The Greater White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura russula), shown above, is a small shrew found in Europe and North Africa, and related to the species newly discovered. A new, endemic species of shrew Crocidura hikmiya, has been described from Sri Lanka. The new shrew is presently only known from mid-montane and lowland rainforests of Sinharaja. This shrew was previously been identified as Ceylon Long-tailed Shrew (Crocidura miya). However the latter species is now believed to be confined to the montane forests of the central hills. The researchers believe that the most frequently encountered shrew in Sinharaja is the new species. This raises [...]
Strike the Sasquatch
A mascot inhabiting the Baseball Cryptozoo, with an identity from cryptozoology and hominology, gets a new name. The Northwest Arkansas Naturals announced earlier this month that the name of their furry, baseball-loving Sasquatch will hereby be known as “Strike.” Several hundred entries were submitted in the team’s “Name the Mascot” contest in January 2008. After the contest was completed, Naturals’ staff members selected from the top-five most frequent names submitted along with five other “wild-card” entries. Tanner Winn, from Happy Hollow Elementary School in Fayetteville, Arkansas, was the lone child who submitted the name Strike. Seven-year old Tanner will receive [...]
What’s Killing The Bats?
According to a new article, “Biologists seek clues as bats die off,” by John Richardson, in the Portland Press Herald, Portland, Maine, March 27, 2008, a mystery exists due to thousands of deaths this winter throughout the Northeast. These little brown bats, a species common to Maine, show symptoms of white-nose syndrome – rings of white fungus around the noses of hibernating bats. Courtesy New York Department of Environmental Conservation. Something is killing bats as they hibernate in parts of the Northeast, and biologists in Maine and other states are worried about what it could mean for natural systems that [...]
Monsters and the Monstrous: Call for Papers
6th Global Conference Monsters and the Monstrous: Myths and Metaphors of Enduring Evil Monday 22nd September – Thursday 25th September 2008 Mansfield College, Oxford, United Kingdom This inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary conference seeks to investigate and explore the enduring influence and imagery of monsters and the monstrous on human culture throughout history. In particular, the project will have a dual focus with the intention of examining specific ‘monsters’ as well as assessing the role, function and consequences of persons, actions or events identified as ‘monstrous’. The history and contemporary cultural influences of monsters and monstrous metaphors will also be examined. Perspectives [...]
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 [...]
New Prehistoric Crocodilian
This image released by Rio de Janeiro Federal University, shows a new pointy-nosed prehistoric crocodile species that inhabited the Earth’s oceans 62 million years ago. Brazilian scientists unveiled a model of the nine foot (three meter) long Guarinisuchus munizi on Wednesday, March 26, 2008. The discovery may shed new light on the evolutionary history of the extinct group, which was a predecessor to modern crocodile species, and the theorized spreading of the species from Africa to South America.
Milestone: 3000
The last posting was the 3000th blog published here at Cryptomundo. We reached 40,000 comments earlier in the week. Thank you all for making this the number one cryptozoology blog worldwide!
European Humans: 1.2 Million Years Ago
The March 27, 2008, issue of the scientific journal Nature has announced the earliest finds of human fossils in Europe, pushing back the accepted date by a half-million years. A jawbone and teeth discovered at the famous Atapuerca site in northern Spain have been dated between 1.1 and 1.2 million years old. The fossils have been linked to Homo antecessor, or Pioneer Man, possibly a common ancestor to Neanderthals and modern humans, which was first found in 1997, at this same site. The new find appears to be from the same species, researchers said. The new specimens have tentatively been [...]
Molester Blames Bigfoot
In one famous case, a man who said he was hunting Bigfoot killed a park ranger. Some individuals have died of exposure in wild locations while looking for Bigfoot, and a few have shot up livestock or people, telling authorities they thought they were aiming at Bigfoot. Humans will be humans. But when they use Bigfoot to justify their acts, to me, it goes beyond the limits of my tolerance. Now comes this awful story out of Virginia of a man convicted of molesting children, who says he did it and attributes his start to Bigfoot. I may be open-minded [...]
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