Bernard Heuvelmans (1916 - 2001) was a scientist, explorer, researcher, and a writer probably best known as a founder of cryptozoology, a neologism he coined. His monumental, On the Track of Unknown Animals is often regarded as one of the best and most influential cryptozoological works.

Heuvelmans was born and raised in Belgium, and earned a doctorate of zoology. Early in his career he wrote an important paper on aardvark teeth, which had previously defiend classification.

Though earlier interested in zoological oddities, he credits a 1948 Saturday Evening Post article, "There Could be Dinosaurs", by Ivan T. Sanderson which discussed the possibility of dinosaurs surviving in remote corners of the world with inspiring a determined interest unknown animals.

Heuvelmans searched the world's oceans for giant animals, to substantiate the rumors and legends about animals known to local people but still unknown to science.