Cryptozoology (from Greek κρυπτός, kryptos, "hidden" + zoology; literally, "study of hidden animals") refers to the search for animals which are considered to be legendary or otherwise nonexistent by mainstream biology. This includes looking for living examples of animals that are considered extinct, such as dinosaurs; animals whose existence lacks physical support but which appear in myths, legends, or are reported, such as Bigfoot and Chupacabra;[1] and wild animals dramatically outside of their normal geographic ranges, such as phantom cats or "ABCs" (an initialism commonly used by cryptozoologists that stands for Alien Big Cats).
Those involved in cryptozoological study are known as cryptozoologists. The animals they study are often referred to as cryptids, a term coined by John Wall in 1983.[2]
Cryptozoology is not a recognized branch of the science of zoology. Its status as a science has been questioned[3] since it relies heavily upon anecdotal evidence, stories and alleged sightings,[4] and has been referred to as a pseudoscience.[5]
Overview
The coining of the word cryptozoology is often attributed to zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans, though Heuvelmans attributes coinage of the term to the late Scottish explorer and adventurer Ivan T. Sanderson.[6] Heuvelmans' 1955 book On the Track of Unknown Animals traces the scholarly origins of the discipline to Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans and his 1892 study, The Great Sea Serpent.[7] 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, arguing that while often layered in unlikely and fantastic elements, folktales can have small grains of truth and important information regarding undiscovered organisms. Phantom cats (an example of living animals found outside of their normal range) and their counterparts are a common subject of cryptozoological interest,[8] largely due to the relative likelihood of existence in comparison to fantastical cryptids lacking any rigorous evidence of existence, such as Mothman.[9][10]
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 wrote 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 entertains the possibility that some legendary creatures (like the sirrush, the unicorn or the cyclops) might be based on actual animals, through misinterpretation of the animals and/or their remains. Also notable is the work of British zoologist and cryptozoologist Karl Shuker, who has published 12 books and countless articles on numerous cryptozoological subjects since the mid-1980s. Loren Coleman, a modern popularizer of cryptozoology, has chronicled the history and personalities of cryptozoology in his books.[11]
Criticism
Cryptozoology has been criticised because of its reliance on anecdotal information[12] and because some cryptozoologists do not follow the scientific method[13][14] and devote a substantial portion of their efforts to investigations of animals that most scientists believe are unlikely to have existed.[15]
As historian Mike Dash notes, few scientists doubt there are thousands of unknown animals, particularly invertebrates, awaiting discovery; however, cryptozoologists are largely uninterested in researching and cataloging newly-discovered species of ants or beetles, instead focusing their efforts towards "more elusive" creatures that have often defied decades of work aimed at confirming their existence.[15] The majority of mainstream criticism of cryptozoology is thus directed towards the search for megafauna cryptids such as Bigfoot, the Yeti, and the Loch Ness Monster, which appear often in popular culture, but for which there is little or no scientific support.[citation needed] Some scientists argue that megafauna cryptids are unlikely to exist undetected in great enough numbers to maintain a breeding population,[16] and are unlikely to be able to survive in their reported habitats due to issues of climate and food supply.[17] David Daegling, an anthropologist, considers the Bigfoot legend to be a combination of folklore, misidentification and hoax.[18]
Defense
Cryptozoologists argue that the inventory of even large animals is incomplete.[2] For example, large marine animals continue to be discovered and there is reason to believe more will be discovered in the future.[19]
Cryptozoology proponents further cite as support instances in which they claim that species accepted by the scientific community were initially considered superstition, hoaxes, delusions or misidentifications.[2] The popularly reported European discovery of the okapi in 1901, earlier hinted at but unseen in his travelogue of exploring the Congo by Henry Morton Stanley later became the emblem for the now defunct International Society of Cryptozoology.
The 2003 discovery of the fossil remains of Homo floresiensis was cited by paleontologist Henry Gee, editor of the journal Nature as possible evidence that humanoid cryptids like the orang pendek and yeti were "founded on grains of truth". Additionally, Gee said, "cryptozoology, the study of such fabulous creatures, can come in from the cold."[20]
Further reading
* Arment, Chad. Cryptozoology: Science & Speculation. Landisville, Penn.: Coachwhip, 2004, ISBN 1-930585-15-2.
* Arnold, Neil. MONSTER! The A-Z Of Zooform Phenomena. Bideford: CFZ Press, 2007, ISBN 1905723172.
* Budd, Deena. The Weiser Field Guide to Cryptozoology . Redwheel, Weiser, 2010, ISBN 978-1-57863-450-7.
* Coleman, Loren and Jerome Clark. "Cryptozoology: A to Z". New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999, ISBN 978-0-684-85602-5.
* Eberhart, George M. Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology. 2 vols. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2002, ISBN 1-57607-283-5.
* Gibbons, William J. "Mokele-Mbembe Mystery Beast of the Congo Basin" Coachwhip Publishing 2010, ISBN 1616460105
* Ley, Willy. Exotic Zoology ISBN 0517625458.
* Shuker, Karl. The Beasts That Hide From Man: Seeking the World's Last Undiscovered Animals. New York: Paraview Press, 2003, ISBN 1931044613.
Notes and references
1. ^ Simpson, George G. (1984-03-30) "Mammals and Cryptozoology", Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, p1, V128#1
2. ^ a b c 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
3. ^ Simpson, George G. (1984). "Mammals and Crytozoology". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society (American Philosophical Society.) 128 (1): 1–19. http://www.jstor.org/pss/986487. Retrieved September 2010.
4. ^ Carroll, Robert T. (1994-2009). "The Skeptic's Dictionary". http://www.skepdic.com/crypto.html. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
5. ^ Shermer, Michael; Linse, Pat (2002). The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1576076539. http://books.google.com/?id=Gr4snwg7iaEC&pg=PA71&dq=The+Skeptic+Encyclopedia+of+Pseudoscience+cryptozoology&q.
6. ^ Heuvelmans, Bernard. In the Wake of the Sea-Serpents. New York: Hill and Wang, 1968.
7. ^ Heuvelmans, Bernard. On The Track Of Unknown Animals. New York: Hill and Wang, 1959.
8. ^ Cryptozoology/Big Cats at the Open Directory Project
9. ^ "Big Cat evidence gets stronger, as society calls for government study". British Big Cats Society. http://www.britishbigcats.org/news.php. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
10. ^ Fear, Brad "A Macabre Myth of a Moth-Man" (2008) ISBN 978-1438902630
11. ^ Coleman, Loren. Tom Slick: True Life Encounters in Cryptozoology. Fresno, California: Craven Street Books/Linden Press, 2002.
12. ^ Shermer, M. (2003). "Show Me the Body". Scientific American (288(5)): 27.
13. ^ Coleman, Loren; Huyghe, Patrick (April 1999). "Afterword". The Field Guide to Bigfoot, Yeti, and Other Mystery Primates Worldwide. Trumbore, Harry. New York, New York: Avon Books. pp. 207. ISBN 0-380-80263-5.
14. ^ Coleman, Loren; Huyghe, Patrick; Trumbore, Harry; Rollins, Mark Lee (2003). The Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep. New York, New York: Penguin Group. pp. 358. ISBN 1-58542-252-5.
15. ^ a b Dash, Mike (2000). Borderlands: The Ultimate Exploration of the Unknown. Overlook Press.
16. ^ Bigfoot hunting
17. ^ Sjögren, Bengt (1980). Berömda vidunder. Settern. ISBN 91-7586-023-6. (Swedish)
18. ^ Daegling, David J. (2004). Bigfoot Exposed: An Anthropologist Examines America's Enduring Legend. Altamira Press. pp. 62–63. ISBN 0-7591-0539-1.
19. ^ 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.
20. ^ Gee, Henry. 2004. Nature. "Flores, God and Cryptozoology: The discovery poses thorny questions about the uniqueness of Homo sapiens."
