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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Sunday, June 16, 2013

CRYPTOLINK: Professor - Evidence points to Bigfoot's existence

Professor: Evidence points to Bigfoot's existenceA word about cryptolinks: we are not responsible for the content of cryptolinks, which are merely links to outside articles that we think are interesting, (sometimes for the wrong reasons) usually posted up without any comment whatsoever from me.


It seemed like most of the about 50 people at the Triad Theater last Thursday either believed or wanted to believe.
Believe in what?

Bigfoot. Sasquatch. The “abominable snowmen of America.” Take your pick.
But for Idaho State University Professor Jeffrey Meldrum, Ph.D., who the spectators came to see, Bigfoot is a scientific mystery, not a matter of belief.
Meldrum, a professor of anatomy and anthropology and an expert on foot morphology and locomotion in primates, explained his approach to scientifically documenting the perhaps not-so-mythical creature most famously known as Bigfoot.
“One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced in order to involve myself in a professional capacity is to translate the perception of this topic from the tabloid squarely into the realm of biological science,” Meldrum told the audience. “The approach I take as an anatomist and a physical anthropologist, is the fundamental question: Is there a species of large bipedal upright primate in North America behind the legend of sasquatch?”
Meldrum said that while his personal belief has no bearing in a scientific investigation into Bigfoot’s existence, the evidence he’s studied has left him convinced an unknown species of animal exists in North America.

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 took the plunge and started a 'Watcher of the Skies' blog of her own as part of the CFZ Bloggo Network.



DALE DRINNON: Viking Serpents, Frontiers of Anthropology, Benny's Blogs

New at the Frontiers of Anthropology:

CARL MARSHALL: New oop spider at Butterfly Farm

This is Heteropoda venatoria or more commonly known as the brown huntsman, giant crab spider or the Laya. H. venatoria is a cosmopolitan species introduced into and now occurring in the US in sub-tropical areas of Florida, Texas and California. It is presumed to have been introduced from Asia, where many of its closest relatives are found. It is sometimes mistaken for a brown recluse spider Loxosceles reclusa and the Brazilian Wandering spider Phoneutria nigriventer, but is neither related nor is it dangerous.
H. venatoria are large brown spiders with a flattened body structure and very little dorsal pattern, with adults having a body length of 2.2 - 2.8 cm and have a leg span approximately of 7 - 12 cm. 

These and similar species belonging to the taxonomic family Sparassidae are highly valued in tropical countries because they capture and feed on cockroaches and other domestic insect pests such as silverfish.

As with other vagrant species H. venatoria do not use webbing to capture their prey.

This specimen arrived this morning (Sat 15th) from Fyffes plc, a fruit ripening company with a large site based in Coventry. This individual seems to have been transported from Florida.

Scottie Westfall: About that big black cat

 


THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN TALKS TO PENGUINS

I know you've heard this stuff before
but Richard and I were up past four
just drinking wine and talking crap
(he's a convivial kind of chap)
..and he's off to Sumatra and he's my good mate
but it means we are running kind of late,
but it doesn't matter, I can safely say
'cos today is a special day
It's sunday so it's time for me
to do the blogs in poetry
I know it causes some bemusement
but I do it for my own amusement
The Gonzo Track of the day, today
is from Daedalus, I'm proud to say
with their own Italian brand of madness
the perfect cure for prog rock sadness
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/06/gonzo-track-of-day-daedalus-until-youre.html
Steve Hillage plays a groovy guitar
like an alien from a distant star
but now he's only just begun
writing stories in The Sun
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/06/steve-hillages-day-in-sun.html
Thom Woodruffe lives in Texas state
so next time I go to visit my mate
Nick who lives not far you know it
I'm paying a visit to the world poet
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/06/thom-world-poet-daily-poem_16.html
At Yoko's Meltdown while all was quiet
they launched a book about Pussy Riot
and Helen McCookerybook was there you see
and she's written about it for you and me
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/06/helen-mccookerybook-was-at-launch-for.html
And now strumming an acoustic guitar
it's none other than Michael Des Barres
with an unplugged show I'd love to see
I hope it'll be on You Tube TV
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/06/an-acoustic-night-with-michael-des.html
Now this is a strange interpretatation, see
of Jon Anderson's first LP
about a mystic man Olias
it's very cool, and not too pious
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/06/olias-at-earthday.html
And finally (you know what I mean)
the latest Gonzo Magazine
bloody hell it's issue 30
has been released (and it's not dirty)
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/06/gonzo-magazine-30.html

Byeeeeeeeeeeeee

*  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 two very small kittens (one of whom is also orange) puts it all together from a converted potato shed in a tumbledown cottage deep in rural Devon which he shares with various fish. 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 cat?

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today


Yesterday’s News Today

On this day in 1890 Stan Laurel, one half of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy was born. Laurel and Hardy's short films and feature films often referenced paranormal, Fortean, surreal or strange subjects and stand the test of time in still being funny today.
And now the news:
  • Article: Environmental Law Fuels Black Market Trad...
  • Snowflake the Albino Gorilla Was Inbred, Study Fin...
  • Freeing Rehabilitated Loggerhead Turtles Comes at ...
  • High Diversity of Flying Reptiles in England 110 M...
  • Baby elephant joins orphan herd in India
  • How Colin, the escaped white wallaby gave six star...
  • Surprise species at risk from climate change
  • Lizard numbers 'devastated' by arsonists in Belfa

  • Have you come to the right collage?You're dressed for Eaton...”
    Well that's swell, we haven't eaten since breakfast!”: