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starwars.com > Community > Message Boards > Community > The Cantina > Cryptozoology

Cryptozoology - 37 replies | 3 pages

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Ilum Crystal
Total Posts: 11
Member Since: 11/03

Date Posted: Nov 20, 2003 08:42 PM

This message was edited by Ilum Crystal on Nov 20, 2003 08:44 PM

Hi, just wanted to know peoples' feelings on the subject. Cryptozoology means, basically, the study of hidden animals; creatures not described in scientific literature.

Many of you know some of these cryptids (animals in the field), like Sasquatch, or Mokele-Mbembe. Although many remain skeptical, this field IS regarded to be a science.

There are problems, though. Cryptozoology's reputation has always been damaged by hoaxes and media attention to some subjects, like the "Surgeon's Photo" of the Loch Ness monster (Nessie).

Since there's a limit, I'll just try to make this short: what do you make of these unclassified animals? Which ones do you truly feel to not exist/to exist? And are you educated enough to know what a creature's limitations in this world are? If so, what are your conclusions?

Supersexyspacemonkey
Total Posts: 30837
Member Since: 11/01

Date Posted: Nov 20, 2003 08:56 PM

Damn, Ilum, you beat me to it!

I love cryptozoology. It's one of the most fascinating fields of study having to do with the natural world.

MLBFan25
Total Posts: 7163
Member Since: 10/01

Date Posted: Nov 20, 2003 09:06 PM

I love documentaries on these creatures...haha

Supersexyspacemonkey
Total Posts: 30837
Member Since: 11/01

Date Posted: Nov 20, 2003 09:19 PM

Yes, those are the coolest.

Oxspittle
Total Posts: 81
Member Since: 06/03

Date Posted: Nov 20, 2003 09:19 PM

Many of you know some of these cryptids (animals in the field), like Sasquatch, or Mokele-Mbembe. Although many remain skeptical, this field IS regarded to be a science

Yeah, but it's not just a question of people trying to prove bigfoot exists, though. It's a field devoted to identifying new, heretofore undiscovered species.

Incidentally, unless I mistake the name, isn't there a very strong case to be made that Mokele-Mbembe is (or was), in fact, just a rhinoceros (though possibly a slightly different variety)?

jedimaster732
Total Posts: 562
Member Since: 12/02

Date Posted: Nov 20, 2003 09:25 PM

whats mokele mbeme or whatever

I'm sorry, I'm uninformed

Oxspittle
Total Posts: 81
Member Since: 06/03

Date Posted: Nov 20, 2003 09:47 PM

whats mokele mbeme or whatever

I'm sorry, I'm uninformed

Well, I might be wrong about this. From memory I think the name refers to an elusive and quasi-legendary creature from the folk-lore of the native residents of the congo. A number of expeditions were formed to try and find the beastie to no avail.

Anyway, I just remember seeing this documentary in which a group of these native residents (from whose folk-lore the name springs, and whose name escapes me) were being shown large numbers of photos of various animals, all of which they were able to identify.

When they were shown a picture of a rhinoceros, they grew very excited and claimed it was Mokele MbeMbe.

Groundflier Skywalker II
Total Posts: 3100
Member Since: 04/03

Date Posted: Nov 20, 2003 09:58 PM

There is already a thread devoted to creatures like Bigfoot, but I can't provide a link because I've only caught brief glimpses of it.

Oxspittle
Total Posts: 81
Member Since: 06/03

Date Posted: Nov 20, 2003 09:59 PM

This message was edited by Oxspittle on Nov 20, 2003 10:02 PM

The "Mokele MbeMbe is a rhinoceros" theory was presented as fitting in very well with the ecology of the congo. A great many animals in the congo are interesting in that they're not very well adapted to jungle life but rather appear to be designed for savannah living. Apparently, the congo has a long history of expansion and shrinking and it was proposed that in its last expansion (not very long ago), it "trapped" a whole lot of savannah beasties whose numbers included, until fairly recently, the rhinoceros.

darth ewok8
Total Posts: 4236
Member Since: 06/03

Date Posted: Nov 20, 2003 10:22 PM

I rememer a friend once told me that there is an animal that is basically a Brontosaurus that is supposed to live in the Congo.

Supersexyspacemonkey
Total Posts: 30837
Member Since: 11/01

Date Posted: Nov 20, 2003 10:24 PM

There is already a thread devoted to creatures like Bigfoot, but I can't provide a link because I've only caught brief glimpses of it.

I looked for it, to no avail.

But I think the field of cryptozoology is to broad to fall inside the bigfoot/lockness monster thread, as it encompasses a very wide range of organisms.

Supersexyspacemonkey
Total Posts: 30837
Member Since: 11/01

Date Posted: Nov 20, 2003 10:24 PM

As I posted in another thread, Cryptozoology covers a very wide range of subjects, from the more scientifically orthodox, to the more controversial:

A. animals known to exist, but never documented alive or captured (giant squid, Baird's Beaked Whale).
B. animals known from only one specimen (numerous types of rodent, insect, and bird),
C. animals known only from indirect physical evidence and eye-witness accounts (numerous reported jungle animals, undiscovered species of large cat, giant Anacondas, etc.)
D. animals thought to have become extinct,
E. extraordinary creatures that don't fit into conventional evolutionary schemes (Sasquatch, Loch Ness Monster)
F. extremely fantastic creatures (aliens, mermaids, mothman, chupacabra, elves, fairies, dragons, etc.)

Topics such as the new whale that was discovered would, for example, not apply to the bigfoot thread, but it would apply to this thread.

Bobavader
Total Posts: 33038
Member Since: 04/00

Date Posted: Nov 20, 2003 10:31 PM

Champ, everyone always seems to forget about Champ.

Give him his due.

Bobavader
Total Posts: 33038
Member Since: 04/00

Date Posted: Nov 20, 2003 10:33 PM

I am somewhat skeptical on these subjects...but...after the recent discoveries of a whale, some chimp or ape like species in some remote jungle..and other various stuff...I guees its not too far fetched.

Oxspittle
Total Posts: 81
Member Since: 06/03

Date Posted: Nov 20, 2003 10:43 PM

This message was edited by Oxspittle on Nov 20, 2003 10:44 PM

Well, no-one in their right mind would, after conversing with any zoologist, claim that we have identified every species of organism on the planet.

Hence the field's validity.

Oh, and remember the Coelocanth.

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