raymond Wamsley, and another woman were leaving the home of friends when they encountered a large winged creature with huge glowing red eyes. Bennett was so alarmed by the encounter, she dropped an infant she was carrying in her arms. The small group hurried back inside the house they were leaving. The creature outside followed them up to the porch of the house and stared through windows before leaving.
November 17, 1966: Cathy and Raymond Wamsley and Ricky Thomas observed the being outside the home of Ralph Thomas located in the TNT area of Point Pleasant.
November 27, 1966: An 'awful looking creature' flew at the windshield of Connie Jo Carpenter's vehicle while driving on Route 33 near New Haven.
December 15, 1967: The Silver Bridge collapsed. Some saw this as a disaster of which Mothman was attempting to warn, while others believed the tragedy was caused by a sonic boom for which Mothman was responsible.
1976: The book Visitors from Space, The Astonishing True Story of the Mothman Prophecies by John A. Keel, prominent parapsychologist, is published. The work is published as nonfiction and is primarily Keel's creatively penned research into the phenomena.
1976: Ohio UFO Investigators League interviewed many of the 1960s Mothman witnesses. Stories remained unchanged and new testimony was revealed, including a report that Mothman may possess the ability to control the human mind, or to simply attempt to communicate with witnesses.
2002: Not without its moments of eerie charm, the Richard Gere vehicle, The Mothman Prophecies, enjoys a theatrical release to mixed reviews. The film is a loose adaptation of Keel’s 1976 book with supporting actresses Laura Linney and Debra Messing.
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proposed explanations
Science seems to be at a loss to explain Mothman. At the time of the reports, West Virginia University biologist Robert Smith offered the simple explanation of large misidentified birds as the cause behind the sightings.
Sandhill cranes, of which the largest is the Grus canadensis tabida, may grow to a body size of 47 inches (119cm) with an impressive wingspan of seven feet (2.1m). Despite the commonality between this bird's and the Mothman's large wingspan, the sandhill crane has a very small and noticeable head lacking the large red saucer eyes common to all Mothman reports. Sandhill crane populations being in the Point Pleasant area during this time period and particular sighting dates were refuted by ornithologists.
Owls are also large birds which fly very quietly and are capable of startling a person. With their large wingspans and silent flight, owls often startle unwary people. A swooping or diving owl may appear much larger than it really is. The eyes of owls are also very large and reflective, though not generally red in color.
Mothman has also been tied with unidentified flying objects and aliens, reports coinciding during the late 1966 sighting boom of both. Reports of men in black were also notable throughout the time of the Mothman sightings.
Some believe the Mothman being was trying to communicate with humans, though it seemed largely unsuccessful. This attempted communication led to the notion that Mothman might be spiritual in nature, perhaps an angel or demon sent to either warn humanity of impending doom or punish it for its insolence.
Still others contend that Mothman was the vengeful spirit of the native people's Shawnee leader, Chief Cornstalk, who was killed in 1777 while being detained by Colonists. Murdered by the very people he was trying to help, Chief Cornstalk is said to have uttered a curse upon what was then Virginia land.
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influence on culture
The outbreak of sightings led renowned paranormal author John Keel to investigate the happenings of Point Pleasant and subsequently pen a book entitled The Mothman Prophesies. This book was later developed into a movie starring Richard Gere. Though the movie is only loosely based on Keel's book, it does have the same irresolute conclusion as in reality. To date, no explanation has been offered to satisfy what Mothman might have been.
To the townsfolk of Point Pleasant, Mothman has become a welcome point of interest and a tourist attraction. After the release of the aforementioned movie, the Point Pleasant Kentucky Fried Chicken was converted into a Mothman visitors' center, the town park was renamed Mothman Park, and a stunning twelve-foot tall statue of Mothman (though not of typical description) was erected.
Due in large part to Keel's research and intriguing deductions, many now associate Mothman with doomsday predictions and apocalyptic events.
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