Thunderbirds

Gynormous larkosuros Discovered

They, in turn, forwarded the picture to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, which is where Cape Cod keeps all of its smart people. Woods Hole sent a team, led by famed archeologist, Dr. A. J. Oke, to the site. Within an hour Dr. Oke confirmed that the January storm had exposed one of the largest flying dinosaurs ever discovered. This huge creature is known to paleontologists as “Gynormous larkosuros” and is thought to have been 17 feet long, with a 25-foot wingspan. Suddenly, every ancient bone-freak in the world was headed to Orleans. Source for the rest of the story… Hint [...]

Pelicanism 1897

Pelicans historically have held a bizarre place in animal folklore. The Physiologus says of the pelican that it of all birds loves its young the most. The young pelicans in the Pieter van der Borcht (1545-1608) copperplate engraving (above) appear to be about to drink the blood of their mother; some versions of the story say that she feeds them her blood. The pose of the mother bird is known as “The Pelican in her Piety.” Another illustration of this pelican tale is shown in a woodcut (above) from Rome, 1577. “Pelicanism” is a term I wish to borrow from [...]

Galveston Mothman?

In her blog this week, Ha’ri writes in “Mothman – Sighting in Galveston?” of her wonderings and ponderings. She is interested to discover if any large bird-like somethings were seen before any hurricanes hit the coastal Texas city of Galveston. Ha’ri does some research, and rightfully comes to the conclusion there’s nothing to be easily found about a 1969 hurricane – or Mothman sightings there. In the movie The Mothman Prophecies, news articles about the “Houston Batman” were flashed on the screen as the character “Alexander Leek” (“Keel” backwards) talked of how Mothmen were seen before disasters like “the hurricane” [...]

Thundergoose

Do extraordinarily large geese exist? Is there a Thundergoose out there? Sure, you are going to find a history of photographic hoaxes, such as the old postcard pictured above, with real people pictured on top of big geese, but I’m talking about an actual case of an oversized goose. This article was discovered by Robert Schneck (the author of The President’s Vampire: Strange-but-True Tales of the United States of America) and exclusively shared with Cryptomundo. Appreciation to Schneck for his contribution. Schneck humorously dubbed this critter “Thundergoose” in our email exchange, and that seems to be a fitting name. The [...]

Bird Picks Up Boy

Why does that headline looks vaguely familiar? What may be inside of us, almost at a genetic level, that remembers such incidents? I’m not talking about the Lawndale, Illinois, case of Marlon Lowe being picked up by one of two large birds, then dropped. That took place in Logan County in April of 1977. Instead, I’m reminded of my sense that there is a new such event due, by reading about an earlier case, highlighted recently by anomalist Scott Maruna. Maruna posted his finding of a copy of an old article about a bird identified as an eagle picking up [...]

Mystery Birds in Annual Christmas Counts

This is the time of year throughout North America when birders take their annual “Christmas counts.” This involves identifying and counting what bird species birders and casual observers have seen in their area. Besides the various extremely large avian cryptids that avoid detention by having small numbers, being ignored, flying too high, hiding, and remaining in remote locations, mystery birds do turn up. You have to read Christmas counts closely to find them, but they are there. Most are eventually seen as identified species that have turned up in out-of-place sites. For example, on December 29, 2007, Mike Jacobs of [...]

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 [...]