Forensic Science

Mystery Black Felid Photo: Identified

An update on the mystery black felid photograph (see various enhancements on this page) reveals some new information, which, in context, makes much sense. The picture was taken December 2005, according to the photographer’s letter shared with me last night by felid researcher Ben Willis. The photo was taken by a retired biology professor from a Georgia university, Dr. Edward Yeargers . Dr. Yeargers had seen the cat, which he identified as a black bobcat, “several times” in his yard. The location of his yard – Palm City, Florida. Palm City is located in Martin County, Florida. The professor wrote, [...]

Nashville And Bobbing Black Cats

Nashville Cats, play clean as country water Nashville Cats, play wild as mountain dew Nashville Cats, been playin’ since they’s babies Nashville Cats, get work before they’re two — by John B. Sebastian, Lovin’ Spoonful, 1967. Is this cryptid black cat a melanistic bobcat (Lynx rufus/Felis rufus)? Back on November 19, 2006, I wrote about the sightings and then videotape of a large short-tailed cat seen in Nashville, Tennessee. Speculations covered caracal, lynx, and bobcat. The two images below are from the video taken of the Tennessee Mystery Cat: Ben Willis of Bigcats.org brings to my attention that a road-killed [...]

New Species of Sucker-Footed Bat

Easily obtainable photographs of Myzopoda schliemanni are unavailable. This is the closely related species, Myzopoda aurita. Chicago’s Field Museum announced today that a “new sucker-footed bat [has been] discovered in Madagascar”: CHICAGO — Scientists have discovered a new species of bat that has large flat adhesive organs, or suckers, attached to its thumbs and hind feet. This is a remarkable find because the new bat belongs to a Family of bats endemic to Madagascar–and one that was previously considered to include only one rare species. The new species, Myzopoda schliemanni, occurs only in the dry western forests of Madagascar, while [...]

Maine Mutant #6 in 2006

An automobile travels the sparsely used Route 4 through the Turner, Maine, area, little knowing what it will meet around the next corner. It wasn’t a Stephen King novel, but a real-life incident that captured the media, first in Maine, then more globally last summer, into early fall. Lewiston, Maine’s Sun Journal published their 2006 year-in-review on the first day of the new year. Route 4′s “Mystery Animal” (a/k/a “Maine Mutant”) was on their list. Monday, January 1, 2007 Top stories of 2006 Tragedies dominated the tri-county news in 2006, with young people dying in car accidents, plane crashes, the [...]

Cold Case Investigation For 2007: The Myakka Photos

All Photographs and Enhancements of the Myakka Photographs on this page are © David Barkasy and Loren Coleman 2001. It all began with a December 22, 2000, letter signed “God Bless. I prefer to remain anonymous,” mailed to the Sarasota (Florida) Sheriff’s Department. Two photographs were enclosed. I’ve written about this extensively, so for some quick details, merely click here. For this blog, it is more about just re-viewing the images, not reading the words. Let’s look. I’d like to see more progress on this one, either pro or con, in 2007. Here’s a selection of the photographs, with details [...]

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 [...]