Pop Culture

Identikit Used In Cryptozoology Discoveries

Drawings of the yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Oreonax flavicauda) by artist Stephen Nash were used in Peru to rediscover the primate. The use of identikit illustrations in support of the cryptozoology method is demonstrated often. The objective is to discovery what is already ethnoknown, in terms of local wildlife. Drawings from scratch, under the direction of locals, are a source of primary information. But oftentimes, identikit materials are used in the field for gathering and fine-tuning visual information. Sometimes, if available, a photograph shown to local residents and indigenous peoples is successful in gathering more data on new animals. This is [...]

Cow-Eating Tree Video

Still more on the “India’s Cow-Eating Trees”. A fascinating video report from tvdaijiworld India has been broadcast about the cow-eating tree, the eyewitness villagers, and the cow. Here is the footage, hosted by Gloria Rodrigues: ++++++ Update: David Pescovitz at Boing Boing did a good job of capturing a couple frames from the video, here.

More On Man-Eating Plants

You saw the posting here entitled “India’s Cow-Eating Trees”, and then might have seen it was picked up by Boing Boing. As David Pescovitz wrote, “Loren Coleman detours into ‘cryptobotany.’” Ah, the path less traveled. Map: The entire distribution range of the Venus Flytrap. Did they come down in a meteorite impact? Since then, there’s been several blogs around the internet snapping at a chance to mention man-eating trees. Now the news articles are appearing. One of the most detailed appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, which tips its cap to cryptozoologists, and points Bay Area residents in the direction [...]

Africa’s Art Deco Dino: Njago Gunda

Syracuse Herald, May 15, 1921 In 1920, the Smithsonian Institution sent a 32-person expedition to Africa, which found unexplained tracks along the riverbank and heard mysterious “roars.” See the “Dinosauria” chapter of my field guide for more details. One hundred years ago, people would grab their weekend newspapers and hurry to find the Sunday supplements. There they might discover new adventures of explorers in deepest darkest Africa, follow the treks of famed safari leaders, and learn of new animals being found in the jungles. Take a moment today, reach back to that feeling, understand the world is not fully explored, [...]