It’s not been the best year for the fans of real live cryptids. Not only did we NOT find Bigfoot again, we had a better explanation for the Yeti, and Sasquatch DNA samples that were a bust (Sykes) or a joke (Ketchum). The book Abominable Science inserted itself as the premier scholarly book on the… Read More »
I was noticing something… First the Sasquatch music festival, now RockNess. Cool. Besides their use in TV and print advertising, famous cryptids are being associated with not only local fairs and events but also big name music festivals. I suspect it’s because it helps with tourism to the area, but also cryptids make for fine,… Read More »
Was cryptozoology ever scientific? Discussion about cryptids reveals ideas about the public perception of science. Arguments continue about what cryptozoology was and should be.
Tales of spooky encounters with “Not-deer” appeared decades ago but have evolved to fit modern cryptid ideas.
“The Secret History of the Jersey Devil: How Quakers, Hucksters, and Benjamin Franklin Created a Monster” by Brian Regal and Frank J. Esposito, dispels myths about the ‘Jersey Devil’. Rooting the legend in 17th-century quarrels, politics and media-driven hoaxes, they argue that the monster is a misinterpretation of stories from the Leeds family, rather than a supernatural creature.
New poll results about paranormal belief in the UK show that “earth mysteries” are really popular across the pond. Many complications make it difficult to make sense out of poll numbers reflecting levels of paranormal beliefs over time.
A new article in the Journal of Mammalogy calls out the problem with poor naming practices of new species in our internet age. “Bigfoot” is the perfect bad example.
The new Discovery show Lost Monster Files debuts with a cast of non-experts playing scientist and jumping to conclusions about hybrid dogs in North Carolina and Texas based on questionable evidence.
The popular origin of the griffin as inspired by Protoceratops dinosaur fossils is questioned. Can we ever really know for sure if there is a connection?
Professor Ronald Hutton gives a fantastic and entertaining lecture on why we have dragons worldwide.
A review of an online class in Cryptozoology 101 via Universal Class reveals incomplete, and erroneous content creating a misleading presentation of the field.
Blowholes are natural features created by air pressure. A popular video said to be a “dragon’s nose” is likely a blowhole.
Long ago, my interest in paranormal topics became jaded because popular books were repetitive, full of the same information and stories as the last one. For decades, books written on cryptozoology and ufology advanced no closer to definitively documenting or explaining these phenomena. Some advocates are persuaded that the many similar stories and imaginative speculation,… Read More »
A review of Chasing American Monsters: Over 250 Creatures, Cryptids, and Hairy Beasts by Jason Offutt (2019). I’ve been thinking a lot about cryptozoology lately. While consuming content about many other subjects, I see excellent examples in cryptozoology to illustrate public attitudes towards and understanding of science, paranormal thinking, colonialist themes, misperceptions about evidence, media… Read More »
Bigfoots and their other monstrous cohorts were presented to U.S. audience in a serious television documentary for the first time in 1974. The outing was so successful that it still is notable today. This documentary, its remixes, and a few other pieces of media gold from that decade paved the way for ideas of Bigfoot/Sasquatch… Read More »
A review of The Monster Book: Creatures, Beasts and Fiends of Nature by Nick Redfern. Cryptozoology literature has a problem.
Originally published as Supernatural Creep: The Slippery Slope to Unfalsifiability for my column Sounds Sciencey on csicop.org May 29, 2013. I’m taking a step beyond sciencey with the following topic. What happens when science doesn’t cooperate with your subject area? Researchers of unexplained events may get frustrated and disenchanted with the scientific process when the eyewitness accounts they collect are too weird to explain via… Read More »
From 1977 to the present, what has changed in the everlasting search for the Loch Ness Monster? That flipper photo was supposed to change the game. What happened?
Michael Mayes’ book ‘Shadow Cats: The Black Panthers of North America’ provides a comprehensive exploration of black big cat sightings in North America. The various theories considered include melanistic jaguars, cougars, or giant feral cats. Mayes argues most sightings are likely misidentifications of other animals. Although the book sometimes lacks academic rigour, it remains a significant contribution to cryptozoological literature.
Kingsbury examines sociological aspects of the pararnormal and those who pursue it.