In the wake of the cryptozoologists

I wrote this skeptical review in 2008. Later, I made a famous U-turn in favor of cryptozoology and Forteana! 

"Living Wonders" is supposedly a book about mysteries and curiosities in the animal world. In reality, it's a occultic-New Age book treating various superstitions about animals as if they were the real thing! And that's precisely what makes it so entertaining...

Apparently, the authors are "forteans", rogue disciples of Charles Fort, a crazy Briton who wrote several books about supernatural and impossible phenomena back in the 1930's. There are still fortean societies in both Britain and the USA, although I'm not sure how thriving they are in a world where even more exciting sects and cults are just one click away.

One favorite pastime of forteans is cryptozoology, the search for unknown mystery animals: Bigfoot, Yeti, the Bunyip, the Loch Ness Monster, and so on. Indeed, a large section of "Living Wonders" is devoted to these pursuits. That part of the book is actually quite interesting, giving an historical overview of cryptozoology, it's various controversies, factional squabbles, etc. Well, at least it's interesting if you struck up an interest for alternative movements and the cultic milieu: ufologists, astrologists, and now, cryptozoologists!

Apparently, there are two main factions within the cryptozoological community. One, roughly equivalent to the nuts-and-bolts school of ufology, could perhaps be termed the flesh-and-blood school. They believe that gigantic, unknown animals still live in unexplored parts of the world, and that these animals are as real as, say, chimps or crocodiles. The Belgian Bernard Heuvelmans was the foremost representative of this school of thought. Some of his books are also available from Amazon. (BTW, there is an episode of the "X-Files" in which Moulder and Scully chase a monster at a place called Lake Heuvelmans. Now you know why!) In America, I suppose Loren Coleman is a representative of this school.

But after almost a century of activity, none of the mystery animals so eargerly saught after by this group have turned up. The authors of "Living Wonders" are therefore more sympathetic to a occult version of cryptozoology, represented by Ivan T. Sanderson and John Keel (of Mothman fame). Essentially, they believe that both UFOs and Bigfoot have the same source, and that source is supernatural. Many observations of Bigfoot come from US states where no such creatures could possibly be hiding out, and other creatures seem connected to UFOs, such as the mothmen of West Virginia. Of course, a more sober-minded observer would argue that there is no mystery here, just two similar superstitions...

As already noted, "Living Wonders" contain a detailed survey of all things cryptozoological: sea-serpents, thunderbirds, Bigfoot and similar creatures, neo-dinosaurs, the Australian Bunyip, and so on. "Living Wonders" also contain chapters about what they call OOPs, animals that are out-of-place, for instance crocodiles in Britain, claiming this proves teleportation is possible. Mysterious "rains" of frogs, worms and other creatures are covered, and there is also a section dusting off old-fashioned superstitions about hibernating swallows, crow courts, and the like. Naturally, Clever Hans is featured, and also another horse, even more sensationalist, that apparently was a mind-reader. The source? National Enquirer magazine, LOL!

Since the book was published over 20 years ago, it is naturally somewhat dated. Some of the "evidence" presented for the cryptids has already been exposed as fake, for instance the Doc Shiels photos of sea-monsters. Nor is the Chupacabra mentioned, a Mexican and Puerto Rican superstition that haven't caught on in the US until recently. Still, the book is something of a classic, and well-worth reading, certainly as sheer entertainment, and also as an introduction into the zany world of cryptozoology.

But please don't believe it. The real animal world is sufficiently mysterious just as it is...