Tales of the Cryptids: Mysterious Creatures That May or May Not Exist (Darby Creek Publishing)

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Distinct from but linked to this apparent cultural role of cryptozoology is our ability to perform as witnesses and ‘data recallers’. It’s no secret that people generally perform very badly when it comes to describing and recalling observations, especially those made fleetingly or when under stress. And sceptics of cryptozoology often point to the field’s over-emphasis of the value of eyewitness data as one of its primary flaws ( Loxton & Prothero 2013). How we perform as witnesses and recallers and why we fail or succeed when we do is another fascinating subject – and I say that it’s linked to the cultural role of cryptozoology because a case can be made that our preconceptions and biases are linked to cultural and societal archetypes, memes and concepts. Standard reading on cryptozoologicalscepticism: Loxton& Prothero (2013). Physical evidence that might support the existence of these creatures has never been obtained, yet the creatures are ubiquitous in the relevant cultures, even travelling with the peoples concerned when they move to new lands. What I think these examples show is that cryptids are ‘cultural archetypes’ embedded in the way people imagine the world. So familiar is their place within this view of the world that they’re expected in the appropriate locations.

There’s also a case to be made that people of a given subset will be more inclined to investigate or believe in mystery animals than others: this topic is explored at length in Blu Buhs (2009). Flatwoods Monster of West Virginia, a robotic extraterrestrial that crash-landed in rural Appalachia I love folklore, so naturally, I also love cryptids, since they're basically the scary story versions of modern folklore. Which is precisely what I enjoyed about The United States of Cryptids.”—BoingBoing Naish, D. 2016. Hunting Monsters: Cryptozoology and the Reality Behind the Myths. Arcturus, London. We’re at an early stage in understanding this stuff. Or, at least, those of us who aren’t experts in it are at an early stage. What I’m saying – by now it’s probably clear – is that, while bigfoot and Nessie and so on might not be ‘real’, they’re likely ‘real’ enough, culturally and/or psychologically, to be significant to us. I think that that’s important. We’re calling this whole subject ‘post-cryptid cryptozoology’, and I hope that Hunting Monsters is perhaps epiphanic on this front to at least some of its readers.

Should, then, cryptozoology be denounced as pseudoscience? Some argue that it should and that its practitioners are only pretending to ‘do science’. Those in favour of this view argue that cryptozoology should be considered akin to belief in the paranormal and that it functions as the thin end of the wedge when it comes to an anti-scientific view of the world.

Spears’s ashy blue drawings have the impromptu feel of field sketches, while facts and alleged eyewitness accounts lend further credence to this fun handbook. Halls also provides a heartening message to readers: for any cryptid proven nonexistent, there are plenty of other weird and wonderful species to compensate.”— Publishers Weekly The term ‘cryptozoology’ has in fact been undergoing a transformation of meaning. The ‘traditional version’ of cryptozoology at least focuses on creatures alleged to be ‘normal’ animals, even if they are terrifying, anachronistic, phylogenetically novel and scientifically unrecognised. However, social media groups, TV shows, YouTube videos, podcasts and books using the term cryptozoology today can be decidedly non-zoological. Bigfoot looms large, for sure, but among the current superstars of cryptozoology are Chupacabra, an alien-like vampirous creature; and Dogman, a seven-foot North American werewolf with a canine head on a human torso. And what of the interplay between cryptozoology and creationism? I say stuff about that in my chapter on the mokele-mbembe and ropen ( Naish 2016). For believers and non-believers alike, this book is an interesting look at the legendary creatures that run, crawl and fly throughout the 50 states.”—James Madison University’s The Breeze People ‘see’, describe and report the creatures they do because they interpret their recollections, sightings and encounters within the cultural framework in which they were raised. It is, so it seems, an inevitable consequence of being human that we imagine large, frightening creatures to lurk beneath the surface of the water, or human-shaped beasts in forests and other wild places.The Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, the Abominable Snowman -- these are the names of the elusive beasts that have caught the eye and captured the imaginations of people around the world for centuries. Recently, tales of these "monsters" have been corroborated by an increase in sightings, and out of these legends a new science has been born: cryptozoology -- the study of hidden animals. Kelly Milner Halls shares exciting information that, amidst all the fun fantasy, also manages to be both historically accurate and scientific. Cryptid Creatures will encourage kids to discover the world around them and explore the its many wonders”— Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living Magazine Sea monsters and other mystery beasts - the creature shown here is Heuvelmans' 'Yellow-belly' - have taken on a life of their own ever since cryptozoologists have devised morphological configurations and evolutionary histories for them. But isn't this all a house of cards? Compare 'Yellow-belly' with the eyewitness accounts Heuvelmans based it on.