Folklore

Suttons, Flatwoods & Oompah-Loompahs

One reason [the Flatwoods Monster case] might remind you of the Kelly goblins is the name “Sutton.” It’s the town next to Flatwoods and the name of the family that was besieged one night by goblins, aliens, eagle owls or Oompah-Loompahs.Robert Schneck, November 6, 2007. Don Getty, River Otters, Grand Tetons. Used with full permission of Mr. Getty. Images and laughter sometimes are worth a thousand words.

The Flatwoods Monster Decoded

The date was September 12, 1952. The place, Flatwoods, West Virginia. On that crisp fall day, Kathleen May (pictured), Eugene Lemon, 17, Neal Nunley, 14, Eddie May, 13, Teddie May, 14, Ronald Shaver, 10, Teddie Neal, 10, Tommy Hyer, 10, and Lemon’s big old dog, climbed to the top of a hill and saw a “monster.” They immediately felt they had to run, as fast as they could, someplace. The huge dark figure with glowing eyes and a head “like the ace of spades” blocked their path. About 12 feet high (4 meters), the figure had a reddish face and [...]

Identikit Used In Cryptozoology Discoveries

Drawings of the yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Oreonax flavicauda) by artist Stephen Nash were used in Peru to rediscover the primate. The use of identikit illustrations in support of the cryptozoology method is demonstrated often. The objective is to discovery what is already ethnoknown, in terms of local wildlife. Drawings from scratch, under the direction of locals, are a source of primary information. But oftentimes, identikit materials are used in the field for gathering and fine-tuning visual information. Sometimes, if available, a photograph shown to local residents and indigenous peoples is successful in gathering more data on new animals. This is [...]

Video Game Backs Guyana Monster Hunt

The Centre for Fortean Zoology has released the following press announcement on their forthcoming “South American Monster Hunt.” The tone and wording (such as the dubious “potentially lethal” to describe the cryptids) is their own. – Loren On the 14th November 2007, five members of the Centre for Fortean Zoology leave the United Kingdom for South America, on their most ambitious expedition yet. They will be searching the remote swamps and jungles of Guyana. They are looking for three elusive, potentially lethal, and hitherto undiscovered animals. a. The giant anaconda b. The didi c. The water tiger As far as [...]

Cow-Eating Tree Video

Still more on the “India’s Cow-Eating Trees”. A fascinating video report from tvdaijiworld India has been broadcast about the cow-eating tree, the eyewitness villagers, and the cow. Here is the footage, hosted by Gloria Rodrigues: ++++++ Update: David Pescovitz at Boing Boing did a good job of capturing a couple frames from the video, here.

More On Man-Eating Plants

You saw the posting here entitled “India’s Cow-Eating Trees”, and then might have seen it was picked up by Boing Boing. As David Pescovitz wrote, “Loren Coleman detours into ‘cryptobotany.’” Ah, the path less traveled. Map: The entire distribution range of the Venus Flytrap. Did they come down in a meteorite impact? Since then, there’s been several blogs around the internet snapping at a chance to mention man-eating trees. Now the news articles are appearing. One of the most detailed appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, which tips its cap to cryptozoologists, and points Bay Area residents in the direction [...]