Russian Sea Monster?
In August 2006 the englishrussia.com website showed photos of a decayed carcass washed up on a Russian beach, with the following report:
"This creature was found by Russian soldiers on Sakhalin shoreline. Sakhalin area is situated near to Japan, it’s the most eastern part of Russia, almost 5000 miles to East from Moscow (Russia is huge). People don’t know who is it. According to the bones and teeth - it is not a fish. According to its skeleton - it’s not a crocodile or alligator. It has a skin with hair or fur. It has been said that it was taken by Russian special services for in-depth studies, and we are lucky that people who encountered it first made those photos before it was brought away."
The cryptomundo.com website noted that the story has changed somewhat, "as it was originally reported that the carcass was found by Russian fishermen, whereas here it was reportedly found by Russian soldiers. The initial description mentioned that the carcass was nearly 7 meters long, approximately 21 feet. It doesn’t appear to be that length in these photos."
This case is rather easy to dispatch. Enough of the skull and skeleton is visible to say that it is definitely a small-toothed whale, and almost certainly a beluga whale. The skull shape, dentition, and other details are all consistent with a large beluga whale. Shown here is a photo of a beluga whale skull for comparison. Any differences are readily accounted for by the liklihood that the carcass represents an old, robust individual whose teeth are worn and broken (and in the front, missing). The vertebrae and exposed scapula are also whale-like. The neck is also short, and and there are no hind flippers visible to suggest a plesiosaur. The dark "hair" undoubtely represents decayed flesh, which typically becomes darker and fibrous as it decomposes.
Although the carcass was reported to be 21 feet long, judging by the people standing near the carcass, a more realistic estimate would probably be 12 - 15 feet long, which is within the range of beluga whales
Mummified Sea Monster
Status: Believed to be a Taxidermical Creation
A guy selling this on E-bay claimed that he found the "cryptid creature" washed up on a beach in Tampa, Florida. He wrote: "I guarantee that this creatures flesh, teeth, jaw and skull are REAL 100% once living, organic flesh and bones." In other words, the flesh, teeth, jaw and skull are all real, but probably from separate creatures put together by taxidermical arts. Still, it looks like a well-made monster.
Book Deal for Dragon Hoax Author
An author who was so desperate to get his book published that he staged a hoax involving a baby dragon has won a lucrative publishing contract. After numerous rejections Allistair Mitchell concocted a tale that a dragon had been found in a garage last year. He said: "I created the hoax in order to attract potential readers." Mr Mitchell, based in Oxford, has now signed an book deal with Waterstone's for his book Unearthly History, a thriller featuring a dragon. Writing under the pen name PR Moredun, Mr Mitchell concocted the tall tale which emerged in the media in January.
It was claimed that German scientists created the specimen in the 1890s and sent it to the Natural History Museum in order to dupe their British counterparts. But, the story went, the museum had dismissed it as a hoax and it had been spirited away by a museum porter. I n fact the dragon was created by Crawley Creatures, the model makers behind TV's Walking with Dinosaurs, and the jar was made by a specialist glass blowing studio in the Isle of Wight.
A Waterstone's spokesman said: "This is a very refreshing approach to book publishing. "My bet is that it is going to be a big seller - because of the hoax but also because it is a great book and people will recommend it on."
The "Mystery Civil War Pterodactyl"
An internet rumor began in the late 1990s that this photograph was found squeezed between the pages of a 1970s paranormal book purchased at a thrift store. For years, Forteans had searched for the exclusive "Thunderbird" photograph seen and remembered by zoologist Ivan T. Sanderson during the 1960s. Then, this newly discovered picture raised the question of its relationship to the Sanderson "lost Thunderbird photo." But something seemed wrong. The Sanderson stories told of a Thunderbird tacked to the side of a barn in Tombstone, Arizona, or some other location in the Old West. The photograph shown here, however, appeared to have captured a group of Civil War soldiers, circa 1860s, with the remains of a pterodactyl. Was this the long lost photograph, remembered by so many, but never found after decades of looking for it?
As it turned out this photograph was a promotional tool of Orlando, Florida's Haxan Production (producers of "The Blair Witch Project"), to develop interest in their forthcoming fictional program, "Freaky Links." The series, first broadcast on Fox TV, finally in 2000, involved the character "Derek Barnes," an investigator of the unknown.
The picture was a hoax and the pterodactyl was a prop created exclusively for two episodes of Freaky Links. Fox is done with the prop, however, and this intriguing pseudo-cryptid was acquired by Loren Coleman, and is now part of the collection of the Museum--that is all 22 feet by 11 feet of it.
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A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE CRYPTO BEASTS
Beast of 7 Chutes, The - an unknown bigfoot-type creature inadvertently photographed beside a waterfall in a park called "Parc des Sept Chutes" in Quebec. More similar in appearance to descriptions of the Beast of Bray Road than to a Sasquatch. 4
Beast of Bray Road, The - a creature sighted repeatedly along Bray Road near Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Described as wolf-like in appearance, but stands on two legs. 4
Beast of Gévaudan, The - a creature which terrorized the region of Gévaudan (now Lozére), France from June 1764 to June 1767. It was thought to have been a giant wolf, a dog/wolf cross, or a werewolf. 1
Bunyip, The - a mythical aboriginal beast in Australia. There are two types: the Long-necked Bunyip and the Dog-faced Bunyip. The long-necked Bunyip is reputed to be a man-eater. Many think the dog-faced Bunyip could be a surviving Tanystropheus. 3
Bigfoot or Sasquatch - the most famous cryptid in North America. It's Salish Indian name roughly translates as "wild man of the wood". It is also known by many other Native American names including Omah and Gilyuk. To the Denna people, Gilyuk was no legendary creature their grandfathers had told them about. He was reality, and they spoke of him as they spoke of the bears and wolves. They saw his sign, and they saw him. He was a shaggy giant who "wore a little hat" and ate men. It is thought by many to be a surviving Gigantopithecus. 3
Champ - Champ or Champy is the name given to a reputed lake monster living in Lake Champlain. The creature's existence has never been authoritatively documented. While most authorities regard Champy as legend, some believe it is possible such a giant creature does live deep in the lake. If so, many scientists believe it could be a surviving plesiosaur. The state government of Vermont has put Champ on its Endangered Species List, so that if such an animal does exist, it would be protected by law.
Chupacabra, The - A mix of vampire and marauding, furry lizard, the Chupacabra has become one of the most common beasts studied under the general heading of cryptozoology, especially in Puerto Rico. It is said to kill livestock and often only drain the blood. 4
Coelacanth - a primitive fish, a "living fossil" believed to have been extinct for 65 million years, was caught in a fishing net in 1938 off the coast of Africa.
De Loys' Ape - an alleged humanoid ape-like creature shot by a group of men when it attacked them on an expedition in Venezuela in 1920 lead by Swiss geologist Francois De Loys.
Dragons - are commonly portrayed as serpentine or reptilian, hatching from eggs and possessing long, typically scaly, bodies; dragons are almost always portrayed as having large eyes, a feature that is the origin for the word for dragon in many cultures, and are often (but not always) portrayed with wings and fiery breath. Some believe that the dragon may have had a real-life counterpart from which the legends around the world arose — typically dinosaurs or other archosaurs are mentioned as a possibility. Others believe dragons once existed as real creatures in their own right. 3
Kongamato - or "overwhelmer of boats", it is a giant flying reptile, said to live in the Jiundu swamps in the Mwinilunga District in western Zambia, near the border of Congo and Angola. Reports of similar creatures have come in for hundreds of years from all around the world. They are thought to be surviving Pterosaurs, like Pteranadon. 3
Lake Iliamna Monsters, The - Alaskan lake monsters (sometimes called "Illies"). Thought to be gigantic sturgeon.
Loch Ness Monster, The - The Loch Ness "monster" -- affectionately known as "Nessie" -- is an alleged plesiosaur-like creature living in Loch Ness, a long, deep lake near Inverness, Scotland. Many sightings of the "monster" have been recorded, going back at least as far as St. Columba, the Irish monk who converted most of Scotland to Christianity in the 6th century. "Nessie" could be a surviving plesiosaur or basilosaur.
Marozi, The - the Spotted Lion of Africa, the marozi is little remembered today, and sadly may no longer even exist as the reports have for the most part stopped during the last 40 years. The brunt of the evidence that this lion once existed starts in 1931. In that year a farmer in the Aberdare Mountain area of Kenya shot two small lions at an elevation of around 10,000 feet. These specimens where eventually mounted as trophies, and caught the attention of the Game Department. Upon further examination, it was discovered that, although the skins where from a male and a female of pubescent age, they were spotted, something that only appears in lions at an early age. The marozi could actually be a leopon. 3, 5
Megamouth - the previously unknown megamouth shark was discovered off Oahu, Hawaii, in 1976 when it tried to eat a ship's anchor.
Mbilintu, The - largest, most frightful of all the African mystery beasts. Its name means, "the frightful unknown monster," and it is described by natives as a gigantic lizard, with a neck like a giraffe, legs like an elephant's, a small snakelike head and a tail thirty feet long. It haunts the Congo swamps and the regions of lakes Bangweulu, Mweru and Tanganyika. It could be one of several prehistoric creatures, now thought to be extinct: a Chalicothere, an Indricotherium, or a surviving sauropod, such as an Apatosaurus.
Mngwa "The Strange One" - gigantic, man-killing cat that has terrorized the coastal fishing villages of Eastern Africa for hundreds of years. Described as being the size of a donkey and marked like a tabby, it could be a liger, a tigon, a leopon or a completely unknown species of cat. 2
Nandi Bear, The - or kerit, a fearsome monster that lurks the forests of East Africa and still awaits capture and identification. It is thought to be an unknown species of bear, giant baboon or giant hyena. Eye witnesses have said that a side-view of its head gave the impression of a snout, the head being very large, while the beast stood very high forward, 4 ft. 3 ins. to 4 ft. 6 ins. at the shoulder. They say the back sloped steeply to the hindquarters and the animal moved with a shambling gait which can best be compared with the shuffle of a bear. The coat was thick and dark brown in colour. 2
Sabertoothed Cat - They have been seen by the locals in modern times in the Central African Republic and Chad. The animal is known by the French speakers of the Zagaoua peoples of the escarpments of the Ennedi mountains as "tigre de montagne". Reliable reports on their existence have recently been written in reputable scientific journals. 5
Thunderbird, The - has been reported by Native Americans and people today from all walks of life as an enormous bird, larger than any known species, but similar in appearance to a condor. Theories as to what the Thunderbird may be have run the gamut from surviving pterodactyls to the teratorns. The teratorns were large predatory birds from the Pleistocene that exhibited wingspans of upwards of 25 feet. Although thought to be extinct, their general presumed appearance was that of a giant condor-like species, similar in appearence to the descriptions of the Thunderbird. 5
Thylacine - (Thylacinus cynocephalus) is a large carnivorous marsupial native to Australia which is thought to have gone extinct in the 20th century. Locally, it is known as the Tasmanian Tiger or Tasmanian Wolf, and colloquially the Tassie ("tazzy") Tiger or simply the Tiger. The largest and by far the most famous of those Australian species thought to be extinct, creatures believed to be living thylacines continue to be sighted. 5
1 Reported to actively hunt and kill humans;
2 Reported to frequently kill humans;
3 Reported to occasionally kill humans;
4 Reportedly carnivorous;
5 Known or considered to be a carnivore.
USA Mystery Cats, an extension of Big Cats in Britain, is a site compiled and maintained by Alex Mistretta, a French born anthropologist and cryptozoologist now living in the US. It includes many startling encounters people have had with large and often unknown species of felines in the USA as far back as 1953. The picture link below will take you to sightings from 2003, including a mystery cat sighting by yours truly, The Cryptozoologist himself. This link has been added with permission from Alex Mistretta.
Music:
ALL THE PETS I'VE EVER OWNED!
