Five not so scary cryptids
October 4th, 2009 11:04 am by Shane
I've been interested in cryptozoology since I was a kid when I would find every book I could in the library on Bigfoot, Nessie, or the Yeti and read them voraciously. I was too young to be able to separate the totally bogus books from the somewhat bogus books. I watched any "In Search Of..." I could, and any "Bigfoot" special that came on. As I got older, though, I learned that much of what I read was exaggerated bunk. However, no matter what, in the back of my mind I'd like to think it's possible in the remote parts of the Himalayas to be some undiscovered primate. I'm not hopeful, but I'd like to think it's possible.
Today, cryptozoology includes a lot of cryptids that I never heard of until I started listening to Art Bell's Coast to Coast AM show about a decade ago. At this point, all it takes is one report from someone really scared to create a new cryptid. Recently on Coast to Coast AM, George Noory had a paranormal investigator named Joshua Warren on for a segment to talk about the "Five Scariest Cryptids", cryptids you would never want to meet (in real life? ). The list, taken from here, http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2009/09/22:
* 5) Devil Dragons-- seen in South Carolina, these huge pterodactyl-like creatures have piercing eyes and flapping wings.
* 4) Batsquatch-- with glowing yellow eyes, this flying creature reportedly caused a truck's engine to shut off near Mount Rainier.
* 3) Wendigo-- according to Native American lore, this hairy shape-shifting giant was once a human, but after performing acts of cannibalism, it turned into a shaggy monster.
* 2) Hellhounds-- Dating back hundreds of years, reports detail hulking Rottweiler-like dogs that suddenly appear and tear people to shreds.
* 1) Popobawa-- A 7 ft. tall black-winged demonic entity that is said to brutally molest men in Zanzibar.
On the show, both George and Joshua referred to photographs of a Devil Dragon that were supposedly very intriguing. If you look at these pictures, though, you should be less than impressed. Here are links to the pictures themselves:
* http://shadowboxent.brinkster.net/devildragon1.jpg
* http://shadowboxent.brinkster.net/devildragon2.jpg
Have you ever seen less convincing photographs of anything? It's pretty obvious that what's being photographed is the reflection off of some sort of mist or smoke. These are awful pictures. I can't believe anyone would believe they are "Devil Dragons".
In all seriousness, I believe Joshua Warren wants his work to be taken serious, but how do you when he takes pictures of smoke or mist and passes them off as "Devil Dragons." It's a symptom of what has ruined the magic of cryptozoology for me and for so many skeptics. It's too mysticall now. Cryptozoology used to be stories about people in the woods observing animals and substances animals leave behind. Sure, most of the time (if not all the time) it comes down to misidentification of known animals, but at least there is something physically there.
The other things on the list? Batsquatch? Really? Are we to take serious Wendigos, Hellhounds and Popobawas? They're just legends, that's all. It's almost certain that Sasquatch and the Yeti are too, but at least people try to find something physical that can be tested. To be accurate, Joshua Warren call these cryptids "phantimals", which means they appear and disappear from our world, but seem physical when they're in it. In other words, more new age junk.
I know it sounds silly to hear a skeptic complain about cryptozoology not being about real enough creatures, but the pursuit of previously unknown creatures is a valid science. Examining local legends to see if they have a kernel of truth is sound work. What Joshua Warren is promoting, though, is the uncritical acceptance of any and all claims that sound spooky. That's my complaint. I'm less than credulous.
