Loch Ness Monster

Lake Merritt Monster

Ginny Prior, The Town Crier of California’s Contra Costa Times talks in her column of January 12, 2007, about the "Beast [that] dwells in [the] murky waters of Lake Merritt." She writes: I’ve always suspected something was lurking, just below the murky green surface. Now it’s been confirmed — Oakland’s Lake Merritt has a monster. Like Scotland’s Loch Ness and Lake Champlain’s Champ, this creature eludes all but the most vigilant observers. Richard Bailey, the resident expert, has seen the great head of the beast — with its glowing red eyes and spiked horns. "It’s got six or seven humps [...]

Harry Horse, The Ogopogo Author & Atlantis Rising Cartoonist Dies

The author of The Opopogo – My Journey with the Loch Ness Monster, Harry Horse, 46 (real name: Richard Horne), his dog Roo, other pets, and his ill wife Mandy, 39, have all died in an apparent mass suicide. The Scotsman is reporting on January 11, 2007, that Horne, his wife (multiple sclerosis saw her confined to a wheelchair at 39), and their pets were found Papil, on Burra, Scotland, on January 9, victims of an apparent assisted suicide and suicide pact. Richard Horne, better known as Harry Horse, a famed children’s book illustrator, author, and cartoonist of the bizarre [...]

Never Stop Asking Nessie Questions

Before this bit of news gets too old, I want to mention the seemingly funny media mentions last week about tourists in Scotland asking silly questions. The media had a bit of laughter over some questions from visitors, and, of course, Nessie was right up there at the top. According to a Travel Connect article entitled “Tourists Ponder Loch Ness Monster’s Feeding Times,” the tourism agency VisitBritain compiled “some rather puzzling queries from befuddled travellers.” As the headline to their article gives away, one inquiry they highlight dealt directly with the topic: One such visitor was evidently unfamiliar with the [...]

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 [...]

Nessie Not Found in Antarctic

The Associated Press is reporting that the fossil bones of a baby plesiosaur have been found on an Antarctic island. That is a good find, but the papers won’t be stopping there. Be prepared. Of course, although there is no known relationship at all, except in the culture of the media, the following reference point is being thrown into the stories: In life, 70 million years ago, the five-foot-long animal would have resembled Nessie, the long-necked creature reported to inhabit Scotland’s Loch Ness. Hate to mention it but (1) we don’t know if any Nessies exist at all, so how [...]