Cryptozoology

Third Green Warning: Cryptid Reptile Loose

The lay of the land near Stivers Lagoon. Watch out for the water hazards on the nearby golf course. Another report of a huge, unidentified reptile? Let’s put the latest sightings in their NoCal context. The reptile spotted by two people at a Fremont, California, golf course last week remains at large, and there are no plans to look for it again unless someone else sees it, officials said. A week after initially being alerted to a supposed 3-foot-long reptile – possibly an abandoned illegal pet caiman – in the water near the third green at Fremont Park Golf Center, [...]

When Cryptozoologists Die

Bill Rebsamen’s tribute to Scott Norman, who passed away suddenly earlier in 2008. This may be a difficult essay for you to read, but this is a subject we all have ignored for a long time. There is a darker side that occurs after the obituaries and remembrances are written. What happens after the tributes are published? Why have we avoided the obvious, and watched legacies vanish? There are some things I’ve got to say. We shall pick up an existence by its frogs. Wise men have tried other ways. They have tried to understand our state of being, by [...]

No Trunks, Says Palaeontologist

In my never-ending quest to give both sides of various intellectually stimulating issues, here is part two of Monday’s discussion on whether or not Mokele-Mbembe, if discovered, might be found to have a trunk. University of Portsmouth vertebrate palaeontologist and science writer Darren Naish (above) has a contrary opinion to that of the one highlighted here by reconstruction artist Bill Munns yesterday, on whether or not trunks existed on sauropods and a variety of other fossil animals. For the sauropods, Naish emails me this comment about Munns’ images (one, shown above) and the pro-trunk theory: “Very cool. But the palaeontological [...]

African Lion Hunt Ends

Crews called off the search for an African lion in a rural part of El Paso County, Colorado, late Monday afternoon (July 14, 2008), believing that the animal in question may just have been a big dog. But they don’t know. Three individuals reported an African lion, complete with mane and brush on the long tail. One official was quoted as saying the tracks were not cougar, not dog, but large felid tracks. A red mane was seen. And then there is the cellphone image capture. Here are various renderings of the photograph of the Mystery Animal: Will this be [...]

New Mouse Lemur Discovered

This is an illustration of different species of endemic mouse lemurs (Microcebus) occurring in the western half of Madagascar. Microcebus are the world’s smallest living primates and some species are limited to small geographic areas, which is known as micro-endemism. (Illustration by Peggy Macnamara, Courtesy of The Field Museum) New Primate Species Discovered on Madagascar Sonja von Brethorst, Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover Number of known mouse lemur species increases to 16 Hannover, 14th July 2008 The working group of University Senior Lecturer Dr. Ute Radespiel from the Institute of Zoology of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, [...]

Maned Lion Spotted in Colorado

“Lion” photo courtesy of Sharon Harding-Shaw. Colorado, July 14, 2008. For comparison, I’ve added this photo of a lion demonstrating the tail up appearance. The Associated Press is reporting, today, July 14, 2008, that a large maned felid has been sighted in El Paso County, Colorado, in the Falcon Hwy. and Log Rd. area, near Colorado Springs. “An African Lion has been spotted. Two people reported seeing the lion, including one who captured a photo of the lion chasing dogs,” reads the first bulletin. Sheriff’s Lieutenant Lari Sevene says the lion was reported at about 8:00 am this morning in [...]