Eyewitness Accounts

Discovering the Dhole

Remember the episode called "Alpha" in season six of The X-Files? It involved a cryptid dhole from China that was blamed for going on a killing rampage. The dhole (Cuon alpinus) is in the news because Vietnam feels these allegedly recently extinct "red dogs" are back from the edge in their country. "In Search for the Endangered Dhole" (Vietnam News Service, December 24, 2006) tells of the new quest for more about these elusive candids and their probable recovery. Reporter Lam Quang Huy, after giving background information, shared this compelling account of searching for the dhole with villagers: The first [...]

More New Species and Subspecies Announced

As 2006 rolls to a close, scientists are releasing more announcements of new species and subspecies. Here are details of a new lizard, new birds, a new fish and a new subspecies of tiger. Thailand: New Lizard (Not Salamander) The Bangkok, Thailand newspaper, The Nation is reporting on December 25, 2006, that a new species of reptile, apparently incorrectly translated as a “salamander,” but as noted by Chad Arment, a lizard has been discovered that features a “short tail with thornlike scales.” The Huai Hang Nam [lizard] was found living in a seasonal rain forest near Tevada Mountain in Chaiyaphum’s [...]

The Top Ten Cryptozoology Stories of 2006

The Top Ten Cryptozoology Stories of 2006 by Loren Coleman, Cryptozoology A to Z 1. Darlings of Cryptozoology Videotaped: Coelacanth and Giant Squid 2. Lost Worlds Revealed 3. New European Mammal and Others Discovered 4. Discoveries Debated: Ivory-billed Woodpecker and Kouprey 5. Africa Explored: Mokele-mbembe Quest, Gambia Expedition, and SEALs’ Secret Mission 6. Lake Monsters Photographed: Champ and Nahuelito 7. Canid Capered: Maine Mutant, Montana Creature, and Nebraska Cryptid 8. Cryptids Televised: Mothman, Monsters, and More 9. Thylacine Remembered: Steve Irwin’s Search, New Photo, and National Thylacine Day 10. Cryptozoology and Art Exhibited: A First ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 1. Darlings of Cryptozoology [...]

Loren on C2C – Top 10 CZ List

On Saturday, December 23, 2006, I was the “first hour guest” on Coast to Coast AM. Their historical page has a recap with the uplink to the program. As noted, during the “First Hour: Loren Coleman counts down the Top 10 cryptozoology stories of 2006.” See: The Top Ten Cryptozoology Stories of 2006 The host was Ian Punnett for the program.

Black Panthers in Illinois

Black panthers in Illinois are not merely melanistic jaguars far from home. I grew up in central Illinois (1947-1965, 1969-1974) and went to undergraduate school at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (1965-1969). I was out searching for black panthers when I was 14, for example, in Macon County, doing field work on big mystery cat sightings in southeast Illinois when I was 16, and slushing through swamps in southern Illinois more than I was in some classes during my college years at SIU. Needless to say, all those first few years, I wasn’t writing too much about what I was doing, because [...]