Cryptozoology

Cryptozoology is the study of rumored animals that are presumed (at least by the researcher) to exist, but for which conclusive proof does not yet exist, or for animals which are generally considered extinct, but are occasionally reported. Those who study or search for such animals are called cryptozoologists, while the hypothetical creatures involved are referred to by some as "cryptids", a term coined by John Wall in 1983.

Justifications for cryptozoology

A cryptozoologist may propose that an interest in such a phenomenon does not entail belief, but a detractor will reply that accepting unsubstantiated sightings is itself a belief. Cryptozoologists tend to be responsible for disproving their own objects of study. For example, some cryptozoologists have collected statistical data and studied witness accounts that challenge the validity of many Bigfoot sightings.

Related Topics:
Belief - Bigfoot

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Scientists have demonstrated that some creatures of mythology, legend or local folklore were rooted in real animals or phenomena. Thus, cryptozoologists hold that people should be open to the possibility that many more such animals exist. In the early days of western exploration of the world, many native tales of unknown animals were initially dismissed as mythology or superstition by western scientists, but consequently proven to have a real basis in biological fact.

Related Topics:
Mythology - Local folklore - Western - Native - Superstition

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the New York Times, William J. Broad writes, "Monster lovers take heart. Scientists argue that so much of the planet remains unexplored that new surprises are sure to show up; if not legendary beasts like the Loch Ness monster or the dinosaur-like reptile said to inhabit Lake Champlain, then animals that in their own way may be even stranger."http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/02/weekinreview/02broa.html

Related Topics:
New York Times - William J. Broad - Monster - Loch Ness monster - Dinosaur - Reptile - Lake Champlain

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Cryptozoologists point out that natives often know a great deal more about their immediate environment (and the animals that inhabit it) than western investigators, and therefore suggest that, even today, thus far unproven tales and traditions regarding unknown undescribed animals in native folklore should not be summarily dismissed in the same way.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There are several animals cited as examples for continuing cryptozoological efforts:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• The coelacanth, a "living fossil" ? a representative of an order of fishes 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.)
• Of an even older lineage than the coelacanth are the Graptolites. Living representatives were first found in 1882, although the group had previously been presumed to have been extinct for 300 million years. Cryptozoologists point these out to demonstrate that there are many unexplored regions of the world left, and that remote exotic locations or specialized ecosystems relatively untouched by man may contain unexpected life.
• Similarly cited is the 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 not a useful analogy to support the existence of marine cryptids" in general. http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bz050/megalodon.html
• Also cited is the 2003 discovery of the remains of Homo floresiensis, a descendent of Homo erectus which took the anthropological community completely by surprise. The fact that myths of a strikingly similar creature, called Ebu Gogo by the local people, have persisted until as late as the 19th Century has given the field of study new credibility from the rest of the scientific community.
• Cryptozoological supporters have noted that many unfamiliar animals, when first reported, were considered hoaxes, delusions or misidentifications. The platypus, giant squid (and colossal squid), mountain gorilla, and komodo dragon are a few such creatures. Supporters note that unyielding skepticism may in fact inhibit discovery of unknown animals. Others have suggested a rigid world view disallows many academics from accepting evidence contrary to the prevailing paradigm.

Along similar lines, the emblem of the Society for Cryptozoology is the okapi, a forest-dwelling relative of the giraffe that was unknown to Western scientists prior to 1901.

Related Topics:
Society for Cryptozoology - Okapi - Giraffe - 1901

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Georges Cuvier's so-called "Rash Dictum" (a phrase coined by Huevlmans) is sometimes cited as a reason that researchers should avoid unfounded, "rash" conclusions: In 1821, Cuvier remarked that it was unlikely for any large, unknown animal to be discovered, not because they aren't conspicuous, but because there aren't that many. Many such discoveries have been made since Cuvier's statement (though fewer than 50 in number). It's been argued that the chances of uncovering large, previously unknown vertebrates are very slender when compared to uncovering unknown invertebrates. It is the commitment to spectacular animals (mostly vertebrates) that makes cryptozoology's critics suspicious of sensationalism.

Related Topics:
Georges Cuvier - Dictum - 1821 - Vertebrate - Invertebrate

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~