Visual

A shadow figure typically appears as a dense, pure black, humanoid figure, which can be witnessed in darkness, a lighted room, or even in broad daylight.

Figures come in many shapes and sizes, but are commonly seen as thin humans, which may or may not be wearing a hat.

These entities have been known to mimic the likeness of people in the vicinity.

 

A nonhuman apparition is defined as a ghostly vision which does not resemble a person. The apparition may take the form of a common animal, hybrid being, or a mythical creature.

This type of sighting differs from cryptid phenomenon in that, while the cryptid appears to be a living organism, the nonhuman apparition exhibits otherworldly characteristics, such as translucency, a vaporous form, and/or the ability vanish quickly.

The human apparition category encompasses any type of ghostly figure which appears to be the spirit of an actual person (as compared to Nonhuman Apparition). Witness descriptions include figures which range from pale (or ashen),  vaporous, semitransparent, to completely solid–essentially appearing to be a living human being.

The apparition may or may not acknowledge the presence of the witness. In rare cases, interactions have occurred with the witness.