Cryptotourism

Largest Colossal Squid Ever

I can assure you that this is going to draw phenomenal interest. It is truly amazing.Steve O’Shea Auckland’s University of Technology On February 22, 2007, various sources, including the BBC News announced that New Zealand Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said a Colossal Squid ( Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni), estimated as 33 feet (10 meters) long and 990 pound (450 kilograms) in weight, has been captured. Fishermen on the vessel San Aspiring, owned by the Sanford seafood company, caught the animal in the cold Antarctic waters of the Ross Sea. It was brought to the surface as it fed on a Patagonian toothfish [...]

Jeb’s Cryptids of Mardi Gras

One of the themes this year at Mardi Gras is “Legends and Lore of the Deep,” and so naturally cryptozoology is represented. Jeb Card has taken some great photos of some of the cz-themed floats, which he shares. (That specific theme is for Proteus, one of the over a dozen krewes, which are individual crews or communities of people who design, build, and people the floats.) This is incredibly good stuff, these photos of his “Cryptids of Mardi Gras.” See more here. Thanks to Jeb for sharing these with me overnight. Hope Jeb and all the folks are having fun [...]

Pawn Shop What-Is-It?

Please click on this image for a larger view of this thing. What is this? What could this be? This is a body of what Dave’s Pawn Shop claims to be a Chupacabras in a display case at the downtown El Paso, Texas shop. What do you think it might be? It does sound as if the shop has a number of gaffs, including mummified FeeJee mermaids, a supposedly shrunken head, and Pancho Villa’s alleged trigger finger. Is this one different? Is it a Chupacabras, as indicated in an article from the El Paso Times? Could this mummified body be [...]

Update: King Moose

Craig Heinselman contributes a followup to my blog on “Maine’s Mystery Moose,” he calls “King Moose.” Moose, the largest living member of the deer family, is a common icon in New England, especially Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. They have a pivotal role, not in strictly the natural ecology of the area, but for the economic side of tourism. A typical eastern moose maxes out at around 6 feet in height, 9 feet in length and upwards of 1000 pounds, with an antler spread of over 4 feet on the bull. While impressive, the largest moose come from the opposite [...]

Happy New Year of The Cryptid Pig

Happy Chinese New Year! It is the Year of the Pig. Interestingly, several of the animals of discovery within cryptozoology are pigs and piglike species. One classic example is the giant forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni), known today from Liberia to Kenya, Africa. First reported by natives to Europeans back in the 1660s, the world’s largest pig was “discovered” by Western science, in East Africa in 1904, when Lt. Richard Meinertzhagen brought the first one out. The forest hog reaches seven feet in length and more than three feet at the shoulder. At the other extreme, the pygmy hog (Sus salvanius), [...]

Maine’s Mystery Moose

‘Mystery Moose’ on the loose This big fella’s made headlines for 100 years – a walking enigma or one tall tale? Antlers 10 feet across. A hide so thick it stops bullets. White. Surly. Elusive. The sight of him is so frightening, he once scared a bicyclist up a tree. So intriguing, the stars of Sci-Fi Channel’s “Ghost Hunters” gave Maine’s “Mystery Moose” a four-page spread in their spin-off magazine. It’s a 2,500-pound enigma that’s maybe roamed the woods here for 100-plus years. A little extra attention might just drum up more sightings, and some answers, said Loren Coleman, a [...]

New Dover Demon Sighting?

What’s up with this? Has there been a new sighting of the Dover Demon? I’ve mentioned the little guy lately here, because the Boston Globe did a new update around Halloween of last year and we are creeping up on Year #30. Also, over Christmas, I highlighted one of the figurines (example below), as they are reflective of how important the Dover Demon remains in Japan today. Nevertheless, a new sighting now is unexpected. But look what just showed up online: Last seen Saturday, February 3rd, 2007, in Westwood, Mass. behind the parking lot at Xaverian Brothers High School. Unsigned [...]