Swamp Monsters

Mississippi Hyena?

Tim McCary of Mississippi has exclusively shared the following video with Cryptomundo. The creature caught with his game video cam was photographed last fall 2007, in southwest Mississippi. Specifically, it was taken in a place called “Anna’s Bottom,” just north of Natchez, Mississippi. Mr. McCary has no reason for trickery, and merely sent it in because it vaguely appeared to look like a “hyena” trotting along (although he understands no hyenas should be seen in North America). He does not know what it is. Of course, it could be a coyote or dog, with or without mange, being filmed. It [...]

Pinky Expedition: Monster Considerations

A major conclusion from my “Pinky Expedition” is the same one that I have found over and over again. There are no simple answers to the mysteries of monsters in our midst. Looking at other “cryptids,” additionally, we have to consider the other pieces of the puzzle. The long-term sightings of strange creatures from the St. Johns River, Lake Monroe, and surrounding areas, from the 19th century, during the mid-20th century, and at other times, appear to involve many varied cryptids. Bipedal dinosaurs, sauropods, traditional long-necks, and big blobs in the water have all been descriptions for the St. Johns [...]

Happy Birthday, Scott T. Norman

It seems most appropriate that as I find myself trying to unravel the tales and sightings of a decidedly unique series of sightings of a seemingly “American dinosaur species,” a living one at that, my thoughts would turn to the late dino hunter, Scott Thomas Norman. Scott would have been 44 years old today, March 15, 2008. He was a good and decent person. As we use to say in the Midwest, Scott was “good people.” Sometimes he found himself surrounded by ridicule mongers and worse. He calmly plowed ahead, nevertheless, turning the other cheek. These screen captures are from [...]

Pinky Expedition: Investigative Breakthrough

Sometimes when investigating cryptids, it’s not how you ask but who and what you are asking about that gets some more insightful answers. It was a good day in the Pinky expedition journey. On Thursday, March 13, 2008, besides checking out more wildlife along the St. Johns River and at the Zoological Park of Sanford, I had a major investigative breakthrough. I decided to stop by the Historical Society of Sanford, to ask about sightings of “Pinky,” the alleged dinosaur of Florida. I was interested to find out if any old news archives might exist. What I stumbled into was [...]

Pinky Expedition: St. Johns River, Part 2

My search for Pinky continues. But I am becoming convinced from my exploration of the central St. Johns River area that Pinky reports are a probable event of the recent past, and mostly a foggy memory, at best. No current knowledge of these animals or cryptids is contemporarily apparent. The draft of the river in this area of central Florida is not supportive of ocean life such as dolphins, and other than the manatees that need to find warm springs in the cold season, it seems hard to imagine marine Sea Serpents or alleged living dinosaurs visiting “American’s Nile.” Reports [...]

Pinky Expedition 2008

As you read these words, I’m on a mini-expedition in a rugged old boat in the St. Johns River in Florida, interviewing locals and actively looking for Pinky, the “living dinosaur” of these parts. Ivan T. Sanderson, Mark A. Hall, Karl Shuker, George Eberhart, Patrick Huyghe, Michael Newton, to name a few, and of course, I have mentioned in various books and articles the unique river monsters seen up and down the St. Johns River in Florida, now known by the collective name most popularized in the area since the 1970s as “Pinky.” The nickname came about when on May [...]