THE CLEVERALITY OF BEARS

Grizzly Bears aren't stupid.  A study shows they know how to use objects to help reach food that is beyond their grasp.

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ALASKAN LAKE MONSTER

1. The Native Americans preserve in their lore a number of traditions relative to monsters and unknown animals.  For example, the Ahtna of Alaska speak of the gux (the x is pronounced like ch in Bach).  This is evidently a scaly creature, for that is what its name indicates.  Be careful, then, of swimming in Alaskan lakes.  I am told that people feature in this creature's diet.

AMERICAN MONSTERS

Linda Godfrey, whom I regard as a superb writer, has produced a new book, American Monsters.  Although I've not seen it yet, I recommend that you get a copy, on the strength of previous works.

Available at $16.95 (cheaper from Amazon); also available in Kindle.

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BIGFOOT AND THE SPIRIT BOX

Bigfoot hunter tries to communicate with Bigfoot.

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BIG CATS IN THE U.S.

What sort of big cats linger in the USA?  This interesting article contains much information, going into the legend of the Wampus Cat.

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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD

On This Day in Weird, August 31...

1888: Still-unidentified serial killer "Jack the Ripper" claims his first confirmed victim, Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, in London's Whitechapel district, inaugurating one of history's most enduring criminal mysteries.

BUNYIP

There is no doubt that the bunyip is one of the most famous cryptids alleged to inhabit Australia.  This article gives an overview of the creature.

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BRER RABBIT - TRICKSTER HERO

Brer Rabbit is perhaps the most famous folk hero of the United States.  The stories about him were brought from Africa by slaves.  Some of them seem to be based on Anansi the Spider, a rather unpleasant character.  Some may be based on other tales connected with rabbits, which often appear in African folklore.  Some of the stories about him may owe their origin to Cherokee tales.

Brer Rabbit stories seem to have been first written down by Robert Roosevelt (1829-1906), but they attained their popularity through the writings of Joel Chandler Harris (1845-1908).  He placed them in the mouth of Uncle Remus, a fictitious old Afro-American who made his first appearance in the Atlantic Constitution (1876).  Harris went on to write a series of books about Brer Rabbit, couched in Afro-American dialect.

Folklorists use the term Trickster to denote a character who lives on his wits, always diving and dodging.  A rabbit, with so little defensive resources, makes an excellent subject for Trickster tales.  Brer Rabbit was not lacking in persons he had to outwit.  In the picture above you can see Brer Fox and Brer Wolf, both hungry for the taste of bunny.  Brer Tarrypin, a friendly character, is also in the picture.  So are some strange looking women.  If you wish to see more strange looking women, you should come to the CFZ Weird Weekend, where strange looking women proliferate.

Other persons of note in the stories are the flying and dangerous Mr Buzzard, the animals' enemy, Mister Man, and Jedge B'ar.

Although Uncle Remus is fictitious, Harris had among his sources Afro-Americans referred to as Uncle George Terrell, Aunt Crissy and Old Harbert.

Mind you, rabbits are not always as helpless as you might think.  I know of a friend of my sister who bought a house.  The former occupant asked her if she could leave her pet rabbit behind.  This creature lived in a hutch in the backyard.  When she went to feed it, it jumped out in an aggressive way and ran off.  Some minutes later a mailman entered the backyard.  He claimed in outraged tones that he had been attacked and bitten by the rabbit.  During the night, a telephone call was received from a neighbor, claiming the rabbit had attacked and bitten his cat.  What ultimately befell this warlike lagomorph I know not.  One is reminded of General Woundwort in Watership Down.  

OVERVIEW: MOTHMAN SIGHTINGS

A general look at alleged sightings of West Virginia's most famous cryptid.

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UFO OVER NIAGARA FALLS

Video of a recent Canadian sighting.

Niagara Falls

Have a look.....

ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD

On This Day in Weird, August 30...

1922: Robert Harvey Rines, future Loch Ness researcher and founder of the Academy of Applied Sciences, born in Boston, Massaschusetts.

1995: Theatrical premiere of Magic in the Water, a film based on pursuit of a Canadian lake monster.

CONNECTED DOGS

Are dogs connected to people at an emotional level?

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BIGFOOT REPORT FROM TEXAS

This alleged sighting took place in June in Harris County.

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BIG SPIDERS

Do you like spiders?  I hope so, because research suggest that living in urban areas makes spiders bigger.

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ENCOUNTERS WITH HUMANOIDS

Humanoids with a possibly ET origin may not belong to cryptozoology strictu sensu; but, being presumably animal, such beings fall into the category of Fortean zoology.  Here are details of some encounters.

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UFOs IN PENNSYLVANIA AND WISCONSIN

Well, they may be UFOs, but that doesn't say what they are, because thay are, after all, like the father of a child I know, unidentified.

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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD

On This Day in Weird, August 29...

1949: Theatrical release of Mighty Joe Young, featuring stop-motion special effects from master Willis O'Brien.

1987: Primatologist and Bigfoot researcher John Russell Napier dies on the Isle of Mull at age 70.

SHERIDAN LE FANU

I almost forgot to mention that my compatriot, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, writer of Gothic horror stories, would have been 200 today.  He also went to my old university.

Birthplace of J Sheridan Le Fanu, Dublin

I SPEAK OF THE SAUSAGE

The remarks I am about to make do not apply to all sausages, but they do apply to a great many.  And as sausages are made from animal meat, I feel this information is not out of place on a quasi-zoological site such as this.

I was told by a butcher's daughter that, if I knew what really went into sausages, I would nevermore eat one.  Sausages crafted by her father, she added, did not fall into this inedible category.  But she would not elaborate on what went into the other ones.

I could only use my imagination, so I imagined snout, eyeball, ear, cheek, gum (the kind teeth grow out of), tail and goodness alone knew what from actually inside the pig concerned.  So, I pass the message on to you - think before you eat a sausage.  I know of one sausage factory of which it is said that anyone who had worked there would never eat a sausage thereafter.

Mind you, if you just love sausages or, for that matter, hot dogs, you could always try a vegetarian sausage.  However, I tried one once and I have no desire to repeat the experiment.  It tasted gross.

So, unless you know a butcher who takes care only to put congenial meat in his sausages, either don't eat them or blank out your mind to their possible content if you do.

BEAST OF TOLAGA

A sea-monster of New Zealand/Aotearoa.

Tolaga Bay

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REPORTS OF DINOSAURS?

A look at some dinosaur-like creatures reported in modern times.

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WAS THIS DINOSAUR A CANNIBAL?

Did Coelophysis eat its own kind?

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NEW VIDEO OF ALLEGED BIGFOOT

This was taken at Greenwater Park, Saskatchewan.

have a look.....

ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD

On This Day in Weird, August 28...

1926: Future anomaly investigator William Roger Corliss born in Stamford, Connecticut. Author Arthur C. Clarke described him as "[Charles] Fort's latter-day—and much more scientific—successor."

FAIRY FESTIVAL

For those with interest in the lore of Fairies, this is to let you know that the Annual Solvang Faeriefest will be held on Saaturday, October 4th, at Solvang (California).

CONNECTICUT VAMPIRE PANIC

No, do not worry.  It's not a contemporary panic.  Its one from the 19th Century.

Vampire

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NBC MAN AND UFO PICTURE

This article alleges that an NBC operative who caught a UFO on camera was questioned by the FBI.

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UNIONTOWN (PA) AND "FINDING BIGFOOT".

The program Finding Bigfoot has visited Uniontown (Pennsylvania).

Mebbe I don't want to be found.

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BIGFOOT IN VICKSBURG

Has Bigfoot been seen in Vicksburg (Mississippi)?  Evidence of Bigfoot presence includes a sighting.

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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD

On This Day in Weird, August 27...

1906: Edward Theodore Gein, future real-life model for fiction serial killers Norman Bates (Psycho), "Leatherface" (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and "Buffalo Bill (Silence of the Lambs), born in La Crosse County, Wisconsin.

HAVE YOU MET AN ELF?

Allegedly true stories of encounters with Elves in Iceland.

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GNOME IN PENNSYLVANIA?

As some of you will know, the word gnome was coined by Paracelsus, but these days it is applied to diminutive beings in folklore.  Was a photograph of one taken in Pennsylvania?  Read this communication sent to Linda Moulton Howe.

[Not Gnome Photograph in article]

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DOES YOUR DOG MISBEHAVE?

A new perfume, made from boars (not wild ones) will induce improvement.

Don't boar me

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MOTHMAN FESTIVAL

If you want to know more about the Mothman Festival to be held next month, follow the link.

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For information about the Miss Mothman pageant, to be held at the Festival, follow this one:

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MOTHMAN MUSEUM TO MOVE

The Mothman Museum is to move its premises in Point Pleasant, hopefully in time for the Mothman Festival, which commences on September 20th.

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GRUMPY BIGFOOTS

In this video Ron Moorhead describes the aggressive behavior of Bigfoots he allegedly recorded.

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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD

On This Day in Weird, August 26...

1845: Polly Nichols, first known victim of Britain's phantom serial killer "Jack the Ripper," born Mary Ann Walker in a hovel on Dean Street, in London.

1883: Leonidas Frank Chaney—better known as Lon Chaney Sr., Hollywood's "Man of a Thousand Faces"—born in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

GIANT RATS AID HUMANITY

I am not a great fan of the rat, but in Africa they are being trained to sniff out tuberculosus.

Giant pouched rat

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CROSSBRED WOLVES AND COYOTES

Wolves and coyotes are interbreeding in the United States and an occasional dog is contributing to the gene pool.

Wolf

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ROUGAROU HUNT

The rougarou is a kind of wolfman in Cajun folklore.  Here we have a video of a rougarou hunt.  Readers are reminded that the French for a werewolf is loup-garou, which is probably the origin of the term, but among Chippewa Indians the term rugaru is used for a hairy wildman.

have a look.....

ANOTHER STRANGE DUNPHY EXPERIENCE

A couple of days ago, I mentioned the adventures of Shane Dunphy, searching for the dobharchú on Omey Island off the Irish coast.  He shared another experience with me, which will, I trust, be of interest.

He was driving along one day through the Irish countryside when his attention was distracted by a herd of cows in a field.  Near them was a large dog which bore some resemblance to an Afghan hound.  The problem with the dog was that it was too large, much too big in proportion to the cattle.

Asking a local later what he might have seen, the latter at once suggested it was the púca (anglicized pooka), a creature of Irish folklore.  The púca is a shapeshifter and can supposedly assume a variety of forms.  It is particularly well known for making appearances as a horse which breathes blue flames.

Was this huge dog a paranormal creature.  If not, what was it?

THE TREE THAT WALKS

Into the realm of cryptobotany we go to have a look at the Walking Tree.

Here it comes; picture courtesy Austin Whittall

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DAVIS REPORT ON PATTERSON FILM

The Davis Report on the alleged Bigfoot film.

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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD

On This Day in Weird, August 25...

2001: Hollywood makeup artist John Chambers, recipient of special Academy Award in 1968 for his work on Planet of the Apes, dies in a Los Angeles hospital at age 78. Shortly before his death, in an interview conducted by Sasquatch researcher Bobbie Short, Chambers denied persistent rumors that he created the costume for a female Sasquatch shown in Roger Patterson's Bluff Creek film of October 20, 1967.

PLURALITY OF UNIVERSES

Is it possible that there are other universes?  If so, it is of course conceivable that cryptids might wander out of them into ours sometimes, if they can find portals between them.  But what does contemporary science say about other universes?  Is it comfortable with the idea?  Well, yes, it is.

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ARIZONA LEGENDS

These are Native American legends, featuring Giants, a friendly Toad, a friendly Spider and a horrific Thing.

Early map of Arizona

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LONG ISLAND UFO SIGHTINGS

Recent sightings from Long Island.

Map of Long Island 

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UNDERWATER PANTHER

The Native Americans had sundry legends of creatures generally referred to as "underwater panthers".  Here we have some accounts.

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CHUPACABRAS IN CHILE

The chupacabras reported from Chile.  Is it the same as the one in Puerto Rico?

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SICILIAN MONSTER STORY

Palermo Monster; image courtesy Lon Strickler

Was the Palermo Monster real or a fake?  See this interesting story.

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AN ASSESSMENT BY JASON COLAVITO

Jason Colavito writes upon the assertions of Bruce Fenton.

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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD

On This Day in Weird, August 24...

1969: Five construction workers on a job at Big Horn Dam, on Alberta's North Saskatchewan River, report being watched for half an hour by Sasquatch. After stating that the creature was half a mile distant, they claim it was 15 feet tall.

1973: An unnamed witness sees a 7-foot Sasquatch that smelled "like rotten eggs" outside Herminie, Pennsylvania.

1976: Two hikers report three sightings of Sasquatch on the same day, near Whitehall, New York.

ANIMAL SPEECH

New research suggests animals may have more speech ability that hitherto thought.

Mocking Bird

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KUMBWAY

The kumbway is a cryptid of Liberia.  Information is to be found about it in this account.

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NEW LOCH NESS MONSTER VIDEO

A new video allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster has appeared.

Loch Ness

have a look.....

UFOs OVER SERBIA AND CALIFORNIA

Some recent UFO sightings

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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD

On This Day in Weird, August 23...

2006: Paranormal investigator Edward "Ed" Warren Miney dies in Monroe, Connecticut, at age 79.

LAKE NORMAN MONSTER

An article on the Monster of Lake Norman, North Carolina.

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GIANTS OF CHIHUAHUA

Below is a fascinating account of humanoids in Mexican Indian tradition.

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DOBHARCHÚ REPORTS

Many of you will be familiar with the Dobharchú (plural dobharchon), an animal in Irish folklore, pronounced either doovarchoo or doowarchoo, the ch as in Bach.  The word in Irish means an otter, but at times it means a special kind of  legendary otter of very large proportions.  This creature of folklore is decidedly dangerous and many cryptozoologists will be familiar with the legend of Gráinne Ní Conlaí who was supposedly killed by one of the monsters.  Her husband came upon the corpse.  The lines of a local ballad describe what he saw:

      Upon her bosom, snow-white once,
      But now besmeared with gore,
      The Dobharchú reposing was,
      His surfeiting being o'er,
      Her bowels and entrails all around,
      Tinged with a reddish hue.
      'Oh, God!' he cried, ' 'tis hard to bear,
      'But what am I to do?'

According to tradition, he went home, procured his gun and shot the beast, only to be attacked by another.  It too was slain.  On Gráinne's tomb at the local churchyard there is a strange animal, thought to be a dobharchú.  (Gráinne's name is sometimes anglicized as Grace). 

Although this encounter is placed in Leitrim, the animal is certainly part of the legendry of the adjoining counties of Sligo and Donegal.  P.S. Dinneen in his Irish-English Dictionary places it in Donegal.
However, at Omey Island, off the coast of County Galway, traditions of it certainly persist to this day.  I was recently informed by ace journalist Shane Dunphy that many people in the vicinity claim to have actually seen the creature.  One local with whom he was watching television saw a film of the Brazilian Giant otter.  This person had seen the Dobharchú and proclaimed it was the same animal.

Shane determined to camp out on Omey Island one night to see if he encountered anything unusual.  The island's only permanent resident was absent that night.  During the hours of darkness, he heard something snuffling outside his tent.  He quickly made sure his tent was closed, for he feared attack.  In the morning he found a print in some cowdung.  His snuffling visitor remains a mystery. 

Ruined cottage, Omey Island