cryptozoology

[rae121452]

Cryptozoology - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptozoology

Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that aims to prove the existence of entities from the folklore record, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Yeti, the chupacabra, the Jersey Devil, or the Mokele-mbembe. Cryptozoologists refer to these entities as cryptids, a term coined by the subculture. Because it does not follow the scientific method, cryptozoology is considered a pseudoscienc…

i just finished a book that is a state by state survey of the u s and its many fantastic fabled creatures. one thing that struck me is the consistency of the sightings and descriptions. bigfoot or a variant, for example, has been sighted almost everywhere in the country except for high desert. creatures that the indians told early settlers about have then been spotted by whites, all the way up till the present day. do people just see what they want to see? the book had several stories of people who were unaware of something lurking in the vicinity who then saw and described that very creature. isn't it a bit arrogant for humans to say that just because they've never seen something it can't possibly exist, even though others have claimed to see that exact thing?

 

[pecksniff]

https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c1/settled.png

 

[pecksniff]

Also, if Bigfoot is real, where are the bones?

And that applies to any cryptid.

 

[pecksniff]

Also, in America, many "cryptids" are of this sort -- hoop snakes, jackalopes, etc.

 

[twister947]

https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c1/settled.png

Not to mention trailcams on every third tree.

 

[pecksniff]

There aren't many places left in the world that are unexplored by scientifically advanced cultures, and that's the only kind of place we could reasonably expect to find cryptids. The gorilla was once a cryptid -- but could not remain one for very far into the 19th Century.

 

[pecksniff]

Of course, none of the above applies to the Florida skunk ape, which is real. Gotta be. Because Florida.

 

[rae121452]

so, if you don't have documentation, it can't exist. this is going to come as a terrible blow to followers of jesus.

 

[pecksniff]

so, if you don't have documentation, it can't exist. this is going to come as a terrible blow to followers of jesus.

Apples and gods.

 

[rae121452]

viruses. bacteria. the coelacanth (sp?)

 

[pecksniff]

Cryptozoology.

Cryptozoology is the study of or belief in cryptids, or species of animals for which no extant evidence of their existence have yet been found or proven, but are believed by some to exist; or species widely believed to be extinct, such as the Thylacine or Megalodon. Examples of such animals include Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Yeti, Chupacabra, etc. and sometimes mythical creatures such as dragons or the perfect boy/girlfriend.

However, some of the more believable former cryptids are not cryptids anymore, such as the okapi, coelacanth, or giant squid.[2] There are also some believable ones which have not been found yet, such as the high-finned sperm whale. What makes the existence of these kinds of animals plausible is the fact that not every organism living on the planet has been recorded by science. Hence, many remote or poorly explored areas such as the Amazon rain forest or the deep ocean could harbor undiscovered species.

* * *

Cryptozoology is not a clearly defined academic field which, for example, can be undertaken as a degree course: After all, it is difficult to scientifically examine the biology and behavior of a species that has no known living individuals, or a species that hasn't even been conclusively proven to exist. As such, cryptozoologists vary from highly qualified zoologists with an interest in unproven species, to amateur Bigfoot enthusiasts. Some follow the scientific method, while others clearly do not, and many are overly influenced by belief in cryptids. In these respects, cryptozoology is somewhat akin to ufology and various forms of paranormal research.

The more respectable end of cryptozoology tends to shy away from looking for the big-ticket mysterious animals in favour of examining species or habitats that have been studied in little depth. Zoological research turns up a wealth of new species every year, including mammals[6]. The application of genetic sequencing is a powerful tool in characterising species and has even shown some cryptids to be hiding in plain sight — what was once thought to be a single species turns out to be two, for example[7]. However, those cryptozoological discoveries don't have the same brand recognition as Bigfoot or Nessie and are generally ignored by the more excitable cryptozoologists right up until they find themselves having to defend the field as a whole from skeptics.

In recent years there has been some debate among the scientific community as to whether cryptozoology should be given greater recognition and be made the subject of deeper research, although consensus still tends to regard it as a pseudoscience because many of its practitioners rely on unscientific methods to "prove" their findings. Generally, even cryptozoologists themselves consider it a sub-discipline within zoology or biology, rather than its own distinct field.

One example of a serious scientist investigating cryptozoology is Charles Paxton of the Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling at St Andrews University, Scotland. A legitimate academic biologist whose expertise includes surveying fish and penguin populations[8], he has also published peer-reviewed studies on sightings of aquatic monsters.[9][10] His work includes a statistical analysis of sightings of the Loch Ness Monster.[11]

 

[oggbashan]

viruses. bacteria. the coelacanth (sp?)

The re-discovery of the coelacanth is not cryptozoology. We knew it had existed. We just assumed it was extinct since the last specimen had been found dead in the 1930s. Then someone saw it for sale in a fish market and the hunt was on...

Australia has some interesting cryptozoology such as the Bunyip. But prehistoric zoology in Australia is nearly as incredible as the fake animals.

 

[pecksniff]

Australia has some interesting cryptozoology such as the Bunyip.

As I understand it, nobody even knows what a bunyip is supposed to look like.

 

[rae121452]

is the easter bunny cryptozoology?

 

[oggbashan]

As I understand it, nobody even knows what a bunyip is supposed to look like.

That is because it is supposed to kill anyone who sees it... Like much of Australia's real fauna.

 

[rae121452]

The re-discovery of the coelacanth is not cryptozoology. We knew it had existed. We just assumed it was extinct since the last specimen had been found dead in the 1930s. Then someone saw it for sale in a fish market and the hunt was on...

Australia has some interesting cryptozoology such as the Bunyip. But prehistoric zoology in Australia is nearly as incredible as the fake animals.

courtesy of wiki:

The earliest fossils of coelacanths were discovered in the 19th century. Coelacanths, which are related to lungfishes and tetrapods, were believed to have become extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period.[14] More closely related to tetrapods than to the ray-finned fish, coelacanths were considered transitional species between fish and tetrapods.[15] On 23 December 1938, the first Latimeria specimen was found off the east coast of South Africa, off the Chalumna River (now Tyolomnqa).[6][16] Museum curator Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer discovered the fish among the catch of a local angler, Captain Hendrick Goosen.[6][16] Latimer contacted a Rhodes University ichthyologist, J. L. B. Smith, sending him drawings of the fish, and he confirmed the fish's importance with a famous cable: "MOST IMPORTANT PRESERVE SKELETON AND GILLS = FISH DESCRIBED."[6][16]

Its discovery 66 million years after its supposed extinction makes the coelacanth the best-known example of a Lazarus taxon, an evolutionary line that seems to have disappeared from the fossil record only to reappear much later. Since 1938, West Indian Ocean coelacanth have been found in the Comoros, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, in iSimangaliso Wetland Park, and off the South Coast of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa.[17][18]

The Comoro Islands specimen was discovered in December 1952.[19] Between 1938 and 1975, 84 specimens were caught and recorded.[20]

The second extant species, the Indonesian coelacanth, was described from Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia in 1999 by Pouyaud et al.[21] based on a specimen discovered by Mark V. Erdmann in 1998[22] and deposited at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).[23] Erdmann and his wife Arnaz Mehta first encountered a specimen at a local market in September 1997, but took only a few photographs of the first specimen of this species before it was sold. After confirming that it was a unique discovery, Erdmann returned to Sulawesi in November 1997 to interview fishermen and look for further examples. A second specimen was caught by a fisherman in July 1998, which was then handed to Erdmann.[24][25]

 

[pecksniff]

is the easter bunny cryptozoology?

Only in the same sense as satyrs and centaurs and pegasi.

 

[oggbashan]

Only in the same sense as satyrs and centaurs and pegasi.

And the Tooth Fairy...

 

[Dribble]

Same people will take cow wormer instead of a vaccine. And you question why they see things they can't explain? Drugs. Too fucking many drugs.

 

[pecksniff]

And the Tooth Fairy...

Oh, that's real. I have caught and eaten several.

 

[YourgirlfriendLaura]

I do not think UFOs should be in this category, as the US army has video and reports from army pilots, of mysterious objects being in our airspace. There is now a commision, finally, to study it. Could be Russian or Chinese weirdcraft, but we definitely have documented Unidentified Objects flying around up there. Having video simply has not helped because now people just shout ,"Photoshop!"

 

[Dribble]

I do not think UFOs should be in this category, as the US army has video and reports from army pilots, of mysterious objects being in our airspace. There is now a commision, finally, to study it. Could be Russian or Chinese weirdcraft, but we definitely have documented Unidentified Objects flying around up there. Having video simply has not helped because now people just shout ,"Photoshop!"

Hold my beer....did you see that?

Let's look at this logically. There is an advanced lifeform out there capable of traveling vast distances in short timeframes....pretty damn smart would you not agree? Now why would they choose to investigate us...a lifeform where people will take cow wormer instead of a vaccine...where they refuse to wear a mask cause they think they breathe in more CO2. Sure...makes total sense.

 

[pecksniff]

More importantly, why would ETs come all this way and hide their presence?