Creature Feature – Hunting Down Myths

Not all hunters head out into the woods with a rifle.  Cryptozoologists are scientists who pursue strange, elusive wildlife that mainstream science will not acknowledge.  Such creatures are called cryptids and include the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot and other mythical beasts whose existence — despite eye-witness accounts, photographs, videos and countless reports of strange encounters throughout history — remain unverified.   Since its founding in 1955, many still view cryptozoology as a pseudoscience.  Nevertheless, modern day cryptozoologists continue to hunt for hard evidence proving the existence of their enigmatic quarry.

Sometimes, wildlife leaps from legend to life.  Such was the case with an infamous sea monster called “the Kraken.”  For centuries, tales were told of sea-faring ships, attacked and sunk by an enormous squid.  Over time, evidence verifying the existence of giant squid emerged when huge tentacles washed up on beaches and were found in the bellies of sperm whales killed by harpooners.  In 1873, an intact carcass was discovered in Newfoundland, Canada.  Today, we know that giant squid can grow upwards of 40 feet long!  They remain incredibly elusive:  the first photo of a living specimen was not taken until 2005.

With thousands of new species being confirmed annually, there is plenty of fodder for both science and the imagination!

Article by Margie Manthey
Illustration from Wikimedia