At the beginning of the 21st Century monsters still roam the remote, and sometimes not so remote, corners of our planet. It is our job to search for them. The Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] is - we believe - the largest professional, scientific and full-time organisation in the world dedicated to cryptozoology - the study of unknown animals. Since 1992 the CFZ has carried out an unparalleled programme of research and investigation all over the world. Since 2009 we have been running the increasingly popular CFZ Blog Network, and although there has been an American branch of the CFZ for over ten years now, it is only now that it has a dedicated blog.

Thursday 6 March 2014

SQUEAK!


The animal you see above is the Laotian rock rat (Leonastes aenigmanus) to which an interesting tale is attached.  You see, it belongs to a group which supposedly became extinct 11 million years ago.  There were no fossils indicating its continued existence.  Then a specimen was discovered in a meat market, where it was apparently destined for a kebab.  Since then, more specimens have come to light.

For the cryptozoologist, this sort of "living fossil" is of considerable interest as cryptozoology involves looking into reports of supposedly extinct animals.  The argument from the fossil record that such animals cannot exist is thus shown to rest on excessively shaky foundations.

Incidentally, in case you haven't guessed, this animal is found in Laos.  It is also known as the kha-nyou.

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