Introduction to Cryptozoology

A Tibetan proverb asks, "What is the most cunning of all animals?" What do you think the answer is?

Hmmm, let me think a second. Hmmmm.... Ah, the fox is the most cunning of all animals.

No, I'm afraid not.

If its not the fox, then what animal is the most cunning?

Actually we're not just talking about one animal but many animals. The answer from that Tibetan proverb is "That which no man has seen" and cryptozoology is the scientific study of those animals.

Hmmm, animals that man hasn't seen, interesting. What the heck is crypto... cryptozoology?

Dr. Bernard Heuvelmans who is considered the father of cryptozoology defines the word cryptozoology as:

"...I began to use more and more often the term 'cryptozoology' to define my research. I had derived it from the Greek roots kruptos, meaning 'hidden', zôon, 'animal', and logos,'discourse': in short, 'the science of hidden animals'.

Heuvelmans, Bernard, Dr., On the Track of Unknown Animals,3rd ed. (London: Kegan Paul International Limited, 1995), "Preface to the Revised Edition," p. xxv.

Huh! Hidden Animals? What are you talking about?

Hidden animals of course. You've heard of them. The most famous or infamous, depending on your point of view, are the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot.

But cryptozoology is more than those two animals, it includes the okapi, a short necked giraffe, mentioned in 1890 in the book, In Darkest Africa, but not officially recognized by the scientific community until 1901, the mountain gorilla had been reported by an explorer in 1860 but wasn't officially recognized until 1902, plus many more animals that are common place today but weren't even recognized years ago.

Cryptozoology also deals with animals that are believed to be extinct, but could actually still be alive. The best example of this is the coelacanth. It was thought to be an extinct fish only found in the fossil record, but in 1938 a live specimen was caught off the coast of South Africa. In the 80's, the main cryptozoological interest was Mokele-mbembe,which some believe to be a living sauropod dinosaur that lives in the Likouala swamp region in the Republic of the Congo. There also has been one sighting of a sauropod dinosaur in the rain forests of South America.

In the 90's, the cryptozoological hot bed is the Vu Quang Nature Reserve in Vietnam. An area relatively unexplored by scientist until the 1990's. In 1992, a new fish, a bird, a turtle, and a large mammal were found. That large mammal is called the Vu Quang ox or known locally as Sao La.

The scientist at that time only had a couple of horns, skulls, skin samples, and reports from hunters what the Vu Quang ox looked like. With this information they believed an adult would stand about 1 meter (3 feet) at the shoulder and weigh over 90 kilograms (200 lbs). In June of 1994, Vietnamese scientists finally captured a five month old calf and a few months later another calf was caught.

Hmmm, I think I see your point about the okapi, the mountain gorilla, and the Vu Quang ox but the scientific study of Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster, they're just myths, you're pushing that. And a living dinosaur, you're nuts!

Yes, I'm probably nuts, but lets look at two definitions of cryptozoology.

Dr. Bernard Heuvelmans defines cryptozoology this way:

"To give a precise definition of it, cryptozoology is the scientific study of animal forms, the existence of which is based only on testimonial or circumstantial evidence, or on material proof judged insufficient by some."

Heuvelmans, Bernard, Dr., On the Track of Unknown Animals,3rd ed. (London: Kegan Paul International Limited, 1995), "Preface to the Revised Edition," p. xxv.

Dr. Roy P. Mackal defines cryptozoology this way:

Cryptozoology is the study and investigation of evidence for animals unexpected in time or place or in size or shape."

Shuker, Karl, Dr., In Search of Prehistoric Survivors: Do Giant 'Extinct' Creatures Still Exist (London: Blandford 1995), "Foreword by Professor Roy P. Mackal," p.9.

"It is ironic that while man's knowledge of words beyond our planet is ever increasing, considerable expanses of his own, on land and under the water, are still virtually unexplored and unknown. One sad outcome of this is that much of the wildlife inhabiting these regions remains mysterious and sparsely documented. Regrettably, however, this tragic situation is largely unrecognized (or ignored) by most people - scientists and laymen alike - who find it difficult to believe that in this ultra-scientific age there could be portions or our world that have never been thoroughly charted, and which could therefore harbour some major new animals still awaiting discovery. Instead, as least as far as they are concerned, the days when such creatures were added to the zoological catalogue ended decisively with the scientific unveiling of the okapi in 1901 - and they consider the rediscovery of supposedly extinct animals to be as likely as the alchemic conversion of iron into gold."

Shuker, Karl, Dr., Tbe Lost Ark: New & Rediscovered Animals of the 20th Century (London: HarperCollins Publishers 1993), "Introduction - Creatures from the Lost Ark," pp. 9-10.

Dr. Bernard Heuvelmans writes:

"In the 1950s, I was an angry young zoologist, indignant at the ostracism imposed by official science - we would say today the scientific Establishment - on those animals known only through the reports of isolated travellers, or through often fantastic native legends, or from simple but mysterious footprints, or the recital of sometimes bloody depredations, or through traditional images, or even a few ambiguous photos. Instances of this sort were, in fact, quite numerous. These were attested to by files, often quite thick, which in general gathered dust at the bottom of drawers or, at the most, were considered as 'amusing curiosities'. It would have been much better to term them 'the secret archives of zoology', or even, since they were in some way shameful in the eyes of correct thinkers, 'the Hades of zoological literature'. It had in fact been decreed on high and, moreover, in a totally arbitrary fashion, that only those species for which there existed a representative specimen, duly registered in some institution, or at the least an identifiable fragment of a specimen, could be admitted into zoological catalogues. Lacking this, they were banned from the Animal Kingdom, and zoologists were morally constrained to speak of them only with an exasperated shrug of the shoulder or a mocking smile. To propose devoting a profound study to sea-serpents, the Abominable Snowman, the Loch Ness monster, or to all such-like, amounted to straightforward provocation. Furthermore, no scientific publication would have accepted it for printing unless, of course, it ended with the conclusion that the being in question was the result of popular imagination, founded on some misapprehension, or the product of a hoax.

As for myself, however, in spite of my status as professional zoologist and my university degrees, I dreamed of delivering all of those condemned beasts from the ghetto in which they had so unjustly been confined, and to bring them to be received into the fold of zoology."

Heuvelmans, Bernard, Dr., On the Track of Unknown Animals,3rd ed. (London: Kegan Paul International Limited, 1995), "Preface to the Revised Edition," pp. xxiii-xxiv.

Many new and unique animals, insects, plants, viruses, and even ecosystems are still being found by scientist today in the many unexplored areas of the rain forest, the oceans, caves, and even our own back yards. Some scientist know about these discoveries but not all do. And most of the general populace of the world does not know about the many new animals, insects, plants, viruses, and ecosystems that are being discovered. A situation that needs to change as Matthew A. Bille writes:

"Every animal discovered or rediscovered is an expression of the diversity of this world, and a plea to preserve it. If we continue to burn, bulldoze, and driftnet, many of the rarest species will disappear, and some fascinating discoveries will be lost without our ever knowing they were there.

Fortunately, the finding of new or supposedly extinct animals also gains wide public and scientific attention. The search for such animals may play a crucial role in convincing people that Earth's vanishing wilds deserve to be saved."

Bille, Matthew A., Rumors of Existence: Newly Discovered, Supposedly Extinct, and Unconfirmed Inhabitants of the Animal Kingdom(Blaine: Hancock House, 1995), "Preface," pp.9-10.

Keep an open mind and you will learn some fascinating facts about the inhabitants and habitats that have been found and are still waiting to be found in the realm of hidden animals.

Page Updated 2006-09-24