cryptozoology - The Skeptic's Dictionary

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class="header"> <div class="logo"> <img src="_images/logo_01.png" alt="The Skeptic's Dictionary" width="270" height="60" border="0" />           <br /> by <a href="http://skepdic.com/refuge/bio.html">Robert Todd Carroll</a> * est. 1994 </div> <div class="slogan"> <img src="_images/slogan_01.gif" alt="A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions" width="362" height="30" /> </div> </div> <div class="menu"> <ul> <li></li><li><a href="http://skepdic.com/">Home</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/news/">Newsletter</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/feedback.html">Feedback</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/faq.html">FAQ & Interviews</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/tour.html">Site Map</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="middle"> <div class="left"> <h2>Topical Indexes</h2> <ul class="nav_1"> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/tialtmed.html">Alternatives to Medicine</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/ticriticalthinking.html">Critical 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href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#J">j</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#K">k</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#L">l</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#M">m</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#N">n</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#O">o</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#P">p</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#Q">q</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#R">r</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#S">s</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#T">t</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#U">u</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#V">v</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#W">w</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#X">x</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#Y">y</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#Z">z</a></li> </ul> <webContent><h1>cryptozoology</h1> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3">Cryptozoology is<i>, </i>literally<i>, the study of hidden animals</i>. It is the study of such creatures as the Australian <a HREF="bunyips.html">bunyip</a>,  <a HREF="bigfoot.html">Bigfoot, </a><a HREF="chupa.html">the chupacabra, </a>and the <a HREF="nessie.html">Loch Ness monster</a>. It is not a recognized branch of the science of zoology.</font></p> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3">Cryptozoology relies heavily upon testimonials and circumstantial evidence in the form of legends and folklore, and the stories and alleged sightings of mysterious beasts by indigenous peoples, explorers, and travelers. Since cryptozoologists spend most of their energy trying to establish the <i>existence </i>of creatures, rather than examining actual animals, they are more akin to <a HREF="psi.html">psi</a> researchers than to zoologists. </font> </p> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3">Expertise in zoology, however, is asserted to be a necessity for work in cryptozoology, according to Dr. Bernard Heuvelmans, who coined the term to describe his investigations of animals unknown to science. This focus on evaluating the evidence for "cryptids" was continued by the International Society for Cryptozoology, which is now defunct. </font></p> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><b>See also</b> <a HREF="ticrypto.html">cryptozoology topical listings.</a> <br> </font> </p> <hr width="25%" align="left" noshade> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><b>further reading</b> </font> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3">books and articles</font><p style="text-align: left"> <font face="Arial" size="3"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1573920215/roberttoddcarrolA/">Bauer, Henry H. "Cryptozoology," in <i>The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal</i>, ed. G. Stein (Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1996).</a> </font> </p> <p style="text-align: left"> <font face="Arial" size="3"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0684856026/roberttoddcarrolA/"> Coleman, Loren and Jerome Clark. <i>Cryptozoology A To Z: The Encyclopedia Of Loch Monsters Sasquatch Chupacabras and Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature </i>(Fireside 1999).</a></font><p style="text-align: left"> <font face="Arial" size="3"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0710304986/roberttoddcarrolA/">Heuvelmans, Bernard, Dr.,<i> On the Track of Unknown Animals</i>, 3rd ed. (London: Kegan Paul International Limited, 1955).</a> </font> <p style="text-align: left"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0826350151/roberttoddcarrolA/">Radford, Ben. 2011. <em>Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore</em>. U of New Mexico Press.</a> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1567186734/roberttoddcarrolA/">Shuker, Karl P. N. <i>From Flying Toads to Snakes with Wings : From the Pages of Fate Magazine</i> (Llewellyn Publications, 1997).</a></font><p style="text-align: left"> <b><font face="Arial" size="3">websites</font></b><p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20051221114750/http:/www.parascope.com/en/cryptozoo/predatorsIndex.htm">Weird Predators Petting Zoo</a></font><p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><a HREF="http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bz050/HomePage.cryptoz.html">Ben Roesch's Cryptozoology Page</a></font><p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20050129095203/http:/users1.ee.net/pmason/cryptozoology.html">Ron Schaffner's Cryptozoology Page</a></font><p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><a href="http://www.pibburns.com/cryptozo.htm">Pib Burns' page on cryptozoology</a></font><p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><a href="http://www.strangemag.com/serpentstale.html">"The Serpents" Tale</a> by Kurt W. Burchfiel (<a href="http://www.strangemag.com/"><em>Strange Magazine</em></a>)</font><p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><a href="http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bz050/HomePage.cb.html">Cryptozoology Publications</a></font><p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><a href="http://www.salonmagazine.com/people/feature/1999/08/16/crypto/index.html">Review of Loren Coleman's <i>Cryptozoology A to Z</i></a> by Steve Burgess (Salon)</font> <p style="text-align: left"><a name="news" id="news"></a><strong>news</strong> <p style="text-align: left"><a href="http://www.centerforinquiry.net/blogs/entry/new_skeptical_cryptozoology_books/">New Skeptical Cryptozoology Books!</a> Sasquatch, Vampires, Zombies, and other man-beasts from Joe Nickel; Chupacabra from Ben Radford; Nessie and other lake monsters from Daniel Loxton; and Champ from Robert Bartholomew. <p></webContent>Last updated 27-Oct-2015 </p> <p> </div> </div> <div class="right"> <div class="right_it"> <div class="search"> <form method="get" action="http://www.google.com/custom" target="_top"> <input type="hidden" name="domains" value="skepdic.com" /> <input type="text" name="q" maxlength="255" value="" size="20" /> <input type="submit" name="sa" value="Search" /> <br /> <div class="search_2"> <input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="" /> Web     <input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="skepdic.com" checked="checked" /> Skepdic.com <br /> <img src="_images/logo_google.gif" alt="Google" width="48" height="19" /> </div> <input type="hidden" name="client" value="pub-3542920166946725" /> <input type="hidden" name="forid" value="1" /> <input type="hidden" name="ie" value="ISO-8859-1" /> <input type="hidden" name="oe" value="ISO-8859-1" /> <input type="hidden" name="cof" value="GALT:#008000;GL:1;DIV:#336699;VLC:663399;AH:center;BGC:FFFFFF;LBGC:336699;ALC:0000FF;LC:0000FF;T:000000;GFNT:0000FF;GIMP:0000FF;FORID:1;" /> <input type="hidden" name="hl" value="en" /> </form> </div> <div class="center"> <p align="right"><a href="http://skepdic.com/authorpage.html"><strong>Books by R. 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