Cryptozoology, BioForteana, and Remarkable Species
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
A new bird has been discovered in China. (News source.)
"A new fist-sized, babbler bird species has been discovered in a series of underground caves in China" ...
"Ornithologists Zhou Fang and Jiang Aiwu first saw the bird, dark with white spots on its breast, in 2005 and has since then established its identity as an unknown species. They labeled it the Nonggang babbler, scientific name Stachyris nonggangensis, named for the region of China where the bird was found."
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
More Mystery Cats
Grizzlies Returning to Manitoba
Officially noted as extirpated in Manitoba, grizzly bear sightings are coming from the northern section of that province. (News source.)
"Grizzly bears, which are officially listed as extirpated in Manitoba - no longer existing in the region - appear to be making forays into the northern fringe of the province, according to provincial wildlife officials.
"One to three grizzly bear sightings are being confirmed every year by Manitoba Conservation, provincial biologist Bill Watkins said."
(Via Kevin Stewart)
Rocky Mountain Hybrids
Monday, January 26, 2009
Wolves Returning to Central France
From the news:
"Wolf tracks have been found in the snow near Bondons, in the hills and forests of the Cevennes National Park 500 kilometres (312 miles) south of Paris, where one park official believes he saw one of the predators.
"A dead calf was found on farmland nearby, but it had been torn at by so many different animals it was difficult to say what killed it. Authorities are to conduct DNA tests on spoor samples found in the forest."
More Canadian Black Felines
Sightings of "black panthers" continue. (News source.)
"Marina Ploughman knows what she saw - people can say what they want.
"'Well my dear, I definitely saw one,' said the Port au Choix senior. 'It was all black, jet, jet black. My first instinct was it's a domestic cat gone wild.'
"But it was too big - the animal she remembers seeing near Whaleback Pond on the road behind Hawkes Bay last July had a body (from neck to rear) 3.5 feet long with a 4.5 foot tail. She estimates it crossed 50 feet in front of her on the road she's been driving to her cabin for 30 years.
"'It just strutted right across the road in front of me - its paws were just awesome to see spread out on the road. And its teeth, big fangs. The only thing that surprised me was it wasn't overly tall off the ground, just long and slender.'"
Labels: black panther
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Millipede-Eating Dung Beetle
A new paper:
From coprophagy to predation: a dung beetle that kills millipedes
Trond H. Larsen, et al.
Biology Letters (Tuesday, January 20, 2009)
The dung beetle subfamily Scarabaeinae is a cosmopolitan group of insects that feed primarily on dung. We describe the first case of an obligate predatory dung beetle and contrast its behaviour and morphology with those of its coprophagous sympatric congeners. Deltochilum valgum Burmeister killed and consumed millipedes in lowland rainforest in Peru. Ancestral ball-rolling behaviour shared by other canthonine species is abandoned, and the head, hind tibiae and pygidium of D. valgum are modified for novel functions during millipede predation. Millipedes were killed by disarticulation, often through decapitation, using the clypeus as a lever. Beetles killed millipedes much larger than themselves. In pitfall traps, D. valgum was attracted exclusively to millipedes, and preferred injured over uninjured millipedes. Morphological similarities placing D. valgum in the same subgenus with non-predatory dung-feeding species suggest a major and potentially rapid behavioural shift from coprophagy to predation. Ecological transitions enabling the exploitation of dramatically atypical niches, which may be more likely to occur when competition is intense, may help explain the evolution of novel ecological guilds and the diversification of exceptionally species-rich groups such as insects.
From a Chicago-area paper:
"Former Arlington Heights resident James E. Colvin, a scholar who helped create the Great Books Foundation, has died.
"Colvin, 96, died on Jan. 4 in Greenville, S.C., where he moved from the Northwest suburbs after retirement." ...
"Colvin served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, after which he worked for Encyclopaedia Britannica in Chicago as director of public relations, taking the train in from the Arlington Heights station. He later moved to World Book Encyclopedia, directing two unsuccessful expeditions to find the Loch Ness Monster. He retired in 1972 and moved to North Carolina and later to South Carolina."
Labels: loch ness
Thursday, January 22, 2009
A new climbing catfish has been described from Venezuela. The species "has a specialized pelvic fin that decouples from its body and moves backward and forward independently." This is "used in combination with a grasping mouth to move like an inchworm up rocks." (News source.)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Another Homo Floresiensis Study
Monday, January 19, 2009
FL Panther Deaths
New Marine Species from Australia
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Papers: Civets and Lemurs
Via Kevin Stewart, a couple of new papers to mention:
Lemur Diversity in Madagascar
Mittermeier, et al.
International Journal of Primatology (2008) 29: 1607-1656
This is a review of the taxonomic status of lemurs, recognizing 99 species and subspecies. It also notes several controversial areas, and points to potential new species (as yet undescribed).
The taxonomy of the endemic golden palm civet of Sri Lanka
Colin P. Groves, et al.
Zoological Journal of the Linnaean Society (2009) 155: 238-251
This is the citation for the golden palm civet paper noted in a previous blog posting. Paradoxurus stenocephalus, a new species, is described, and a possible new species is identified but not yet described.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Species Hotspot in Cambodia
A new novel, Kronos, has the following description:
"Two years after his wife's death, oceanographer and former navy SEAL, Atticus Young, attempts to reconcile with his rebellious daughter, Giona, by taking her on the scuba dive of a lifetime-swimming with a pod of peaceful humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine. But the beauty of the sea belies a terror from the deep-a horrific creature as immense as it is ancient. There is no blood, no scream, no fight. Giona is swallowed whole by the massive jaws. Only Atticus remains to suffer the shame of the survivor and his inconsolable grief turns to an unquenchable thirst for revenge.
"Drawn by the spectacle, Trevor Manfred, a ruthless billionaire, approaches Atticus with a proposition: Trevor will make available all the advanced technology of his heavily armed mega-yacht, the Titan, to aid Atticus in his death-quest. In return, Trevor is to receive the beast's corpse as the ultimate hunting trophy. But in the midst of the hunt, Atticus makes a terrifying discovery that changes the way he sees the ocean's creatures and begs the question: what is Kronos? The answer sets him on a new and much more deadly course."
Not sure if this is cryptofiction or not, haven't read it yet, but could be of interest. Also noted that another addition to Steve Alten's Meg series is due to come out soon.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Macaque Roaming Clearwater Area
Careful As You Go...
Big Cat Fake
Australia: Big Cat Track?
Monday, January 12, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Friday, January 09, 2009
British Tourist Gag Becomes UAE Hoax
More Australian Cat Stories
Solenodon on Film
Birdwatcher: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson
For those of you who get up way too early in the morning, put on your hiking boots, grab your binoculars, and set out to look for flashing wings and trills in the tree tops, a new book will be just your cup of tea. Elizabeth J. Rosenthal has interviewed his friends, family, and colleagues to introduce us to the genius, drive, and humanity of a singular individual, Roger Tory Peterson. Birdwatcher shows the foibles and insecurities along with his love of nature and the determination behind his conservation efforts.
Birdwatcher: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson
The Lyons Press
$29.95 / hardcover / 464 pp.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
A new newsletter, the Cryptid Chronicles, is being offered by David Acord. It will be a weekly publication, 12 pages an issue, 52 weeks a year, for $29.95.
A free issue and more details can be seen here.
My only caveat is that the articles seem to be based solely on digital newspaper archives; there's little else right now. Nothing wrong with archives, they are foundational for my own publishing, but it's easy to miss broader correlations if that's all you use. For example, the collection of articles on whistling snakes is interesting, but overlooks the many cases reported elsewhere (herpetological or herpetocultural publications) of snakes making strange sounds. Within the cryptozoological community, Karl Shuker has noted several such cases.
And, then, there's the discussion of the Ohio "proteus," which appears to puzzle the editor, who doesn't seem aware that "proteus" was commonly used historically as a generic term for aquatic salamanders. The animal in question is no puzzle; it's a mudpuppy.
So, taking it with an open mind (but with some critical examination), this could be a good choice for those who look forward to new (old) crypto reports in their email every week.
WV Cougar Allegations
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Panther Corridor Considered
Now available, Invertebrata Enigmatica, a collection of classic science fiction and fantasy stories involving insects, arachnids, and other invertebrates. Some are straight-forward fantasy, mystery, or supernatural stories, but many qualify as cryptofiction (involving encounters with unknown species). Details and contents available at CoachwhipBooks.com.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Australia: Feline "Breeding Colony"
UK: Big Cat Sightings Continue
Monday, January 05, 2009
New Galapagos Iguana (More to Come?)
The media is jumping on the designation of the "rosada," a pink-tinted Galapagos land iguana, as a new species. See details at Discover News, and New Scientist.
Interesting, though, is a paper from this past November, noting that five populations of land iguanas in the Galapagos "represent distinct conservation units (one of them being the recently discovered rosada form) and could warrant species status." So, perhaps a couple more species to come?