Forensic Science

New Monster Palm Discovered

New findings are everywhere, sometimes even when you happen to be on picnic! The palm will be called Tahina spectabilis which is Malagasy for blessed or to be protected. Tahina is the name of one of the discoverer Xavier Metz’s daughters. The most important new species of palm for 50 years has been discovered by a family picnicking in the jungle. Tahina spectabilis soars 60ft (18m) as it puts out millions of flowers in a spectacular last hurrah that kills it. Despite its size it escaped detection until Xavier Metz, a plantation owner, took his family for a picnic in [...]

Monster Quest ~ The Real Hobbit + DSD ~ Loch Ness

Monster Quest: The Real Hobbit Travel to the interior of Sumatra, in Indonesia, in a search for what locals call the Orang Pendak [sic], translated as: Man of the Woods. In 2004 skeletal remains were found on the neighboring island of Flores and named “the Real Hobbit.” Could Orang Pendak [sic], with its human face, be a surviving ancestor to the Flores Man? An expedition is launched deep within the rainforest. The natives claim to see the creature often, and they even find footprints of an unknown upright walking beast. Will camera traps reveal its identity? One-part history, one-part science [...]

New Uakari Monkey Discovered

A photo of the new discovery is unavailable to date, but this example of Cacajao calvus rubicundus, the bald uakari is typical of the uakaris. Photo credit: Roy Fontaine. The New Scientist of January 16, 2008 reports the discovery of a new uakai monkey living in north-western Amazonia, which belongs to a species unknown to science until recently. It is now named Cacajao ayresii in honor of Brazilian biologist Marcio Ayres, who pioneered field studies on uakaris. The new species has a very restricted distribution, says Jean-Philippe Boubli of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, who describes it in a [...]

Hobbits, Ebu Gogo, and Orang Pendek

History Channel’s “MonsterQuest” is going to be investigating the socalled “real Hobbits” in their episode premiering on January 16th, 2008, at 10PM ET. The official summary of the program notes: “A MonsterQuest expedition will deploy researchers and the latest technology into the jungle, searching for evidence of a creature natives describe as half man, half ape.” This will be cryptozoologist Adam Davies (author of a forthcoming Anomalist Books title), who will be leading the “MonsterQuest” crew on an investigation of Orang Pendek activities, for one part of the program. Various cryptids and related hominoids discussed will be the “Hobbits” (i.e. [...]

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 [...]