Cryptozoologists are “detectives.” Similar to their counterparts in ufology and other para research in that they often begin their work with only legends.and second-hand accounts of witnesses to go on. In many cases it is very difficult due to the very nature of their research to adhere to the scientific method simply because the evidence for the existence of these hidden animals does not lend itself to controlled and repeatable experiments or observation. However, this field has shown many successes in the past two centuries, and as more interest is being shown these successes are likely to increase. Below is a sample-only listing of previously “hidden” animal discoveries:
- American Tapir (1819)
- First Chimpanzee Brought To Europe (1834)
- Lowland Gorrilla (1847)
- Giant Squid (1869)
- Okapi (1901)
- Mountain Gorilla (1902)
- Dwarf Siamang (1903)
- Giant Forest Hog (1904)
- Komodo Dragon (1912)
- Chinese River Dolphin (1916)
- New Guinea Crocodile (1929)
- First “Live” Giant Panda (1936)
- Coelacanth (1938) Thought to be extinct 65 million years before this discovery!
- Andean Wolf (1949)
- Second Coelacanth (1952)
- Golden Langur (1955)
- Woodland Bison (1960)
- Ufiti (1964)
- Yamenko (1965)
- King Cheetah (1975)
- Megamouth Shark (1976)
- Prosperine Rock Wallaby (1977)
- Bondegezou (1984)
- Bilikis Gazelle (1985)
- Black Tree Kangaroo (1988)
- Vu Quang Ox (1992)
- Four New Muntjacs (1994-1998)
- Indonesian Coelacanth (1997-1998)
- Megamouth #11 (1998) Torontonian Cryptozoologist Ben S. Roesch is credited with making the identification.
-Blue Timor Monitor (1999)
The above listing is only a sample and not to be considered comprehensive nor complete. It has been added here to demonstrate to the reader how often in our recent past “hidden” animals and species long thought to be extinct have in fact been re/discovered. This list also includes large land mammals and aquatic life, which lends credence to those cryptozoologists who are seriously investigating sasquatch/yeti claims as well as lake monsters.
Cryptozoology A-Z The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras, and Other Authentic Mysteries Of Nature By Loren Coleman & Jerome Clark (1999) Simon and Schuster
In The Domain Of Lake Monsters By John Kirk (1998) Key Porter Books
