Loren Coleman

Loren Coleman

Italian Black Panthers

An Italian press outlet is reporting that the country is experiencing a wave of Black Panther sightings. In an item entitled "Panther Panic Hits Italy Again," the old explanation that it "escaped from a zoo" or "circus train wreck" cropped up again. But the Russian zoo currently performing in Turin, Italy, the location of the recent Black Panther sightings, denied it was theirs. "We don’t have any panthers anyway. All we have are dogs, camels and horses," a zoo spokesman said. One eyewitness was a Turin traffic cop who managed to identify the big feline as a black panther. Authorities [...]

Mark A. Hall: Did Sea Cows Fuel Mermaid Mythology?

Today we have a guest blogger Mark A. Hall* who contributes his thought in “Did sea cows fuel mermaid mythology?” Virginia Smith of the Daytona Beach, Florida News-Journal has raised this issue and consulted experts who take an affirmative view. Perhaps for Christopher Columbus they did. People back to Lt. Fletcher Bassett in 1885 have suggested that what Columbus saw in 1493 “were probably manatee or dugongs.” The log of Captain John Smith, however, told a more detailed story that doesn’t describe a sirenian. His reported log entry in 1614 in the West Indies gives details not given in the [...]

2006: Year of the Imperial Woodpecker?

Could 2006 be the Year of the Imperial Woodpecker? Clearly 2005 was the year of the ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis). As the #1 cryptozoology story of 2005, the rediscovery of the ivory-billed made a dramatic statement beyond the realm of zoology and cryptozoology that long-thought extinct animals may still exist. Has a recent sighting of the world’s largest woodpecker foretold another major forthcoming cryptozoological rediscovery? Are we prepared for another major avian event for 2006? The Imperial Woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis) was or is the world’s largest species of woodpecker; yes, it is even grander than its often-discussed relative, the ivory-billed [...]

Top Cryptozoology Books 2005

The Top Cryptozoology Books of 2005 by Loren Coleman, Cryptozoologist and Author of Bigfoot! and Tom Slick: True Life Encounters in Cryptozoology It is time for my annual overviews of all things cryptozoological. Here’s my top picks for the best cryptozoology books of 2005, in order of the books’ rankings of importance, plus the books’ individual achievements noted in recognition of each of their unique niches within the cryptozoological literature this year. If you are looking for “The Top Cryptozoology Stories of 2005,” please click here. (1) The Best Historical Book on Cryptozoology in 2005 The Lady and the Panda: [...]

Death Worm News

The Centre for Fortean Zoology’s May 2005 expedition to Mongolia is summarized in an article today. The CFZ’s cryptozoologists reportedly discovered two animals previously unknown to science – a dragon-like lizard and a two-meter-long horned snake, although information on where the formal publication of these finding occurred is lacking. Information on the old holiday package-expedition, new year’s plans, and CFZ is discussed in the About.com article and it’s links to the CFZ and E-Mongol.com