Vincennes Monster

St. Louis [Missouri] Globe-Democrat January 17, 1885 A Horrible Monster. Special Dispatch to the Globe-Democrat. VINCENNES, IND., January 16. – Some hunters were startled a few days ago by the appearance of an uncouth, horrible-looking animal, south of the O. and M. Railroad bridge over Fox River, near Olney. They had killed but little game, and were consoling each other over their bad luck, when their attention was attracted by a noise to the top of a fallen tree, and looking up they beheld a monster such as they had never seen before. They describe the beast as the ugliest [...]

Another Giraffid/Okapid Cryptid?

French cryptozoologist Michel Raynal is pointing to the “okapi” (?) of Tassili found in the book and bibliography of Bernard Heuvelmans, in his book On the Track of the Unknown Animals (Paris, Plon, 1955), referred to in the cave engravings as representing the okapi in Tassili. The starting point of this assertion is an article of Robert Perret, who publishes a photograph of one of these engravings. This document is available: PERRET, Robert 1936 archaeological and ethnographic Research in Tassili of Ajjers (the Sahara central). Rupestral engravings of the Djaret Wadi, population and ruins of Iherir. Bulletin of the Company [...]

Three New Articerodes Discovered

New insects are literally found daily, by the hundreds every year. Cryptozoology, as I have noted, generally deals with the discovery of larger animals, mostly vertebrates, with the now-and-then large invertebrate, such as the giant squid (verified) and giant octopus (still an active cryptid). But, it appears the entomologists deserve their due sometimes. They need recognition as much as the next discoverers for find new species, and can generate publicity, especially if the new species are beautiful, unique, or strange to observe. It’s always been that way. To wit, some news out of the rainforests of Thailand calls our attention [...]

What Do You Think of John Keel?

John A. Keel was a significant author of works in Forteana, cryptozoology, and ufology in the 1960s and 1970s. His Strange Creatures from Time and Space and The Mothman Prophecies, as well as his numerous articles in magazines, influenced other writers, researchers, and the general public. After the Mothman book-inspired movie appeared in 2002, interest in Keel resurfaced, briefly. His declining health, few public lectures, and then heart attack, created less attention to Keel than might have been expected. I was wondering how Cryptomundians consider his impact, legacy, and import today? What place do you think Keel with have in [...]

Are Borneo Pygmy Elephants Javan?

Borneo’s pygmy elephants may be descendants of an extinct Javan elephant race, saved by chance by an 18th century ruler, according to a new study just released. The study suggests that a small number of opposite-sex elephants can produce a thriving progeny of thousands if left undisturbed on an island, giving fresh hope to conservationists trying to protect nearly extinct species of large mammals. “If proven, this fascinating story would demonstrate that very small populations of large mammals can be saved from the brink of extinction (simply by) moving a few individuals, from a seemingly doomed population, to a different [...]

More Chicago Cougars

Dan Rozek of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that more sightings of large felids are being recorded in the Chicago area: Searchers swooped low over the Skokie Lagoons in a helicopter today to look for signs of a cougar after several reported sightings of a big cat there – including a sighting Tuesday, a day after a 2-year-old cougar was shot by police in Chicago. Two Cook County Forest Preserve District biologists and a forest preserve police officer spent about 1 1/2 hours hovering above the sprawling forest preserve, but saw no signs of a cougar or other large cat. Days [...]

Cryptozoo Book With A Warning

Extreme Expedition: Travel Adventures Stalking the World’s Mystery Animals by Adam Davies (Anomalist Books) has been published. It contains a rare “warning label” not often seen on cryptozoological works. Davies, who is departing on a new Yeren expedition on April 28, 2008, is sharing with the world his most recent adventures. Does a dinosaur exist in the Congo? Does a Yeti-like creature live in the jungles of Sumatra? Does a fearsome Death Worm inhabit the deserts of Mongolia? Explorer Adam Davies has traveled some of the most dangerous places in the world in search of these and other supposedly mythical [...]

Manatees In Merbeings Documentary

Did a posting of an old “Mermaid” account at Cryptomundo in 2007, stimulate the involvement of a certain location in an upcoming documentary film? According to the Ashley Park Press, this notice was referenced: “In 1869, two Toms River fishermen reportedly caught a monster resembling a mermaid. A copy of the report is available [here]” Reporter Matthew McGrath says in his article, “Mermaids or manatees? ~ Filmmaker: Sea goddesses may have been sea cows,” that Toms River, New Jersey was visited by a documentary filmmaker: Ancient legends, Renaissance fairy tales and modern comic books all tell stories of mermaids, the [...]

Cryptomundo Mermaids Do Exist

Recently someone emailed in a complaint: “I can’t help noticing the dearth or paucity of Mermaid information on an otherwise very complete site. Even I, a rank amateur, keep stumbling across references to live sightings. Even if some do turn out to be Dugongs, it seems as if some are less easy to explain — witness the case in Newfoundland, which is hardly Dugong territory.” I thought I would share a couple helpful hints about using Cryptomundo. Please click on the image for the full-size editorial image. First, of course, mermaids and all kinds of other fantastic creatures, curious cryptids, [...]