Pop Culture

International Cryptozoology Museum Video

For the full BBtv (Boing Boing Television) credits, please see the video, as well as here.

The Curious Case of Mr. Holmes and the Mystery Ape

“Perhaps when a man has special knowledge and special powers like my own, it rather encourages him to seek a complex explanation when a simpler one is at hand.” ~ Sherlock Holmes, in The Adventure of the Abbey Grange. The serial melodrama apparently continues. To tell you the truth, when I read the headline to the story late last night (November 18, 2007), “Bear trap set for mysterious ape,” I chuckled to myself. I immediately thought: “Dang, someone’s decided to finally attempt to catch Jacobs mangy bear.” But I read on, and was more startled than enlightened by what I [...]

Watch the Skies! Here Comes Birdzilla!

Get ready. They are coming. Not by land or sea, but by the airwaves. The invasion has begun. They are here! Have you noticed that when the thoughtful pieces on cryptozoology turn up, the segments are populated by “friends of the family,” commenting on the subjects under discussion? Have you also noticed the manufactured tension in these appearances? Often the media naturally sets up the “good cop, bad cop” scenario for their stories, and you should expect to see it again this week (if not on the History Channel, certainly in the stories done in the wake of “Birdzilla”). How [...]

Update Vote Count: “Best Cryptozoologist”

Thank you for enjoying yourself and voting for the “Best Cryptozoologist.” We have now broken all records set in 2006, thanks to Cryptomundians. As you may recall, Paul Kimball opened his “2007 Zorgy Awards” for voting, based on the nominations he had received, a few days ago. He included a new category for voting this year (9th down on his list): “Best Cryptzoologist.” Here’s an update: Kimball reports that the folks from Cryptomundo are “rocking the vote” in his tallies. Of all the polls, as of mid-November, the “cryptozoologist” one is getting the most votes. The others have barely brought [...]

No Mystery In These Photos

Over the last two days, I’ve been getting inquiries about the identification of two objects in some recent photographs. One supposedly “cryptid” that has been shown to me is this animal (below) being featured in the Russian media. Said to be a “Prehistoric Fish,” it reportedly was “found in Russia, during construction near an underground river in Chelyabinsk city. The workers killed it and these are the remains.” Apparently, someone is having a little fun with pictures and sizing. This animal is actually a small species, the Triops (notostracans), the so-called tadpole shrimp or shield shrimp. While an aggressive predator, [...]