Eyewitness Accounts

“African Lion” Reported In North Carolina

An African lion, female, directly above. Lioness on a road, by Dick & Monique Smit, Henk & Liz Egbers, S.A. An American panther, puma, cougar or mountain lion, gender unknown, directly above. Lioness on the road at Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park. Florida Panther on the Loop Road. Last night, July 31, 2008, at about 9:53 p.m., a member who calls himself “rantingredneck,” on The Firing Line, which subtitles itself “The leading online forum for firearms,” mentioned a new sighting of an African lioness (example, shown top above): A couple of days ago a fellow who works for me informed [...]

Multiple Sightings of U.Md. Cougar

The Campus Cougar Alert of July 31st has been followed by more details of the sightings, through comments at Cryptomundo and media information. It couldn’t have wandered here on its own. And even if it could, they don’t come here….First we want to find and identify it, then get the proper people to trap and remove it. If it is a cougar, it doesn’t belong in our highly urbanized area. They’re not predatory, but it’s still not good to have a cougar running around. I have all my cameras pointed in that direction and all my officers looking for it. [...]

Unknown Fish Footage

Here is a new video of a strange, unidentified fish caught off Burgeo, Newfoundland ~ dated July 30, 2008: Appears to be some kind of deep sea species, such as the anglerfish. Humpback anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii) Krøyer’s deep sea angler fish (Ceratias holboelli), two images above. But actually, I think it may be a fish that is often mistaken for Ceratias holboelli. Triplewart seadevil (Cryptopsaras couesii) – Pêcheur à trèfle, found frequently in the delta of the St. Lawrence Seaway, not far from Burgeo.

Stratton Thrush: A New Hybrid Bird?

Bicknell’s thrush, Catharus bicknelli. Drawing by Liza. Veery, Catharus fuscescens. Drawing by Whatbird. The Vermont Center Of Ecostudies (VCE) files a new report, which could have implications for other studies of hybrids in high-elevation bird populations: The recent discovery atop Stratton Mountain (Vermont) of an apparent hybrid of a Bicknell’s thrush and veery, two closely related species in the genus Catharus, has generated some buzz in birding circles. The bird was discovered by field biologists with the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) in the course of their long-term research on high-elevation bird populations. The first clue to this individual’s possible [...]

Beautiful New Manta Video

The smaller manta. The larger manta, the new species. It truly is a tale of Beauty and the Beast. Dr. Andrea Marshall is shown on a beautiful new video, swimming with the recently discovered manta and discussing her discovery. The scenes remind me of the swimming ballet of The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Dr. Marshall (pictured above & below) can be viewed on the video by clicking here. Quite compelling. Dr. Andrea Marshall is also pictured above. The photo accompanies her notice that she supports her work by conducting trips and tours related to manta research. In one planned [...]