Cryptozoology

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Template:Infobox ParanormaltermsCryptozoology (from Greek: κρυπτός, kryptós, "hidden"; ζῷον, zôon, "animal"; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge" or "study" – c.f. zoology) - Literally: "The study of Hidden Animals" - is the study of/search for animals which fall outside of contemporary zoological catalogs. It consists of two primary fields of research 1) The search for living examples of animals taxonomically identified through fossil records, but which are believed to be extinct, 2) The search for animals that fall outside of taxonomic records due to a lack of empirical evidence, but for which anecdotal evidence exists in the form of myths, legends, or unconfirmed sightings. ^[2]

Those involved in Cryptozoological study are known as cryptozoologists; the animals that they study are often referred to as "cryptids", a term coined by John Wall in 1983.^[3]

1 Overview
2 Mainstream science and cryptozoology
3 Supporters
4 Evidence Of Cryptids
5 List of Cryptids
6 See also
7 Notes and references
8 Further reading
9 External links
- 9.1 Organizations
10 Lists and monster directories=

[edit] Overview

Invention of the term "cryptozoology" is often attributed to noted zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans. But in his book, In the Wake of Sea Serpents, Heuvelmans attributes coinage of the term to the late Scottish explorer and adventurer Ivan T. Sanderson.^[4] Heuvelmans' 1955 book, On the Track of Unknown Animals, traces the scholarly origins of the discipline to Anthonid Cornelis Oudemans^[5] and his 1892 study, The Great Sea Serpent. Heuvelmans argued that cryptozoology should be undertaken with scientific rigor, but with an open-minded, interdisciplinary approach. He also stressed that attention should be given to local, urban and folkloric sources regarding such creatures. While often layered in unlikely and fantastic elements, folktales can have small grains of truth and important information regarding these organisms. Loren Coleman, a modern popularizer of cryptozoology, has chronicled the history and personalities of cryptozoology in his books.^[6]

Another notable book on the subject is Willy Ley's Exotic Zoology (1959). Ley was best known for his writings on rocketry and related topics, but he was trained in paleontology, and did write a number of books about animals. Ley's collection Exotic Zoology is of some interest to cryptozoology, as he discusses the Yeti and sea serpents, as well as relict dinosaurs. The book's first section ("Myth?") entertains the possibility that some legendary creatures (like the sirrush, the unicorn or the cyclops) might be based on actual animals (or misinterpretation of animals and/or their remains). The most rigorously scientific analyses of cryptids can be found in the works of British zoologist and cryptozoologist Dr Karl Shuker, who has published 12 books and countless articles on numerous cryptozoological subjects since the mid-1980s.

[edit] Mainstream science and cryptozoology

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Image:Colossal octopus by Pierre Denys de Montfort.jpg

"The Colossal Octopus", a pen and wash drawing by malacologist Pierre Denys de Montfort, 1801, from the descriptions of French sailors reportedly attacked by a Kraken off the coast of Angola.

Many cryptozoologists strive for legitimacy—some of them are respected scientists in other fields—and discoveries of previously unknown animals are often subject to great attention. However, cryptozoology has never been fully embraced by the scientific community. One cannot earn a degree in cryptozoology from any college or university. Some cryptozoologists align themselves with more scientifically rigorous fields like zoology, while others tend toward an anthropological slant or even a Fortean perspective—however, cryptozoology is often considered a pseudoscience by mainstream zoologists and biologists.

The majority of mainstream criticism of cryptozoology is directed towards the search for mega-fauna cryptids such as Bigfoot the Yeren and the Loch Ness Monster which appear often in popular culture, but for which there is little or no zoological evidence. Skeptics argued that many of the mega-fauna cryptids being sought are unlikely to be able to exist undetected yet in numbers great enough to maintain a breeding population^[7], and are unlikely to be able to survive in their reported habitats due to issues of climate and food supply. ^[8]

Historian Mike Dash^[9] notes, few scientists doubt there are thousands of unknown animals, particularly invertebrates, awaiting discovery. However, most cryptozoologists are uninterested in researching and cataloging newly-discovered species of ants or beetles. Dash writes, cryptozoologists focus their efforts towards "more elusive" creatures that have often defied decades of work aimed at confirming their existence. Cryptozoologists argue that much of the planet remains unexplored, especially deep oceans, and cryptozoological claims about oceanic species may be given more credence. By plotting the discovery rate of new species, Paxton^[10] estimated that as many as 47 large oceanic species remain undiscovered. Indeed, the comparatively recent discoveries of the Coelacanth and the megamouth shark show that large deep-sea animals can remain undetected.

[edit] Supporters

Cryptozoology supporters have noted that in the early days of western exploration of the world, many native tales of unknown animals initially dismissed as superstition by western scientists, were later proven to have a basis in biological fact^[3], and that many unfamiliar animals, when initially reported, were considered hoaxes, delusions or misidentifications^[3]: the platypus, giant squid, okapi, mountain gorilla, grizzly-polar bear hybrid and Komodo dragon are but a few creatures whose existence was denied by reputable scientists, who often refused to consider the evidence seriously.

Supporters often argue^[3] that cryptozoological evidence is evaluated not on its merits or failings, but rather based on ad hominem opinions of researchers, or on prevailing paradigms or world views. For example, scientists like Grover Krantz and Jeff Meldrum have cited what they perceive to be ample physical evidence in support of the existence of Bigfoot. Yet despite the fact that Krantz and Meldrum are recognized experts in their fields, their arguments regarding Bigfoot have largely been dismissed by other scientists. Another supposedly well-attested cryptid that was largely ignored by scientists was the so-called Minnesota Iceman of the 1960s^[11], purportedly an unidentified hominid corpse inspected by two recognized experts, Sanderson and Huevelmans, who offered detailed descriptions and photos of the creature; despite their efforts and evangelizing the case, very few scientists expressed an interest. Skeptics of cryptozoology counter that their skepticism regarding the subject prevents an unwarranted flood of misidentified animal sightings attributed to cryptids.

[edit] Evidence Of Cryptids

As in other fields, cryptozoologists are often responsible for disproving their own objects of study. For example, some cryptozoologists have collected evidence that disputes the validity of some facets of the Bigfoot/Sasquatch phenomenon.^[12]

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Please see the discussion on the talk page.
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There are several animals cited as examples for continuing cryptozoological efforts:

The coelacanth, a "living fossil" which represents an order of fish believed to have been extinct for 65 million years, was identified from a specimen found in a fishing net in 1938 off the coast of South Africa. The coelacanth was well known to Comoros fishermen as the Gombessa, but unknown to scientists. According to Dash^[13], the Coelacanth is a good case for paying close attention to natives' knowledge of animals: though the fish's survival was a complete surprise to outsiders, it was so well known to locals that natives commonly used the fish's rough scales as a sort of sandpaper.
There was a 1976 discovery of the previously unknown megamouth shark, discovered off Oahu, Hawaii, when it became entangled in a ship's anchor. Some have cautioned against applying the "megamouth analogy" too broadly to hypothetical creatures, noting that while "the megamouth does show that the oceans have a lot of secrets left to reveal ... the Megamouth is a deepwater fish, easily hidden in the world's oceans, and not comparable with other creatures reported, such as surviving marine reptiles. While the Megamouth is not a useful analogy to support the existence of marine 'cryptids' in general, it does demonstrate the resistance of science to identify new large species of marine animals without a corpse. Sightings of Megamouths now number approximately one a year. Before the discovery, one could argue this consistent sighting record was also present, but that the sightings were ignored or discredited as of some other animal."^[14]
The 2003 discovery of the fossil remains of Homo floresiensis, thought to be a descendant of Homo erectus, was a surprise to the anthropological community. Legends of a small human-like creature, called Ebu Gogo by the natives of Flores, persisted as late as the nineteenth century. Cryptolzoologists have attempted to draw a connection between the paleoanthropological remains and the legends, thereby legitimizing their use of folklore as evidence for the existence of cryptids.

[edit] List of Cryptids

Main article: List of Cryptids

[edit] See also

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Look up cryptozoology in
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Cryptid
Cryptobotany
List of megafauna recently discovered
List of fictional species
Legendary creature
List of legendary creatures
List of notable figures in cryptozoology
Monster
Cryptic (zoology) - animals that are difficult to observe due to their behaviour or camouflage
Pseudoscience and protoscience - due to some fields of study in cryptozoology
Xenobiology

[edit] Notes and references

^ Clark Jerome (1998) "Unexplained", Visible Ink, ISBN 1578590701
^ Simpson, George G. (1984-03-30) "Mammals and Cryptozoology", Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, p1, V128#1
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Coleman, Loren and Clark, Jerome.Cryptozoology A to Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras, and Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature. New York: Fireside/Simon and Schuster, 1999
^ Heuvelmans, Bernard. In the Wake of the Sea-Serpents. New York: Hill and Wang, 1968.
^ *Heuvelmans, Bernard. On The Track Of Unknown Animals. :-(New York: Hill and Wang, 1959.
^ Coleman, Loren. Tom Slick: True Life Encounters in Cryptozoology. Fresno, California: Craven Street Books/Linden Press, 2002.
^ http://home.clara.net/rfthomas/news/bfhunting.html
^ Sjögren, Bengt, Berömda vidunder, Settern, 1980, ISBN 91-7586-023-6 Template:Sv icon
^ Dash, Mike, Borderlands: The Ultimate Exploration of the Unknown, Overlook Press, 2000
^ Paxton, C. G. M. 1998. A cumulative species description curve for large open water marine animals. Journal of the Marine Biologists Association, U.K. 78, 1389-1391.
^ see Coleman and Clark, 1999, and the Minnesota Iceman page for more information
^ see The Sasquatch and other unknown hominoids; Markotic, Vladimir and Grover Krantz, editors; Calgary : Western Publishers, 1984; and The Scientist looks at the Sasquatch II, Sprague, Roderick and Grover S. Krantz, editors; and Napier, John Russel Bigfoot : the yeti and sasquatch in myth and reality New York : Dutton, 1973, c1972
^ Dash, Mike, Borderlands: The Ultimate Exploration of the Unknown, Overlook Press, 2000
^ http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bz050/megalodon.html

[edit] Further reading

Arment, Chad. Cryptozoology: Science & Speculation. Landisville, Penn.: Coachwhip, 2004.
Arment, Chad, ed. Cryptozoology and the Investigation of Lesser-Known Mystery Animals. Landisville, Penn.: Coachwhip, 2006.
Bille, Matthew. Rumors of Existence. Surrey, B.C.: Hancock, 1995.
Clark, Jerome. Unexplained! 347 Strange Sightings, Incredible Occurrences, and Puzzling Physical Phenomena. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1993.
Coghlan, Ronan. Cryptosup. Bangor: Xiphos, 2005.
Coghlan, Ronan. Dictionary of Cryptozoology. Bangor: Xiphos, 2004.
Coghlan, Ronan. Further Cryptozoology. Bangor: Xiphos, 2007.
Coleman, Loren. "Bigfoot! The True Story of Apes in America". New York: Simon and Schuster, 2003.
Coleman, Loren. "Tom Slick: True Life Encounters in Cryptozoology". Fresno: Linden Press, 2002.
Coleman, Loren and Jerome Clark. "Cryptozoology: A to Z". New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999.
Eberhart, George M. Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology. 2 vols. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2002.
Newton, Michael. Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology: A Global Guide to Hidden Animals and Their Pursuers. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2005.
Radford, Benjamin and Joe Nickell. "Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World's Most Elusive Creatures." Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2006.
Shuker, Karl. In Search of Prehistoric Survivors. London: Blandford, 1995.
Shuker, Karl. From Flying Toads To Snakes With Wings. St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn, 1997.
Shuker, Karl. The Beasts That Hide From Man: Seeking the World's Last Undiscovered Animals. New York: Paraview Press, 2003.
Weidensaul, Scott. The Ghost with Trembling Wings: Science, Wishful Thinking, and the Search for Lost Species. New York: North Point Press, 2002.
Arnold, Neil. MONSTER! The A-Z Of Zooform Phenomena. Bideford: CFZ Press, 2007.