What is cryptozoology?
Cryptozoology is the study of hidden animals. These animals are known as
cryptids. They are creatures, which existence is unproven, like the
Sasquatch, the Yeti or the Loch Ness Monster. They can be divided into
several subgroups, like sea monsters or hairy humanoids 1.
People, who investigate these beings, are called cryptozoologists. Their
research subjects, the cryptids, are known from around the world. From the
jungles of Cameroon to the ice deserts of Antarctica, from the Gobi to the
Atacama, from the Alps to the Australian outback.
The cryptids themselves are so mysterious, that the explanations for some of
them are sometimes really alien. Some are said to be surviving non-avian
dinosaurs, like the Mokele-Mbembe, while others are said to even have
extraterrestrial origins, like the Dover Demon. And some are even said to be
supernatural, like the Jersey Devil2.
Some former cryptids were even proven to be real, for example the okapi,
the Komodo dragon, the giant squid and the mountain gorilla 3.
Because cryptozoology investigates animals, which lack physical evidence,
cryptozoology is categorized as a niche study, or a pseudoscience. But still,
it’s unsure, if it should really be just a pseudoscience and nothing more or
less4.
Coleman, Loren; Clark, Jerome (1999): Cryptozoology A To Z: The Encyclopedia Of Loch
Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras And Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature. Touchstone. pp.
1
15-18.
2 Kosemen, C. M. (2013): A New Approach To Cryptozoology: C. M. Kosemen on the
Cryptozoologicon Book Launch. Conway Hall, London.
3 Kosemen, C. M. (2013): A New Approach To Cryptozoology: C. M. Kosemen on the
Cryptozoologicon Book Launch. Conway Hall, London.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhoNnMmnz-o
4 Conway, John; Kosemen, C. M.; Naish, Darren (2013): Cryptozoologicon: The Biology, Evolution
and Mythology of Hidden Animals. Vol. 1. Irregular books. p. 8.
1
1.0 The cryptids
The cryptids are mysterious to us, because no trustable physical evidence of
them exists. The appearance of the most hidden creatures differs in shape
and size from eye witness to eye witness. The best example is the legendary
bloodsucking Chupacabra from Mexico. This beast is sometimes depicted as
a furless canine creature and sometimes as an alien-like being with spines
on its back and red glowing eyes 5.
Cryptids can be categorized by being distribution anomalies (like Alien Big
Cats), unusual variations of known animals (like the Maltese Tiger),
specimens of presumed extinct animal species (e.g. the Ngoubou), legendary
beasts with a zoological background (like the Tatzelwurm), paranormal and
supernatural creatures (like the Kappa), aliens that stay for a long time on
earth and become therefore residents (e.g. the Mothman), proofed hoaxes
(like the Hodag) and others6.
1.1 The art of being sceptic
While many cryptozoologists are really euphoric and positive of proofing the
existence of creatures like the Ropen (a bioluminescent pterosaur), the
Cadborosaurus (a Canadian sea serpent) or the Yeren (a Chinese hominid),
some other scientists see the witnesses and “evidences” in an even more
sceptical way7.
Conway, J.; Kosemen, C. M.; Naish, D. (2013): Cryptozoologicon: The Biology, Evolution and
Mythology of Hidden Animals. Vol. 1. Irregular books. p. 35.
6 Eberhart, George M. (2005): Mysterious Creatures: Creating a Cryptozoological Encyclopedia .
5
Journal of Scientific Exploration. Vol. 19, No. 1. pp. 103–113.
7 Conway, J.; Kosemen, C. M.; Naish, D. (2013): Cryptozoologicon: The Biology, Evolution and
Mythology of Hidden Animals. Vol. 1. Irregular books. p. 9.
2
Many cryptid sightings were disproven by being nothing more than hoaxes.
Some others were possibly just stories, especially encounters with sea
monsters, for example the modern Megalodon and the Ningen. And others
are perhaps just myths from native or urban folklore 8.
Because of the fact, that the existence of these creatures can hardly be
proven, cryptozoology is considered as a pseudoscience by many scientists 9.
1.2 Monsters of the Deep
Since ancient times, giant monsters ruled the sea. They were the reflection
of the sailors’ fear. They were like giant forces of nature destroying ships as
if they were just wooden branches floating on the water surface. And with
the helpless crew on the boats watching the monstrous being while hoping
to survive the encounter.
Stories of aquatic beasts are still present today. The most famous example
may be the Loch Ness Monster, a mysterious lake monster from Scotland.
Every year, eye witness reports are made10.
And these reports, from photographs to stories, let biologists create the most
alien theories about the true identity of the Loch Ness Monster.
It is sometimes explained as being a long-necked seal11, a plesiosaur12, an
elephant, that got somehow into the loch 13, a giant sea slug14, a giant eel15 or
even an elephant-like squid16.
Conway, J.; Kosemen, C. M.; Naish, D. (2013): Cryptozoologicon: The Biology, Evolution and
Mythology of Hidden Animals. Vol. 1. Irregular books. pp. 9-10.
9 Hill, Kyle (2013): Why Bigfoot is Unlikely Only If You Know What “Unlikely” Means . But Not
8
Simpler
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/but-not-simpler/2013/10/01/why-bigfoot-is-unlikely-only-if-youknow-what-unlikely-means/
10 Naish, D. (2013): Photos of the Loch Ness Monster, revisited . Tetrapod Zoology ver 3
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2013/07/10/photos-of-the-loch-ness-monsterrevisited/
11 Naish, D. (2009): The Loch Ness monster seen on land. Tetrapod Zoology ver 2
http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/10/02/loch-ness-monster-on-land/
12 Shuker, Karl (2013): Does the Loch Ness Monster have a split personality? Revealing Nessie’s
strangest identities. ShukerNature
http://karlshuker.blogspot.de/2013/07/does-loch-ness-monster-have-split.html
13 Chamberlain, Ted (2006): Photo in the News: Loch Ness Monster Was an Elephant?. National
Geographic News.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0309_0603009_loch_ness.html
14 (September 26th 1966): Loch Ness Monster a Giant Slug?. The Milwaukee Journal.
3
Above: The true identity of the Loch Ness Monster remains a
mystery, while it is still controversial, if it even exists.
(December 8th 1933): The Monster of Loch Ness – Official! Orders That Nobody is to Attack it
... A Huge Eel?. Daily Mirror.
16 Naish, D. (2013): Photos of the Loch Ness Monster, revisited . Tetrapod Zoology ver 3
15
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2013/07/10/photos-of-the-loch-ness-monsterrevisited/
4
Another example is the Con Rit, Cetioscolopendra, a sea serpent from the
South China Sea, the Indian Ocean and the coasts of Australia and most
famously Hongay, Vietnam.
Bernard Heuvelmans suggested that, if it exists, it may be a descendant of
Basilosaurus, a serpentine prehistoric whale. In his theory, the whale has
evolved extra fin-like appendages and armour plates on its back17.
In fact, he combined the features of different sea monster sightings. Some of
them can be explained as a dolphin pod, a turtle or a large oarfish 18.
Most of these alleged sightings could just be those typical stories, sailors
enjoy to tell, after a long time at sea, to thrill their families and friends at
home. However, some sea monsters have already been proven to be real, for
example the megamouth shark Megachasma pelagios , the giant squid
Architeuthis sp. and the colossal squid Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni.
1.3 Our shaggy Relatives
On every continent, except for Antarctica, hairy bipedal apes have been
spotted, most famously, the Bigfoot from North America and the Yeti from
the Himalaya.
They are known from ancient folklores and tales and even from recent
accounts, some people frequently claim to see them19.
The explanations for these humanoid creatures differ from descendants of
Gigantopithecus (Yet, Bigfoot) 20 to surviving Homo erectus (Nguoi Rung) 21
or even Neanderthals (Almas)22.
Conway, J.; Kosemen, C. M.; Naish, D. (2013): Cryptozoologicon: The Biology, Evolution and
Mythology of Hidden Animals. Vol. 1. Irregular books. pp. 98-99.
18 Naish, D. (2013): Cryptids, Speculation and Skepticism: Darren Naish on the Cryptozoologicon
Book Launch. Conway Hall, London. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGno9xA7gD4
19 Conway, J.; Kosemen, C. M.; Naish, D. (2013): Cryptozoologicon: The Biology, Evolution and
Mythology of Hidden Animals. Vol. 1. Irregular books. p. 21.
20 Campbell, Bernard G. (1979): Humankind Emerging. Little, Brown and Company. p. 100.
21 Eberhart, G. M. (2002): Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology . ABC-CLIO Ltd. pp.
17
588-589.
22 Shackley, Myra (1986): Still Living?: Yeti, Sasquatch and the Neanderthal Enigma . Thames &
Hudson Ltd. p. 98.
5
They seem to even appear at ecological realms, where no one would expect a
big tailless primate, like South America (De Loys’s Ape) or Australia
(Yowie) 23.
The De Loys’s Ape was already disproven. It was nothing more, than a
hoax24. But the mythical Yowie from Australia is a bit harder to explain. It
was suggested, that some recent reports may originate from sightings of
gorillas, which escaped from a local zoo. However, this case has its deep
rooted origin in an age-old aboriginal lore of an ancient native people of
forest dwellers25.
The both humanoid cryptids, the Sasquatch and the Yeti, which are in the
main focus of the fringe science cryptozoology, may be the most complicated
subjects for such investigations. Footprints can easily be faked, as well as
footages, skins, hair, dung and anything else.
A well-known example is the Patterson footage. The female Bigfoot, which
was caught on tape, could have been as well a man in a suit. And it also may
not be a happenstance, that the Bigfoot, which was caught on film, looked
enormously similar to the description by Roe 26.
Also the Yeti doesn’t have to be that, what it is expected to be. Travellers
often claim to see primate-like beings running around on the mountain
rocks27. However, “Yeti” DNA samples showed similarities with the DNA of
bears28. And Himalayan depictions of this cryptid show it as some kind of
humanoid demon with a short tail and carnivore fangs 29.
Right: The legendary Yeti portrayed as
a striped bear based on DNA samples,
which are claimed to originate from
the abominable snowman and Tibetan
illustrations of the beast.
Conway, J.; Kosemen, C. M.; Naish, D. (2013): Cryptozoologicon: The Biology, Evolution and
Mythology of Hidden Animals. Vol. 1. Irregular books. p. 21.
24 Conway, J.; Kosemen, C. M.; Naish, D. (2013): Cryptozoologicon: The Biology, Evolution and
Mythology of Hidden Animals. Vol. 1. Irregular books. pp. 32-33.
25 (February 1842): Superstitions of the Australian Aborigines: The Yahoo . Australian and New
23
Zealand Monthly Magazine 1 (2). p. 47
26 Conway, J.; Kosemen, C. M.; Naish, D. (2013): Cryptozoologicon: The Biology, Evolution and
Mythology of Hidden Animals. Vol. 1. Irregular books. p. 22.
27Bonin, Werner F. (1983): Faszination des Unfassbaren: Geheimnisse und Rätsel des
Übernatürlichen und Außerirdischen. Das Beste aus Reader’s Digest. pp.108-109.
28 Than, Ker (2013): Is the Abominable Snowman a Bear? . National Geographic
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/10/131021-yeti-abominable-snowman-bigfootpolar-bear-cryptozoology/
29 Naish, D. (2013): Tales from the Cryptozoologicon: the Yeti. Tetrapod Zoology ver 3
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2013/08/04/cryptozoologicon-yeti-teaser/
6
1.4 Survivors of a Lost World
It seems, as if non-avian dinosaurs and their fearsome relatives are still
alive. Various expeditions to locations, like the Congo River, the African
savannah and the South American rainforests have been made, to track
down the giants of forgotten times 30.
Big dinosaurs seem to have survived on many different places. The Row, a
long-necked herbivore with a frilled neck and armour plates named after its
bloodcurdling call, is said to roam in the forests of New Guinea 31, while the
Partridge Creek Beast, a bipedal carnivore with protofeathers, a nasal horn
and a taste for caribous, seems to hunt in the snowy areas near the Yukon 32.
The most famous dinosaur cryptid is the Mokele-Mbembe from the Congo
River. Various expeditions have been started, to find this long-necked
quadruped giant.
The earliest evidence from an expedition was made by Bonaventure during
the 18th century. Many explorers followed, including Hagenbeck in 190933.
Even these days, expeditions are started, to find this mysterious beast, most
of them funded by television programs, like Beast Hunter, Destination
Truth or Monster Quest.
In these alleged “prehistoric survivors”, the impact of the Western culture
can be seen. In some way, they show how the Belgian rulers saw Africa and
its inhabitants. These monsters may reflect how the colonists saw the less
developed peoples of natives 34.
Right: The Partridge Creek Beast is
the only non-avian cryptid dinosaur,
which is said to roam a cold habitat.
Kosemen, C. M. (2013): A New Approach To Cryptozoology: C. M. Kosemen on the
Cryptozoologicon Book Launch. Conway Hall, London.
30
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhoNnMmnz-o
31 Conway, J.; Kosemen, C. M.; Naish, D. (2013): Cryptozoologicon: The Biology, Evolution and
Mythology of Hidden Animals. Vol. 1. Irregular books. p. 24.
32 (December 4th 1927): PREHISTORIC BEAST SEEN: Giant Saurian of Arctic Emerges.
Siberians Report Monster. Believed to Live in Cherski Range. Creature Once Hunted Over
Alaska Now Exciting Russ Savants . Los Angeles Times.
33 Clark, Jerome. (1993): Unexplained! 347 Strange Sightings, Incredible Occurrences, and
Puzzling Physical Phenomena . Visible Ink Press. pp. 274-340.
34 Kosemen, C. M. (2013): A New Approach To Cryptozoology: C. M. Kosemen on the
Cryptozoologicon Book Launch. Conway Hall, London.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhoNnMmnz-o
7
2.0 The dark Cryptids
Beside the typical cryptids, that represent unknown animals, there also
supernatural, fearsome cryptids, known as “dark cryptids”.
They often have a strong link to UFO-folklore, demonology and
spiritualism35, such as the Jersey Devil, a demonic beast from New Jersey
with a goat’s head, bat wings, pig hooves and a long tail, that was born as
the 13th child of a woman, which was killed by the monster36, the Dover
Demon, a slender being from Massachusetts with pale skin, only eyes in its
face and an unusual number of fingers 37 or the Mothman, a flying humanoid
with red-glowing eyes38.
They are hard to explain and often just represent myths or urban legends.
Some of these cases are quite complicated.
The Mothman, for example, is often claimed to be an alien or supernatural
entity. It seems to have a strong connection to extraterrestrial contacts. The
Mothman is also said to be responsible for, or to have a connection to a
bridge collapse. And it’s even said, that the Men in Black were involved in
this case.
It was sometimes explained, as being a hoax or a prank by a man, who was
dressed in a Halloween costume to scare people at night.
But the way, how these encounters happened, weren’t comparable or
compatible to typical pranks. However, Mothman hoaxes happened. Some
construction workers used helium balloons with red flashlights for this.
Although, these hoaxes happened, the original Mothman sightings were
probably real. A big winged humanoid with robust legs, a lumbering gait
and red glowing eyes is the most common type of sighting. It is reported to
not flap its wings, while walking and to sometimes squeal like a mouse.
In other reports, it was clearly identified as a bird, while in many others, it
is said, that the eyes only started to glow, when light hit it39.
Kosemen, C. M. (2013): A New Approach To Cryptozoology: C. M. Kosemen on the
Cryptozoologicon Book Launch. Conway Hall, London.
35
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhoNnMmnz-o
36 Monster Quest (2009): Devils in New Jersey. Monster Quest season 3. History Channel.
37 (1977. Retrieved 2014): Teeners report ‘creature’. Associated Press.
38 Spencer, John (1991): UFOs: The Definitive Casebook. Hamlyn. p. 28.
39 Nickell, Joe (2002): Mothman Revisited: Investigating on Site. Investigative Files vol 12.4. The
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
http://www.csicop.org/sb/show/mothman_revisitedinvestigating_on_site/
8
3.0 How to explain the not yet Explainable
The most drastic problem within cryptozoology is that there are no physical
evidences of the subjects of this fringe science. But if there were any, the
cryptids, of course wouldn’t be hidden creatures.
As long, as the evidence can’t be proven, the illustration of cryptids should
still be as scientifically plausible, as possible. Therefore speculative
evolution comes into focus 40.
One of these speculative theories, for example, suggest, that the Bigfoot, the
Orang Pendek and the Yeti are closely related to each other and belong to
the pongidae and therefore to the same group, as orang-utans 41. Another
categorizes the Tizheruk, a serpentine sea monster of Inuit mythology, as a
pinniped 42.
While these hypotheses are quite optimistic, by imagining most of these
fabulous beasts as real, other theories are way more sceptical and criticize
the unconventional and bizarre conjectures.
But it doesn’t have to be always a hoax or a tale. In the case of the
Mothman, for example, the witnesses may have seen a real creature, but it
doesn’t have to be a monstrous humanoid alien being.
It may have been a striped owl (Strix varia), which is quite common
throughout North America. The red glowing eyes, caused by the red eye
effect, which is a normal result, when light hits the retina and the fact, that
when the senses are alarmed and in danger or fear situation, the human
eyes don’t realize the size of an object primarily and therefore not well, may
have created a monster in the minds of the eyewitnesses. And this is also a
result of alleged UFO sightings, at this time, which were in fact
misidentified planes. The people were prepared to see an alien, and
therefore they misidentified owls as such43.
Conway, J.; Kosemen, C. M.; Naish, D. (2013): Cryptozoologicon: The Biology, Evolution and
Mythology of Hidden Animals. Vol. 1. Irregular books. p. 10.
41 Conway, J.; Kosemen, C. M.; Naish, D. (2013): Cryptozoologicon: The Biology, Evolution and
Mythology of Hidden Animals. Vol. 1. Irregular books. pp. 16-20.
42 Conway, J.; Kosemen, C. M.; Naish, D. (2013): Cryptozoologicon: The Biology, Evolution and
Mythology of Hidden Animals. Vol. 1. Irregular books. pp. 64-67.
43 Nickell, J. (2002): Mothman Revisited: Investigating on Site. Investigative Files vol 12.4. The
40
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
http://www.csicop.org/sb/show/mothman_revisitedinvestigating_on_site/
9
3.1 Finding the true Identity
Sometimes, weird carcasses or living creatures appear out of nowhere and
have been photographed or filmed, while these pictures hadn’t been proved
to be hoaxes.
It is often hard, to identify them. Especially, when they are dead and have
decayed for weeks. One great example for this is the famous Zuiyo Maru
Creature. In 1977, the Japanese fishing vessel Zuiyo Maru fished something
big out of the water.
This catch was a true surprise. It was a bad-smelling carcass with a length
of about 10m. It had four fins, a comparatively small skull and a long neck.
This monster resembled a prehistoric plesiosaur. The carcass was
photographed by the crew and tissue samples have been saved for later
identification.
In reality, it may have been a shark carcass, possibly a basking shark. The
jaw is the heaviest part of the body and often sinks to the ground first. The
fins start to move away from their normal position, as the tissue is rotting.
The result can look similar to a plesiosaur or another marine reptile 44.
Similar incidents happened all around the world, where “pseudoplesiosaurs” have been washed ashore45. For example the famous Trunko
from South Africa, a creature of the same kind, that was witnessed during
the 20s46.
Above: The mysterious Zuiyo Maru carcass is now considered to have been a
dead shark.
Conway, J.; Kosemen, C. M.; Naish, D. (2013): Cryptozoologicon: The Biology, Evolution and
Mythology of Hidden Animals. Vol. 1. Irregular books. pp. 45-46.
45 Shuker, K. (2013): Two Sea Monsters for the Price of One! . ShukerNature
44
http://karlshuker.blogspot.de/2013/09/two-sea-monsters-for-price-of-one.html
46 Shuker, K. (2010): Behold, Trunko!!. ShukerNature
http://karlshuker.blogspot.de/2010/09/behold-trunko.html
10
Another interesting case is the one of the Chupacabra, Mexico’s famous
parasitic fabulous beast. When searching on the web for this cryptid, lots of
pictures and videos will appear, showing alleged caught or killed
Chupacabras. They look like grey hairless dogs.
But there is even a known hairless Mexican animal, with the physical
appearance of a dog and it is in fact a real dog. The Mexican hairless dog,
also known as Xoloitzcuintle might be the true identity of the goat sucker 47.
Another possibility might be deceased wild dogs, like coyotes or foxes with
scabies. The dogs lose their fur and get the typical look of a Chupacabra.
These symptoms are caused by the mite species Sarcoptes scabiei.
While we are far more immune to these mites, as we’ve evolved specialized
defence mechanisms, dogs are less adapted to this condition. It is likely, that
we’ve transferred these mites to domesticated dogs. They were less prepared
for this and it was only a matter of time, until the first wild dogs became the
next victims.
Extremely weakened, it was harder for them, to hunt wild animals, so they
killed livestock, which explains the “typical Chupacabra behaviour” 48.
Left: From left to right: A hairless
“Chupacabra” dog and the classic
reptilian kangaroo-like Chupacabra.
Butler, Rhett A. (2007): Chupacabra story is a hoax; likely a Xolo dog breed. Mongabay.com
http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0904-chupacabra.html
48 Viegas, Jennifer (2010): Chupacabra Mystery Solved . Discovery News
http://news.discovery.com/animals/pets/chupacabra-mystery-solved.htm
47
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3.2 Hoaxes and Media: A life-long Relationship
Identifying hoaxes as such is often easy, but some cases are harder to
disproof. Especially today, since it is easy to manipulate photographs or to
create realistic models and publish them somewhere within the internet. In
the second stage, naive people will think, it’s possibly a new species, an
alien creature, a ghost, a demon, a mythical creature or something even
more unusual.
Sometimes, people even tend to take pictures from somewhere else and
make them cryptid hoaxes, while the original picture was often just an
artwork, depicting a cryptid or a creature, invented by the artist.
A great example for these cases would be a screenshot from the Japanese
kaiju film “Gamera the Brave” that ended up as a photograph of a giant
tortoise from Amazon 49 50. Funny enough, the site, where this hoax
appeared, also claims that recently scientists have cloned a dinosaur from
DNA, which was preserved within a fossil from an exhibit.
This dinosaur, an Apatosaurus, lived during the Late Jurassic, and
therefore 150 million years ago. So it’s unlikely, that the DNA could still be
preserved. The site also shows a picture of the “dinosaur”, which looks
surprisingly just like a newborn kangaroo51. The author remains unknown.
While this page has a “SHARE ON FACEBOOK” button, it possible, that
such fake “news” can be spread easily around the web.
Another example is Alan Friswell’s sea serpent photo manipulation. It
started as an artwork, but someone copied it to claim, that a real mythical
sea serpent was found, showing the picture in the internet52.
Shuker, K. (2014): Exposing online fakes and frauds of the cryptozoological kind
- a ShukerNature top ten listing. ShukerNature
49
http://karlshuker.blogspot.de/2014/01/exposing-online-fakes-and-frauds-of.html
50 Morris, Sarah (2013): World’s Largest Tortoise found in Amazon Basin- 800lb. News-Hound
http://news-hound.org/world-largest-tortoise-found-in-amazon-basin-800lb/
51 (2014): British Scientists Clone Dinosaur. News-Hound
http://news-hound.org/british-scientists-clone-dinosaur/
52
Shuker, K. (2014): Exposing online fakes and frauds of the cryptozoological kind
- a ShukerNature top ten listing. ShukerNature
http://karlshuker.blogspot.de/2014/01/exposing-online-fakes-and-frauds-of.html
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4.0 Are hidden Animals still out there?
Every year new species are discovered. The tropical rainforests contain lots
of unknown animals, plants, fungi and other life forms. The deep sea also
possesses lots of unknown beings. And even in the own garden, the living
room’s aquarium or somewhere else, where no one would expect them, new
species could be find 53.
Not only small insects, frogs and other microfauna are discovered recently,
but also big animals, for example Tapirus kabomani, a new species of tapir
recently described in 2013.
It is the latest described tapir species since Baird’s tapir 1865. Unlike most
tapirs, T. kabomani has short limbs, compared to its relatives, which makes
it a unique species within the tapir family tree54.
Lots of newly discovered species are already endangered, when they
described, sometimes because of overhunting by the natives even before the
species was known to international public and sometimes because its
ecological environment was already heavily destroyed by mankind’s “hunger
for resources”.
An example for this is the snub-nosed monkey species Rhinopithecus
strykeri, discovered in 2010. It is the first snub-nosed monkey species
known from Myanmar. It is an easy prey for hunters during the rainy
seasons, because its extraordinary nose is not protected against the drops of
water from above. When they are getting into the nose, the monkey has to
sneeze, and that makes it easy to be heard by the hunters55.
Some species are even going to be extinct, as soon, as they are discovered,
for example species of the small, but odd looking snail of the genus
Plectostoma.
The species P. sciaphilum was first discovered in 1952 and now extinct. And
this fate may also be the future for P. tenggekensis , first described March 28
this year, and this species may never last until the end of 2014 56.
Burnie. David (2004): The Kingfisher Illustrated Nature Encyclopedia . Kingfisher. p. 114.
Naish, D. (2013): A new living species of large mammal: hello, Tapirus kabomani! . Tetrapod
Zoology ver 3
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2013/12/17/new-living-species-of-tapir/
55 Kaufman, Rachel (2010): New Snub-Nosed Monkey Discovered, Eaten. National Geographic
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/101027-snub-nosed-monkey-sneezes-newspecies-science-discovered-eaten/
56 Platt, John R. (2014): Microjewels: Stunningly Beautiful Snails Going Extinct As Soon As They
Are Discovered. Extinction Countdown
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2014/03/28/microjewels-snails-extinct/
53
54
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Conclusion
Cryptozoology is in fact a niche study, but it is more, than just a pseudoscience.
Cryptozoology itself contains aspects of ethnology, mythology, anthropology,
cultural studies, evolution biology and psychology.
Cryptids can give us an insight into the minds of people and reflect their
fears, wishes and the id and how it influences the ego.
By trying to explain some mysterious creatures, we get a deeper insight into
evolution and even our own ancestry, since all the speculations, if Bigfoot,
Yeti and other mystery apes might be relatives of Neanderthals, Homo
erectus, orang-utans or even the majestic Gigantopithecus blackii.
At the same time, cryptids make us curious. Giant dinosaurs and monstrous
entities with glowing eyes are just amazing. Such creatures fascinate us, as
dragons and unicorns fascinated our ancestors.
And this fascination always gets uncovered, when something extraordinary
is found, that could be dung, a footprint, a carcass or even a living creature.
The unknown being is often proofed, to be just a misidentification, as with
the famous Zuiyo Maru carcass. But this carcass wasn’t a whole failure,
because it showed us, how sharks decay after death.
Above: Sea Serpents and other aquatic monsters reflected the
fear of water, people had since ancient times, and even today
giant aquatic monsters, like modern Megalodons or
plesiosaurs, are reported by fishers and other people around
the world.
14
Cryptozoology makes us curious, if there are still undiscovered animals in
the woods of the forests, on the tops of the mountains or in the dark deeps of
the sea. It makes us think of nature, our place in it and increases our
ecological way to think.
Because it’s always too sad, when species are already wiped out by
mankind, before we could have discovered and described them.
Therefore is cryptozoology more, than just a niche study, because it gives us
a deeper insight into many different sciences. Still, the main study object of
this subject, the cryptids, should never be taken too serious, but the whole
study and speculation around them open doors to other scientific fields, that
have perhaps never been opened before. And cryptozoology should get the
scientific respect and acceptance, it deserves.
Above: Mysterious creatures may still lurk in remote areas, like the
deep sea, where real monsters, like giant squids, have been found.
15
Appendix
Bibliography
Coleman, Loren; Clark, Jerome (1999): Cryptozoology A To Z: The
Encyclopedia Of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras And Other
Authentic Mysteries of Nature . Touchstone.
Conway, John; Kosemen, C. M.; Naish, Darren (2013): Cryptozoologicon:
The Biology, Evolution and Mythology of Hidden Animals. Vol. 1. Irregular
books.
Eberhart, George M. (2005): Mysterious Creatures: Creating a
Cryptozoological Encyclopedia. Journal of Scientific Exploration. Vol. 19,
No. 1.
Campbell, Bernard G. (1979): Humankind Emerging. Little, Brown and
Company.
Eberhart, G. M. (2002): Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology.
ABC-CLIO Ltd.
Shackley, Myra (1986): Still Living?: Yeti, Sasquatch and the Neanderthal
Enigma. Thames & Hudson Ltd.
Dr Bonin, Werner F. (1983): Faszination des Unfassbaren: Geheimnisse und
Rätsel des Übernatürlichen und Außerirdischen. Das Beste aus Reader’s
Digest.
Clark, Jerome. (1993): Unexplained! 347 Strange Sightings, Incredible
Occurrences, and Puzzling Physical Phenomena . Visible Ink Press.
Spencer, John (1991): UFOs: The Definitive Casebook . Hamlyn.
Burnie. David (2004): The Kingfisher Illustrated Nature Encyclopedia .
Kingfisher.
16
Magazine and Newspaper Article Sources
(September 26th 1966): Loch Ness Monster a Giant Slug?. The Milwaukee
Journal.
December 8th 1933): The Monster of Loch Ness – Official! Orders That Nobody is
to Attack it ... A Huge Eel?. Daily Mirror.
(February 1842): Superstitions of the Australian Aborigines: The Yahoo.
Australian and New Zealand Monthly Magazine 1 (2). p. 47
(December 4th 1927): PREHISTORIC BEAST SEEN: Giant Saurian of Arctic
Emerges. Siberians Report Monster. Believed to Live in Cherski Range. Creature
Once Hunted Over Alaska Now Exciting Russ Savants . Los Angeles Times.
(1977. Retrieved 2014): Teeners report ‘creature’. Associated Press.
Television Program Sources
Monster Quest (2009): Devils in New Jersey. Monster Quest season 3. History
Channel.
Internet Sources
Kosemen, C. M. (2013): A New Approach To Cryptozoology: C. M. Kosemen on
the Cryptozoologicon Book Launch. Conway Hall, London.
Hill, Kyle (2013): Why Bigfoot is Unlikely Only If You Know What “Unlikely”
Means. But Not Simpler
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/but-not-simpler/2013/10/01/why-bigfoot-isunlikely-only-if-you-know-what-unlikely-means/
Naish, D. (2013): Photos of the Loch Ness Monster, revisited. Tetrapod Zoology
ver 3 http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2013/07/10/photos-ofthe-loch-ness-monster-revisited/
Naish, D. (2009): The Loch Ness monster seen on land. Tetrapod Zoology ver 2
http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/10/02/loch-ness-monster-on-land/
Shuker, Karl (2013): Does the Loch Ness Monster have a split personality?
Revealing Nessie’s strangest identities. ShukerNature
17
http://karlshuker.blogspot.de/2013/07/does-loch-ness-monster-have-split.html
Chamberlain, Ted (2006): Photo in the News: Loch Ness Monster Was an
Elephant?. National Geographic News.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0309_0603009_loch_ness.html
Naish, D. (2013): Cryptids, Speculation and Skepticism: Darren Naish on the
Cryptozoologicon Book Launch. Conway Hall, London.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGno9xA7gD4
1
Than, Ker (2013): Is the Abominable Snowman a Bear?. National Geographic
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/10/131021-yeti-abominablesnowman-bigfoot-polar-bear-cryptozoology/
Naish, D. (2013): Tales from the Cryptozoologicon: the Yeti. Tetrapod Zoology ver
3 http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapodzoology/2013/08/04/cryptozoologicon-yeti-teaser/
Nickell, Joe (2002): Mothman Revisited: Investigating on Site . Investigative Files
vol 12.4. The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
http://www.csicop.org/sb/show/mothman_revisitedinvestigating_on_site/
Shuker, K. (2013): Two Sea Monsters for the Price of One!. ShukerNature
http://karlshuker.blogspot.de/2013/09/two-sea-monsters-for-price-of-one.html
Shuker, K. (2010): Behold, Trunko!!. ShukerNature
http://karlshuker.blogspot.de/2010/09/behold-trunko.html
Butler, Rhett A. (2007): Chupacabra story is a hoax; likely a Xolo dog breed.
Mongabay.com http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0904-chupacabra.html
Viegas, Jennifer (2010): Chupacabra Mystery Solved. Discovery News
http://news.discovery.com/animals/pets/chupacabra-mystery-solved.htm
Shuker, K. (2014): Exposing online fakes and frauds of the cryptozoological kind
- a ShukerNature top ten listing. ShukerNature
http://karlshuker.blogspot.de/2014/01/exposing-online-fakes-and-frauds-of.html
18
Morris, Sarah (2013): World’s Largest Tortoise found in Amazon Basin- 800lb.
News-Hound
http://news-hound.org/world-largest-tortoise-found-in-amazon-basin-800lb/
(2014): British Scientists Clone Dinosaur. News-Hound
http://news-hound.org/british-scientists-clone-dinosaur/
Naish, D. (2013): A new living species of large mammal: hello, Tapirus
kabomani!. Tetrapod Zoology ver 3
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2013/12/17/new-livingspecies-of-tapir/
Kaufman, Rachel (2010): New Snub-Nosed Monkey Discovered, Eaten. National
Geographic http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/101027-snubnosed-monkey-sneezes-new-species-science-discovered-eaten/
Platt, John R. (2014): Microjewels: Stunningly Beautiful Snails Going Extinct As
Soon As They Are Discovered. Extinction Countdown
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2014/03/28/microjewelssnails-extinct/
19
Additional Pictures
Above: The Tizheruk or Sea Wolf of Inuit mythology is an example of sea
monsters reflecting the fear of water within a particular culture.
Below: The mythological griffin was inspired by fossilized ceratopsian
dinosaur skeletons from Asia, which had both a beak like an eagle and four
legs like a lion.
20
Above: The Dover Demon resembles strongly a grey alien and also the
Mannegishi, a spirit from the mythology of the Cree, a Native American
people.
Below: The Mapinguari, a mythical beast from the Amazon rainforest, is
said to have a single eye and an additionally mouth on its stomach.
21
Above: The Tatzelwurm from the Alps is perhaps a dragon-like reptile or
amphibian.
Below: The Loch Ness Monster portrayed as a curious looking giant sea
slug.
22
Above: The famous Con Rit, one of the sea monsters of Heuvelmans’ list,
portrayed as a sea slug.
23