Pop Cryptid Spectator #1
Pop Cryptid Spectator #1: Observations and commentary on the parade of cryptids in popular culture.
Tag Archives: Cryptozoology
Arguing over the science of mystery animals
Was cryptozoology ever scientific? Discussion about cryptids reveals ideas about the public perception of science. Arguments continue about what cryptozoology was and should be.
Pop Goes the Cryptid: Explained
Introduction to the world of Pop Cryptids, showing the evolution of cryptozoology from a scientific field to a popular culture scene where “cryptid” is any weird, sentient thing.
Lost Monster Files is a cryptid bust
A recap and summary of Discovery’s cryptid show Lost Monster Files and its failings regarding science, education, and entertainment.
Modern problems with scientific naming: Example – Bigfoot
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.
Lost Monster Files Thunderbird episode flies in the face of reason
Lost Monster Files show examines the claims of thunderbirds in Pennsylvania and, once again, fall far short of a coherent presentation.
Lost Monster Files produces some abominable research
The second episode of Lost Monster Files on Discovery channel is a confusing mash-up of old and mis-information about “abominable snowmen” in British Columbia.
Lost Monster Files – Carolina Chupacabra review
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.
A tour of popular mystery monsters
A mishmash of monster mentions. A quick book review, a link to info on the latest Bigfoot hoax and dogman programming, and an upcoming must-have volume for pop cryptid fans.
The many degrees of freedom of the griffin
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?
Zoological melodrama – Hutton on dragons
Professor Ronald Hutton gives a fantastic and entertaining lecture on why we have dragons worldwide.
Pop cryptid chatter: Beards and encryptids
Pop cryptids items: Representation at cryptozoology conferences, the EFF incorporates cryptids into their promotional drive and the passing of a well-loved author and artist.
Location and imagination equals ‘cryptid’
Cryptids have increasingly become associated with location and entertainment and less connected to the failed scientific endeavor of cryptozoology. Long live the cryptids!
Suspicious photos of alleged thylacine revealed by pop wildlife biologist
New photos claim to show a thylacine in Tasmania. Distributed by a popular television personality who popularizes mysterious animal sightings, the photos and the backstory appear bogus.
A class in cryptozoology: When you know too much
A review of an online class in Cryptozoology 101 via Universal Class reveals incomplete, and erroneous content creating a misleading presentation of the field.
A bouquet of interesting news for 11 Jan 2024
News briefs: Arizona jaguar, megalodon tooth, Gigantopithecus blacki, resuscitating a pine marten, hawk killing law, magpie attacks.
Dogs, not a lizardman, will rip your car apart
Dogs were caught on camera doing surprising damage to cars. It’s yet another reminder that we do not need to invoke monsters as the cause of mysterious situations.
My three favorite vintage books on monsters and the paranormal
Every once in a while, I remember one of the books from my childhood that I recall with great fondness. Thanks to the Internet, I can usually find a blurb on what I had long discarded or gave away. I have been trying for a while to locate a kids activity book about monsters that… Read More »
Perhaps you can never organize paranormal research
I am enjoying my latest read. It’s George Hansen’s The Trickster and the Paranormal (2001). George and I met years ago at a parapsychology conference in Gettysburg. Even though he is a critic of organized skepticism, he’s just as much a critic of shoddy paranormal research. And, his criticism of CSICOP is not unjustified, for… Read More »
Legitimizing ghost research: Scientism, sensitives, and cultural authority
As I wrote yesterday, sociologists and ethnographers are paying greater attention to paranormal communities. I commented on Bader’s analysis of Bigfoot seeking groups and their mix of naturalistic and paranormalist views among participants. Perhaps separation rather than mix may be more apt. The observation of different camps within a paranormal field is not new but… Read More »