Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson Biographical information Born 13 April 1743 Died 4 July 1826 Professional information Occupation President, politician, architect Notable works Notable investigations Maned American lion, American elephant

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was an American politician and architect. While best known for his political accomplishments, he also collected notes and reports of several American cryptids.

After examining a ground sloth bone, he mistakenly believed that it belonged to an unknown type of lion which he believed was extant in the United States. In his paper "Memoir on the Megalonyx", he recounts tales of Americans in what is now West Virginia hearing loud roaring (the known felines in that area, Eastern Cougars, are incapable of roaring). He also discussed a man encountering and fleeing from a large unidentified feline that had eaten his horse.

Jefferson, who disagreed with the concept of extinction, also believed that American mammoths were alive in his time. He collected a legend of a "big buffalo" from Native people that he believed could refer to a living mammoth. He also discussed a report from a "Mr. Stanley" who had seen large bones after being captured by Natives. The Natives then told him that the bones belonged to an elephant-like animal that was still extant in the northern part of their territory.