Cryptozoologists

Happy Birthday!

October 2nd is my father’s & my grandfather’s birthday, and October 3rd is my brother Jerry’s birthday. Jerry’s the last one alive in that triad. But there’s another one. The three Coleman brothers. Happy 55th, bro. As to the Brothers Coleman, they are Bill, Jerry, and that’s me holding the ball. Click on image for a larger version. Here’s Jerry’s take on "Growing Up Coleman", followed by his book covers. And for just fun, this cartoon again, as it reminds me of all the picnics with my family in the Midwest. Click image for full-size version

By George: Schaller, A Misquoted Cryptozoologist?

Has Bigfoot’s newest spokesperson stumbled or been grossly misquoted? How factual is the popular reporting on what famous people say about cryptozoological topics or animals they discover? How much can you rely on the background facts apparently noted in a newspaper in India or a foreword in a book to tell us what famed mountain gorilla researcher and promoter George B. Schaller (above) thinks about Bigfoot? I guess it depends on what you feel is more closely reflecting George Schaller’s past statements and the actual realities. In a new biographical sketch of Schaller in The Hindu Times, examine this selection [...]

Animals of Discovery

Intriguingly, the Toronto Star’s Rick Sznajder compiled and published a list on September 26, 2006, of animals, which were thought once extinct and rediscovered in recent years. These species are available in several books, of course, but it’s fun to see someone in the media highlighting these “animals of discovery.” Here’s Sznajder’s list: Northern bald ibis rediscovered in Syria in 2002. Giant Palouse earthworm, last seen in 1987, rediscovered 2006. Found along the Washington-Idaho border. Laotian rock rat, believed extinct for 11 million years, first seen by a western scientist in 2005. Chinese crested tern, thought extinct from 1937 to [...]

Yeti Scholar On Downed Helicopter

A helicopter full of the intelligentsia of Nepal’s Himalayan conservation and forest management has been apparently found. Radio contact with the craft was lost on Saturday, September 23, 2006, while it was in a remote mountain area of Nepal, 190 miles (305km) east of the capital, according to Reuters. I note that several of the people on the copter may have had dealings with the search for the Yeti or Abominable Snowmen in the region. One individual, specifically, had been an outspoken advocate of the Yeti in recent years. Nepali environmentalist Mingma Norbu Sherpa (above and below), who did the [...]

Skeptic Dogs Maine Mutant

Cryptomundo reader and Skeptical Inquirer managing editor Ben Radford has taken on the “Maine Mutant” in a SI column published on Sunday, September 24, 2006. Click on image for full-size version Photograph by Michelle O’Donnell. Used by permission. In “Mystery Monster Dogs Maine” Radford overviews the story, getting all the facts right, more so than most retellings of the events. He even quotes me correctly: When Maine monster hunter Loren Coleman was shown a photo of the creature on Aug. 13, he stated, “This is a dog, probably a feral dog or a hybrid, but a dog.” Then Radford mentions [...]