Tracking the Cougar

People often report cougar sightings far outside of the scientifically accepted range for the animal, leading to many "phantom cat" type reports.  More and more however, it seems science may have to reconsider it's view.

National Geographic has put up a map that shows confirmed cougar sightings outside of their normal range. These sightings are only those confirmed by state wildlife officials in each state. If we were to add unconfirmed reports, we would no doubt see much more evidence of the cougar’s migration to the east.

Back Beyond the Edge

If you missed it, here's the archive of my recent appearance on Beyond the Edge Radio.  It's always a pleasure to be on with friends and fellow researchers Eric Altman and Lon Strickler.  These guys do a great job so be sure to check out the archives for other past shows, there's lots of interesting guests and topics.

http://beyondtheedgeradio.podomatic.com/entry/2014-01-12T19_50_55-08_00

UK Humanoid Video

A video of a strange humanoid figure running across a highway in the UK has been posted by the Altered Dimensions site. The thirty three second video was captured by CCTV cameras. The figure moves rapidly across the four lanes of traffic and at first glance appears to be an animal. On closer inspection however, the figure does not seem to match any known animal.

According to sources, authorities spoke with officials to determine if the video was a hoax:

“We checked with local authorities who oversee the CCTVs in this area and this is not faked. They say it is genuine footage. This creature was filmed on CCTV running across a motorway in the UK.”

It’s unclear exactly where the video was filmed. If the footage is real, it’s an intriguing find. View the original footage above and decide for yourself.

Grimerica

Here's a recent interview I did with Darren and Graham, the great guys over at Grimerica.  Check it out for a wide ranging discussion on Strange Intruders, Tulpas and other topics.  While you're there, be sure to check out the archives, these guys have put out some quality shows!

David Weatherly, Paranormal Investigator and author of “Black Eyed Children” and “Strange Intruders” joins Darren and Graham in Grimerica on this episode. The master story teller himself chats with the guys about his upcoming book “Tulpas” as he recounts his personal experiences Weatherly is a boots on the ground investigator and has lots to talk about from all over the globe.

http://www.grimerica.ca/DW/

Little Black Tapir Discovered

It’s already being hailed as one of the biggest animal discoveries of the twenty-first century; scientists have confirmed the discovery of a previously unknown tapir living in the Amazon in Brazil and Columbia.

The mammal is one of the biggest animals on the continent. Although scientists have only just ‘discovered’ it, local native tribes have long known about the tapir.

Tapirs are large mammals, similar in shape to pigs. They have short, prehensile snouts and inhabit forest and jungle regions. There are five known species of tapir living in Southeast Asia and South & Central America. Of these species, four are listed as endangered and/or vulnerable. Little is known yet about the newest tapir, dubbed “Tapirus kabomani,” but it is suspected the animal will be listed as endangered since it appears to be very scarce.

The last discovery of a Tapir was in 1865 and the last discovery of a large land mammal was in 1992 when scientists found the saola in Vietnam.

Paleontologist Mario Cozzuol first started investigating the species ten years ago. According to Cozzuol, native people were the key to learning about the tapir:

“Knowledge of the local community needs to be taken into account and that’s what we did in our study, which culminated in the discovery of a new species to science.”

Tapirs have been around for fifty million years and are considered living fossils since they have changed very little. They are mostly nocturnal animals and spend most of their waking hours foraging. Their diet consists of berries, fruits and leaves. Tapirus Kabomani is the smallest living tapir with adults weighing in at around 240 pounds. Local tribes call the animal the “little black tapir.”

Scientists are now working to determine the actual distribution of the new species. The region of the Amazon where the tapir was discovered is undergoing massive deforestation and building projects including roads and a pair of large dams. As a result, critical habitat is being lost at a rapid pace and conservationists are hard at work in hopes of saving endangered animals.


These calm creatures have been hunted to near extinction in many regions.
In Asia, there are numerous cultural references to the tapir. In China and Japan, tapirs are believed to have the ability to eat people’s nightmares.   Hopefully, conservationists can save the tapirs from the nightmare of extinction.

Bigfoot Bounty

With the success of Animal Planet’s “Finding Bigfoot,” the hunt for Sasquatch has firmly planted itself into pop culture. It was inevitable that more Bigfoot themed shows would come along. Frankly, it’s surprising that it took so long, but here comes the latest take on the search for the big hairy guy: Spike TV’s “10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty.”

The name may be cumbersome but it tells us a lot about Spike TV’s offering. Billed as a ‘reality competition series,’ the show will pit nine teams against each other in the race to find ‘definitive visual and DNA proof’ that Bigfoot exists.



The advertised ten million dollar cash prize is underwritten by Lloyd’s of London and is being billed as the largest cash prize in TV history.

Actor Dean Cain will be on hand to host the show and act as expedition leader guiding the various teams to ‘hotzones’ of bigfoot activity around the US. Cain will be joined on the show by Anthropologist Natalia Reagan and Todd Disotell who many will remember for his skeptical commentary on shows such as MonsterQuest.

The network has ordered eight one hour episodes of the series, enough to see how viewers will respond before ordering more. The 10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty premiers January 10th on Spike TV.

Marlowe's Bigfoot Enigma and Bigfoot in Art History Reviewed

Author and Cryptozoologist Scott Marlowe published two Sasquatch themed books in September that I’ve just gotten around to reading, “Bigfoot Enigma” and “Bigfoot in Art History.”
Marlowe, who is based in Florida, has appeared on MonsterQuest and a number of other programs. He is the author of “The Cryptid Creatures of Florida” and teaches a college course on Cryptozoology.

Bigfoot Enigma does indeed read like a small textbook for an organized study of Sasquatch so it won’t surprise readers to learn that Scott teaches on the subject. It’s not a boring schoolbook by any means however; Marlowe presents us with several accounts in the book and uses them to illustrate specific points of interest about Bigfoot and Bigfoot encounters.
The book has a number of charts and reference pieces that are nice to have on hand for a quick glance. For instance, there’s a listing of names or terms used to identify Sasquatch type creatures around the world. There’s also a great study listing percentage of hair color broken down by regions.
All in all, Bigfoot Enigma is a great book for folks new to the field as well as veteran cryptozoologists.

I gave a copy to a friend who has recently developed an interest in Sasquatch. He wanted something to read that wasn’t too ‘daunting.’ Basically, he wanted a book that wasn’t just filled with encounters that presented basic facts that argued how and why such a creature could exist. Bigfoot Enigma fit the bill and my friend has now moved on to Meldrum’s “Sasquatch Legend Meets Science.”


Bigfoot in Art History is, as the name implies, a chronology of images throughout history that may be representations of Sasquatch. The book comes in at just under 130 pages and has many illustrations. Obviously, this is a basic introduction to the topic and it only goes up through the Gothic period, nonetheless, it is quite interesting and offers a different approach to study the history of Sasquatch.

I don’t agree that there’s a Bigfoot connection to all of the images presented in the book, but then, Marlowe clearly doesn’t expect everyone to agree with his interpretations. He simply asks readers to keep an open mind and consider the possibility that these images represent the big hairy guy, as he states in the introduction:

“I’d like you to be open to interpretations of the examples—even if they conflict with your own ideas—and try to consider our discussions as possible explanations for the subject matter within the structure of chronology and situation that apply to the art work being viewed.”

The book has chapters covering a range of styles and time periods including Greek, Roman and Islamic styles of art. Personally, I found the latter half of the book the most interesting as it covered the early Medieval, Romanesque and Gothic periods.

Scott mentions that he’s not trying to prove the existence of Bigfoot by presenting these images; he’s merely trying to stimulate a broader approach in those who are on the search. In this, I feel that he succeeded. While some people will dismiss many of the images, there’s no denying that some type of ‘wild man’ has been recorded artistically through many different time periods by a large array of cultures.

I can recommend both of these recent efforts by Marlowe and I look forward to seeing more of his contributions to Cryptozoology.

Scott Marlowe’s books are available at Amazon and other booksellers.

You can find the FaceBook page for Bigfoot Enigma here:
https://www.facebook.com/bigfootenigma

Strange Intruders Print

Due to popular request, prints of the amazing Sam Shearon cover art for Strange Intruders are now available. Suitable for framing and featuring the Grinning man, Djinn, puckwudgies and more these fine prints are on card stock and measure 11×17. Available now at Leprechaun Press.

http://www.leprechaunpress.com/