John A. Keel was a significant author of works in Forteana, cryptozoology, and ufology in the 1960s and 1970s. His Strange Creatures from Time and Space and The Mothman Prophecies, as well as his numerous articles in magazines, influenced other writers, researchers, and the general public. After the Mothman book-inspired movie appeared in 2002, interest in Keel resurfaced, briefly. His declining health, few public lectures, and then heart attack, created less attention to Keel than might have been expected. I was wondering how Cryptomundians consider his impact, legacy, and import today? What place do you think Keel with have in [...]
Are Borneo Pygmy Elephants Javan?
Borneo’s pygmy elephants may be descendants of an extinct Javan elephant race, saved by chance by an 18th century ruler, according to a new study just released. The study suggests that a small number of opposite-sex elephants can produce a thriving progeny of thousands if left undisturbed on an island, giving fresh hope to conservationists trying to protect nearly extinct species of large mammals. “If proven, this fascinating story would demonstrate that very small populations of large mammals can be saved from the brink of extinction (simply by) moving a few individuals, from a seemingly doomed population, to a different [...]
No “Bigfeet” Discovered
It is good to know that the legacy of Cryptomundo is assisting the literary world of Oregon’s Portland Mercury. Courtney Ferguson writes today about his search for whether “Bigfeet” is the correct word to use: After spending 10 minutes searching for the proper plural form of Sasquatch, I grew impatient. Was it Sasquatches? Could I use Bigfeet? Or was it a murder of Sasquatch? Finding little in the way of information on the New York Times site (two instances of Sasquatches) and absolutely nothing in the Chicago Manual of Style, I encountered this cryptid site! cryptomundo.com Eureka! Within cryptozoology, North [...]
Tales of the Rich, Famous and Cryptozoological
Who is Christopher Foyle? What do the rich and famous do with their money? Why don’t they donate it to the International Cryptozoology Museum via PayPal at lcoleman@maine.rr.com ? Ah, the questions one has while waiting in an airport for an economy class seat…ha ha. Richard Kay, recently writing for The Daily Mail, noted: The mystery of why Christopher Foyle, the nephew of the late and eccentric bookshop owner Christina, decided to quit Britain for sunnier climes is at last explained – he is off to live in tax exile in Monaco. “I’m looking forward to bumping into Sir Philip [...]
Dayton’s Hangar 18
On April 9-10, 2008, I’ll be making a brief visit to Dayton, Ohio (to deliver a private cryptozoology talk). Today, I pause to pass along a bit of Forteana. A couple years ago I was the co-author of Weird Ohio, and one of the stories I enjoyed sharing in that book was of Dayton’s so-called “Hangar 18.” I thought you might like to read a little about it today, while I travel to that fair city. (It is hardly about cryptids, but it certainly is a strange location tale, sort of an “urban legend of place,” and it speaks to [...]
“Die, Researchers, Die!”
Perhaps it is a coincidence but on March 22, 2008, a renegade alignment of “thinkers” calling themselves the RRRgroup (although known by some critics as the “KKKgroup”) wrote a blog (together?) entitled “Death(s) will clean the UFO palate.” They begin by stating, “When ufology’s old-guard passes on – Dick Hall, Stan Friedman, Kevin Randall, John Schuessler, and even the 60ish Jerry Clark to name a few – taking hangers-on and sycophants with them (and you know who they are), the UFO palate will be cleansed.” The RRRGroup then mention others who “include Paul Kimball, Nick Redfern, Greg Bishop, and Mac [...]
Blaming Bigfoot: AP Video
Gene R. Morrill The Associated Press has posted on YouTube their video report on Gene R. Morrill, 57, of New Ipswich, New Hampshire. Morrill had previously pleaded guilty to 20 charges stemming from his efforts to solicit 13-year-old boys over the Internet and blamed it all on a molestation he alleged he had suffered by a Bigfoot. From open giggling to an undercover officer interviewed with his face hidden, this is a unique news document.
Denver’s Cryptozoology Lecture
As mentioned previously, “Birders, Bigfoot and Bond, James Bond,” a cryptozoology lecture by museum staffers Aaron Spriggs and Paula Cushing, will be delivered today at 7 p.m., in Ricketson Auditorium, at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd.; $12 (members) and $15 (non-members). Reservations at 303-322-7009. For more on “James Bond and Cryptozoology,” please see my 2006 blog on the topic.
Pelicanism 1897
Pelicans historically have held a bizarre place in animal folklore. The Physiologus says of the pelican that it of all birds loves its young the most. The young pelicans in the Pieter van der Borcht (1545-1608) copperplate engraving (above) appear to be about to drink the blood of their mother; some versions of the story say that she feeds them her blood. The pose of the mother bird is known as “The Pelican in her Piety.” Another illustration of this pelican tale is shown in a woodcut (above) from Rome, 1577. “Pelicanism” is a term I wish to borrow from [...]
Kansas Cougar: First in 100+ Years!
Bo Rader/The Wichita Eagle Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks game warden Tracy Galvin displays the pelt of a mountain lion that was killed in Barber County last November [2007]. Galvin has been investigating the rumor that a mountain lion had been killed in Kansas for the past several weeks. This is probably the first confirmed wild mountain lion in Kansas in over 100 years. Charges are pending against the individual who killed the lion. This incident raises many questions about the probable treatment of any individual who decides to “prove” the existence of an “unbelievable” cryptid, like a Mystery [...]
Follow CryptoZooNews
Not Found
The resource could not be found.