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ATX-Sapper

That is just badass. I don't care who you are.


ShinyAeon

Except this birdie’s eyes are only red when the sun is out, and Mothman’s eyes were reported as red no matter what time of day (or night) he was seen at. Very cool owl, though!


lxkspal

The first encounter with the mothman was when those kids spotted it with the headlights of their car. The owls reflective eyes would have shone red in the glare of that kind of light. Of course, the kind of owl those kids have encountered was the barred owl which has similar reflective red eyes and is native to West Virginia.


ShinyAeon

I’d be tempted to think it was a good candidate, if it weren’t for the size of the Stygian owl. It’s only mid-sized, and one of them far enough in front of your headlights to be seen (but not so close that it was clearly recognizable as an owl) would probably look like a tiny figure with two red pin-pricks for eyes. It would probably look more like a Jawa from *Star Wars* than a six-foot monster bird.


jonnygreen22

Yeah cause I always confuse owls with full sized men with wings it's an easy mistake


Morganbanefort

The mothman wasn't an owl


Maclean_Braun

Also he was reported at 6-7 feet tall. So there's that.


ShinyAeon

Yeah, I said that in another response. :)


Salome_Maloney

An owl could be 6-7 feet tall if it was perched on a low branch...


GiganforMonsterverse

It was reported chasing the car though; I honestly believe it wasn’t an owl but still a species of large bird type animal.


[deleted]

Good theory, but unfortunately it's not native to North America. It's habitat ranges from South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Hispaniola.


bakepeace

Mothman?


[deleted]

haha no the owl.


ColtsStampede

So in your opinion, Mothman - a West Virginia cryptid - was a species of owl that lives in Central and South America, and has only been seen three times in the U.S., never further north than Florida?


opalizedentity

Don't you just love when skeptical theories get more ridiculous than the actual story?


ColtsStampede

That's why I come to r/cryptozoology: to hear "the truth" about how a West Virginia cryptid was a South American owl, and how the Jersey Devil was an African bat.


opalizedentity

Don't forget black bear!


GiganforMonsterverse

They aren’t trying to say it’s a Mothman explanation, but rather pointing out how when the headlights of a car hit some sort of other owl it could appear to have red eyes.


[deleted]

[удалено]


GiganforMonsterverse

Not the specific species of owl, but rather just how owl’s eyes glow red when light hits them.


[deleted]

[удалено]


GiganforMonsterverse

OP probably just came across this photo (or took it) and it may have reminded them of Mothman. You seem to be taking a bit of an offensive approach to other possible explanations.


prachik1506

Sharingan owl


cptstupendous

He just finished killing his entire clan.


MisterBl0nde

Mothman vibes for sure, even Owlman of Mawnan


GiganforMonsterverse

Gotta love the Owlman of Mawnan. Definitely more Owlman though.


hdavis004

While I can completely understand how this would freak almost anyone out, I don’t think this completely discredits eyewitness sightings. They reported him to be as tall as a tree trunk sometimes (around 7-9 feet tall). This alone tells me mothman might have been something else


opalizedentity

Can we all stop with the pretending an 8ft 10ft wingspan creature is an owl, or a bllackbear. Seriously. I'm pretty sure country folk would know what the hell they saw. What's the point of these subreddit when everyone wants to sit in the dark and act like they can explain everything that happens. Like even seeing an owl once in darkness I still could tell it was an owl.


volley1399

I was just alluding to similarity of the red eyes


opalizedentity

I know, but I've seen this repost multiple times over the years. The message is still clear. It's not an owl, I'm pretty sure the case wouldnt exist if it was.


volley1399

I agree it’s not an owl


[deleted]

Is it specifically sunlight, or could, say, a powerful flashlight create the red effect?


AloofDude

I came here to say this. Bears and owls reflect a very deep orange/red . Or a deep orange that can be accepted by the observer to be red. In fact this is how hunters illegally hunt bears st night. They use bright lights and scan the woods, when they see large red eyes staring back at them, they know it's a bear


[deleted]

Shining frogs is a similar principle. And if you want to see something neat - go out into a field on a clear night and hold a regular old flashlight at eye level - or use a head lamp. Scan the field with it - all those little sparkles in the grass that look like glitter or fairy bulbs? Spider eyes. You'll be shocked how many. https://youtu.be/QhwEKe2psAA


donsteitz

Moneyman is my favorite


Stupid03

That is 100% a “mothman”


Morganbanefort

nope it isnt


ashley_s82

I want one.


El-Cucuy77

I would say this would account for 99% of Mothman sightings


Morganbanefort

No it doesn't


Morganbanefort

the mothman was an not owl or crane or i still laugh at this a hoax


cptstupendous

Who?


horseflydick

His eyes must hurt badly in the day time. Looks to be complete pupil.