Megafauna

Save The Zeren

What’s a “zeren”? Of course, if you are a frequent visitor to Cryptomundo, you know what the Yeren is, to wit, the population of so-called “Wild People” or unidentified hairy hominoids of China. But what is the zeren? The zeren, discovered first in 1777, is the strange megafauna known also as the Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa). They live on the grassy steppe and subdeserts of Mongolia, northern China, and southern Russia. Just as the pronghorn in the Americas seems an out-of-place antelope, so too does this species in Mongolia-China-Russia, and few in the West know of it. Zerens are very [...]

Alaska’s Prehistoric Monster

Cryptotourism has been in play for ages, especially highlighted by such sites as Loch Ness, which boasts of Nessie. Smaller examples of monsters and places, such as the Lizard Man of South Carolina or Tessie of Lake Tahoe, dot the maps of the world. But a new trend is the recognition of cryptids, history, and places in various locations, often further overlooked. Glacier Island’s monster is one case that even turned up in the old Books of Charles Fort. In Mr. X’s Hypertext of the works of Charles Fort, he notes the passage from Lo!: It may be that there [...]

Giant Colossal Squid Thawed

Scientists stand in a thawing bath as they inspect the eye of the colossal squid at Te Papa Museum in Wellington on April 30, 2008. The 26 feet (8 meters) long colossal squid weighs 1,089 pounds (about 495 kg) and is the largest and best preserved adult colossal squid to be caught. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) This same colossal squid was previously discussed at Cryptomundo, here and here. It was taken in February 2007. It was originally thought to measure 39 feet long but estimated to weigh only 990 pounds. Fishermen on the vessel San Aspiring, owned by the Sanford seafood company, [...]

Addax to Zebras: Mungall’s Exotic Animal Field Guide

Life works in strange ways. So does death. Good things can come from appreciating the moments that issue from both. Cryptozoologist Scott Norman’s and then my crypto-supportive mother’s separate sudden deaths within a forty-day span gave me pause recently to slow down a bit. Between the two events, I kept writing at a busy pace and conducted my “Pinkie” expedition to Florida. I also traveled to various locations to give cryptozoology talks, but I additionally wanted to take some quiet time for myself to visit animal parks and zoos. I’ve always found such gems in the midst of human habitats [...]

Another Giraffid/Okapid Cryptid?

French cryptozoologist Michel Raynal is pointing to the “okapi” (?) of Tassili found in the book and bibliography of Bernard Heuvelmans, in his book On the Track of the Unknown Animals (Paris, Plon, 1955), referred to in the cave engravings as representing the okapi in Tassili. The starting point of this assertion is an article of Robert Perret, who publishes a photograph of one of these engravings. This document is available: PERRET, Robert 1936 archaeological and ethnographic Research in Tassili of Ajjers (the Sahara central). Rupestral engravings of the Djaret Wadi, population and ruins of Iherir. Bulletin of the Company [...]

Are Borneo Pygmy Elephants Javan?

Borneo’s pygmy elephants may be descendants of an extinct Javan elephant race, saved by chance by an 18th century ruler, according to a new study just released. The study suggests that a small number of opposite-sex elephants can produce a thriving progeny of thousands if left undisturbed on an island, giving fresh hope to conservationists trying to protect nearly extinct species of large mammals. “If proven, this fascinating story would demonstrate that very small populations of large mammals can be saved from the brink of extinction (simply by) moving a few individuals, from a seemingly doomed population, to a different [...]