First caught on camera in 2007, the Fresno Nightcrawler looks like a pair of pants that can move on its own.
TwitterAn image claiming to show the Fresno Nightcrawler.
The word “cryptid” often conjures images of legendary creatures like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster. The Fresno Nightcrawler, on the other hand, is most commonly described as a walking pair of pants.
First spotted in 2007 in Fresno, California, this curious cryptid has taken the Internet by storm. Not only has it inspired t-shirts and stickers, but the Fresno Nightcrawler has also sparked a fierce debate over its origins.
That is, if you believe the legend. While some claim that this cryptid could be connected to aliens or even Native American lore, others insist that purported video evidence of its existence is all faked.
The First Sightings Of The Fresno Nightcrawler
The story of the Fresno Nightcrawler starts with a barking dog. In 2007, a Fresno resident identified as “Jose” decided to mount a camera on his garage to see what made his dogs bark every night, according to Ranker.
To Jose’s shock, his cameras didn’t catch any wild animals or intruders — but something that seemed to defy explanation. The grainy footage appeared to show a pair of white pants practically gliding across his front yard.
Baffled and terrified, Jose started sharing the footage in hopes of finding an explanation. He gave it to Univision, as well as to paranormal investigator Victor Camacho, the host of the Spanish-speaking supernatural program Los Desvelados or “the sleepless ones.”
Though no one could explain what had slunk across Jose’s yard, it didn’t take long before another Fresno Nightcrawler sighting took place. In 2011, security cameras in Yosemite National Park also seemed to capture the same phenomenon — something that looked like pants creeping across the park.
The strange sightings look something like Dr. Seuss’s “Pale Green Pants” from his 1961 book What Was I Scared Of? But many insist that the Fresno Nightcrawler is far from fictional. Indeed, theories abound about its origins.
Theories About This California Cryptid
YouTubeGrainy footage like this claims to have captured the California cryptid, but is there a reasonable explanation behind Fresno Nightcrawler sightings?
What exactly is the Fresno Nightcrawler? Though no one knows for sure, many people have theories about this curious California cryptid.
As Ranker notes, alleged sightings of the Fresno Nightcrawler have provided some clues. The cryptid appears to be somewhat humanoid with two legs and is often seen traveling in pairs. This has led some to speculate that the cryptid is extraterrestrial, while others have drawn connections between the Fresno Nightcrawler and Native American legends.
There is, however, no strong evidence for either of these theories.
Others have wondered if there’s a simpler explanation for the bizarre footage. The Cryptid Wiki proposes that the Fresno Night Crawler could be some kind of primate, deer, or bird, a puppet, or a person in loose pants.
Raymond Gehman/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty ImagesSome suggest that sightings of the Fresno Nightcrawler could be explained by a deer eating on its hind legs.
Of course, there could also be a perfectly reasonable explanation behind the Fresno Nightcrawler sightings. Ever since the footage started to circulate on the Internet, many have insisted that the purported images are faked.
Is The Fresno Nightcrawler Real?
To date, many have tried to debunk the Fresno Nightcrawler myth. According to Grunge, YouTuber Captain Disillusion made a video in 2012 showing how the cryptid sightings could have been faked. They showed how video editing could make it seem like a pair of pants was walking across the ground.
The SyFy show “Fact or Faked” also investigated the Fresno Nightcrawler myth in 2012, but were unable to determine if it was a hoax. Ranker reports, however, that they concluded that faking this cryptid would be difficult.
But whether or not the Fresno Nightcrawler is a hoax, people have fallen in love with it — especially people in Fresno.
TwitterAn illustration imagining a pack of Fresno Nightcrawlers.
“These really intrigued me because they’re from Fresno,” Laura Splotch, a Fresno artist, told the Business Journal. “They look unique and different. It’s a weird thing to fake, but if they’re real, that’s even weirder.”
Indeed, KCET — a Southern California television station — notes that there are all sorts of Fresno Nightcrawler merchandise out there. Fans of the cryptid can buy everything from t-shirts to stickers.
The appeal of the Fresno Nightcrawler may be difficult to pin down, but Fresno locals aren’t opposed to their city’s association with this mysterious California cryptid.
“It’s unexplainable,” Splotch said. “A lot of people are drawn to the unexplainable. But I’d rather Fresno be known for the Nightcrawlers than some of the other stuff we are known for.”
After reading about the Fresno Nightcrawler, learn about seven lesser-known cryptids that are just as cool as Bigfoot. Or, go inside the fascinating myth of the Kandahar Giant, the Biblical cryptid allegedly killed by U.S. special forces in Afghanistan.
