Cryptozoology

Bring Forth The Track Cast of Nessie!

A few years ago, the cry across the land was to have the head of a Sea-Serpent brought to Science. I place the same kind of call out there regarding the alleged track cast of the footprint of the Loch Ness Monster collected in December 1933, some 74 years ago. Of course, we all take it to heart that the footprints found on the shores of Loch Ness were fakes made by Marmaduke Wetherell. But within cryptozoology, we must be skeptical in all directions. How many times have I heard about a “hoax” claim, especially with tracks, which has as [...]

Prehistoric Christmas Present

Two amateur fossil hunters from the outback town of Andamooka in the far north of South Australia say they have been given the Christmas present “from hell.” A few years ago Tom and Sharon Hurley found the fossil remains of a prehistoric fish, resembling a swordfish with teeth, near Boulia in Queensland. The fish is a previously unknown genus and species, and has now been officially named the Australo-pachy cormus hurleyi. Tom Hurley says it’s both an honor and a curse to have the fish carry the name Hurley. “Well basically I got the Christmas present from Hell. Immortality. The [...]

Send A Cryptozoologist, Not A Travel Writer

Why don’t travel companies send cryptozoology authors and bloggers in pursuit of cryptids and accomodations at Loch Ness, among the Himalayas, in the Cameroons, along the Amazon, or near the veldt of South Africa, instead of travel writers? It totally amazes me that travel promotion organizations get it so wrong, so often. Case in point, there was a remarkably good initial idea from some thoughtful people at Visit Britain and Visit Scotland with the new movie The Water Horse coming out: Send some travel writers to Scotland. An example from yesterday is what they got from the computer of Sarah [...]

Cryptid Bovids?

Mystery animal films appear to predate the usual YouTube fakes:

The Water Horse Land Sightings at Loch Ness

The Water Horse Land Sightings at Loch Ness On this section of the autoway around Loch Ness, an eyewitness once saw an unknown creature cross the road. The dirty little secret that drives two groups – the closed minded debunkers and the plesiosaur true believers – totally mad is the file on land sightings of cryptids at Loch Ness. Some researchers would just as soon completely ignore them versus looking at what the encounters mean if they are evidence of cryptids unknown in and out of the Scottish lake. The usual reaction has been one in which ridicule is used [...]

New Discovery: Giraffes May Be 11 Species

The rare Nigerian giraffe, known currently as Giraffa camelopardalis peralta. Photo: Michel Carossio Last night, for whatever reason, after watching a bit of film showing the megafauna of Africa, I found myself trying to sort out the many subspecies of one animal – the giraffe. No, I wasn’t even looking at the zebras. I ignored the gnus, antelopes, rhinos, and elephants. But, I had to concentrate on the giraffes. I pulled out two field guides, Jean Dorst’s and Pierre Dandelot’s A Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Africa (1969) and Jonathan Kingdon’s The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals [...]