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Time once more for a #TetZoocryptomegathread. Again, it’s on #seamonsters, and again on a supposed actual photo of a live one! I refer of course to the enigmatic Professor Sharpe ‘1908’ photo, which I first wrote about back in 2008… 
The photo was brought to recent attention by cryptozoological researchers Dwight Smith and Gary Mangiacopra in a 2001 article, published in a special volume of Crypto devoted to aquatic #monsters...
It concerns a photo that’s been republished more than once since its first appearance in a Californian newspaper, and must have been seen by thousands, if not millions, of people… #cryptozoology #monsters
At long last, it’s time for another #TetZoocryptomegathread, wherein I look in detail at a piece of photographic evidence said to show a MONSTER. This time, we’re looking again at a #LochNessMonster photo, specifically the HUGH GRAY PHOTO of 1933.... #LochNess #cryptozoology
This photo - famously hard to interpret - is the very first photo claimed to show the Loch Ness Monster! And I’ll mostly be calling it the Gray Nessie photo. To business…
As per usual, please remember that this isn’t called a megathread for nothin. It’s loooooong. Secondly, I am an ‘honest sceptic’. I am not biased, and I aim to report authentically what authors and reporters have said, on both sides of the proverbial fence... #cryptozoology
Time for a #TetZoocryptomegathread! This time we look at one of the most famous sea monster accounts: the WWI incident in which the crew of the U-boat U-28 witnessed a gigantic, crocodile-shaped monster get blasted out of the water by an explosion. Yes, you read that right…
The U-28 incident is generally considered one of the most amazing and exciting claimed sea monster observations, combining the drama and historical realism of marine warfare with a remarkable creature account that defies belief… #cryptozoology #monsters
As usual with these megathreads, please remember that I discuss both the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of these sorts of stories. If you read something that seems wrong, silly or illogical, remember that I’ll very likely be coming back to it later on in the thread. Ok…
You might be wondering why I haven’t produced a #TetZoocryptomegathread for a while. There's a reason for this: I’m working on a grand and vast megathread project, to be revealed in time. But for now, let’s talk about the #YETI, and about one key sighting in particular…
You probably have the impression that the #Yeti is a ‘reasonable’ cryptid: that the case for its existence is backed up by the relatively remote and wild location it’s associated with... #cryptozoology
.... by the anatomically and behaviourally ‘reasonable’ nature of the alleged sightings, and by the quality of those alleged sightings (art @thejohnconway and John Francis/Usborne/Miller 1977)… #yetis #cryptozoology
These guys are my heroes.
Rare footage and audio of the Anthropology of the Unknown: Sasquatch and Similar Phenomena conference held May 1978 at the Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
#cryptozoology #sasquatch #bigfoot
Rare footage and audio of the Anthropology of the Unknown: Sasquatch and Similar Phenomena conference held May 1978 at the Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
#cryptozoology #sasquatch #bigfoot
The University of British Columbia' s Museum of Anthropology held the first academic monster conference (“Sasquatch and Similar Phenomena") in May 1978, there was more planned a so-called Anthropology of the Unknown series, but they never took place. ☹️
Papers presented at the 1978 conference were published in two books -
1. Halpin , Marjorie M. , and Michael M. Ames , eds . , Manlike Monsters on Trial . Vancouver : University of British Columbia Press , 1980
1. Halpin , Marjorie M. , and Michael M. Ames , eds . , Manlike Monsters on Trial . Vancouver : University of British Columbia Press , 1980
You might have heard the news about photos claimed to show LIVE #THYLACINES. Inspired, I’m here going to discuss other alleged LIVING #THYLACINE photos. Yes, it’s another #TetZoocryptomegathread, wherein I take a detailed look at #cryptozoology-themed photographic evidence...
This time round, it’s the turn of the Kevin Cameron photos of November 1984, taken in south-west Western Australia and said to show a live #thylacine...
#Thylacines, as you surely know, are not supposed to be living on the Australian mainland in modern times and are also supposed to have gone extinct sometime around 1936…
After an long hiatus caused by a ridiculous workload, it’s time for another #TetZoocryptomegathread, in which I examine the backstory to a cryptozoological photo or bit of film. This time, we look at the Lake Dakataua ‘Migo’ monster footage of 1994. Warning: LONG thread ahead…
I’ll tell you now that this case is complex. It involves crocodile systematics and behaviour, the ‘surviving archaeocete’ hypothesis, mosasaur life appearance as depicted in #palaeoart, and the world of the pre-internet cryptozoological community…
What is the #Migo?... I hear (some of) you cry. Also known as the Masali or Migaua, it’s an alleged mystery creature of New Britain’s Lake Dakataua, said to be about 4m long, and to be a flippered, long-tailed, long-snouted, aquatic, predatory animal…
It's #TetZoocryptomegathread time, in which I take a VERY long, detailed look at a monster-themed photo, or photos, or bit of film. This time, we look AGAIN at photos alleged to show a monster carcass: the 1937 Naden Harbour #Cadborosaurus sea monster carcass… #cryptozoology
As usual, my aim here is to cover the story in all its twists and turns, and to look at the evidence critically and sceptically but to ALSO look at the case as it was interpreted by those who accepted it as a valid bit of monster evidence… #monsters #seamonsters
Some minor backstory before we get to the photos themselves. European colonists of coastal British Columbia, Canada and Washington, USA claimed – from the 1880s onwards – to witness a large sea monster in the region’s coastal waters…
We’re here for another #TetZoocryptomegathread. Once more, we’re looking at images of a supposed dead cryptid, not a live animal. I refer to the MINNESOTA ICEMAN, the claimed carcass of a recently deceased hominid implied to be a ‘prehistoric man’ or #bigfoot-like creature…
As per usual, this is a VERY LONG AND DETAILED look at the story which involved me looking at, and checking, numerous sources, all of which I’ll discuss as we approach the end… #cryptozoology #bigfoot #monsters
And because I discuss both sides of the story, its various twists and turns, please remember that it might sometimes seem as if I’m presenting things from just one of those sides. In reality: stick around, the take from the ‘other side’ will get covered too…
Time for another #TetZoocryptomegathread, in which we examine the backstory to a photo or film said to depict a cryptid, or monster. This time, we’re not looking at a photo claimed to be of a live animal BUT at photos which depict a very dead one: a rotted carcass, in fact…
I am of course talking about the ZUIYO-MARU CARCASS: the large, decomposed body of a sea creature, ‘captured’ by accident in the nets of the Japanese fishing vessel the Zuiyo-maru on April 25th 1977 while they were about 48km off the east coast of Christchurch, New Zealand…
The name ‘Zuiyo-maru’ has been written in several ways in the literature (as ‘Zuiyomaru’ or ‘Zuiyo Maru’, for example). I’m here going to follow the style used in the 1978 report on the carcass (Zuiyo-maru). And the Zuiyo-maru carcass will be called the ZMC from hereon!
Time for another #TetZoocryptomegathread, again a #LochNessMonster one, again on one of my favourite #Nessie photos: the Peter O’Connor photo of May 27th, 1960. Follow this thread as we take a VERY DETAILED look at the story behind this case…
The O’Connor photo – a single black and white image – is one of the ‘best’ #Nessie images, by which I mean that it shows an object which looks something like an animal, and shows it at close range and at reasonable detail. #cryptozoology #monsters
The photo was taken in darkness, from close to shore, and (supposedly...) as the camera was held less than 1 metre above the water surface. The flash illuminates the scene, and is bouncing off wavelets as well as what looks like the body of a large animal…
Today saw HRH the Princess Royal visit our #MonstersoftheDeep exhibition, years in the making, at @TheNMMC #Falmouth. I'm guest curator & worked with the museum's Stuart Slade, @tammy_horton of the National Oceanography Centre - and others - in bringing it all together. Thread...
#MonstersoftheDeep weaves together medieval beliefs about sea monsters, the scientific discovery of deep-sea life, the cryptozoological movement, and modern exploration and discovery. We have LOADS of stuff on display, much of it for the first time...
We open with a section on medieval maps... did people of those times believe in the sea monsters shown on maps like the Carta Marina, or were other forces at play? Jenny hanivers, mermaids, sea monks, sea bishops, sea unicorns and more occupy this part of the exhibition...
Yes, let us once more embark on a #cryptozoology PHOTO MEGA-THREAD, aka #TetZoocryptomegathread. This time we look at an alleged mystery primate photo... well, two photos, actually. Namely, the MYAKKA SKUNK APE PHOTOS of 2000. Let’s take a deep dive…
The photos date to December 2000 and the story starts when they were received by the Sarasota Sheriff’s Department, just before New Year. An anonymous letter explained the backstory to the two photos…
… which were said to have been taken in Sarasota County, Florida, in a region close to the Myakka River and Myakka State Park, and close to highway I-75 (not I-175 as said in some accounts).
Time to embark on another of my #cryptozoology PHOTO MEGA-THREADS (from hereon, #TetZoocryptomegathread). Today: Rilla Martin’s 1964 Ozenkadnook tiger photo, aka the ‘Rilla critter’ photo, from western Victoria, Australia. It's one of my favourite mystery animal photos. Ok...
The photo – a single black and white image – shows a vaguely dog-shaped, long-tailed mammal in the scrub, assumed to be a predatory marsupial of some sort, but one which doesn’t match anything known to science.
The story is that Martin was holidaying with her cousin Bushy (yeah, ‘Bushy’) at Goroke on the Victoria/South Australia border (map from Google maps)...
It’s time for another of my monster-themed mega-threads, wherein we examine the backstory to photos (or other bits of evidence) said to be evidence for a given #monster. This time, we’re going to look at the so-called #LochNessMonster FLIPPER PHOTOS of 1972. Here we go…
During the late 1960s/early 70s it was believed by a large group of people – affiliated as the Loch Ness Phenomenon Investigation Bureau or LNIB (it went by other names over the years) – that camera-led vigils at #LochNess would lead to definitive proof of Nessie’s existence...
During the early 70s, the LNIB joined forces with another group: the US-based Academy of Applied Science (AAS), led by inventor and lawyer Robert Rines (whose name is very often wrongly written ‘Rhines’). Rines died in 2009. In the photo here, Rines is on the far left…
Hard copies of my 2017 #cryptozoology book #HuntingMonsters are proving harder to get hold of (amazon is now only offering it at stupid prices, look). But there are reasonably priced copies still available at abe: abebooks.co.uk/servlet/Search… #books #monsters
My plan is to produced a second edition, with updates. Not sure how that's going to work out yet, stay tuned.
* produce.
Hello! It’s time to look at the very complex backstory to ANOTHER famous #monster photo (ask me if you need links to my monster threads). This time we’re looking at the Sandra Mansi #LakeChamplain photo of July 1977, the world’s ‘best’ lake monster photo. MEGA-THREAD follows….
The Mansi photo – as it’s known – is a single colour photo taken at around noon on July 5th, 1977 at Lake Champlain, a giant lake 172km long, 23km wide at its widest, mostly located within the US states of Vermont and New York but with a section in Québec too… #cryptozoology
The Mansi photo has been described as the very best photo of a lake monster ever, has been taken seriously – as a real photo of a giant, unknown animal species – by many scientists, but has also been decried a hoax, and investigated as a misidentification.
Let’s look at another famous ‘mystery animal’ image. This time the 'de Loys ape' photo of 1920(ish), taken in the Catatumbo River basin of #Venezuela. You surely know the photo already. But do you know its complicated backstory? Join me as we explore it in this loooong thread…
The photo shows a large, hairy primate, sat on a wooden box, a stick propping it up beneath the chin. The version shared most often is cropped, so you only see what looks like bare ground or the river behind the animal. #cryptozoology
The uncropped version shows the opposite river bank and some hacked-down plants surrounding the animal.... #primates #monkeys #mysteries
Welcome to another of my #LochNessMonster threads. This time we’re looking at the MOST FAMOUS #NESSIE PHOTO OF THEM ALL. Namely, the so-called Surgeon’s Photo, or Wilson Photo, of April 1934. Follow the thread – there’s a lot to say! [attached, another of my childhood drawings].
The ‘Wilson Photo’ (the name I’ll use throughout) shows a dark head and head, seemingly silhouetted against the grey surface of the loch. There are ripples and waves and concentric ripples around the monster....
There are other disturbances on the water too – here’s a diagram produced by Tim Dinsdale in 1961… #LochNessMonster #nessie
Here’s a thread on another famous/infamous bit of modern #monster lore… the so-called Muppet #LochNessMonster photo, taken on 21st May 1977 by Mr Tony Shiels. As usual, it has a really fun backstory, follow me as we explore it in this thread…
It’s a remarkable colour photo, surely one of the best ever taken of #Nessie! As a kid, it was one of my favourite Nessie images, and here’s my own drawing of it. I should add that part of this is explored in my 2017 book Hunting Monsters. Anyway… #cryptozoology #LochNessMonster
Mr Shiels said that he was standing at the foot of Urquhart Castle when he noticed the LOCH NESS MONSTER and managed to snap two photos (yes, two. Read on)...
This #LochNessMonster image is doing the rounds on social media. It's a fabulous painting from legendary Italian artist Gino D'Achille and (among other works) appeared in Daniel Farson's 1975 book Vampires, Zombies & Monster Men. It has an interesting backstory (thread) ...
The image depicts the Spicer sighting of August 1933, the first land sighting of the #LochNessMonster. Mr F. T.G. Spicer worked extremely hard to promote his sighting and evidently enjoyed the publicity...
The Spicer monster (redrawn many times in different books) was a grotesque blob with an undulating section at its front, described as undulating "like a scenic railway". A lump at its middle was said to be the head of a "lamb or small deer", but this idea was discarded over time.
The 'Dr Darren Naish is an idiot because he's only just decided that monsters (like the #LochNessMonster) aren't real' story continues to have legs in the global press today. Here's a thread...
(1) I've most certainly not spent the last 20 years searching for monsters. I think I told a journalist that I've been publishing on monsters for about 20 years (my 1st articles on the subject date to 1996, so 23 years); they must have taken the figure from this...
(2) I've never been a dedicated monster hunter. Rather, the cryptozoological stuff is something I do on the side and certainly not the way I make a living, which is what is implied in some of these articles. I'm mostly known for my palaeozoological writings...
At the 2014 #TetZooCon - that's the first one ever - I spoke about Speculative Zoology, or Speculative Evolution, or whatever. And here I'm going to tweet some of what I said... The cover slide shows awesome #Squamozoic art by @alaskanime plus a Night stalker and a .. a.. well..
Evolution is real and animals have a past; therefore they also have a future, something we can take seriously. And many authors have... #TetZooCon
There's already a whole genre of 'alternative history' fiction, variously called AH, allohistory or Uchronia. Ideas about alternative or parallel timelines. And the idea is in mainstream fiction... #TetZooCon
