Museums

Secrets of Room N008

You remember the scene from the end of the first Indiana Jones movie? Recall the endless rows of boxes in storage in that secret warehouse? Of course, the reality is that most large museums around the world actually do have such storage areas. The “outfront” exhibits at most museums are impressive. But, for example, I was reminded quickly in Alberta, once again, that less than 10% of the holdings of a museum are what the public sees. The Columbian mammoth is on exhibit in Alberta with other Pleistocene mammals. When I visited the Royal Alberta Museum, the director of Communications, [...]

Canada’s Coelacanth

What’s the old saying? There are no coincidences? The province of Alberta is sitting on an ecotourism-cryptotourism goldmine, and they little realize it. Pondering a bit about the cosmic joke of a related little story in today’s news, out of New York State, I’ll post this before I pack a final few things. I’m still in Alberta, although I’m leaving momentarily. A major side focus of my interest (other than dragons, cryptozoology, and mammoths) has been the wood bison here. I’ve already posted why I view this animal as significant. Let me push that to an even higher level by [...]

When Cryptozoologists Die

Bill Rebsamen’s tribute to Scott Norman, who passed away suddenly earlier in 2008. This may be a difficult essay for you to read, but this is a subject we all have ignored for a long time. There is a darker side that occurs after the obituaries and remembrances are written. What happens after the tributes are published? Why have we avoided the obvious, and watched legacies vanish? There are some things I’ve got to say. We shall pick up an existence by its frogs. Wise men have tried other ways. They have tried to understand our state of being, by [...]

No Trunks, Says Palaeontologist

In my never-ending quest to give both sides of various intellectually stimulating issues, here is part two of Monday’s discussion on whether or not Mokele-Mbembe, if discovered, might be found to have a trunk. University of Portsmouth vertebrate palaeontologist and science writer Darren Naish (above) has a contrary opinion to that of the one highlighted here by reconstruction artist Bill Munns yesterday, on whether or not trunks existed on sauropods and a variety of other fossil animals. For the sauropods, Naish emails me this comment about Munns’ images (one, shown above) and the pro-trunk theory: “Very cool. But the palaeontological [...]

Does Mokele-Mbembe Have A Trunk?

William Munns and his reconstruction of Gigantopithecus. The famed recreator of Gigantopithecus, artist Bill Munns has opened a new window into his world and what we find inside is filled with wonders to behold. Bigfoot. Mokele-Mbembe. Saber-toothed Cats. A cryptozoo, indeed. Munns has shared with me his news that he has uploaded and opened his Bill Munns Creature Gallery. His continuingly upgraded site, Bill Munns Creature Gallery, represents 35 years of his work in varied fields of movie makeup effects, museum exhibit models, theme park robotics, and paleontology studies that have also included visualizations of prehistoric wildlife. As he points [...]