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Cryptozoology is the study of hidden animals; animals not accepted by the scientific community because of a lack of evidence. The word cryptozoology is of recent origin; in the 1950s biologist Bernard Heuvelmans coined the term for the study of strange and unknown animals existing in the world today. Bernard Heuvelmans was born in Le Havre, France, in 1916 and received his doctorate in zoology from the Free University in Brussels in 1939. Today he is credited with being the “father” of Cryptozoology. However, man’s search for animals from legend began long before Heuvelman.
People have always wondered about animals in exotic places. Strange tales of animals in Africa and the Far East seemed like fairy tales to the Europeans who heard them. Surely nothing like the giraffe could actually exist? And glimpses of giant squids by sailors created legends about monk fish – shaped like hooded men. However, to a people willing to accept the existence of unicorns, giraffes and monkfish were only slightly more bizarre. However, today we have explored the world and her seas, we have seen and classified every possible creature, right? Well, no. New species are being discovered every year. Sure, they are mostly insects, but don’t they prove science doesn’t know everything?
Today, cryptozoology has a serious credibility problem. Despite it being championed by a number of scientists, most of the scientific world considers it little more than the search for boogie monsters. However, cryptozoologists have had some success stories throughout the ages as they searched for legendary beasts. The mountain gorilla and the giant panda were both only legends for many years before their existence was proven. The coelacanth was flatly considered extinct for millions of years, until one was found off the coast of South Africa in 1938.
The Cryptozoologist looks for animals thought to be extinct, like the coelacanth and the dinosaur (both aquatic dinosaurs like the Loch Ness Monster of Scotland and land dinosaurs like Mokele-Mbembe of Central Africa). Animals appearing in unlikely places like the Beast of Bodmin Moor (the big cats of Great Britian). Animals of unexpected size, such as the Lusca (giant octopus) of the Bahamas. And animals found in the folklore of a specific region such as el Chupacabra. These animals are called cryptids until definitive proof is found of their existence.
Many times what a cryptozoologist does is find a logical explanation for an unusual sighting or carcass. Animal remains can be very confusing to those who find them. Early Greek travelers found huge skulls that seemed to have a single eye socket. From these skulls, the legendary Cyclops was born. Scientists now know that these were elephant skulls and the “eye socket” was instead the nasal cavity. Today, many people have discovered “sea monster” remains. Usually these turn out to be the carcasses of basking sharks (a huge strange looking shark when alive, and even stranger when it starts to decay) or rays.
Cyptozoologists believe that persistent tales of any animal in a particular locale most always mean “something” unusual is out there. However, they also understand that sightings are notoriously unreliable. Proof of that is easy to find in early descriptions of animals we have come to think of as commonplace. In his book, Travels Through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida, William Bartram describes the Florida alligator: "They force the water out of their throat which falls from their mouth like a cataract and a steam or vapour from their nostrils like smoke." He included drawings he had made during his travels and the alligator looks quite monstrous. Therefore testimony of sightings cannot be used to judge particulars about a cryptid, but when consistent sightings are made over time, cryptozoologists accept that something strange does exist. A good cryptozoologist must balance a healthy skepticism with an innate faith that there are mystery animals out there, waiting to be found.
The most well known cryptids are also the creatures that bring the most scorn to cryptozoologists. Incredible amounts of money and time have been invested in trying to prove the existence of huge primates – Sasquatch, Bigfoot, Yeti, the Florida Skunk Ape – and cryptozoologists argue that the years of search for the mountain gorilla prove that great apes can do a remarkable job of eluding search. Also, the commercial popularity of such books as Cryptozoology A to Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras, and Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature by Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark don’t help as skeptics point to them as proof of the absurdity of cryptozoology as a “science.”
However, the truth remains that mysteries will always awaken the curiosity in people. Until every cryptid sighting has been explained, cryptozoologists will continue to search for answers, hoping for the discoveries that will lend validity to the years of theorizing and study. Perhaps someday we will visit an el chupacabra exhibit at the zoo– right between the mountain gorillas and the giant pandas!
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