At the beginning of the 21st Century monsters still roam the remote, and sometimes not so remote, corners of our planet. It is our job to search for them. The Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] is - we believe - the largest professional, scientific and full-time organisation in the world dedicated to cryptozoology - the study of unknown animals. Since 1992 the CFZ has carried out an unparalleled programme of research and investigation all over the world. Since 2009 we have been running the increasingly popular CFZ Blog Network, and although there has been an American branch of the CFZ for over ten years now, it is only now that it has a dedicated blog.

Saturday 31 October 2015

HALLOWE'EN

October 31st is Hallowe'en.  It was brought to America by Irish and Scottish immigrants.  In origin, it was the start of the New Year among the pagan Celts.  In the Gaelic languages it is called Oiche Shamhna (Irish) and Oidhche Shamna (Scottish).  The day following it was called Samhain (pronounced sowwin).  This was the first day of the new year and not the name of an ancient god, as some have been misinformed.  

On the eve of Samhain it was believed that the gates to the Otherworld were open and this was a time the dead and other creatures could come for a visit.  It was not an anti-Christian occasion.



In Ireland, Jack-a-Lanterns were carved from turnips to add to the ghostly atmosphere.  When the celebration was taken up in the United States, the pumpkin was favored.


DOES BIGFOOT TREAD THE OZARKS?

A report from Missouri with video.

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Second section of the above article

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TIPS FOR BIGFOOT HUNTERS

How do you know if Bigfoot is about?


Courtesy Lon Strickler


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BLONDES WILL SURVIVE

There has been a rumor in the media for some time that blondes will become extinct in 200 years.  This is based on what is alleged to have been  a study by the World Health Organization.   The story is quite untrue. Blondes are not treading the Dodo Path.  The supposed study never took place.

Blonde

ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD


Happy Halloween to those who observe it.

On This Day in Weird, October 31...

1969: Witness Wes Strang claims a sighting of Bigfoot "squatting" outside his rural home, near Oroville, California. Strang and the creature briefly stare at one another, then Strang reportedly goes back inside his house to watch television without alerting neighbors or the authorities.


Friday 30 October 2015

ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD


On This Day in Weird, October 30...

2012: Bigfoot blogger Shawn Evidence announces the impending "Apalachicola Sasquatch Study," planned by a group known as "The Sasquatch Hunters," based in Florida. The group claims various discoveries allegedly related to the Sunshine State's Bigfoot, commonly known as the "Skunk Ape," but have yet to produce definitive evidence. Read more on the project at http://bigfootevidence.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-apalachicola-sasquatch-study-to.html

Thursday 29 October 2015

ANIMALS ON MARS

Are animals really being photographed on the Red Planet?



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INDIA'S HUMANOID - THE MANDE BARUNG

The Mande Barung has been called "India's Bigfoot".

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BIGFOOT SIGHTINGS IN DEADWOOD

Investigations into recent sightings.



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FRESHWATER OCTOPUSES - DO THEY EXIST?

Are such creatures to be found in Oklahoma and elsewhere?



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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD


On This Day in Weird, October 29...

2015: Yes, today! If you read this and you're in the neighborhood, the Kentucky Bigfoot Research Organization plans a presentation tonight titled "The Bluegrass Bigfoot," free and open to the public, running from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Bullitt County Public Library. Although said library has four branches in as many different towns, and the KBRO's website does not specify which one is hosting the event, the main library stands at 127 North Walnut Street in Shepherdsville. Those interested may phone for confirmation to 502-543-7675.



Bullitt County Public Library in Shepherdsville

Wednesday 28 October 2015

ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD



On This Day in Weird, October 28...

2004: A farmer in Forrest County, Mississippi—named for the first "grand wizard" of the Ku Klux Klan—reports to the GCBRO that strange events, allegedly involving Bigfoot, have persisted "for the past two years." Most recently, on this date, he claims "loud growling noises" followed by limbs breaking and a "high-pitched noise" similar to "a tire peeling out." On other occasions, his cattle refuse to enter the barn, and when he investigates with a flashlight, he sees "red eyes" shining six to seven feet above ground level.


Tuesday 27 October 2015

MYSTERY MARINE CREATURE PHOTOGRAPHED OFF CORFU

This article includes photographs.

Corfu


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WAS THIS A THUNDERBIRD?

Writer recounts his youthful experience.

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OREGON LAKE MONSTER

19th Century sighting of Wallowa Lake Monster.



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NEIL ARNOLD'S BIG CAT ENCOUNTER

Neil Arnold is an avid cryptozoologist and a highly respected member of the CFZ.  In this piece he records his encounter with a black mystery cat on October 27th two years ago.



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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD


On This Day in Weird, October 27...

2011: Bigfoot blogger Shawn Evidence reviews the alleged 1924 Sasquatch attack on miners at Ape Canyon, near Mount St. Helens in Washington State, including a two-year effort by paranormal investigators to locate the original cabin site. Photos are included, but no mention is made of the 1980s confession by notorious hoaxer Rant Mullins, that he and an uncle faked the attack "as a joke." For more, see http://bigfootevidence.blogspot.com/2011/10/rediscovering-famous-bigfoot-attack.html

Monday 26 October 2015

SASQUATCH HOWLS?

Screams and howls in the vicinity of Alert Bay on Vancouver Island have led to a Sasquatch hunt.


Image courtesy Lon Strickler


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PHANTOM KANGAROOS IN JAPAN

Phantom Kangaroos are not unknown in the USA.  They have also been reported from the UK and Belgium.  Now reports are coming in from Japan.



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UFO SIGHTINGS

Includes one in Moscow on October 21st.



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CENTAURS AGAIN

Yesterday I posted a link about alleged sightings of Centaurs.  I would like to augment what is said in the article there with some actual cases.  

In 1963 James McKinney of Centerville (Illinois) was on the telephone to his police department reporting the sighting of a centaur.  There was also a report of one from Melbourne (Florida).
This was seen by a 10-year old child, his sister and a pair of friends.   As far as I am aware, neither is in a "high strangeness" area.  In 2006 rumor was circulating of centaur sightings in Canada, but I have no direct information on these.  In 2011 a caller told the program Coast to Coast that she had seen a centaur herding other animals.  

Going over to Africa, a centaur was reported from Maru in Nigeria.  It was said to be chasing women.  It differed from other centaurs in that it had zebrine stripes from the neck down.  A report on this creature was carried by the Nigerian News Agency in 2003.

I would have thought that there would be strong objections to the possible existence of centaurs on physiological grounds.  However, we should not assume that, because a creature seems a physical impossibility that it is one.  There may be peculiar internal parts of a centaur that make it viable.

ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD


On This Day in Weird, October 26...

First, I begin with apologies for jumping the date yesterday. Today is the 26th, in fact, and its proper entry follows...

2011: A retired software engineer reports sighting Bigfoot near his cabin on Bassett Lake, in Superior National Forest near Brimson, Minnesota (St. Louis County). He describes the creature as "a tall man type figure," wading through shallow water and reeds near the lake's shore. It was "tan in color, looked broad shouldered and bulky coming towards me close along the shoreline." Upon noticing the witness, the animal flees at a rapid pace.


Sunday 25 October 2015

SIGHTINGS OF CENTAURS

The centaur is a legendary creature, half man and half horse.  It has long been thought completely mythical; but is it?



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LEGEND OF DOGMAN

Marking the 25th anniversary of the first reported sighting in Michigan, this is a survey of various sightings in that state.

Image courtesy Lon Strickler


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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD


On This Day in Weird, October 26...

2014: To aid in hyping its TV program, "Killing Bigfoot," the Gulf Coast Bigfoot Researchers Organization issues a "wild guess" estimation of 30,000 hairy hominids at large in the U.S. nationwide. The bulletin includes a list of places alleged to be the most likely haunts of Sasquatcht, including two sites in Louisiana, plus one each in Arkansas, California, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Washington. Other likely spots, based on hundreds of reported sightings in Florida, Ohio, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, among others, are oddly ignored.

Saturday 24 October 2015

CRYPTIDS OF NEWFOUNDLAND/LABRADOR

This piece includes the nennorluk, which is said to walk on the sea bed.

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WEIRD CREATURE FOUND DEAD IN PARAGUAY

Was it a chupacabra?

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BRITISH BIGFOOT INCIDENT

This occurred in the '70s.


Image courtesy Lon Strickler


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VIETNAM'S FLYING WOMAN

Although this is a well-known case, there may still be many of you out there who haven't heard of it.

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A BATCH OF UFO SIGHTINGS

One of them was over Panama City (Florida).



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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD


On This Day in Weird, October 24,,,

2014: The network Destination America airs a one-hour program titled "Killing Bigfoot," in which armed members of the Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization try to do just that. In case you missed it, they failed to find the elusive creature, much less bag a specimen.


Friday 23 October 2015

PTEROSAURS - STILL WITH US?

Do these winged reptiles still traverse our skies?



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PTEROSAURS ON CUBA?

Account of modern day observation of Gitmo - the Cuban pterosaur.



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PHOTOGRAPHS OF ALLEGED "ALIEN MOTHERSHIP"

Do these photographs actually show a huge alien craft?



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Note to reader: Remember, meteorological phenomena can look astonishingly like UFOs at times.

IS BIGFOOT ON VIDEO?

A possible Bigfoot video recording has been made.

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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD


On This Day in Weird, October 23...

2005: A motorist driving through a suburban portion of Genesee County, Michigan, reports sighting a tall, lanky, black figure walking on two legs across the road crossing the road beneath a streetlight. He describes it as black, 7 to 8 feet tall, and "very slender, with skinny legs and arms." He waits a month before reporting the incident online.


Thursday 22 October 2015

WHAT IS A SAMSON FOX?

This creature may be misidentified by cryptozoologists in the field, but it is a known fox, possibly with a genetic disorder.  The photograph in this article was taken in North Carolina.

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DESCENDANTS OF DINOSAURS

This article features the evolution of birds from dinosaurs.

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BIGFOOT ARTICLES

A swathe of Bigfoot articles from the Mirror.





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AREA 51

Ex-CIA members discuss the matter.



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FLYING SNAKE 3/9 IS OUT

I have recently received a copy of Richard Muirhead's latest issue of Flying Snake, his cryptozoological magazine.  This publication seems to get better and better.  I found an article by Javier Resines on Wild Men in the Pyrenees particularly interesting.  A battle with a monster in Iowa in 1885 also features.  Copies may be ordered from 112 High Street, Macclesfield, SK11 7QQ, UK.  Subscriptions are £12 perannum (about $20) and £3.99 (about $5) for single copies.

PIGMAN IN IOWA

A highly bizarre creature recently reported.

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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD


On This Day in Weird, October 22...

1977: Future senator Bill O'Chee, a teenager at the time, reports seeing an 8-foot-tall Yowie, Australia's version of Bigfoot, while on a high school camping trip near Springbrook in Queensland. He describes it as having "no neck," broad shoulders, and a flat face, the body covered in brown hair just over two inches long. It flees on foot when several youths pursue it, armed with stick.


Wednesday 21 October 2015

KING ARTHUR AND THE BIRDS

King Arthur is a legendary king of the Ancient Britons who, after the Roman withdrawal from Britain, is said to have fought with the incoming English.  (The descendants of the Ancient Britons include the Welsh, Cornish and Bretons).  Whether Arthur ever existed is a moot point, but legend asserts he was connected with a number of birds, notably the Chough.

The Chough is a red-legged bird of the crow family, regarded as the national bird of Cornwall.  In the Cornish language it is called 

an balores.  

According to a folktale, choughs were once black all over.  The wizard Merlin had a pet chough which could understand human speech.  One night a schemer named Murdoch sought to murder Arthur's queen.  The chough attacked and killed him.  When Arthur arrived on the scene, the bird's beak and legs were red with the malefactor's blood.  The loyal fowl was knighted at once by Arthur.  Since then, all choughs' legs have been red.

After Arthur's death, it was believed he turned into a chough.  A variant of the legend has it that he turned into a raven.  One source asserts he turned into a puffin.

Chough

MONSTERS OF MICHIGAN

A survey which includes the Michigan Merman and Dogman.

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BIGFOOT SIGHTING

Sighting of the Hairy One alleged in Sasquatch Canyon.



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MORBACH WEREWOLF

An account of this German lycanthrope.

Image courtesy Lon Strickler


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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD


On This Day in Weird, October 21...

1989: A Vernon Parish, Louisiana, hunter seated in his deer stand hears a "rumbling sound" and turns to see a hairy, bipedal creature 8 to 9 feet tall and "stinky," weighing roughly 200 to 250 pounds, moving through the woods below his perch (which was 15 feet above ground level). According to his wife, who reports the incident online in August 2006, he holds his fire because he "thought it would attack if he missed shooting the huge animal."


Tuesday 20 October 2015

TEAR-DRINKING BUTTERFLIES

An unusual dietary piece.

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PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS

Today Lon Strickler's Phantoms and Monsters site features a possible Bigfoot sighting in Tennessee plus a UFO account.

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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD


On This Day in Weird, October 20...

2012: Blogger Robert Lindsay posts photos of a horse owned by one Robin Lynne Pfeiffer of Michigan, allegedly snapped after "Bigfoot braided its mane." Pfeiffer supposedly resides at a "Bigfoot habituation site" where the creatures frequently appear. As Lindsay admits, the photos were "met with quite a bit of ridicule" when originally published and the incident "was never confirmed." Despite common appearances of Bigfoot over a two-year period, Pfeiffer claims no photos of the creature itself. See the horse photos and read more at https://robertlindsay.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/bigfoot-news-october-20-2012/

Monday 19 October 2015

FEARFUL CREATURE AT TRAILER STOP

It was described as being larger than a lion.

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ELVES IN MEXICO

Was this a true sighting?  The writer doesn't seem to distinguish between Elves and Gnomes.

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OHIO RIVER VALLEY - WEIRD STORIES

A look at the ghosts and legends of this region.


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THE DIDI - APEMAN OF GUYANA

This creature has been reported for a goodly number of years.  Its size varies.

Guyana


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.

NEW CFZ BOOK

New Book from CFZ Press...

On a personal note, I invite all readers (if they exist!) to check out my latest from CFZ Press. Jon and the whole gang have done their usual great job on what is, more or less, a companion volume to my previous book, When Bigfoot Attacks. In this one, I examine all reports I could find of Bigfoot-type creatures being killed, captured, or found dead by humans.


ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD



On This Day in Weird, October 19...

2002: An adult female resident of Cusseta, Georgia, claims a series of purported Bigfoot encounters in woods surrounding her home, including odd smells and sounds, discovery of suspect hair, large humanoid footprints, and "territorial markers." A GCBRO investigator follows up the report, announcing collection of hair samples from trees six feet above ground level and casting of 19 suspect footprints in plaster.


Sunday 18 October 2015

BEAST OF LOCH NA BEISTE

A 19th Century account of a strange creature said to
 dwell in Loch na Beiste in Scotland.

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CARNIVOROUS TREE OF MEXICO

Does the snake-tree exist?  

SISIMITE - THE BIGFOOT OF MEXICO

A Bigfoot-like creature e4xists in the beliefs of Mexico and Central America.

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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD


On This Day in Weird, October 18...

1968: Seven teenage boys riding in two cars claim a dramatic encounter with Bigfoot, somewhere in Fulton County, Illinois. The reporting witness says they saw a bipedal creature about 5 feet 6 inches tall, covered in "brown hair with gray or silver ends," initially lying beside the road, then rising when their cars stopped. One of the youths tries to tackle it, believing it to be a prankster in a costume, but the creature knocks him down, hurls gravel at the other boys, then flees "as fast as a deer," leaping over a fence and vanishing into the woods.


Saturday 17 October 2015

LAKE ERIE SEA SERPENT

A cryptid from the Great Lakes.





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ZOMBIE ANIMALS AND PLANTS

Yes, stories of such things are coming in, via Mysterious Universe.

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DOES BIGFOOT HOWL IN ALABAMA?

Women record possible Bigfoot cries.





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TASKS FOR DOGS

For what specific tasks were certain dogs bred?

Pug


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CELEBRATED VICTORIAN RAT-CATCHER

This was Jack Black, who performed his labors with his hands.  He caught rats for Queen Victoria.





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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD


On This Day in Weird, October 17...

1973: Witness Paul Brown claims a UFO sighting at Danielsville, Georgia. He reports a silver egg-shaped craft landing on the road ahead of his car, disgorging two humanoids 4 to 4½ feet tall in shiny silver garb. They retreat and the UFO takes off with a "whooshing" sound after Brown draws a pistol.


Friday 16 October 2015

CRYPTIDS AND PARANORMAL

What, if any, is the connection?



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JOHN O'LONDON'S AND FAIRY PHENOMENON

The periodical John o' London's Weekly contained a number of letters on the subject of fairy lore and sightings.  This site prints them all.



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DO PREHISTORIC SEA MONSTERS SURVIVE?

If they do, they aren't really prehistoric!

SHORT-FACED BEAR

Does this fearful animal still exist?


Giant Short-faced Bear

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ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD


On This Day in Weird, October 16...

2004: A resident of rural Harrison County, Mississippi, hears "huffing" sounds and "eerie screams" outside his home, and "instinctively felt this was not a normal animal." He sees nothing but later compares the sound to recordings found on the GCBRO website, concluding that what he heard was Bigfoot.