Page 80 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - August/September 2017

80 The Creatures of Cryptozoology

Rumor or Reality: The

Creatures of

Cryptozoology

Cryptozoology is the study of animals that are
rumored to exist. Such creatures are called
"cryptids." Some, like the gorilla, giant squid
and okapi, are no longer hearsay and legend but
real creatures recognized by science. Others,
like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster,
continue to tempt the hopeful and the
adventurous with the possibility of their
existence.

Thylacine

Also known as the Tasmanian tiger or wolf, the
thylacine was a large meat-eating marsupial that
lived in Australia. It had a long, stiff tail, dark
stripes on its back and rump, and a pouch similar
to other marsupials like the koala and kangaroo.
It was driven to extinction by human activity
and the introduction of wild dogs onto the
Australian mainland. The last confirmed wild
thylacine was spotted in Tasmania in 1932,
while the last captive one died in Tasmania's King cheetah coelacanth was well known to local inhabitants,
Hobart Zoo in 1936. Though widely considered who called the fish "gombassa" or "mame."
to be extinct, sightings of this strange creature
Starting in 1926, people in Zimbabwe began
do still occur occasionally.
spotting a cheetah with unusual markings. Bigfoot
Instead of spots, this cheetah had large splotches
Okapi
like a leopard and black stripes down its back. Also known as Sasquatch, this famous cryptid is
People called the creature "king cheetah." Some rumored to be a hairy, ape-like creature living in
If giraffes and zebras could mate, their offspring thought it might be a leopard-cheetah hybrid or the backwoods of the United States and Canada.
would look like an Okapi. This strange looking a new subspecies of cheetah. The mystery wasn't Bigfoot is said to have huge feet — up to 20
creature has striped legs like a zebra but the face solved until 1981, when a king cheetah was born inches in length — stand between 7 to 10 feet
of a giraffe. Its neck is much shorter than a in the De Wildt Cheetah Center in South Africa. tall, and to walk upright. Some suspect that
giraffe, but like its cousin, it has an extremely Analysis later revealed that the cheetah's Bigfoot may be a living Gigantopithecus, a giant
long tongue, which can reach lengths of up to 12
markings were the result of a very rare genetic ape that died out 100,000 years ago. Mainstream
inches. The okapi can use this tongue to wash its
mutation. scientists doubt such claims.
own eyelids and ears. Prior to 1901, okapis were
known only to the people living in the Congo
Homo floresiensis Giant squid
rain forest.
Folktales from the Indonesian island of Flores Giant squids can grow up to 43 feet in length
Loch Ness Monster
tell of a mysterious race of little people called and may have been one of the inspirations
the "Ebu Gogo," who abducted children and behind the kraken, a many-armed sea monster in
The locals near Lake Ness (or "Loch" Ness in
spoke in murmurs. Scientists began to take the Norwegian myth. In September 2005, Japanese
Scottish Gaelic) in northwestern Scotland myths more seriously when in 2003, the remains researchers baited and filmed a live specimen in
affectionately refer to the mysterious creature of a new humanoid species called Homo its natural ocean habitat for the first time. The
rumored to be living in their waters as "Nessie." floresiensis was discovered in caves on the creature struggled for four hours before finally
According to one popular hypothesis, Nessie is island. Fossil dating suggests that H. floresiensis breaking free, losing an 18-foot long arm in the
a plesiosaur, a large marine reptile that lived may have lived alongside modern humans as process.
during the time of dinosaurs and which had a recently as 12,000 years ago.
long neck and stubby, paddle-like fins. Similar
However, since the discovery scientists Gorilla
creatures have been reported in other lakes
have argued whether the specimen was a human
around the world.
with an abnormally small head or represents a For centuries, westerners heard tales of a giant
new species in the human family tree. The ape living in the jungles of Africa. The creature
Ivory-billed woodpecker diminutive creature [image] had a brain was called "enge-ena" by locals, and was
approximately one-third the size of modern rumored to be larger and stronger than a man.
By the mid-1990s, the ivory-billed woodpecker adult humans. But it wasn't until 1847, when an American
was widely believed to be extinct due to decades
missionary managed to procure a skull and some
of deforestation and hunting by collectors. It Coelacanth bones of the creature that science was officially
was rediscovered in 2004, when a bird introduced to the western lowland gorilla.[]
enthusiast kayaking through waters in the woods In 1938, a South African museum curator was
of Arkansas reported seeing one alive. sorting through the local fishermen's daily catch Join Rob McConnell
Researchers later obtained a video clip of the and looking for unusual creatures when she in
bird, as well as an audio recording of its call and spotted a coelacanth, an ancient fish thought to The ‘X’ Zone
the distinctive sound it makes when drilling be extinct for millions of years and known only 7 Days & Nights A Week
wood.
through fossils. As with many cryptids, the on www.XZBN.net