Cryptozoology
Have we found all the large animals still living
in the world? Probably not, since in the last decade
some previously unknown species have surfaced in Southeast Asia,
for example. This page is dedicated to such animals --
commonly called "cryptids" --
which might possibly exist in nature but whose existence
has not yet been accepted by modern science.
If you are interested in animals which have never existed in nature
(although they may, in part, have been based upon real animals)
such as gryphons and mermaids, please see my
legendary animals page.
Cryptozoological topics have generated a vast number of
books, magazines, and articles. My page of
books about cryptozoology
lists some I've found interesting.
Encounters with hairy hominids or "wild men" like the
Yeti,
Sasquatch,
and
Nguoi Rung go back to antiquity and appear in legends throughout the world.
One of the earliest literary compositions in the world,
the Epic of Gilgamesh, contains a hairy wildman named Enkidu.
North America's representative is usually called the Sasquatch,
one of its Native American names, or Bigfoot.
The best-known photographic evidence is the famous Roger Patterson film
of a purported Sasquatch, taken in 1967. (Stories that Patterson's film
was a hoax continue to circulate.)
One hypothesis is that some reports
represent encounters with surviving representatives of supposedly
extinct hominoid or hominid species. A popular choice for Bigfoot is
Gigantopithecus blacki,
a giant ape commonly assumed to have died out several hundred
thousand years ago. Other suggested candidates include
Homo neandertalensis (Neanderthal Man), Homo erectus, and
Australopithecus (Paranthropus) robustus.
The history of the discovery of the mountain gorilla
demonstrates that a large ape can elude detection for decades, and that native tales of
such creatures can be based in fact. Likewise for the
Giant Panda. It took sixty-seven years
from the time the Giant Panda was "discovered" by Westerners until its live
capture. During this period twelve well staffed and equipped professional
expeditions failed to collect a single live specimen of this large bear.
It took over twenty years to collect a living specimen of the
Congo Peacock once it became known
to Westerners from feathers and oral descriptions by natives of the
Congo River basin.
Another persistent type of encounter is with lake monsters.
The most famous serpentine lake monster is Nessie,
supposed inhabitant of Loch Ness in Scotland. Closer to home is
Ogopogo, a Nessie-like creature
said to inhabit Lake Okanagan in Canada.
Many such sightings may actually be due to standing wave phenomena
such as soliton waves or little known weather phenomena such as "mini"
waterspouts. The Bunyip of Australia
may represent an oral tradition of sightings of an extinct giant
marsupial, the Diprotodont.
Sightings of giant sturgeon in lakes with a connection to the sea may
explain some lake monster sightings. The sturgeon's prehistoric
appearance differs markedly from other fish. Rather than scales, the
great Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrhynchus is covered with
five rows of bony plates called scutes. The head tapers to a hard snout
with four catfish-like sensory barbels near the mouth. Small sturgeon
swim up the shallow rivers connecting lakes such as Lake Champlain
in Vermont, USA to the sea. Once in the lake the sturgeon can
grow to awesome size.
The Atlantic sturgeon reaches lengths of five meters and weighs over
four hundred kilograms. In 1951 an eye witness reported seeing a
"monster" in Lake Champlain. She shot at it, believing she hit it
with at least one bullet, and the creature disappeared. A few days
later the corpse of a giant sturgeon bearing a bullet hole washed up
on the shore of the lake. The largest reliably recorded sturgeon was
a specimen of Acipenser huso caught in the Volga River in 1827.
That sturgeon measured eight meters long and weighed 1,470 kg,
surely a monster in anyone's book!
Many animals have gone extinct over the last few hundred years as a
result of ecological disruption caused by humans migrating to new environments
or direct attempts to exterminate "problem" species. An example is the
Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine
(scientific name Thylacinus cynocephalus),
also known as the marsupial wolf.
This carnivorous marsupial was apparently hunted to extinction in the
early part of the twentieth century. The last known living specimen,
whose photo appears at the top of this page, died in captivity in 1936
in the Hobart Zoo in Australia.
Persistent reports of sightings right down to the present
offer hope that a few thylacines may still live in the wild.
For example, a Park and Wildlife Officer reported observing a Thylacine
in the Pyengana region of eastern Tasmania in January, 1995. A followup
search failed to find any trace of this specimen.
Other animals generally considered extinct but which continue to be
sighted occasionally include the
dodo bird of Mauritius, the giant moa
of New Zealand, and the giant shark Carcharocles megalodon.
Efforts are also underway to try to bring back some animals from extinction.
A
project
to resurrect the Quagga,
an extinct variety of zebra, has been somewhat successful. Recent
successes with mammal cloning have fueled hopes that creatures
like the mammoth or the thylacine could be brought back via cloning
or hybridization procedures. For example, scientists at the Australian Museum
in Sydney hope to clone a thylacine using DNA from a pup preserved in alcohol
since 1866.
Sometimes a supposedly extinct animal turns out to be still alive.
The coelacanth provides a famous example.
In 1938 a coelacanth was caught by fishermen on the vessel
Nerine trawling off the mouth of the Chalumna River in
South Africa. The fish measured about 1.5 m (5 feet) in length
and weighed 57 kg (126 lbs). Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer,
a curator at the East London Museum, could not identify the fish.
She sent a sketch to J. L. B. Smith at Rhodes University in
South Africa who identified the fish as a coelacanth.
Prior to this discovery, scientists had believed the coelacanth
died out around 80 million years ago. The next coelacanth
was not caught until 1952. Since then at least two hundred Coelacanths
have been caught in and around the Comoro Islands.
In 1998 a new population was discovered off North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Survivors from prehistoric times like the coelacanth are sometimes
called "living fossils."
In the early 1970s Ralph M. Wetzel and co-workers from the
University of Connecticut discovered living specimens of the
Chacoan Peccary, which he named Catagonus wagneri.
Peccaries are close relatives of pigs and boars. Prior to Wetzel's
find this type of peccary was known only from fossils and had been
thought to have died out ten thousand years ago.
Wetzel found the living specimens in Patagonia after hearing
native stories. The natives called it the tagua.
The Chacoan Peccary is the largest of the three known living species of
peccary. There are significant differences in the chromosome numbers
of the Chacoan peccary and the other two species, indicating they
are not closely related. Very little is yet known of the
Chacoan peccary's life cycle. It is considered to be an
endangered species.
Another recent example from the Canary Islands concerns the lizard
Gallotia gomerana. In June 1999 Spanish scientists reported finding
six living specimens (two males, three females, and one juvenile)
of this lizard on La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands.
Gallotia gomerana had previously been considered extinct for nearly
five hundred years. This lizard measures about half a meter in length,
a respectable size for a lizard.
The 1997 discovery of a large tree rat in the Vilcabamba mountains of Peru
provides another recent example of the survival of a presumably
extinct animal. Its discoverer, Louise Emmons of the
Smithsonian Institution, named the animal Cuscomys ashaninka
after the city of Cusco near where the animal was discovered and
the indigenous Ashaninka people. The Cuscomys closely
resembles the so-called Inca Tomb Rat that the Inca kept as pets.
The Inca tomb rats are considered extinct, but since Cuscomys
is still alive, it is possible that the Inca tomb rat still survives
as well.
The Chinese crested tern, considered extinct since 1937,
was found to be still surviving in the summer of 2000.
Six pair of terns were spotted rearing chicks on a tiny islet
off the coast of Taiwan.
The Central Rock Rat of Australia, considered extinct for forty years,
was found to be still surviving in 1996, and more populations surfaced
in West MacDonnell National Park in January, 2001.
The sites below include some which offer a scientific outlook on
cryptozoology, some which tend to the mystical, some which are
better understood as part of the UFO phenomenon
(e.g., Mothman), and some which are probably just a joke.
The latter includes sites about the Ozark Howler, the name of whose
principal investigator -- Itzakh Joach ("It's a joke") -- reveals
the probable spurious nature of this
creature and its reports. In fact, it now seems quite certain
that the Ozark Howler is entirely a deliberate hoax.
Cryptozoological subjects have often been depicted on postage stamps
around the world. My pages about Cryptozoology
and Philately present some of these stamps. Each of my stamp pages
provides more information about each cryptid.
There are many online message boards which discuss
cryptozoological topics. I moderate the
CryptoSearch
message board on www.yahoogroups.com.
There are several other Yahoo! Groups message boards dedicated to
cryptozoological topics as well.
Bears
-
Giant Panda
As noted above, it took sixty-seven years from the
time of the "discovery" of the Giant Panda by Westerners until
its live capture. This provides an example of how difficult it
can be to track down and locate even a large creature in
difficult terrain. Less than one thousand Giant Pandas still
remain in the wild.
Bigfoot (Sasquatch), Yeti, and other unknown apes and hominids
See my pages on Bigfoot
Stamps and Yeti Stamps for
more information about these creatures.
-
Bigfoot/Sasquatch, Skunk Ape, and other Hairy Hominids
-
Bondo Mystery Apes
- The Bondo Mystery Ape
by Karl Ammann discusses the gorilla-like chimpanzees
living in the Bili/Bondo region of the Congo.
-
Miscellaneous
- Giant Primates of the New World
by Michael Seres discusses De Loys's ape and
Protopithecus brasiliensis Lund.
- Man-like Apes (1863)
is an article written by Thomas Huxley in 1863
discussing the natrual history of the Great Apes as
known up to that time.
- Koolakamba
by Elaine Jane Struthers discusses the folk mythology
which surrounds this purported African animal, which may
be an unknown great ape, or a variant species of
chimpanzee.
- Nonhuman Primate Myths, Tales and Legends
from the Primate Info Net of the Wisconsin Regional
Primate Center, offers articles on the Koolakamba, giant
primates of the New World, and links to other related
sites.
-
Mountain Gorilla
- Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
, named after the famous researcher who was murdered by
poachers, seeks to save the mountain gorilla from
extinction.
- My Mountain Gorilla Stamps
page lists some postage stamps which depict the
mountain gorilla. The history of the discovery of the
mountain gorilla demonstrates that a large ape can elude
detection for decades, and that native tales of such
creatures can be based in fact.
-
Nandi Bear
- Nandi Bear
by Andrew D. Gable provides a number of excerpts from
reported sightings of this creature.
-
Nguoi Rung
- Is the Nguoi Rung of Vietnam
("forest people") just legend or an unknown species of
ape?
- Wildman in Vietnam
by Dao Van Tien offers an edited installment of
Professor Tien's series of articles on the Vietnamese
"wildman."
-
Oliver
Oliver is a chimpanzee whose unusual physical
traits led some to speculate that he might be a new species of
ape or a human/chimpanzee hybrid. DNA testing reveals Oliver
to be just an ordinary chimpansee. Oliver illustrates just
how much more genetically diverse chimpansees are than humans.
Perhaps some stories of "apemen" in Africa originate from
sightings of wth other Oliver-like chimps who prefer to walk
bipedally. Jane Goodall reported that one of the chimps she
studied in the wild adopted a permanent bipedal stance after a
bout with polio.
-
Orang Pendek
- Orang Pendek
by Andrew D. Gable discusses this ape-like creature
said to inhabit the forests of Sumatra.
-
Yeren
-
Yeti
-
Yowie
- Australian Yowie Network
discusses the Yowie, an ape-like creature supposed to
inhabit Australia. Includes photos, sightings, research
reports, aboriginal legends, a message board, a place to
report sightings, and much more.
Birds and Flying Reptiles
Carcharocles megalodon
See my page on Megalodon
stamps for more information about this presumably extinct giant
shark.
Cats
Chupacabra
- Chupacabra Links
is a large list of annotated links to sites with information
about the Chupacabra.
- Chupapalooza!
offers information about the Puerto Rican origins of
Chupacabra and the first sightings in the United States;
psychological theories to explain "Chupamania;" a gallery of
Chupacabra images; songs about Chupacabra; and links to
related web sites.
Coelacanth
See my coelcanth
stamps page for more information about this "living fossil."
- Coelacanths on Stamps
offers information about the Coelacanth as well as displaying
some of the postage stamps featuring this "living
fossil."
- Coelacanth postage stamp exhibit
by Sunny presents an award winning single-frame exhbit of
coelacanth stamps. The exhibit consists of sixteen pages and
concentrates on the coelacanth stamps issued by the Comoro
Islands.
- My Coelacanth Stamps
page lists some stamps depicting this "living fossil."
- Coelacanth: The Fish Out Of Time
by Jerome F. Hamlin is the web site of the Coelacanth Rescue
Mission which seeks to reduce Coelacanth fatalities. Offers
pictures, information about the coelacanth's biology and
behavior, a virtual swimming coelacanth, and more.
Elephants
-
Pygmy Elephant
- JULES- News in Brief
includes a brief article on pygmy elephants. Most
zoologists do not accept the existence of a separate
pygmy African elephant species or subspecies. These
photos appear to show an entire herd of elephants, which
suggests that the pygmies previously encountered in the
wild and in zoos were not just unusually small members
of the forest elephant subspecies.
General
- A Tale of Two Monsters
by Shelley Powers offers a series of articles on
cryptozoology, concentrating on the Loch Ness Monster and the
Giant Squid.
- Aaron's Crypto Photo Album
by Aaron Justice offers a collection of famous photos and
movie clips of cryptids, including Champ, the Sandi Mansi
photograph of a purported plesiosaur, Nessie, Bigfoot, various
giant creatures, and more.
- Anomalous Links: Crytozoology
by Garth haslam offers links to sites with cryptozoological
content.
- Beast Of Gevaudan
was a wof-like monster said to have terrorized the Auvergne
and South Dordogne regions of France from 1764 to 1767. The
beast reputedly killed about 100 people.
- BJ's Crypto Chronicle
by Brian Goodwin offers cryptozoology news.
- British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club Homepage
offers information on the club and its publications, on
cryptozoological animals, and links to other web sites about
cryptozoology.
- Centre for Fortean Zoology
studies various Fortean and cryptozoological phenomena.
- Creature Chronicles
offers online reprints of this newsletter devoted to
cryptozoology which was published by Ron Schaffner from
1980-1991. The online edition includes new material.
- Criptozoologia
(in Italian) by Lorenzo Rossi offers a brief introduction to
cryptozoology along with information about sea monsters,
living dinosaurs, the Yeti, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster,
discovered cryptids like the Onza, a list of books, and links
to related sites.
- Criptozoology.com
by Leopoldo Bolanos (in English and Spanish) offers
information on sea and lake monsters, missing links,
chupacabra, giant snakes, living dinosaurs, other creatures,
cryptozoology researchers, and more.
- Cryptolist
is a moderated mailing list for those interested in
cryptozoology. You may search the list archives without
becoming a member of the list.
- CryptoSearch
by Jim Keegan discusses many cryptids and offers links to
cryptozoology sites, biographies of important
cryptozoologists, and more.
- CryptoSearch
is an email/web forum on Yahoo groups which discusses
cryptozoological topics. I am the moderator of this
list.
- Cryptoweb
by Andrew D. Gable offers some of his articles from
Cryptozoology Review as well as news about
his current research and a variety of cryptozoological topics.
Includes regional information broken down by geographical
area. Also provides links to other sites about
cryptozoology.
- Cryptoworld
by Jan-Ove Sundberg offer book reviews, current information
on the Global Underwater Search Team, sea monster sightings in
the Baltic Sea in 1909-1920, information about the dragon of
Bojnice Castle, and more.
- Cryptozoological Realms
by Scott T. Norman offers information about Mokele-Mbembe and
other cryptids. Includes an introduction to Cryptozoology and
biographies of some cryptozoologists.
- Cryptozoologia
(in French) is the home page for the Association Belge
d'Etude et de Protection des Animaux Rare. The association
seeks evidence for the existence of animals not officially
recognized as existing.
- The Cryptozoologist
by Loren Coleman is an online web page associated with the
new multidisciplinary journal of the same name. Coleman is a
well-known cryptozoologist who has written many books and
articles on cryptozoological topics. The web site discusses
the meaning of cryptozoology and offers a mini-FAQ answering
common questions about cryptozoology, a book section,
articles by Coleman, and more.
- Cryptozoology
is part of a site about monsters curated by Michael A.
Delahoyde of the Washington State University.
- Ron Schaffner's Cryptozoology
page discusses Bigfoot, the Loveland Ohio giant frog-like
creature, and other strange encounters investigated by
Schaffner.
- Cryptozoology
by Chad Arment offers a brief introduction to the topic, a
good introduction to research methods in cryptozoology, and
links to other sites about cryptozoology. Includes a regional checklist of
animal "legends" of interest to cryptozoologists.
- Cryptozoology
by Chad Arment offers a brief introduction to the topic, a
good introduction to research methods in cryptozoology, and
links to other sites about cryptozoology. Includes
- Cryptozoology
by Wesley A. Williams discusses his research interests which
primarily involve Bigfoot.
- Cryptozoology
offers an introduction to Bigfoot, Chupacabra, the Loch Ness
monster, shape shifters, vampires, and werewolves.
- Cryptozoology
is a new site which isn't doesn't have any content yet.
- Cryptozoology
by Nathan Gilbert discusses the megalodon, Roswell rods,
chupacabra, and the goatman of Prince George's County.
- Cryptozoology and Zoomythology
by Ian Kidd discusses water monsters, hoaxes, "manimals" like
the Yowie, and more.
- Cryptozoology: Bigfoot to Nessie
offers links to sites on cryptozoological topics.
- Cryptozoology FAQ
by Loren Coleman answers common questions about
cryptozoology.
- Cryptozoology Items
lists Bufo's Weird World Books titles for cryptozoology.
- Cryptozoology Page
by Kelli Ballentine and Kris Toops discusses bigfoot, the
coelacanth, chupacabra, reptoids, the giant squid,
"batsquatch," and more.
- Ben S. Roesch's Cryptozoology -- Searching for Hidden Animals
presents information and links to all kinds of cryptozoology
information.
- Dale Cozort's Cryptozoology Page
offers an introduction to cryptozoology, cryptozoology news,
relevant news from paleontology, suggestions for following up
purported hard evidence, and links to other cryptozoology
sites.
- Dr. Karl P. N. Shuker: Zoologist, Cryptozoologist, Author
is the official web page of this well-known cryptozoologist.
Includes a biography, detailed information about his books,
some of his articles about cryptozoology, a comprehensive
cryptozoological bibliograhpy with over 550 entries, and
links to other cryptozoological web sites. You may also email
your cryptozoological or fortean sightings to Dr. Shuker from
this web page.
- Enigma Cryptozoo: Weird Predators Petting Zoo!
offers information and photos/pictures of Chupacabras,
Mothman, the Jersey Devil, the Loveland Frog, the Dover Demon,
the Mongolian Death Worm, Mokele-Mbembe, the Beast of Bodmin
Moor, the Thylacine, and the Thunderbird. There are also
sections for sea monsters and "missing links" primates.
- The Enigma Project
"is a private, Maryland-based, association of scientifically
trained and technically oriented individuals who investigate
and document claims of unexplained phenomena." This includes
a variety of cryptozoological phenomena.
- The Fortean Picture Library
is a pictorial archive of mysteries and strange phenomena,
including cryptozoological subjects.
- Haunted Illinois
by Troy Taylor includes reports of cryptids in Illinois,
among them Bigfoot, large black cats, mystery kangaroos, and
much more.
- Joe's Cryptozoology Pages
by Joe Gagné offers articles about a variety of
cryptozoological creatures. Includes sections on breaking
news and links to related sites.
- KRYPTOZOOLOGI
by Jan-Ove Sundberg (in Swedish) offers a definition of
cryptozoology, information on giant serpents, possible living
dinosaurs like Mokele Mbembe, giant squid and sea serpents,
the Loch Ness monster, how decayed basking sharks can look
like sea monsters, and more.
- Larry Renslow's Cryptozoology Page
offers links to sites about cryptozoology.
- Matt Bille's Science Home Page
describes Bille's professional background, provides a list of
his selected publications, and offers a sample article from
Exotic Zoology which he has edited for the past
several years. Bille authored the 1995 book on cryptozoology
Rumors
of Existence.
- Monsters
by Tarjeh offers brief comments on the Kraken, the sea
serpent, Nessie and Yetis.
- New large mammal species in Vietnam
provides photos and descriptions of Pseudoryx nghetinhensis
and Megamuntiacus vuquangesis. Also discusses new pheasant
discovered in 1975, Lophura hatinhensis.
- Northeastern Ohio's Researchable Kryptid Accounts (NORKA)
by Richard La Monica is dedicated to Ohio's cryptic creatures
and folklore. Also includes a bibliography, biographies of
prominent cryptozoologists, a message board, links to related
sites, and more.
- Science Of Cryptozoology
by Allan Edward Munro offers brief introduction to the
subject and articles on the European wild man and
Cadbosaurus,
- shepherd express - volume 19, issue 30
offers annotated links to cryptozoological sites.
- Siriusly ~ Science Fact (Cryptozoology)
offers information about Nessie, Bigfoot, mythological
creatures, and aliens.
- Strange Science: The Rocky Road to Modern Paleontology and Biology
by Michon Scott includes some cryptozoological articles. The
site primarily offers the aurhor's personal reflections on the
"rocky road" to modern paleontology and biology. Includes a
number of fine early illustrations of "sea monsters" and other
creatures.
- Strangeworld Cryptozoology
by Aly "Mothman" Julian offers an online encyclopedia of
cryptozoology, and online sightings database, photographs and
video clips, news of current cryptozoological interest, and
links to related sites.
- The Study of Hidden Creatures
by C. Wayman Hearn provides an introduction to cryptozoology
along with a few links to relevant sites.
- Tasmainian Wolf's Cryptozoology Site
offers information on the Serpent of Lake Elsinore in
California, the Tasmanian Wolf, and the Goatman of
Maryland.
- The Study of Hidden Creatures: Cryptozoology
by C. Wayman Hearn offers an introduction to the subject and
links to related web sites.
- Tirwen's Cryptozoology Page
offers a brief introduction to the subject and links to
related sites.
- Unnatural Museum - Lost Worlds Exhibition
by Lee Krystek discusses coelecanths, sea serpents and lake
monsters, land monsters, bigfoot, cryptozoological hoaxes,
and monsters in motion pictures.
- Virtual Institute of Cryptozoology
by Michel Raynal (in French and English) is dedicated to
cryptozoological research. Includes information on
cryptozoological methods, biodiversity and cryptozoology,
great "stars" of cryptozoology, important researchers in
cryptozoology, fabulous animals and cryptozoology,
cryptozoology in literature, a list of cryptozoological
associations and publications, a bibliography, and links to
other sites about cryptozoology.
- WeirdPage
includes links to cryptozoology sites as well as other kinds
of Fortean links.
- X-Creatures
by Lorenzo Rossi is a site about cryptozoology in Italian
(sito italiano sulla Criptozoologia).
- X-Project Paranormal Magazine
includes a cryptozoology section.
Giant Snakes and Reptiles
See my Komodo Dragon
stamps page for more information about giant lizards.
Giant Squid and Octopodes
See my Kraken stamps
page for more information about giant cephalopods.
- Architeuthis Dux
(in Italian) by Enrico Altini provides a good introduction to
the giant squid. Includes a list of recent sightings.
- Giant squid
from the American Museum of Natural History shows pictures of
an intact giant squid accidentally caught off New Zealand in
deep-sea fishing nets.
- In Search of Giant Squid
presents an online version of a Smithsonian exhibit on the
giant squid, possibly the inspiration for sea monsters like
the Kraken.
- My Kraken Stamps
page lists stamps depicting the Kraken, a legendary animal,
and its probably referent, the giant squid.
- Sea Monster
from The Evening Telegram of May 6, 1997
describes a sighting of a sea monster that may have been a
giant squid.
Jersey Devil
Kangaroos
Kangaroos are native to Australias and of course are
real living animals. However, there are a surprising number of
reports of "out of place" kangaroos in Europe, the United States,
and elsewhere. While many can be explained as escaped pets, some of
these "kangaroos" exhibit behavior more like the chupacabra than a normal kangaroo.
Loch Ness Monster and other lake monsters
See my pages on Loch
Ness Monster stamps, Ogopogo
stamps, and Bunyip stamp
for more information about these famous lake monsters.
- The Beast of Loch Ness: Birth of a Legend
is a companion piece to the NOVA television series program
about the Loch Ness Monster.
- My Bunyip Stamps
page lists stamps depicting this legendary Australian lake
monster.
- Champ Quest-The ultimate search
is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding,
identifying, and protecting the animals living and thriving in
Lake Champlain, collectively called "Champ." Includes photos
and sighting reports.
- Dragon's Pearl
discusses "Tessie", a Nessie-like creature believed to reside
in Lake Tahoe.
- ETHEREAL or EARTHLY? FRIEND or FOE ? :Bunyips in Australian Children's Literature.
from the State Library of Victoria discusses the bunyip and
its importance in children's literature in Australia..
- Encyclopedia Smithsonian: The Loch Ness Monster
provides a brief summary of the Loch Ness monster legend
along with a useful bibliography for further reading.
- Froso, Sweden
offers an animation of the monster said to inhabit Lake
Storsjo in Sweden. .
- GUST - Global Underwater Search Team
is mounting an international expedition to seach for the
serpent at Lake Seljordsvatnet, Norway.
- International Dracontology Society of Lake Memphremagog : Memphre
is dedicated to the study of the monster said to inhabit this
lake which is located on the border between Canada and the
United States.
- Irmo, South Carolina Loch Murray Monster
is "a cross between a snake and something prehistoric"
according to those who claim to have seen it.
- Lake Legends Of The World
offers paintings by Sheila Barrera of several lake monsters,
including Champ, Bessie, and the Australian Bunyip.
- Legend of Nessie
discusses the search for the Loch Ness monster and offers
information on Nessie hunters, sketches and sightings of the
monster, an index of monster sightings, and details of the
recent discivery of huge underwater caverns dubbed "Nessie's
Lair."
- Legendary Guide to Prince Edward County
includes a brief article on lake monsters sighted over the
years in Lake Ontario.
- Loch Murray Monster
discusses the Murray Lake monster reported from Irmo, South
Carolina.
- Loch Ness Creatures
by Lieve Peten, who worked with Frank Searle during the early
1970s, offers some Loch Ness images not available elsewhere as
well as background on the Loch Ness creatures. Also includes
some UFO information.
- Loch Ness Investigation 2000 - A New Underwater Research Project organised by Dick Raynor
by Dick Raynor seeks "to establish the facts about the Loch
Ness phenomena in a way intended to create 'building blocks'
which can be used by other researchers."
- Loch Ness Live!
offer a live web camera focussed on Loch Ness. Also includes
information about sightings, the Loch Ness area, and
more.
- Loch Ness Monster
offers two articles discussing the famous 1934 "Surgeon's
photograph" of Nessie which was apparently a hoax.
- Loch Ness Monster
is a student essay by Kim Shea on the history of sightings
of Nessie.
- My Loch Ness Monster Stamps
page lists stamps depicting this lake monster.
- Loch Ness Mystery
by Less Johnstone offers a new picture possibly of Nessie as
well as other information about Nessie.
- Log Cabin Chronicles -- The Monster's Lair
by John Mahoney includes several articles and photos about
lake monsters in Lake Memphremagog on the Vermont/Canada
border.
- Nahuelito
by Mark Chorvinbsky discusses this Patagonian lake
monster.
- Nessie on the Net!
presents information about Nessie including purported photos
(some quite recent).
- Nessie, the Loch Ness monster, and other lake monsters
by Mark Chorvinsky discusses lake monsters from around the
world including Nessie, Ogopogo, Champ, Nahuelito, and
Sweden's Lake Storsjon monster.
- NOVA Online | The Beast of Loch Ness
is the companion web site to the NOVA television documentary
on the Loch Ness Monster originally broadcast January 12,
1999. The documentary "follows a three-week
expedition that used state-of-the-art sonar and sensitive
underwater cameras in an attempt to track down and identify
the elusive creature."
- Official Loch Ness Monster Exhibition
is located at the Loch Ness Center in the village of
Drumnadrochit on the north shore of Loch Ness.
- Official Nessie Fan Club
offers Nessie stuff. "Go behind the scenes of the animated
film by Walt Disney legend, Ken Anderson now in production.The
ultimate place for fans of Nessie, the Loch Ness
monster."
- Ogopogo
by Jan-Ove Sundberg and Ryan Suchet discuss the legends and
sightings of this Canadian lake monster purported to inhabit
Lake Okanagan. .
- My Ogopogo Stamps
lists stamps depicting this Canadian lake monster.
- Sea monster or monster hoax? - June 12, 1997
offers a news report from CNN including amateur photographic
footage of a "monster" in Lake Van, Turkey.
- The Silver Lake Serpent: Inflated Monster or Inflated Tale?
by Joe Nickell was originally published in Skeptical Inquirer for March
1999. Nickell discusses the lake monster sightings of 1855 on
Silver Lake in Wyoming County, New York. This sighting has
often been written up as a hoax, but Nickell suggests the hoax
story may itelf be a hoax. Nickell suggests that the actual
sightings in 1855 (and before and after) were of otters,
driftwood, deer, leaping fish, or windslicks.
- What Creature Lurks in Turtle Lake?
discusses sightings of a lake monster said to inhabit Turtle
Lake located about 120 km northwest of North Battleford,
Saskatchewan, Canada.
Mapinguari and Giant Ground Sloths
See my page on Mapinguari and giant ground sloth
stamps for more information.
- El Neomylodon Listai - Florentino ameghino
(in Spanish) discusses the late nineteenth century reports of
possible ground sloths in Patagonia.
- Giant Sloth
from the Unmuseum discusses this creature and the late
nineteenth century reports of its possible continued
existence.
- Ground Sloths
from the Illinois State Museum discusses the four species of
giant ground sloths which inhabited the area now covered by
the United States during the last ice age.
- My Mapinguari and Giant Ground Sloth Stamps
discusses an 1899 article from La
Pirámide about possible sightings at that time
of living giant ground sloths in Patagonia.
- Quest For The Giant Sloth
presents information about recent expeditions to the Amazon
to look for living giant ground sloths.
Mothman
Rods
- Flying Rods
offers articles and images about these mysterious
objects.
Sea Serpents and other Sea Monsters
See my page on Sea
Serpent stamps for more information about these creatures.
Tasmanian Tiger and other marsupial cryptids
See my page on Thylacine stamps for more
information about this intriguing marsupial carnivore.
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Last modified by
pib on October 15, 2013.