BLACK MOUNTAIN'S HEADLESS ANNIE
It was just a coon hunting trip. Some of my distant relatives (I prefer not to publicly say their names because what happened to them was bone-chilling and disturbing, not to mention they fear being scoffed) ......these distant relatives of mine decided to go coon hunting on Big Black Mountain one August night when the air was thick with humidity and ghostly mist. I was just a child in the mid 80's, and I remember sitting in the back of my Daddy's blue Chevy truck as my distant family (all men) were taking inventory of their equipment for the all-night excursion upon the state's highest peak.

They tried to talk my Daddy into joining them, and although he was an avid coon hunter himself, something just "didn't set right" with him. He told the men "I don't reckon I want to be up on that mountain in the middle of the night." Once they were satisfied they had all the equipment they needed, they piled in their truck and sped up KY 522 toward the Tri-Cities where Big Black Mountain towers over the old coal mining towns of Lynch and Benham, as well as Cumberland, which was more of a municipality for commerce.

I went on to bed that night, saying my prayers for the poor, defenseless coons (that's just the kind of child I was) and never gave the hunting trip another thought. In fact, it wasn't until months later that I overheard another family member relay to my mother the events of that horrific night experienced by my coon-hunting distant relatives upon Big Black Mountain.

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This is an exciting post for me. I recent met author and filmmaker Nic Brown at the Harlan Haunt Fest. I was able to take in part of his lecture on the Wendigo. His lecture was very informative and intriguing. Unfortunately, I was not able to stay for the whole presentation as I had my own table and people were coming by to see and speak to me, which was great. So, I had to cut out early of his lecture.

As the Haunt Fest event was winding down, I made my way over the Nic's table and introduced myself and we had an enjoyable talk. And today I'm very pleased to share a nice interview I did with Nic. I think you will enjoy this one, here is our interview.

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This past weekend was the first annual Harlan Crypto Con. I attended the event as a vendor, team member Tony Felosi did a presentation and team member Jennifer Williams lunched her Urban X jewelry line at the event. Also in attendance was author and friend, Judith Hensley who was there to unveil two new books.

We know some of you may not be familiar with Judith's work but her latest two book are sure to draw attention from much of the cryptozoological field. We thought it would be great to conduct a short interview with Judith and tell you about her fantastic new books.

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A couple of weeks ago we ran the story and image of a bigfoot that was taken by Leo A Frank. (Click here) The bigfoot in the picture was rather unusual looking and had what most people consider the appearance of a troll. The nose was very large and is not what is commonly reported by witnesses. What some may fail to realize is that not all bigfoot look the same. In fact, some are really different looking but still have an overall humanoid appearance.
But all the troll talk got me to thinking more about the word troll and the word bigfoot. We all know the term bigfoot was not coined until 1958 by Jerry Crew, but what about the word troll?

Lets take a look.

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First, let me say the video found in this post has never been viewed in any public forum. I'm very glad to be able to bring it to you. The video was shot by Johnathan back in March of 2005. He was using one of those VHS-C video recorders. They look kind like a smaller, but fatter, version of a VHS tape. The video was shot at what is considered to be one of the most haunted houses in America, The Myrtles Plantation.

Myrtles Plantation was build in 1796 by General David Bradford. The plantation is located in St. Francisville, LA. The plantation house is rumored to be on top of an ancient Tunica Indian burial ground. It is currently a bed and breakfast, and offers historical and mystery tours.

I was alerted to the video by Sam, he was able to get Johnathan in contact with me so I could check out the video.
More of about how the video was captured is told during the video. The video also contains various enhancements.
Here is the video.

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Still frame from the video

What is this strange, almost human shaped, object in the sky? That is what many people are asking after seeing the video below.

Before we get to the actual video, let me tell you what is known about the clip. Reportedly this was filmed in Indonesia during what appears to be some type of riot, protest or a demonstration. The local people called it a Kuntilanak. A Kuntilanak in Indonesian mythology is a female vampiric spirit of a woman who died while pregnant. Another word used to describe this is Pontianak. Pontianaks are usually depicted as pale-skinned women with long black hair, red eyes, and white dress.

According to what I read about this folklore a Kuntilanak is a woman who died during childbirth. That the woman would come back to terrorize and take revenge on the towns people. The creature would or might look like a pretty woman and have a floral aroma. Then she would attack with claws and rip open peoples stomach.

Now, I'm not sure what this entity is, or even if it is an spirit of some sort. But it does appear to be odd and out of place with the events going on. Lets watch the video and then I will close with a few more thoughts.

Here is the video.

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Krampus: "Just give me the names, fat man"

For as long as I can remember we've all heard about Santa and his list of naughty and nice little boys and girls. We were told that naughty little boys and girls get a lump of coal for Christmas, or nothing at all. But over the years the legend of Krampus has grown here in the United States and North America in general. While some may have already been aware of Krampus, the tale has grown over the years thanks to movies and social media.

I had never heard of Krampus while growing up. But now the pairing of Santa Clause and Krampus seems to be a common occurrence. I guess it might add an extra incentive for children to be good and well behaved. After all one would want to avoid the dreaded naughty list.

For those who may not know, or those who would like more details, the rest of the post will deal with the legend and history of Krampus.

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Many cultures have a belief in shapeshifting in some form. Shapeshifting is the ability of a being or creature to completely transform its physical form or shape. The Aswang reportedly has the ability to combine various elements from different creatures.

In this episode of The Crypto Files, we take a look at the Aswang and explore some of the characteristics and behavior of this cryptid.

Here is the episode (ep. 25)


Aswangs can also be befriended, they can talk to you like any other human: they laugh and/or cry, get angry/sad, get hurt/humiliated and feel scared and envious. These creatures are said not harm their friends and neighbors.

In the video we mentioned a few ways to fend off an aswang but here are a few more.
They can be killed using a whip made entirely of a stingray's tail. It is said they can not enter into holy grounds such as churches, mosques, and temples. Decapitation is also a way to destroy an aswang.




Thanks
~Tom~


 
This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet.



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When we speak or write about a Golem, most people probably think we are talking about Gollum from the J.R.R Tolken's Lord of the Rings or Hobbit movies. But while they may have some similar traits, we are not talking about that creature and his pursuit of his precious ring. Nope, we are talking about an animated anthropomorphic being from Jewish folklore. The golem would normally be formed out of clay or mud and would be brought to life and then controlled. The method of this seems to vary with different tales.

The oldest stories of golems date to early Judaism.  In the Talmud, Adam was initially created as a golem, created out of mud. Early tales of golems lean toward them not having the ability to speak. One of the methods, at least early on, to bring a golem to life was to use various letters from the Hebrew alphabet to form a "Shem", any one of the names of God, and write it on paper and insert it into the mouth of the golem. You could later stop the golem by removing the paper. In some cases removing the paper from the mouth of the golem caused it to return to dust other times it just put it on pause.

Another method of animating and controlling the golem was to write the word "emet" on the being. In Hebrew "emet" means Truth. Usually this was written on the golem's forehead but I have seen stories where it was written on the back of the hand or other methods used.  The golem would be stopped or deactivated by removing the "e" from "emet". That leaves you with "met" which would mean Death or Dead in Hebrew. So you would go from Truth to Death by scrubbing off the letter. In some stories, the golem would be deactivated once it completed the bidding of the person who was controlling it. In some cases it was used to do hard work, to get revenge or settle a score.

The Golem on DVD

There is a long history and many hand me down tales about golems. There is even one about a Nazi trying to stab a golem during WWII in an attic of a church. The attic is not open to the general public but in 1984 a film crew was able to visit and film the attic. They came away with no evidence to support the old WWII claim.

Golems have often made appearances in movies, TV shows, games and cartoons. Even in today's popular shows and movies golems can be found. I would assume that most people have no idea that golems are actually rooted in Jewish history and folklore. That many people have and continue to believe in the creation of golems.






While I can see that there may be some confusion about golems, and just what they are, I heard it explained like this:

A Ghost is a spirit without a body, a Golem is a body without a spirit.  

And I know a lot of us believe in ghost, but what about Golems?
Maybe it is worth taking a deeper look before making up your mind. 


Thanks
~Tom~

This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet.


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I was talking with a friend last night on facebook and we got to taking about Pukwudgie. So I thought it might be a good idea to make a short post about this lesser known cryptid.

The Pukwudgie
 
A Pukwudgie is a 2-to-3-foot-tall (61 to 91 cm) being from the Wampanoag folklore. Pukwudgies' features resemble those of a human, but with enlarged noses, fingers and ears. Their skin is described as being a smooth grey, and at times has been known to glow.
In Native American lore, Pukwudgies have the following traits and abilities;

• they can appear and disappear at will
• they can transform into a walking porcupine (it looks like a porcupine from the back, and the front is half-troll, half-human and walks upright)
• they can attack people and lure them to their deaths
• they are able to use magic
• they have poison arrows
• they can create fire at will
• Pukwudgies control Tei-Pai-Wankas which are believed to be the souls of Native Americans they have killed.

Native Americans believed that Pukwudgies were best left alone. When you see a Pukwudgie you are not supposed to mess with them, or they will repay you by playing nasty tricks on you, or by following you and causing trouble. They were once friendly to humans, but then turned against them. They are known to kidnap people, push them off cliffs, attack their victims with short knives and spears, and to use sand to blind their victims.


"Legends of the Pukwudgie began in connection to 'Maushop', a creation giant believed by the Wampanoag to have created most of Cape Cod. He was beloved by the people, and the Pukwudgies were jealous of the affection the Natives had for him. They tried to help the Wampanoag, but their efforts always backfired, until they eventually decided to torment them instead. They became mischievous and aggravated the Natives until they asked 'Granny Squanit', Maushop’s wife, for help. Maushop collected as many as he could. He shook them until they were confused and tossed them around New England. Some died, but others landed, regained their minds and made their way back to Massachusetts.
Satisfied he had done his job and pleased his wife, Maushop went away for a while. In his absence, the Pukwudgies had returned. They again changed their relationship with the Wampanoags. They were no longer just a nuisance, but began kidnapping children, burning villages and forcing the Wampanoag deep into the woods and killing them. Squanit again stepped in, but Maushop, being very lazy, sent his five sons to fix the problem. The Pukwudgies lured them into deep grass and shot them dead with magic arrows. Enraged, Squanit and Maushop attacked as many as they could find and crushed them, but many escaped and scattered throughout New England again. The Pukwudgies regrouped and tricked Maushop into the water and shot him with their arrows. Some legends say they killed him, while others claim he became discouraged and depressed about the death of his sons, but after these events Maushop disappears from the Wampanoags' mythology."
There are reportedly encounters of the Pukwudgie in the Freetown-Fall River State Forest in Massachusetts. Ironically, part of the FFR state forest belongs to the Wampanoag Nation. There have also been several odd suicides at a ledge in the state forest. The suicides have led some to believe that the Pukwudgie pushed the people off the ledge.

Here is a video done by Animal Planet about Pukwudgie.



Some say that Pukwudgie is nothing more than a troll or a hobbit, while others say it is a jinn because it shape shifts abilities. Regardless of what you may call it or what it's appearance may be, I think we can all agree that the Pukwudgie is a scary cryptid.   


Thanks
~Tom~

This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet.

(source:wikipedia )

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By SedesGobhani

Okay, so most of us have heard of the Jackalope, right? One of the long standing "jokes" in the realms of the cryptid world. The fabled rabbit with antlers. It is an amazing sight that we can view thanks to some skilled taxidermy.
Like many unusual creatures and tales, there seems to always be some sliver of truth buried in these folkloric stories. The Jackalope is no different. As unreal as it seems, it has just a small dab of truth possibly sprinkled in the fabled creature story.

But first a brief history about the Jackalope.

The jackalope is a mythical animal of North American folklore described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns. The word "jackalope" is a portmanteau of "jackrabbit" and "antelope", although the jackrabbit is not a rabbit, and the American antelope is not an antelope. Also, many jackalope taxidermy mounts, including the original, are actually made with deer antlers.

In the 1930s, Douglas Herrick and his brother, hunters with taxidermy skills, popularized the American jackalope by grafting deer antlers onto a jackrabbit carcass and selling the combination to a local hotel in Douglas, Wyoming. Thereafter, they made and sold many similar jackalopes to a retail outlet in South Dakota, and another taxidermist continues to manufacture the horned rabbits in the 21st century. Stuffed and mounted, jackalopes are found in many bars and other places in the United States; stores catering to tourists sell jackalope postcards and other paraphernalia, and commercial entities in America and elsewhere have used the word "jackalope" or a jackalope logo as part of their marketing strategies. The jackalope has appeared in published stories, poems, television shows, video games, and a low-budget mockumentary film. The Wyoming Legislature has considered bills to make the jackalope the state's official mythological creature.

The underlying legend of the jackalope, upon which the Wyoming taxidermists were building, may be related to similar stories in other cultures and other historical times. Researchers suggest that at least some of the tales of horned hares were inspired by sightings of rabbits infected with the Shope papilloma virus. It causes horn- and antler-like tumors to grow in various places on a rabbit's head and body.

Shope papilloma virus is also known as cottontail rabbit papilloma virus (CRPV). Shope papilloma virus, is a type I virus under the Baltimore scheme, possessing a nonsegmented dsDNA genome. In the 1930s, hunters in northwestern Iowa reported that the rabbits they shot had several horn protrusions on many parts of their bodies including their faces and necks. This lead to the investigation and discovery of the virus in 1933 by Richard E. Shope when he was experimenting with cancer research. Shope separated the virus from horny warts on cottontail rabbits, and made one of the first mammaliam tumor virus discoveries. The virus is also a possible source of myths about the jackalope, a rabbit with the horns of an antelope, and related cryptids such as the wolpertinger. Bavarian folklore tells of the wolpertinger, also called wolperdinger, a mythological hybrid animal allegedly inhabiting the alpine forests of Bavaria in Germany. The wolpertinger is made up of several different animal parts, including antlers.

Shope determined the “horn” protrusions were keratinous carcinomas due to the infection of CRPV. These are typically found on or near the animal’s head, and can become large enough to interfere with the host’s ability to eat, causing starvation. The virus was originally discovered to affect only cottontail rabbits. in the Midwestern U.S., but can also infect brush rabbits, jackrabbits, snowshoe hares, and house rabbits.

Shope’s research has led to the development of an SPV model and the first mammalian model of a cancer caused by a virus. He was able to isolate virus particles from tumors on captured animals and use these to inoculate domestic rabbits, which then developed similar tumors. The animal model of the Shope Papilloma Virus (SPV) has contributed to our understanding of fundamental mechanisms in neoplasia, or the formation of a new, abnormal growth of tissue. The virus was sequenced in 1984, showing substantial sequence similarities to HPV1a. It has been used as a model for human papillomaviruses both before and after this discovery. The most visible example of this role is the HPV vaccine, which was developed based on and incorporating research done using the virus as a model. Similarly, it has been used to investigate antiviral therapies.

So, this is probably what started the jackalope stories way back in the day. It probably started with someone just catching good enough glimpse of a rabbit suffering from Shope Papilloma Virus, to start telling people "I saw a rabbit with antlers". You know, rabbits at notoriously fast and a fleeting view of one with antlers, would probably have gotten your attention. It probably would have got you laughed at pretty fast as well, while telling about it. But I suspect that others started getting a quick view of the running rabbit and the stories became more accepted.
 
Regardless, of the origin of the jackalope, the legend has many twist and turns. I guess that is what has helped it to continue to be in our current society and  to be a good source for humor.
 
The jackalope is subject to many outlandish and largely tongue-in-cheek claims embedded in tall tales about its habits. Jackalopes are said to be so dangerous that hunters are advised to wear stovepipes on their legs to keep from being gored. Stores in Douglas sell jackalope milk, but The New York Times questions its authenticity on grounds that milking a jackalope is known to be fraught with risk. One of the ways to catch a jackalope is to entice it with whiskey, the jackalope's beverage of choice. 

The jackalope can imitate the human voice, according to legend. During the days of the Old West, when cowboys gathered by the campfires singing at night, jackalopes could be heard mimicking their voices or singing along, usually as a tenor. It is said that jackalopes, the rare Lepus antilocapra, only breed during lightning flashes and that their antlers make the act difficult despite the hare's reputation for fertility.

So, in the end the jackalope is much more than just a myth. It's part of our history, our entertainment, our culture and I'm guessing, our future. 
 
(source: wikipedia)   


Thanks
~Tom~

This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet.



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Okay, by now you are probably aware that I'm enjoying the return of the super awesome show The X-files. The current season (10) is rapidly coming to an end. But luckily for me, I missed almost all of the past seasons, mostly due to my work schedule at the time. Thanks to Netflix, I can now watch all of the past seasons of X-files.

So, I have started watching from season 1 and along the way there has been a couple episodes that I thought would be appealing to our Bigfoot/Dogman audience. All the episodes have been great but these two I want to talk about should be appealing to our Bigfoot folks.  So here we go.

The X-file Season 1 episode 5

This episode is titled "The Jersey Devil"  and the plotline is as follows:

"Mulder and Scully track a legendary creature that has roamed the New Jersey countryside for over 40 years."

But once you watch it, it's not really the Jersey Devil as we know it. Oh, the show does touch on the origins and legend of the Jersey Devil but during the episode it not the Jersey Devil. So, what is it you ask? It is more along the lines of feral humans, or what we call wild men. Once you watch it you should be able to related it somewhat to Sasquatch. How they hide, how they may forge for food in populated areas, how fast they are and how silent they can be. Definitely worth a watch.

The X-files Season 1 Episode 19

The title to this episode is "Shapes" and it should appeal to the Dogman/Werewolf/Shapeshifter crowd. I very much enjoyed this episode.
Here is the plotline:

"A creature, possibly from Native American lore, is suspected of killing a man, bringing Mulder and Scully to the Indian reservation where the attack occurred in order to uncover its identity."

There is a couple scenes where you see this creature running and it looks very much like a Bigfoot/Dogman. Then you throw in the shapeshiting element and it become more entertaining. I still wonder if "Dogman" is just the new term we are using for "werewolf".


So, there's you two very good episodes of the X-files from season one. If you have not watched them, I suggest you do. You can find them currently on Netfilx. It's a good way to kill a couple hours.


Thanks
~Tom~

This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet.



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On the next episode of the X-files, it deals with what is apparently a werewolf. The history of werewolves dates back to the 15-16 century or more. But what is interesting is that sightings and reports have continued in our modern times. I want to post more about this but first lets take a look at this upcoming episode of X-files

Here is the trailer.



A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope is the ability of a human to shapeshift into wolf or a hybrid wolf like creature. According to the legend of Werewolves, it is thought that a curse was put on someone that made them turn into a werewolf. It was also thought that if you were bitten or scratched by a werewolf, you would also be under the curse and change into a werewolf. Kind of like if you are bitten by a zombie you will become a zombie type of thing.


The term lycanthropy, referring both to the ability to transform oneself into a wolf and to the act of so doing, comes from Ancient Greek.

The concept of the werewolf in Western and Northern Europe is strongly influenced by the role of the wolf in Germanic paganism.

In the Latin work of prose, the Satyricon, written about 60 C.E. by Gaius Petronius Arbiter, one of the characters, Niceros, tells a story at a banquet about a friend who turned into a wolf (chs. 61-62). He describes the incident as follows, "When I look for my buddy I see he'd stripped and piled his clothes by the roadside... He pees in a circle round his clothes and then, just like that, turns into a wolf!... after he turned into a wolf he started howling and then ran off into the woods."

There have been numerous reports of werewolf attacks – and consequent court trials – in 16th century France. In some of the cases there was clear evidence against the accused of murder and cannibalism, but none of association with wolves; in other cases people have been terrified by such creatures, such as that of Gilles Garnier in Dole in 1573, there was clear evidence against some wolf but none against the accused.

Until the 20th century, wolf attacks on humans were an occasional, but still widespread feature of life in Europe. Some scholars have suggested that it was inevitable that wolves, being the most feared predators in Europe, were projected into the folklore of evil shapeshifters.

Some modern researchers have tried to explain the reports of werewolf behaviour with recognised medical conditions. Dr Lee Illis of Guy's Hospital in London wrote a paper in 1963 entitled On Porphyria and the Aetiology of Werewolves, in which he argues that historical accounts on werewolves could have in fact been referring to victims of congenital porphyria, stating how the symptoms of photosensitivity, reddish teeth and psychosis could have been grounds for accusing a sufferer of being a werewolf.

This is however argued against by Woodward, who points out how mythological werewolves were almost invariably portrayed as resembling true wolves, and that their human forms were rarely physically conspicuous as porphyria victims. Others have pointed out the possibility of historical werewolves having been sufferers of hypertrichosis, a hereditary condition manifesting itself in excessive hair growth. However, Woodward dismissed the possibility, as the rarity of the disease ruled it out from happening on a large scale, as werewolf cases were in medieval Europe.

People suffering from Down syndrome have been suggested by some scholars to have been possible originators of werewolf myths. Woodward suggested rabies as the origin of werewolf beliefs, claiming remarkable similarities between the symptoms of that disease and some of the legends. Woodward focused on the idea that being bitten by a werewolf could result in the victim turning into one, which suggested the idea of a transmittable disease like rabies. 

However, the idea that lycanthropy could be transmitted in this way is not part of the original myths and legends and only appears in relatively recent beliefs. Lycanthropy can also be met with as the main content of a delusion, for example, the case of a woman has been reported who during episodes of acute psychosis complained of becoming four different species of animals

Characteristics

The beliefs classed together under lycanthropy are far from uniform, and the term is somewhat capriciously applied. The transformation may be temporary or permanent; the were-animal may be the man himself metamorphosed; may be his double whose activity leaves the real man to all appearance unchanged; may be his soul, which goes forth seeking whom it may devour, leaving its body in a state of trance; or it may be no more than the messenger of the human being, a real animal or a familiar spirit, whose intimate connection with its owner is shown by the fact that any injury to it is believed, by a phenomenon known as repercussion, to cause a corresponding injury to the human being.

There were/is many ways that one may become a werewolf. How to achieve this varies depending on where you are at. One of the simplest being the removal of clothing and putting on a belt made of wolfskin. Drinking rainwater out of the footprint of the animal in question or from certain enchanted streams were also considered effectual modes of accomplishing metamorphosis.In Italy, France and Germany, it was said that a man or woman could turn into a werewolf if he or she, on a certain Wednesday or Friday, slept outside on a summer night with the full moon shining directly on his or her face. In other cases, the transformation was supposedly accomplished by Satanic allegiance for the most loathsome ends, often for the sake of sating a craving for human flesh.

So, as you see the idea and history of the werewolf is a long and varied legend. Now, in our day and age, we don't get very many reports of werewolves. But we do get a growing number of Dogman reports and it makes me wonder if these Dogmen are the Werewolves of days gone by.  There is a common perception that dogman are more aggressive than bigfoot. This seems to fall in line with the history of werewolves. So, maybe there is a connection.


(source wikipedia )

Thanks
~Tom~

This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet.


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"Honshu-wolf4" by Ｋａｔｕｕｙａ from ja. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Honshu-wolf4.jpg#/media/File:Honshu-wolf4.jpg

The Honshū wolf (Canis lupus hodophilax), known in Japan as the Japanese wolf  or simply wolf , is one of the two extinct subspecies of the gray wolf once endemic to the islands of Japan. The Honshū wolf occupied the islands of Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū in Japan. The other subspecies was the Hokkaidō wolf, native to the island of Hokkaidō.

Honshū wolves, the smaller descendants of mainland gray wolves, were plentiful in the country of Japan. They were the smallest known wild subspecies of Canis lupus; they measured about 35 inches (90 cm) long and 12 inches (30 cm) inches at the shoulder. Their population began to decrease in 1732 when rabies, first reported in Kyūshū and Shikoku, was introduced to the area they inhabited. It affected different wolf populations all through the nineteenth century. Most argue that it was humans that brought the virus to Japan, trying to kill the wolves on purpose. It is also believed that local domestic dogs in the regions may have transported the disease. Either way, along with intense human persecution, the wolves proceeded into extinction. The last known specimen died in 1905, in Nara Prefecture.

Some interpretations of the Honshū wolf's extinction stress the change in local perceptions of the animal: rabies-induced aggression and deforestation of the wolf's habitat forced them into conflict with humans, and this led to them being targeted by farmers.
Other sources say the wolves were killed off as a national policy.
There are currently eight known pelts and five stuffed specimens of the Japanese wolf in existence. One stuffed specimen is in the Netherlands, three are in Japan, and the animal caught in 1905 is kept in the British Museum. Owing to its small size the Honshū wolf's classification as a subspecies of the gray wolf is disputed.

The wolf was afforded a benign place in Japanese folklore and religious traditions: the clan leader Fujiwara no Hidehira was said to have been raised by wolves, and the wolf is often symbolically linked with mountain kami in Shinto. The most famous example is the wolf kami of Mitsumine Shrine in the town of Chichibu in Saitama Prefecture.
Sightings of the Japanese wolf have been claimed from the time of its extinction to the present day, but none of these have been verified.

The Honshū wolf was the world’s smallest known wolf. From nose to tail, it grew to about 35 inches in length and stood about a foot tall. It was said that the Honshū wolf much more closely resembled dogs, coyotes and jackals than its Siberian wolf ancestors due to their short wiry hair and a thin dog-like tail that was rounded at the end, along with their short legs. Therefore, the Honshu wolf is argued to be its own species instead of being a gray wolf subspecies because of these physical differences.

The Honshū Wolf was known to eat animals much larger than it, including deer and wild boar. Farmers appreciated their appetite for smaller animals such as rodents and hares, which reduced the number of farm pests. The specialized, strictly carnivorous diet was one of the many reasons the Honshū Wolf became extinct. As wolf populations increased, they required more of their exclusive diet to maintain their numbers, which could not be sustained by the local fauna.
Honshu wolves were abundant in Japan until 1732 when rabies was introduced to the island. It was rabies, deforestation of the wolf's habitat, and conflict with humans that led to their extinction. The last specimen was officially killed in 1905 in Nara prefecture. Although there have been many sightings claimed since then, none of them have been verified. There are five known mounted specimens: three in Japan, one in the Netherlands, and the last officially killed specimen in the British Museum.

The Honshu wolf is a prominent figure in Japanese folklore and culture. The mountains of Japan, seen as a dangerous, deadly place, are highly associated with the wolf. The Honshu wolf is believed to be the protector and guardian of the mountains, where it resides in its most remote parts. Many mountain villages, such as Okami’iwa (Wolf Rock) and Okamitaira (Wolf Plateau), are named after the wolf; this could be due to a sighting at the location, or a simple homage to the species. Sightings of the Honshu wolf were very rare, and the wolf was described as being more of a spirit entity protecting travelers. Some legends bring this to a whole new level, where abandoned infants are found and raised by the wolves. The wolves also protect surrounding villages from the dangerous wildlife. The spirit form of the Japanese wolf, which has been worshiped since ancient times, is called makami (真神). It is believed to understand human speech, reward good, and punish evil. Makami shrines are found in Saitama, Shizuoka, and Tokyo.

Some villages have wolf charms called shishiyoke, that protected their village and their crops against wild boar. In addition, other protective shrines can be found in many villages, especially on the Kii Peninsula. In some villages, such as in Gifu prefecture, the skull of the wolf was used as the charm for both protection as well as curing possessed villagers. In addition to protecting the crops, the wolf may leave prey for villagers. A tradition called inu no ubumimai consists of giving a mother Honshu wolf rice when she gives birth to a cub. In return, the wolf would protect the village and assist in danger, or leave the village in times of famine.

Some legends portray the Honshu wolf as being prophetic creatures. In the Tamaki Mountains the location of a tree called “the cypress of dog-howls” is said to be the site where wolves howled before a flood in 1889, warning the villagers. The Honshu wolf was not commonly killed by villagers, and attacks were rare. Some folklore states that the killer of a Honshu wolf faced punishment from the spiritual world. Legends also describes the wolf as being concealed by the environment, and that its fur changes with the seasons to further camouflage itself. In many local cultures, therefore, the Honshu wolf is believed not to be extinct; it was always difficult to find.

- Source: wikipedia -

 While this does not look all that similar to the Shunka Warakin, it did remind me of it. Yet another animal that is said to be extinct but yet there are reports of people seeing it. Now, it would seem that sometimes animals are declared extinct when really some may be left and over time they seem to make a recovery. For example, the Javan Elephants became extinct sometime in the period after Europeans arrived in Southeast Asia. Elephants on Sulu, never considered native to the island, were hunted out in the 1800s. But the elephants were rediscovered in 2006 800 miles away on the island of Borneo. The Laotian Rock Rats are another good example. They were said to have gone extinct millions of years ago, but were re-discovered in 2005. So, it is feasible to think that the Honshu Wolf may be discovered again someday. 


Thanks
~Tom~


This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet


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General area.

I got the following report in a couple days ago. While the people submitting the report do not refer to the dog like animal as a Shunka Warakin, it sure sounds like one. I have taken in a couple other reports of an unknown dog like animal from Iowa, could this be the same creature? Here is the report.

- Start Report -

Name: Diane & Roger ******

Email Address: on file

State: Iowa

County: Audubon

Date of Sighting: July, 2nd,  2015

Time of Day: around 4:00  in the afternoon.

Nearest Town: Elk Horn, Iowa

Length of Sighting: three minutes

How many Witnesses: two

Any Photos/Videos: no

Describe sighting in detail:

We were coming home from shopping on the gravel road Falcon Ave.  We were only a mile and a half from home when my husband said, What's that?  I looked out the window and saw a strange animal in the ditch.
The animal looked dark gray and tan, mostly dark gray, had large pointed ears, and a long snout.  It's shape was like a hyena and it ran with a different gait than a coyote or dog.  We watched it run under the fence and up a waterway to a terrace at top of hill.  Animal kept looking back as it ran which gave us a good look at shape of head and body.  Body and gait were shape of a hyena.
We reported this to sheriff at the time.  No tracks were found as ground was too dry and hard.

- End Report -

Now, the other reports can be found HERE and HERE. I used google maps to check how close the two counties, where the sightings took place, are to each other. The first two reports came from Van Buren county and this report comes from Audubon county. They are not close together at all. So, could there be a growing population of these critters in the state of Iowa? It may just mean that, and if so there might be more reports in the future.

As for this report, I sent the people a picture of the taxidermy Shunka Warakin in the picture below. I ask them if what they seen looked like it. I have not gotten a reply yet, but will update this post if I do.

The Shunka Warakin -
is an animal mentioned in American folklore that is said to resemble a wolf, a hyena, or both. According to cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, shunka warak'in is an Ioway term meaning "carries off dogs". Coleman suggested that the creature was some animal unknown to modern sources.

Here is a possible Shunka Warakin mounted. It was shot in 1886 by Ammon Hutchins in Montana and is the only possible physical evidence of the creature.

© Lance Foster 2009

!!UPDATE!!

I just heard back from the witness in regards to the picture I sent them of the stuffed Shunka Warakin (pictured above) and here is what they said.

"Yes, similar in color, a little darker and thicker hair, larger snout, but it's back was more pronounced, coming down at an angle from front shoulders to it's rear, showing front to be much higher than the rear, just like a hyena. It also had a gallop like a hyena when it ran, not like a coyote or dog."

!!!!! End UPDATE !!!!!!!!!!!


Thanks
~Tom~


This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet



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As I was trolling around on the internet, I ran across this story and a video about this mummified gnome that was reportedly found in Sweden. According to the story this Gnome was found in 1866 in an old barn. The figure was discovered in a small trunk type wooden box. Of course, this caused some pretty wild reactions. Some thought this was for sure proof that Gnomes were in fact real, while others say it was created by an artist.

Here is the video


I think, but I'm not sure, that this story originally was put out by gabehash.com, so credit goes to them for the story.

In the end I'm sure this was created by an artist, and it looks really good. But stories and reports of gnomes and fairies have persisted for many years. There have been numerous Elf, Gnome and Fairy reports from England and Ireland. Some dating back hundreds of years. These people must have been seeing something, so lets not totally dismiss the possibility of these creatures existing.    




Thanks
~Tom~


This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet


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The fur-bearing trout (or furry trout) is a fictional creature purportedly found in North America and Iceland. According to tales, the trout has created a thick coat of fur to maintain its body heat. Tales of furry fish date to the 17th-century and later the "shaggy trout" of Iceland. The earliest known American publication dates from a 1929 Montana Wildlife magazine article by J.H. Hicken. A taxidermy furry trout produced by Ross C. Jobe is a specimen at the Royal Museum of Scotland; it is a trout with white rabbit fur "ingeniously" attached.

There are no real examples of any fur-bearing trout species, but two examples of hair-like growths on fish are known. The "cotton mold", Saprolegnia, can infect fish, which can result in the appearance of fish covered in the white "fur". A real fish, Mirapinna esau, also known as the "Hairy Fish", has hair-like outgrowths and wings.


Fur-bearing trout are fictional creatures that are purportedly found in Arkansas, northern North America, and Iceland. The basic claim (or tall tale) is that the waters of lakes and rivers in the area are so cold that they evolved a thick coat of fur to maintain their body heat. Another theory says that it is due to four jugs - or two bottles - of hair tonic being spilled into the Arkansas River.
The origins vary, but one of the earlier claims date to a 17th-century Scottish immigrant's letter to his relatives referring to "furried animals and fish" being plentiful in the New World. It was followed by a request to procure a specimen of these "furried fish" and one was sent back home. A publication in 1900 recounts the Icelandic Lodsilungur, another haired trout, as being a common folklore. The earliest known American publication dates from a 1929 Montana Wildlife magazine article by J.H. Hicken.


 

cotton mold

The "cotton mold" Saprolegnia will sometimes infect fish, causing tufts of fur-like growth to appear on the body. A heavy infection will result in the death of the fish, and as the fungus continues to grow afterwards, dead fish that are largely covered in the white "fur" can occasionally be found washed ashore. A real fish, Mirapinna esau known as the "Hairy Fish", has hair-like outgrowths and wings. It was discovered in the Azores in 1956.

According to Icelandic legend, the Lodsilungur is a furry trout that is the creation of demons and giants. The Lodsilungur are described as inedible fish that overwhelm rivers and are a form of punishment for human wickedness. In 1900, The Scottish Review featured an account of the Lodsilungur as a poisonous "Shaggy trout" of northern Iceland. In 1854, a shaggy trout was "cast on shore at Svina-vatn" and featured in an 1855 illustration in Nordri, a newspaper. It was described as having a reddish hair on its lower jaw and neck, sides and fins, but the writer of the Nordri article did not specifically identify it by name. Sjón, a popular Icelandic writer, became obsessed with the folk tale when he was nine. Sjón recounted that if a man were to eat the furry trout he would become pregnant and that his scrotum would have to be cut open to deliver the baby. Sjón noted that the story "might explain why I was later propelled towards surrealism.

An account of a furry trout appeared in 1929 in Montana Wildlife magazine and was first noted by J.H. Hicken. Hicken's account states that when the fish is caught "the change of temperature from this water to atmosphere is so great that the fish explodes upon being taken from the water, and fur and skin come off in one perfect piece, making it available for commercial purposes, and leaving the body of the fish for refrigerator purposes or eating, as desired."


Another fur-bearing trout story originated with Wilbur Foshay, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce. Foshay promoted the story so convincingly that it was picked up by the Salida Record newspaper. According to its Foshay, the trout grew fur due to the cold temperatures of the Arkansas River and shed the fur as the water temperatures warmed in the summer. In November 1938, a story in the Puebloan Cheiftan recounted the hairy trout history and stated that "old-timers living along the Arkansas River near Salida have told tales for many years of the fur-bearing trout indigenous to the waters of the Arkansas near there." In 2014, Mysteries at the Museum visited the Salida Museum and is expected to be part of a segment in late 2014.

A tall tale was recounted by S.E. Schlosser, it states that hairy trout were the result of two bottles or four jugs of spilled hair tonic. To catch hairy trout, fisherman would act as barbers and lure fish from the waters with the offer of a free trim or shave. An intentionally fantastical story in Maine and claimed hairy trout were under catch and release policy that was enforced by wardens' carrying Brannock Devices. If a fish was caught, the warden would measure it against the fisher's foot. If the fish's length matched the fisher's foot size, the fish could be eaten and the outards made into furry slippers.

The Canadian Fur-bearing trout is another example of the furry trout hoax. According to the story, a trout with white fur was caught in Lake Superior off Gros Cap in Algoma, Ontario, Canada and its taxidermist was Ross C. Jobe. The purchaser of the fish learned of the hoax after presenting it to the Royal Museum of Scotland. The white fur of a rabbit was described as being "ingeniously" attached to the fish. A fictional description of the Canadian "Hairy" Trout was published by Takeshi Yamada.

- Source: wikipedia -

How would you like to catch some hairy trout? Maybe we can fire this back up and start making some cash leading fishing expeditions to catch hairy trout.

Really the whole story is pretty funny and at the same time maybe a little sad that some people back then fell for it. But as most of you know, the more outlandish the claim, the more apt some people are to believe it. If you just think back about some of the past Bigfoot hoaxes and some of the things that was told about the dead Bigfoot that Rick Dyer had ....some of it was off the charts unbelievable but yet some believed it.

The fur bearing trout hoax, has to be one of the all time best and funnest hoaxes ever. It makes me wonder about some of the things people may believe today, will it be proven a hoax 10 years down the road? Of course, we know more about things nowadays than we did back in the furry trout days. So I assume we will know even more about things in the days ahead.   

Again, just shake your head and move on. 

Thanks
~Tom~


This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet



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The Ebu Gogo are a group of human-like creatures that appear in the mythology of Flores, Indonesia. In the Nage language of central Flores, ebu means 'grandmother' and gogo means 'he who eats anything'. A colloquial English equivalent might be something like "Granny Glutton."

The Nage people of Flores describe the Ebu Gogo as having been able walkers and fast runners around 1.5 m tall. They reportedly had wide and flat noses, broad faces with large mouths and hairy bodies. The females also had "long, pendulous breasts." They were said to have murmured in what was assumed to be their own language and could reportedly repeat what was said to them in a parrot-like fashion.


The legends relating to the Ebu Gogo were traditionally attributed to monkeys, according to the journal Nature.


The Nage people believe that the Ebu Gogo were alive at the time of the arrival of Portuguese trading ships in the 17th century, and some hold that they survived as recently as the 20th century, but are now no longer seen. The Ebu Gogo are believed to have been hunted to extinction by the human inhabitants of Flores. They believe that the extermination, which culminated around seven generations ago, was undertaken because the Ebu Gogo stole food from human dwellings, and kidnapped children.


An article in New Scientist (Vol. 186, No. 2504) gives the following account of folklore on Flores surrounding the Ebu Gogo: The Nage people of central Flores tell how, in the 18th century, villagers disposed of the Ebu Gogo by tricking them into accepting gifts of palm fiber to make clothes. When the Ebu Gogo took the fiber into their cave, the villagers threw in a firebrand to set it alight. The story goes that all the occupants were killed, except perhaps for one pair, who fled into the deepest forest, and whose descendants may be living there still.

There are also legends about the Ebu Gogo kidnapping human children, hoping to learn from them how to cook. The children always easily outwit the Ebu Gogo in the tales.

The discovery of the remains of a meter-tall hominid on Flores Homo floresiensis, alive at least as recently as 13,000 years ago, has inspired more literal interpretations of the Ebu Gogo stories. Anthropologist Gregory Forth, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alberta, Canada has stated that "wildman" myths are prevalent in Southeast Asia and has investigated their linguistic and ritual roots, speculating that H. floresiensis may be evidence that the folktales of Ebu Gogo and similar creatures such as the Orang Pendek on Sumatra may be rooted in fact.


- Source: wikipedia -

I really don't have anything to add to this one other than to say it reminds me of Orang Pendek. The size and description are very similar.

Thanks
~Tom~


This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet



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While my internet was out I made a colorized version of the original picture.

Bunyip - The bunyip, or kianpraty, is a large mythical creature from Aboriginal mythology, said to lurk in swamps, billabongs, creeks, riverbeds, and waterholes. The origin of the word bunyip has been traced to the Wemba-Wemba or Wergaia language of Aboriginal people of South-Eastern Australia. However, the bunyip appears to have formed part of traditional Aboriginal beliefs and stories throughout Australia, although its name varied according to tribal nomenclature. In his 2001 book, writer Robert Holden identified at least nine regional variations for the creature known as the bunyip across Aboriginal Australia. Various written accounts of bunyips were made by Europeans in the early and mid-19th century, as settlement spread across the country.

The word bunyip is usually translated by Aboriginal Australians today as "devil" or "evil spirit". However, this translation may not accurately represent the role of the bunyip in Aboriginal mythology or its possible origins before written accounts were made. Some modern sources allude to a linguistic connection between the bunyip and Bunjil, "a mythic 'Great Man' who made the mountains and rivers and man and all the animals." The word bunyip may not have appeared in print in English until the mid-1840s.

By the 1850s, bunyip had also become a "synonym for impostor, pretender, humbug and the like" in the broader Australian community. The term bunyip aristocracy was first coined in 1853 to describe Australians aspiring to be aristocrats. In the early 1990s, it was famously used by Prime Minister Paul Keating to describe members of the conservative Liberal Party of Australia opposition.

The word bunyip can still be found in a number of Australian contexts, including place names such as the Bunyip River (which flows into Westernport Bay in southern Victoria) and the town of Bunyip, Victoria.

Descriptions of bunyips vary widely. George French Angus may have collected a description of a bunyip in his account of a "water spirit" from the Moorundi people of the Murray River before 1847, stating it is "much dreaded by them… It inhabits the Murray; but…they have some difficulty describing it. Its most usual form…is said to be that of an enormous starfish." Robert Brough Smyth's Aborigines of Victoria of 1878 devoted ten pages to the bunyip, but concluded "in truth little is known among the blacks respecting its form, covering or habits; they appear to have been in such dread of it as to have been unable to take note of its characteristics." However, common features in many 19th-century newspaper accounts include a dog-like face, dark fur, a horse-like tail, flippers, and walrus-like tusks or horns or a duck-like bill.

The Challicum bunyip, an outline image of a bunyip carved by Aborigines into the bank of Fiery Creek, near Ararat, Victoria, was first recorded by The Australasian newspaper in 1851. According to the report, the bunyip had been speared after killing an Aboriginal man. Antiquarian Reynell Johns claimed that until the mid-1850s, Aboriginal people made a "habit of visiting the place annually and retracing the outlines of the figure [of the bunyip] which is about 11 paces long and 4 paces in extreme breadth." The outline image no longer exists.

Non-Aboriginal Australians have made various attempts to understand and explain the origins of the bunyip as a physical entity over the past 150 years.

Writing in 1933, Charles Fenner suggested that it was likely that the "actual origin of the bunyip myth lies in the fact that from time to time seals have made their way up the ... Murray and Darling (Rivers)". He provided examples of seals found as far inland as Overland Corner, Loxton, and Conargo and reminded readers that "the smooth fur, prominent 'apricot' eyes and the bellowing cry are characteristic of the seal."

Another suggestion is that the bunyip may be a cultural memory of extinct Australian marsupials such as the Diprotodon, Zygomaturus, Nototherium or Palorchestes. This connection was first formally made by Dr George Bennett of the Australian Museum in 1871, but in the early 1990s, palaeontologist Pat Vickers-Rich and geologist Neil Archbold also cautiously suggested that Aboriginal legends "perhaps had stemmed from an acquaintance with prehistoric bones or even living prehistoric animals themselves ... When confronted with the remains of some of the now extinct Australian marsupials, Aborigines would often identify them as the bunyip." They also note that "legends about the mihirung paringmal of western Victorian Aborigines …may allude to the …extinct giant birds the Dromornithidae."

Another connection to the bunyip is the shy Australasian bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus). During the breeding season, the male call of this marsh-dwelling bird is a "low pitched boom"; hence, it is occasionally called the "bunyip bird".
 
During the early settlement of Australia by Europeans, the notion that the bunyip was an actual unknown animal that awaited discovery became common. Early European settlers, unfamiliar with the sights and sounds of the island continent's peculiar fauna, regarded the bunyip as one more strange Australian animal and sometimes attributed unfamiliar animal calls or cries to it. It has also been suggested that 19th-century bunyip lore was reinforced by imported European memories, such as that of the Irish Púca.(Puca - spirit/ghost)
 
A large number of bunyip sightings occurred during the 1840s and 1850s, particularly in the southeastern colonies of Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, as European settlers extended their reach. The following is not an exhaustive list of accounts:
 
Hume find of 1818

One of the earliest accounts relating to a large unknown freshwater animal was in 1818, when Hamilton Hume and James Meehan found some large bones at Lake Bathurst in New South Wales. They did not call the animal a bunyip, but described the remains indicating the creature as very much like a hippopotamus or manatee. The Philosophical Society of Australasia later offered to reimburse Hume for any costs incurred in recovering a specimen of the unknown animal, but for various reasons, Hume did not return to the lake.
 
Wellington Caves fossils, 1830

More significant was the discovery of fossilised bones of "some quadruped much larger than the ox or buffalo in the Wellington Caves in mid-1830 by bushman George Rankin and later by Thomas Mitchell. Sydney's Reverend John Dunmore Lang announced the find as "convincing proof of the deluge". However, it was British anatomist Sir Richard Owen who identified the fossils as the gigantic marsupials Nototherium and Diprotodon. At the same time, some settlers observed "all natives throughout these... districts have a tradition (of) a very large animal having at one time existed in the large creeks and rivers and by many it is said that such animals now exist."
 
First written use of the word bunyip, 1845

In July 1845, The Geelong Advertiser announced the discovery of fossils found near Geelong, under the headline "Wonderful Discovery of a new Animal". This was a continuation of a story on 'fossil remains' from the previous issue. The newspaper continued, "On the bone being shown to an intelligent black (sic), he at once recognised it as belonging to the bunyip, which he declared he had seen. On being requested to make a drawing of it, he did so without hesitation." The account noted a story of an Aboriginal woman being killed by a bunyip and the "most direct evidence of all" – that of a man named Mumbowran "who showed several deep wounds on his breast made by the claws of the animal". The account provided this description of the creature:

"The Bunyip, then, is represented as uniting the characteristics of a bird and of an alligator. It has a head resembling an emu, with a long bill, at the extremity of which is a transverse projection on each side, with serrated edges like the bone of the stingray. Its body and legs partake of the nature of the alligator. The hind legs are remarkably thick and strong, and the fore legs are much longer, but still of great strength. The extremities are furnished with long claws, but the blacks say its usual method of killing its prey is by hugging it to death. When in the water it swims like a frog, and when on shore it walks on its hind legs with its head erect, in which position it measures twelve or thirteen feet in height."

Shortly after this account appeared, it was repeated in other Australian newspapers. However, it appears to be the first use of the word bunyip in a written publication.
 
The Australian Museum's bunyip of 1847

In January 1846, a peculiar skull was taken from the banks of Murrumbidgee River near Balranald, New South Wales. Initial reports suggested that it was the skull of something unknown to science. The squatter who found it remarked, "all the natives to whom it was shown called [it] a bunyip". By July 1847, several experts, including W.S. Macleay and Professor Owen, had identified the skull as the deformed foetal skull of a foal or calf. At the same time, however, the so-called bunyip skull was put on display in the Australian Museum (Sydney) for two days. Visitors flocked to see it, and The Sydney Morning Herald said that it prompted many people to speak out about their "bunyip sightings". Reports of this discovery used the phrase 'Kine Pratie' as well as Bunyip and explorer William Hovell, who examined the skull, also called it a 'katen-pai'.

In March of that year 'a bunyip or an immense Platibus' (Platypus) was sighted 'sunning himself on the placid bosom of the Yarra, just opposite the Custom House' in Melbourne. 'Immediately a crowd gathered' and three men set off by boat 'to secure the stranger' who 'disappeared' when they were 'about a yard from him'.
 
William Buckley's account of bunyips, 1852

Another early written account is attributed to escaped convict William Buckley in his 1852 biography of thirty years living with the Wathaurong people. His 1852 account records "in... Lake Moodewarri [now Lake Modewarre] as well as in most of the others inland...is a...very extraordinary amphibious animal, which the natives call Bunyip." Buckley's account suggests he saw such a creature on several occasions. He adds, "I could never see any part, except the back, which appeared to be covered with feathers of a dusky grey colour. It seemed to be about the size of a full grown calf... I could never learn from any of the natives that they had seen either the head or tail." Buckley also claimed the creature was common in the Barwon River and cites an example he heard of an Aboriginal woman being killed by one. He emphasized the bunyip was believed to have supernatural powers.

- Source: wikipedia -


While there appears to be a pretty good historical record of sightings. I would assume this was either a now known animal that was not know to the people seeing it at the time or it was something that is now extinct.

I was able to find possible reports of a possible bunyip sighting in 1978 or 79. It stated that a plesiosaurus type creature was seen swimming in the river near Sydney. It appears the idea of the bunyip is embraced very well in Eastern Australia. The bunyip has appeared on stamps and various other artwork pieces. It is also an attraction at a place called Murray Bridge.

The Murray Bridge Bunyip 
The Murray Bridge Bunyip can be found lurking in his cave today on the banks of the Murray River at Sturt Reserve Murray Bridge.


(source - Janesoceania, Murraybridge.sa.gov.au )

 
Thanks
~Tom~


This post by Thomas Marcum, Thomas is the founder/leader of the cryptozoology and paranormal research organization known as The Crypto Crew. Over 20 years experience with research and investigation of unexplained activity, working with video and websites. A trained wild land firefighter and a published photographer, and poet



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