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 popularized in the 1950s by French zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans[1]. However, in his own book, In the Wake of Sea Serpents, Huevelmans credits the term to the Scottish explorer and adventurer Ivan T. Sanderson. 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) [2] which he founded in 1982;[3] The society published a refereed journal, Cryptozoology : interdisciplinary journal of the International Society of Cryptozoology, from 1982 until, apparently, 1998.[4] As of 2007, the ISC appears to be defunct.[5]
An article on an active cryptozoology website acknowledges that "By definition, cryptozoology is the study of hidden or unknown animals. Something that should also be noted is the fact that it is not recognized by the scientific community as a science. There are no degrees in it, and therefore, there is no such thing as a cryptozoologist." He defends it as "the search for truth," but laments the amateurishness and arrogance that, he feels, make cryptozoology "more of a hobby than it will ever be a science."[6]
That there are animals unknown to science is hardly disputed. Those studying global biodiversity estimate, based on rates of new species discovery, that there are about 10 to 30 million living species (animals and plants), of which about 1.4 million have been described in the scientific literature. Furthermore, as ISC secretary J. Richard Greenwell observed, "Zoology was once essentially cryptozoology." He characterized the difference between traditional zoological practice and cryptozoology by saying that cryptozoologists target a specific animal, while zoologists tend to inventory a geographical area and catalog a new animal if it turns up: "Zoology throws a net," says Greenwell, "while cryptozoology throws a spear."[3]
Cryptobotany
A similiar science to cryptozoology is cryptobotany, which is the science of finding plants believed to be extinct or from myths.
Notes and references
- ↑ Pincock, Stephen (2004) Tales from the cryptozoologists, The Scientist, 2004, 18(21):12
- ↑ The name is variously stated as "International Society for Cryptozoology," "International Society of Cryptozoology," and "International Society of Cryptozoologists."
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 McCarthy, Paul (1993), Cryptozoologists: An Endangered Species, The Scientist 1993, 7(1):1
- ↑ Harvard Library online catalog listing shows "Status: Currently received; Holdings v.1-12(1982-1993/1996). Library of Congress also shows a v13(1997/8).
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Bates, J. P. What is Cryptozoology?
