The International Cryptozoology Museum, 11 Avon Street, Portland, Maine, has made the CNN’s 2011 list of “15 of the World’s Weirdest Museums.”

Here’s the description, as noted by CNN:

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Cryptozoology is the study of unverified animals, mystical creatures only rumored to exist by legend or belief, such as the Yeti or Loch Ness Monster.

For Loren Coleman, who has become one of the world’s leading experts on creatures that may not exist, “belief” is purely within the realm of religion.

Coleman has created a museum amassing a collection of purported specimens, relics and artifacts dealing with mythical creatures, including a life-size coelacanth and P.T. Barnum’s Feejee Mermaid, as well as a wealth of hair samples, fecal matter and footcasts of animals that probably have never walked the face of the earth.

Don’t Miss: A 2.5-meter, 130-kilo “Crookston Bigfoot,” probably your only chance to see the legendary creature with your own eyes.

International Cryptozoology Museum, 11 Avon St., Portland, Maine, United States; +1 207 518 9496; cryptozoologymuseum.com

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Needless to say, we disagree with CNN’s little editorial slights included above (e.g. “animals that probably have never walked the face of the earth”).  But then, being recognized for what the museum is doing educationally and scientifically is half the battle.