Cryptozoology

Thompson’s Sea Serpent Hunt

One thing leads to another. Looking into the new mystery photo postcard has taken me to more of the backstory that involves a Sea Serpent hunt exactly 100 years ago. In 1908, a Little River couple on an outing on Biscayne Bay reported seeing a sea serpent with a 30-foot-long body and a long, slender neck. An intrepid and well-known fisherman, Capt. Charles Thompson, set off after the sea monster. Thompson was certainly the man for the job: He had fished with four U.S. presidents and powerful industrialists such as John Jacob Astor and William Vanderbilt. Even the Miami Metropolis [...]

Boss Snakes Observed

Attention to Chad Arment’s newest book, Boss Snakes: Stories and Sightings of Giant Snakes in North America will be worth your time. First, let’s start with the obvious. Big snakes do exist. But various cryptozoological questions remain: Are there unknown species? How big do they get? And where are they found? Fluffy, above, who is thought to be the longest captive snake in the world at 24 feet long, drew record fans (1.53 million) to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in 2007. The reticulated python is 15 years old and weighs 300 pounds. It will keep growing, and may live [...]

Rats! Or Not?

Remember the recent story of the discovery of a rat-eating pitcher plant? Do they or don’t they? Rats! Or not? It sure kicked up a few pro and con feelings about the whole issue. Some people wondered if pitcher plants can actually “eat” (i.e. dissolve and digest) rats? Despite scientific literature saying it happens, skeptics exist. Are the rats really mice? Interesting distracting question, sort of like, how many times a week do you beat your husband? How many rodents are eaten by your local neighborhood pitcher plants? Are rat-eating pitcher plants only found in Australia? Do rodents actually fall [...]

Bird Picks Up Boy

Why does that headline looks vaguely familiar? What may be inside of us, almost at a genetic level, that remembers such incidents? I’m not talking about the Lawndale, Illinois, case of Marlon Lowe being picked up by one of two large birds, then dropped. That took place in Logan County in April of 1977. Instead, I’m reminded of my sense that there is a new such event due, by reading about an earlier case, highlighted recently by anomalist Scott Maruna. Maruna posted his finding of a copy of an old article about a bird identified as an eagle picking up [...]

Still Unsolved: Mystery Fish Postcard Photo

Despite speculations, theories, thoughts, rumors, ideas, hypotheses, and claims, this longest standing mystery at Cryptomundo has never been fully solved. The postcard photo, originally sent to me by Phyllis Mancz of Ohio, has become such an enigmatic icon that it became part of the design on the front of my new edition of Mysterious America: The Ultimate Guide to the Nation’s Weirdest Wonders, Strangest Spots, and Creepiest Creatures. The Mystery Fish postcard, first noted here on November 29, 2005, has never been identified, as to exact location or species. New people sometimes have new ideas. Lots of new readers may [...]

Super Milk Baby Japanese Monster Mash-Up

WHEN: Friday, February 1st, 2008 from 6:00-9:00 pm Eastern. WHERE: Sanctuary Tattoo Gallery, 31 Forest Avenue, Portland, Maine (right next to Portland Stage Co.) WHAT: Artwork inspired by Japanese monsters, made by 8 artists in 8 different ways! SUPER MILK BABY JAPANESE MONSTER MASH-UP! The title really says it all! This terrific group show at Sanctuary Tattoo pits eight of the Portland area’s scariest artists against each other in a battle of wits and skill over Tokyo! School girls will scream, bones will crack, the sushi will bite back, and buildings will crumble like old matzah balls… or something like [...]