Cryptozoology
Cryptozoology is the attempt to find scientific proof of the existence of animals known only through rumors, folk tales, and old explorers' accounts, and to study them in a scientific way. The word is derived from the Greek root crypto-, hidden, and zoology, the study of animals. The term was coined in the 1950s by French zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans[1] These animals are known as cryptids. Familiar examples include the Loch Ness Monster, and a man-like creature or creatures variously known as the Abominable Snowman, the Yeti, Bigfoot, or Sasquatch.
The field of cryptozoology is closely associated with Heuvelmans, who authored a 1955 book Sur la piste des bêtes ignorées (On the Track of Unknown Animals) and with the International Society for Cryptozoology (ISC) which he founded in 1982;[2] The society published a refereed journal, Cryptozoology : interdisciplinary journal of the International Society of Cryptozoology, from 1982 until, apparently, 1996[3] As of 2007, the ISC appears to be defunct.[4]
Notes and references
- â Pincock, Stephen (2004) Tales from the cryptozoologists, The Scientist, 2004, 18(21):12
- â McCarthy, Paul (1993), Cryptozoologists: An Endangered Species, The Scientist 1993, 7(1):1
- â Harvard Library online catalog listing shows "Status: Currently received; Holdings v.1-12(1982-1993/1996).
- â archive.org's archives of www.internationalsocietyofcryptozoology.org show a website as operating on November 30, 2005 and replaced by a hosting service's placeholder on December 10, 2005.