Weird Animal News

Hawks, Not Parrots, On The Attack

No doubt upset by the recent DNA study saying that their former cousins the falcons are more closely related to parrots than to them, a pair of red-tailed hawks attacked a Cape Cod, Massachusetts, woman on Monday, June 30, 2008. First it was an alligator at nearby Barnstable, on Cape Cod, and now attacking hawks. Cape Cod is turning into a hot bed of weird animal news this summer. Perhaps a Sea Serpent sighting will occur any day now? Seriously, I would ask Cape Cod-located cryptozoologists-in-training to keep an eagle eye (no pun intended) out for more unusual animal stories [...]

Wild Bears vs Humans

As some kind of joke, an internet wag called Evil Melon has posted that, “Some cryptozoologist is making bizarre claims that the mythical creature known as a ‘bear’ has attacked a girl riding in a 24 hour bike race….Bears are loveable trained creatures who do not live in the wild, do not steal pickernick baskets and do not maul human beings. This is a claim that must be debunked. The wild bear does not exist.” Not funny. Not happening. More ridicule for cryptozoologists, even for those of us who happen to have an incredible sense of humor. In a minute, [...]

Mystery Deer Captured In Indiana

Brian Walters, a South Bend Animal Control officer, checks on a deer that was captured downtown after a lengthy chase. Tribune Photos by Gene Kaiser. Police and animal control officers were on an animal chase in downtown South Bend, Indiana, on June 26, 2008. A wild mystery deer, later identified only as a “male” when captured, was seen running through the streets. Reporter David Stephens of the South Bend Tribune recorded the course of the chase: Where the deer came from, how he got downtown and where he was going Thursday afternoon were not known…. Already he had been spotted [...]

Volkswagen-Sized Catfish

Famed natural history artist Alexis Rockman painted the cover of the 2001 edition of Mysterious America depicting a real encounter he and his cryptozoology expedition associates had with a giant catfish in the Amazon. The new edition of Mysterious America contains a chapter on “Giant Catfish” sightings, which continue throughout North America and elsewhere in the world. These tales overlap with swamp monster encounters, lake monster ponderings, and weird animal happenings. Giant catfish do exist, which is a fact not in dispute. The question is how “giant” does “giant” get and where are they living today. In an article today [...]

DNA: Falcons Closer To Parrots Than Hawks

The secret kinship of falcons and parrots is one of many surprises in a landmark genetic study of 169 bird species being published by Chicago Field Museum researchers. A consequence of the study in the June 27, 2008 edition of the journal Science is a re-ordering of the field guides that many of America’s 80 million bird-watchers use. Most bird guides are based on scientific classifications, which experts said the new work could change in numerous ways. “This is the most important single paper to date on the higher-level relationships of birds,” said Joel Cracraft, curator of birds at the [...]

Cougar Eats, Gator Attacks, and Hyena Kills Humans

Just in case you forget, as you go out looking for cryptids, yes, animals do attack. Animals are doing what animals do. Two surfers have been killed by sharks off the west coast of Mexico this spring, and people continue to be have less than warm and fuzzy encounters. There are breaking announcements and news this week of some violent and deadly confrontations of the natural history kind. A cougar attacked, killed and partially ate a New Mexico man living in a trailer, authorities announced on Tuesday, June 24, 2008. A search party found the body of Robert Nawojski, 55, [...]

Giant Ocean Platypus of Alaska?

In Karl Shuker’s book, Extraordinary Animals Revisited, there is a subsection entitled “The Cryptic Case of the Colorado Platypus.” In actuality, the largest part of those two pages are devoted to a story of a supposed sighting of a platypus off the coast of Alaska. Unfortunately, the investigation of the case is distracted by how the initial eyewitness labeled and linked what he saw with an exotic known animal’s name. People associate “seen cryptids” with the animal world they know or have seen on television. But, of course, platypuses are Australian, freshwater, and usually no bigger than 20 inches long, [...]

Longing for Linsangs

What is one of the world’s rarest carnivores? It’s the linsang. But what’s a linsang? Of the figurine collection above, can you pick out the linsang? (The answer is below, as I share images of almost a dozen of these animal replicas for this discussion, in the last third of this posting.) During my trek in pursuit of replicas of the most unusual cryptids and animals, I made an amazing discovery of this scarce animal and its kin modeled as hand-painted small figurines. How is it that an animal so near extinction but unknown generally would have a replica made [...]

Happy St. John’s Day

St. John’s Day The date June 24 is one tied to some of the weirdest happenings. Enjoy the day, and keep a watch out for the unusual to occur. What’s that behind you? Here is a rundown of some previous events on this day: Knights Templars display “Mysterious Head” at Poitiers (1308). Founding of the Order of the Garter (1348). John Cabot discovers North America (1497). Galileo released (1633). “Woman of the Wilderness” utopian community arrives in America (1694). “W of W” angelic visions (1701). Grand Lodge of Freemasons inaugurated (1717). Ambrose Bierce born (1842). Red rain, Italy (1877). Ice [...]