Archive for the ‘cryptozoology’ category

Chupacabra Redux!

September 3, 2009

Chupacabra Redux — What’s black, wrinkly, Texan, and bald all over?–Chupacabra, according to some!  A Texas taxidermist near Rosenberg has had the creature in his possession for a couple of months, finding it dead in a barn and keeping it in a freezer until last weekend (remind me not to eat there)!  The creature was likely poisoned by bait placed in the barn to catch an unidentified animal.

Found near Blanco, Texas, the creature weighs about 35 pounds, and has somewhat long fangs, like those of a coyote.  The legs like the teeth are abnormally long.  The face is fox- or coyote-like, and the emaciated body is likely that of a young adult coyote or dog with severe mange, making it hairless.  The face is judged too long and pointy to be a dog, although some dogs are fox-like in their appearance.  Most likely, it’s a freak of nature (like some of my best friends).

Plans are to preserve the animal and then donate it to a local museum, “so it can be enjoyed by others.”–What could be more appropriate?!


Somewhere in Dreamland…

August 28, 2009

bigfoot— I had an unusually vivid dream last night about Bigfoot…In my dream, I went to the Post Office, and they had a juvenile female Bigfoot there in a back room, acting like it was nothing new and really no big deal to them; the postal workers went about sorting their mail.  The Bigfoot was not being held captive, but could apparently come and go as she wished to; she was about the size of a human teenager, and was completely covered with reddish-brown hair.  The Bigfoot was using a wheeled canvas mail carrier as sort of an impromptu chair.

I didn’t discern any menace from the Bigfoot; she was actually rather endearing, and seemed to be appealing to the postal workers for hugs at times, wanting physical touch; in spite of this, she conveyed obvious physical strength.   Most startling was the fact that the Bigfoot appeared to have limited use of language, coming out with simple single-word utterances that were usually outreach-type comments to the workers, or appeals for things that she wanted.  After a few seconds, I was hustled out of the room.

I was of course astonished, and asked the postal workers if they had reported the find.  They said that they had not, and that no good would come out of doing so.  I was admonished not to tell anyone of what I had seen, but told the workers that this was far too important a discovery to be kept secret.  Bursting from the Post Office, I was racing to alert authorities when, of course, I woke up…

…my heart was almost pounding out of my chest at that point, and it took me quite some time to calm myself.  I have since pondered the significance of this dream, wondering if it was a symbolic representation of my own wishes and desires, or whether:

A.)  The government knows more than it’s telling, or…

B.)  A major discovery on Bigfoot or another major cryptid is about to be made…

C.)  Bigfoot is messing with my mail, causing many of my magazines to arrive mutilated?

…In either case, I wish I could follow up on this dream!

Siberian Bigfoot!

August 7, 2009

bigfoot— Something is snatching up the wild leek crop that is a staple of the diet of the local Shor people of Kemero Region in Siberia!

The onion-loving creature leaves behind abundant large footprints with clearly-defined toes…

…well, even Bigfoot needs to take a leek now and then!

“Critical Evidence”

July 10, 2009

Patterson–More convincing than other installments, the latest episode of MonsterQuest re-examined the classic Patterson film footage (vintage 1967) of a supposed Bigfoot as well as looked to the “Cripplefoot tracks” of an injured Bigfoot from Washington state in 1969.  Lastly, the mid-tarsal break evidenced in Bigfoot tracks was examined.

Bends to the mid-foot represented in alledged Bigfoot prints show a skeletal structure more similar to primates than humans.  The Cripplefoot tracks show a low probability of being a hoax due to the accurate representation of the deformity, and are judged to be not human in nature.  Lastly, the Patterson film footage in simulations was judged in the MonsterQuest episode not to be a human in a suit, and to represent a figure of a size larger than human.  The movement of fur and underlying tissue reflected in the film would also appear to present a level of realism and technology that was not available using 1967 materials and methodology.

The Patterson film (aka, the Patterson-Gimlin film) has been subjected to many attempts over the years both to debunk and authenticate it; scientists remain divided on the authenticity of the sighting.  We won’t go into the Patterson film in detail here as books can and have been written about it, one by Greg Long.  Some maintain that the film is a well-executed hoax, with Planet of the Apes special effects pioneer John Chambers being judged capable of having made the Patterson film suit.  At least one person claims to have been the person inside the suit.

Understandably, the MonsterQuest presentation was sympathetic to the viewpoint of the Patterson film being the real deal.  Whether you believe in the authenticity of the film or not, it is among the most renowned artifacts in the field of paranormal study.  Many, like anthropologist Grover Krantz, have concluded that the film depicts a genuine unknown creature…

…we can only keep hoping for additional verifiable confirmations.

The Last Dinosaur?

June 25, 2009

sauropod–A previous post here has looked at Mokele-mbembe, but now MonsterQuest has done a feature as well.  Going into the West African jungle in search of a sauropod-like creature with a long neck and tail and a small head, Mokele-mbembe is a territorial, amphibious creature known to attack humans.  It is active at night, browsing on leaves.

The first written accounts of the creature came from odd claw marks found in the Congo in 1776.  Pygmies are familiar with the beast, but believe that they will surely die if they report it, which puts a bit of a damper on things.

An underwater sonar survey by MonsterQuest found crocodiles, snakes, and “unusual profiles,” some of which were likely tree branches…and the dark and murky waters of the African rivers weren’t conducive to sightings.  The remote location of the investigation and the politically dangerous nature of the area also hampered the search…so once again, MonsterQuest came up empty.

Our imagination or not, humanity needs great mysteries.  This is yet another one of them…

Curse of the Monkey Man!

June 11, 2009

monkeyman– – Heh, you gotta love MonsterQuest for its theatrical episode titles, and this one sounds like a B-movie out of the 50’s!  Anyhow, the Monkster is described as up to 8′ tall but nimble; he’d be a great b-ball player.  Monkey Man also has black hair, a gorilla-like face, and makes strange sounds.  It’s a complete package.

Indigenous to India, accounts of Monkey Man date back to 77 B.C., when he was described by Pliny.  Supposed attacks of the creature reached a high in May 2001 in Delhi, with victims beaten and clawed by a powerful assailant; three people died while fleeing the creature, and dozens were hospitalized.  The most recent attacks are attributed to Meghalaya, where 14-1/2″ footprints and broken branches were found.  Natives in this part of India call the creature “the forest man.”  Blood samples were taken from the walls of a dwelling where an encounter occurred, and hair samples were also found elsewhere.

And what, you may ask, did MonsterQuest find?–Interestingly enough, the bites that were found on supposed victims were of a different nature than those inflicted by a monkey or another animal.  Hairs that were found and subjected to microscopic analysis were found to be similar to those of the red panda;  blood samples were human.  Police investigations in Delhi were negative, and experts suggest a mass hysteria/psychosis phenomenon.

A Hindu deity also has simian features, but he is noted to be a benign type, not really into the biting, scratching, and clawing thing…

Flying Monsters!

June 4, 2009

pterosaurs– – Do pterosaurs still exist in the 21st century?- -Perhaps in Papua, New Guinea, suggests MonsterQuest. Called the Demon Flyer or Ropens by natives, stories exist concerning the creatures going back to the 16th century.  The creature is said to have killed men and scavenged graves, and may boast wingspans of over 30 feet.  It is largely nocturnal, and most strangely is in some accounts said to be bioluminescent.

Now the smart money says that pterosaurs survived to the end of the Cretaceous Period, becoming extinct about 65 million years ago.  Sightings of pterosaurs may be misidentified frigate birds or a new bat species.  Known species such as the greater flying fox (gotta love that one!) may have a wingspan of six feet.

Not to be discouraged, MonsterQuest deployed a thermal camera and a 300 square foot bat net.  The thermal camera yielded images of two campfires, and the bat net caught a blossom bat.  More intriguing was a 2006 video showing two lights thought to be the bioluminescence from some creatures; analysis of the video showed that the lights were not flashlights, fires, or meteors.

While the MonsterQuest inventigation failed to yield a video of a glowing pterosaur, New Guinea is rightfully noted to be a remote island boasting amazing biodiversity and many uncatalogued species, some of which may be surprising…

The Tasmanian Tiger!

May 15, 2009

Tasmanian tiger– – The Thylacine, also called the Tasmanian Tiger, is a carnivorous marsupial presumed extinct for about 70 years. The subject of a recent MonsterQuest episode, over 350 reported sightings of the Thylacine has led some to conclude that the beast is not extinct after all!  However, photographic images of the supposed Tassie have been of poor quality, and an analysis of hair samples was inconclusive; the best evidence MonsterQuest could produce was a footprint requiring further study.

Looking like a cross between a dog and a tiger, the Tasmanian Tiger by some accounts smells terrible (like rotten  meat, some say) and has the uncanny ability to open its massive jaws to an angle of 120 degrees, an almost surrealistic trait documented in earlier film images.  Both the male and the female also have pouches, the male’s a scrotal one.  In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, bounties were offered on the creature as it preyed on livestock.  Extinction came as a joint function of over-hunting, habitat erosion, and competition with other species.  The last captive thylacine, named Benjamin, was captured in 1933 and lived in the Hobart Zoo until dying in 1936.

Although MonsterQuest couldn’t produce a thylacine, science someday may, with preserved specimens yielding bits of DNA that have been replicated through a process known as Polymerase Chain Reaction.  The next big step would be to assemble an entire genetic library of the animal, which in turn would serve as a springboard towards reproductive cloning of the animal, likely through fertilizing an embryo in a near relative like the Tasmanian Devil…

…the outcome of that would make for a great Bugs Bunny cartoon!

“The Mysterious Water Ape”

April 30, 2009

ape-island–Vancouver Island off the Canadian coast was visited by MonsterQuest during a recent episode in search of a large, ape-like cryptid 6′ – 9′ tall and weighing about 800 lbs., reported to be agile despite his size.  The island can only be reached by water, but grizzlies can do this and primates likewise can learn to use water.  This cryptid appears near water-rich areas, and appears to enjoy shellfish.

Despite the lack of a fossil trail, numerous eyewitness accounts (at least 80) dating back to 1900 exist of the “water ape,” and castings of footprints remain the most convincing evidence.  “Call-blasting” of reported Sasquatch cries by MonsterQuest failed to yield the rascal, and imaging equipment yielded only a heat imprint.

With casts of “unknown origin,” there appears to be strong physical evidence of something on Vancouver Island.  You don’t want to kill the creature, however, with native legends suggesting that death with find you within seven years if you harm this cryptid…

Florida’s Sea Monster…

April 23, 2009

florida–It has a large, somewhat mammalian head, clawed fins, and a trident-like tail…so they say of Florida’s sea monster, with sightings dating back to the 1800’s.  There’s apparently more than one of these puppies, and they have the potential to move quickly with a lot of power.  Hours of video footage exist by a guy named Sowerwine showing bits and pieces of the creature.

MonsterQuest went to an ocean-fed coastal lake in Florida to investigate such legends of a sea monster with a forked tail, but the lake was full of sediment, and the divers couldn’t see diddly.  They did, however, have an intriguing sonar hit of something about 14 feet long moving quickly, although murky water conditions made it impossible to find the sucker.

One expert feels that the creature is a manatee, although the snout of the beast is skinnier and its eye and head structure appear different.  Others feel that the animal is a seal of some kind following the Gulf Stream, possibly a Hooded seal or a Caribbean Monk seal, thought to be extinct.  Then it may be a hybrid creature, part-manatee and part seal…

…at any rate, there’s something as yet undiscovered in Florida waters!