Forensic Science

Cryptid Woodpecker Update

The search has begun for the ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) on Cuba, late in April 2006. Cuban ornithologists have received permission to search for the long-lost, ivory-billed woodpecker in heavily wooded areas of the island that have been off-limits even to scientists since Fidel Castro seized power here almost 50 years ago. Backed by a grant from Birdlife International, a British conservation group, the search began in the pine forests of the Sierra Maestra mountains of eastern Cuba this week. Report: Cubanet. Meanwhile, the active search for the Imperial Woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis) – pictured above – the world’s largest species [...]

Increase in Mystery Cat Encounters?

Is there an increase in Cryptid Cat activity occurring in North America this spring? If so, local officials aren’t sure how to quite handle it yet – with humor or by setting traps. A video of a cougar or mountain lion taken in Willmar, Minnesota, lead to the capture of the animal on February 1, 2006. Most people didn’t believe the reported cat was anything more than a figment of people’s imagination before the video. On Wednesday, April 26, 2006, the mayor of Montgomery, New Jersey, cracked a joke, saying "We are the Land of the Cougars" (alluding to the [...]

New Coelacanths On Display

Two new exhibitions of coelacanths are worthy of noting. The celebrated story of the coelacanth has made it one of the darlings of cryptozoology. It embodies a true tale of a “living fossil,” not verified as a “real animal” by science for 65 million years, then discovered off Africa in 1938 and rediscovered, with great fanfare, again in 1952 (as shown above). The coelacanth was a fish known to the natives, and eaten, with some slight disgust because it was too oily. It was a part of the menu of fishing peoples for centuries off Africa, long before it became [...]

New Asian Species

More species are being found, anew, in south Asia. We can hardly keep up with the announcements. Here’s a quick overview with some photos and links to the source articles. A new species of freshwater stringray (pictured here) has been discovered in Thailand. One of the discoveries was the remarkable Himanturan kittipongi, a new species of freshwater stringray from Thailand. Meanwhile, in Laos, six new species of frogs have been found. One is shown. Laos is the least densely populated country in Asia and has produced a treasure trove of wildlife discoveries during recent years. Rana khalam is one of [...]

Jersey Devil and Ivan T. Sanderson

One January night in 1909, E. P. Weeden of the Trenton, New Jersey City Council bolted upright in bed when he heard someone trying to break down his door. It was a most unusual “someone,” apparently, because Weeden also heard distinctly the sound of flapping wings. Councilman Weeden rushed to his second-floor window and looked outside. He did not see the intruder, but the sight that greeted his eyes chilled him far more than the icy temperature ever could: In the snow on the roof of his house something had left a line of tracks. And whatever that “something” was, [...]