WELCOME TO THE CFZ BLOG NETWORK: COME AND JOIN THE FUN

Half a century ago, Belgian Zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans first codified cryptozoology in his book On the Track of Unknown Animals.

The Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) are still on the track, and have been since 1992. But as if chasing unknown animals wasn't enough, we are involved in education, conservation, and good old-fashioned natural history! We already have three journals, the largest cryptozoological publishing house in the world, CFZtv, and the largest cryptozoological conference in the English-speaking world, but in January 2009 someone suggested that we started a daily online magazine! The CFZ bloggo is a collaborative effort by a coalition of members, friends, and supporters of the CFZ, and covers all the subjects with which we deal, with a smattering of music, high strangeness and surreal humour to make up the mix.

It is edited by CFZ Director Jon Downes, and subbed by the lovely Lizzy Bitakara'mire (formerly Clancy), scourge of improper syntax. The daily newsblog is edited by Corinna Downes, head administratrix of the CFZ, and the indexing is done by Lee Canty and Kathy Imbriani. There is regular news from the CFZ Mystery Cat study group, and regular fortean bird news from 'The Watcher of the Skies'. Regular bloggers include Dr Karl Shuker, Dale Drinnon, Richard Muirhead and Richard Freeman.The CFZ bloggo is updated daily, and there's nothing quite like it anywhere else. Come and join us...

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Friday, April 26, 2013

CARL MARSHALL: New Giant Glasswing at Stratford Butterfly Farm.

The species Methona confusa, commonly known as the giant glasswing, was named in 1873 by the famous English entomologist Arthur Gardiner Butler in his concise work, Tropical Butterflies and Moths. Until recently M. confusa existed in the public domain only as preserved specimens highly prized by collectors; Although not particularly rare in the wild, captive bred specimens were non existent in the UK until recently, when our farm was fortunate to be in a position to acquire pupae, of which many healthy butterflies emerged this spring. M. confusa is an almost transparent species from the Nymphalidae family that is found in lowland rainforests in Brazil, Panama, Ecuador and Peru. They have a wingspan of about 90mm - 100mm (3.7 in approx) making them relatively large when compared to the true glasswing - Greta otoM. confusa have transparent wings with black margins and black cross-bars on the forewings and hindwings. The Margins of the hindwings display a series of small spots. The abdomen has a series of double parallel white spots and the
 antennae are black with bright yellow tips.

M. comfusa are unpalatable to birds so many other butterfly species mimic them. They are primarily found in wet rainforests at altitudes of about 200 - 700 m above sea level.

Sub species:
[1] Methona confusa confusa - (Brazil)
[2] M. confusa psamathe - (Ecuador & Peru)
[3] M. confusa ssp. - (Panama)

The Stratford Butterfly Farm is a pioneering establishment, hence the acquisition of many rare (in captivity) or unusual species. For enthusiasts in this field, to see free flying M. confusa in captivity is a unique and inspiring opportunity which I highly recommend.   

KARL SHUKER - SECRETARY BIRDS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA?



Karl Shuker investigates a bizarre claim that Africa's endemic secretary bird also exists in the Philippines.

Read on...

ANDREW MAY: Words from the Wild Frontier

News and stories from the remoter fringes of the CFZ blogosphere...

From Nick Redfern's World of Whatever:
From CFZ Australia:

FORTEAN BIRD NEWS FROM THE WATCHER OF THE SKIES

In an article for the first edition of Cryptozoology Bernard Heuvelmans wrote that cryptozoology is the study of 'unexpected animals' and following on from that perfectly reasonable assertion, it seems to us that whereas the study of out of place birds may not have the glamour of the hunt for bigfoot or lake monsters, it is still a perfectly valid area for the Fortean zoologist to be interested in. So after about six months of regular postings on the main bloggo Corinna has taken the plunge and started a 'Watcher of the Skies' blog of her own as part of the CFZ Bloggo Network.


DALE DRINNON: Patterson/Gimlin Footage, Frontiers of Anthropology, Benny's Blogs

New at the Frontiers of Zoology:

THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN IS NOT SURE WHETHER HE'S COMPLIANT OR NOT

I have always found it irritating when journalist types crow over having access to something that the rest of us mere mortals don't have access to. But I am just about to do exactly that thing. Except I am not crowing. That would be vulgar. I have one of the few sets of songfiles for the forthcoming Judy Dyble album 'Flow and Change'. I am listening it as I speak....it is absolutely magnificent. I absolutely adore her last album 'Talking with Strangers', and I was afraid that nothing she could do would be as good as that was. I was wrong, because this album is quite possibly even better. I don't know. I am so overwhelmed by the rich textures, pastoral splendour and sheer beauty of this magnificent record. I will be writing more about it very soon....and you won't have to wait long to hear it yourselves. It comes out this summer.
 
We have a visitor; my old friend Richard Stanbrook who is a very good, if idiosyncratic classical composer. We were students together three decades ago, and have kept in touch ever since. So don't expect any answers from me if you telephone or email. We are out with Mother and Richard for the afternoon, but will be back in time for the arrival of Helen's goldfish tonight.
 
sláinte.
 
 
 
 
Guess where Rob Ayling was last night (2): Exclusive pics from last night's show by Mick Farren and the Deviants
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/04/guess-where-rob-ayling-was-last-night-2.html
 
 
 
 

*  The Gonzo Daily is a two way process. If you have any news or want to write for us, please contact me at  jon@eclipse.co.uk. If you are an artist and want to showcase your work, or even just say hello please write to me at gonzo@cfz.org.uk. Please copy, paste and spread the word about this magazine as widely as possible. We need people to read us in order to grow, and as soon as it is viable we shall be invading more traditional magaziney areas. Join in the fun, spread the word, and maybe if we all chant loud enough we CAN stop it raining. See you tomorrow...

*  The Gonzo Daily is - as the name implies - a daily online magazine (mostly) about artists connected to the Gonzo Multimedia group of companies. But it also has other stuff as and when the editor feels like it. The same team also do a weekly newsletter called - imaginatively - The Gonzo Weekly. Find out about it at this link:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/all-gonzo-news-wots-fit-to-print.html
 
* We should probably mention here, that some of our posts are links to things we have found on the internet that we think are of interest. We are not responsible for spelling or factual errors in other people's websites. Honest guv!

*  Jon Downes, the Editor of all these ventures (and several others) is an old hippy of 53 who - together with his orange cat (who is currently on sick leave in Staffordshire) and a not very small orange kitten (who isn't) puts it all together from a converted potato shed in a tumbledown cottage deep in rural Devon which he shares with various fish, and sometimes a small Indian frog. He is ably assisted by his lovely wife Corinna, his bulldog/boxer Prudence, his elderly mother-in-law, and a motley collection of social malcontents. Plus.. did we mention the orange cats?

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today


Yesterday’s News Today

On this day in 1978 Stana Katic was born. Katic is best known for playing Kate Becket in the amazingly good detective drama 'Castle' but also played Hana Gitleman in the superhero drama 'Heroes' who could control electronic communications telepathically.
And now the news:
  • 'Judas' animals - Traitors to their own kind: Radi...
  • A new species on every mountain - Extraordinary ev...
  • Four rhino heads stolen from museum in Dublin
  • Hedgehogs emerging from hibernation very late in 2...
  • Decoding Touch: Rats Detect Textures With Their Wh...
  • 71 New Parasitoid Wasp Species Discovered from Sou...
  • A Beautiful Species of Tree Iguana Redescribed 179...
  • Long-Lost Giant Fish from Amazon Rediscovered – vi...

  • A trailer for the first ever episode of Castle: