Loren Coleman

Loren Coleman

“Extinct” Dolphin Sighted

An extensive survey in 2006 failed to find any sign of the baiji The critically endangered Yangtze River dolphin, or baiji, has been sighted in eastern China, Chinese media report. Scientists had recently declared that the baiji was probably extinct. An international team of researchers spent six weeks looking for the creature last year without a single sighting. But earlier this month the baiji was spotted and filmed by a local man, and confirmed by Chinese biologists, says official Xinhua news agency. “I never saw such a big thing in the water before so I filmed it,” Zeng Yujiang from [...]

Search for Malabar Civet

The Malabar civet (Viverra civettina) was last seen half a century ago in the forests of Kerela, India, and is presumed to be extinct. There is not even a photograph in existence. Hopes were raised in 1991, when a fresh skin was found. A Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) project is now looking for this elusive animal in its historically known areas of distribution in hope that a few are still lurking in the undergrowth waiting to be found. Siddharth Rao, an Assistant Field Officer on the project recounts several months spent deep in the jungles of the Western Ghats [...]

New Golden Frog Discovered

A new poisonous frog was recently discovered in a remote mountainous region in Colombia by a team of young scientists supported by the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP). The new frog, which is almost two centimetres in length, was given the name the “golden frog of Supatá.” Originally, the young scientists thought the frog was similar to several other common species in the area. However, after scientific analysis of the frog’€™s characteristics, and review of their findings by experts at Conservation International, it was determined that the golden frog of Supatá is unique and only found within a 20 hectare area [...]

Civil War Pterodactyl to Maine

I’ve returned from Patrick Huyghe’s cabana, completing this weekend, the extended adventure in transporting the “Civil War Mystery Pterodactyl” to New England. The following images are courtesy of Allie Huyghe. The photo above is courtesy of Gregg Hale, Executive Director, Haxan Productions, Fox TV (at the time). My deep thanks to the Huyghes for their great hospitiality, cryptozoological conversations and Fortean brainstorming. By the way, if you were the passenger in a car with New York plates driving on I-84, who rolled your window down to ask me “What is that?” – and then had a short dialogue with me [...]

Melanistic Bobcat Caught

Readers of Cryptomundo are aware of the discussions of black bobcats in a specific area of Florida, and of how these reports have tracked down through the years, along with more recent appearances of melanistic felines. Breaking news is coming to me from Mark Fraser of Big Cats in Britian (www.bigcatsinbritain.org) confirming the sightings. Mark passes along the following August 27, 2007 Florida report from a nuisance wildlife trapper: I am a state licensed nuisance wildlife trapper located in southern Florida. I thought you might be interested in this. On Wednesday night I was contacted by a very excited/scared land [...]

De Loys’ Well-Known Prank

Michel Raynal continues the discussion of the de Loys photograph with a summary of his recent findings. Several people who met with François de LOYS in Mene Grande (Venezuela) in 1917-1920, when he was doing geological work for the Standard Oil in this area, have revealed that de LOYS made a joke with a simple spider-monkey: – from Earnest HOOTON, Man’s poor relations (1946): “at this time [1927], he [A. James DURLACHER, an American engineer in a petroleum company] made inquiries of men who had been in the de Loys expedition, and discovered that the specimen de Loys shot was, [...]

Boy Attacked by Strange Animal

Tipton, Ind., August 26. – His faithful dog was all that prevented Frank Tomlinson, 11-year-old son of Harmon Tomlinson, residing southeast of Tipton on the Rolla L. Hobbs farm, from being torn to pieces by a strange wild animal which attacked the lad when he was driving the cows from pasture to the house for milking Monday evening [August 25]. The boy is suffering from a broken collar bone and numerous bites and scratches as the result of the attack and his clothes were nearly torn from him in the encounter. The strange animal was described by the boy as [...]

Jersey Mermaid

August 10 – The people of Tom’s River, N.J., are just now having a little sensation – it being nothing less than the capture of a veritable mermaid or at least a water animal strongly resembling that poetic species of fish. Two fishermen, while pursuing their vocation a few days ago in the Inlet, effected the capture after a violent struggle. At seeing the animal its captors became hugely frightened, and took to their heels. After a while they mustered up sufficient courage to return and look at their prize. In appearance it more resembled a human being than a [...]

Strange Animal at Knobs

August 25 – Residents of the Knobs section, near Union, [West Virginia] report the presence of a strange, bewhiskered animal having short forelegs and a long tail which curls at the end. Garfield Seers, an employee of the George Irons farm, said he saw the animal emerge from a deep undergrowth and vanish into adjoining timber a short time ago. He described it as being considerably larger than an average-sized police dog [German shepherd]. Ernest Bowyer, Knobs resident, and E. E. McGinley, Narrow timber agent, also reported seeing “the beast,” giving a similar description. No loss of stock, however, has [...]