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Cryptozoology: Paranormal

Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience that aims to prove the existence of mythical creatures reported in folklore, such as Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster, which cryptozoologists call "cryptids". It was founded in the 1950s by zoologists Bernard Heuvelmans and Ivan T. Sanderson but is not considered a valid scientific field. Cryptozoologists use techniques like cameras and audio recordings to search for cryptids, though there are no accepted scientific research methods. Few cryptozoologists have formal science backgrounds relevant to their studies, and notable "evidence" of cryptids has often turned out to be hoaxes.

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Eduard Loberez Reyes
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57 views

Cryptozoology: Paranormal

Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience that aims to prove the existence of mythical creatures reported in folklore, such as Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster, which cryptozoologists call "cryptids". It was founded in the 1950s by zoologists Bernard Heuvelmans and Ivan T. Sanderson but is not considered a valid scientific field. Cryptozoologists use techniques like cameras and audio recordings to search for cryptids, though there are no accepted scientific research methods. Few cryptozoologists have formal science backgrounds relevant to their studies, and notable "evidence" of cryptids has often turned out to be hoaxes.

Uploaded by

Eduard Loberez Reyes
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Cryptozoology

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Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that aims to prove the


existence of entities from the folklore record, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness
Monster, the chupacabra, or the Mokele-mbembe. Cryptozoologists refer to
these entities as cryptids, a term coined by the subculture. Because it does not
follow the scientific method, cryptozoology is considered a pseudoscience by
mainstream science: it is neither a branch of zoology nor folklore studies. It was
originally founded in the 1950s by zoologists Bernard Heuvelmans and Ivan T.
Sanderson.
Scholars have noted that the subculture rejected mainstream approaches from
an early date, and that adherents often express hostility to mainstream science.
Scholars have studied cryptozoologists and their influence (including the
pseudoscience's association with Young Earth creationism), noted parallels in
cryptozoology and other pseudosciences such as ghost hunting and ufology, and
highlighted uncritical media propagation of cryptoozologist claims.

Contents

 1Terminology, history, and approach


o 1.1Young Earth creationism
o 1.2Lack of critical media coverage
 2Reception and pseudoscience
 3Organizations
 4Museums and exhibitions
 5See also
 6Notes and citations
 7References
 8External links

Terminology, history, and approach


As a field, cryptozoology originates from the works of Bernard Heuvelmans,
a Belgian zoologist, and Ivan T. Sanderson, a Scottish zoologist. Notably,
Heuvelmans published On the Track of Unknown Animals (French Sur la Piste
des Bêtes Ignorées) in 1955, a landmark work among cryptozoologists that was
followed by numerous other like works. Similarly, Sanderson published a series
of books that assisted in developing hallmarks of cryptozoology,
including Abominable Snowmen: Legend Come to Life (1961).[1][2]
The term cryptozoology dates from 1959 or before – Heuvelmans attributes the
coinage of the term cryptozoology 'the study of hidden animals' (from Ancient
Greek: κρυπτός, kryptós "hidden, secret"; Ancient Greek ζῷον, zōion "animal",
and λόγος, logos, i.e. "knowledge, study") to Sanderson.[1][3] Patterned
after cryptozoology, the term cryptid was coined in 1983 by cryptozoologist J. E.
Wall in the summer issue of the International Society of
Cryptozoology newsletter.[4] According to Wall "[It has been] suggested that new
terms be coined to replace sensational and often misleading terms like 'monster'.
My suggestion is 'cryptid', meaning a living thing having the quality of being
hidden or unknown ... describing those creatures which are (or may be) subjects
of cryptozoological investigation."[5] The Oxford English Dictionary defines the
noun cryptid as "an animal whose existence or survival to the present day is
disputed or unsubstantiated; any animal of interest to a cryptozoologist". [6] While
used by most cryptozoologists, the term cryptid is not used by academic
zoologists.[7] In a textbook aimed at undergraduates, academics Caleb W. Lack
and Jacques Rousseau note that the subculture's focus on what it deems to be
"cryptids" is a pseudoscientic extension of older belief in monsters and other
similar entities from the folklore record, yet with a "new, more scientific-sounding
name: cryptids".[8]
While biologists regularly identify new species, cryptozoologists often focus on
creatures from the folklore record. Most famously, these include the Loch Ness
Monster, Bigfoot, the chupacabra, as well as other "imposing beasts that could
be labeled as monsters". In their search for these entities, cryptozoologists may
employ devices such as motion-sensitive cameras, night-vision equipment, and
audio-recording equipment. While there have been attempts to codify
cryptozoological approaches, unlike biologists, zoologists, botanists, and other
academic disciplines, however, "there are no accepted, uniform, or successful
methods for pursuing cryptids".[1] Some scholars have identified precursors to
modern cryptozoology in certain medieval approaches to the folklore record, and
the psychology behind the cryptozoology approach has been the subject of
academic study.[1]
Few cryptozoologists have a formal science education, and fewer still have a
science background directly relevant to cryptozoology. Adherents often
misrepresent the academic backgrounds of cryptozoologists. According to
writer Daniel Loxton and paleontologist Donald Prothero, "Cryptozoologists have
often promoted 'Professor Roy Mackal, PhD.' as one of their leading figures and
one of the few with a legitimate doctorate in biology. What is rarely mentioned,
however, is that he had no training that would qualify him to undertake competent
research on exotic animals. This raises the specter of 'credential mongering', by
which an individual or organization feints a person's graduate degree as proof of
expertise, even though his or her training is not specifically relevant to the field
under consideration." Besides Heuvalmans, Sanderson, and Mackal, other
notable cryptozoologists with academic backgrounds include Grover Krantz, Karl
Shuker, and Richard Greenwell.[9]
Historically, notable cryptozoologists have often identified instances featuring
"irrefutable evidence" (such as Sanderson and Krantz), only for the evidence to
be revealed as the product of a hoax. This may occur during a closer
examination by experts or upon confession of the hoaxer. [10]

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