Hidden in the shadows outside of civilization, monsters are believed by some to exist.

According to folklore, a large primate stalks the Pacific Northwest and a giant reptile lurks in the depths of a Scottish lake.

And in South Texas, people carefully watch the skies for Big Bird, a flying creature that terrorized the area in 1976.

As a child in San Benito, Cantu had heard of the bird, but he was surprised by its size and that it showed no fear of guns or dogs.

The bird Cantu saw seemed to stand about 8 feet tall and was solid black, although parts of its body seemed to reflect more light. It was stood vertically with stooped shoulders.

�??With the face I thought I was looking at a skeleton, but it was the eyes and nose (of a skull),�?� he said. �??It did not flap its wings, it just glided.�?�

Alex Resendez, 66, saw the creature three times in the 1970s. Twice he caught fleeting glimpses of the beast over Brownsville, and the third time, he saw it in broad daylight near his rural McCook area home.

�??I never seen a bird that big,�?� he said. �??He was brownish, like dirt. ... He does not have long legs and does not stand like other birds.�?�

What struck him most were the bird�??s large eyes that shone like black glass, with red markings underneath. The beak was also peculiar.

�??You have to look close because his beak is very transparent,�?� Resendez said. �??If you see it real fast, you�??re going to think he ain�??t got no beak.�?�

In all, the brown bird seemed to stand over 4 feet tall. After being spooked by a charging bull, the bird spread its large wings and pushed off the ground with its feet.

�??He was very swift, very nice, like a glider,�?� Resendez said. �??This bird, he never flaps his wings.�?�

The wing underside was surprisingly colorful to Resendez, appearing with blue and white stripes.