Nessie in Devon?

A LOCH NESS monster-type creature has been snapped at sea off Paignton — just days after the sighting of a sperm whale in Tor Bay.The mysterious Plesiosaur-like creature was spotted just 30 yards off shore by locals who reported a sighting of what they first thought was a turtle.But pictures taken by one of the baffled witnesses reveal its neck may be far too long for any known sea turtle.A sperm whale was also been seen in the bay last week, but the description of the Paignton creature does not match that of the whale.Boffins at the Marine Conservation Society say the creature may be some kind of turtle, but at present it remains unidentified.Gill Pearce photographed the creature following a shoal of fish at Saltern Cove near Paignton at 3.30pm on Tuesday.She at first thought it was a large sea turtle but baffled experts say it doesn't fit the description because the greenish-brown beast with a small reptile head has too long a neck.Mrs Pearce reported her sighting to the Marine Conservation Society where it was studied by sea life experts.Peter Richardson, MCS biodiversity programme manager, said that the creature may be a leatherback or green turtle which are known to visit coastal waters in the South West.But the creature did not match the usual description of such creatures.Mr Richardson said: "At the moment it's an unidentified mystery creature and we don't know what it is."Two people have reported seeing a creature about three metres long with a small head on a two-and-a-half foot neck."From the photographs it looks like it could be a basking shark and the tail fin could have been mistaken for a head but the people who saw it said it had large flippers and was about the size of a sea lion."It would be great to find out what it is so we are asking people in the area to look out for it."Asked if it could have been a rare sighting of the Loch Ness monster, Mr Richardson replied: "That would not be my official explanation."The MCS said the mystery creature was reported to be chasing a shoal of mackerel when it was first spotted part of which was said to be so scared it swam in to the shallows close to shore to escape.Another eyewitness Graham Oxley, 63, from Paignton, was also just as baffled.He said: "I went down to the beach with my dog and I saw what I thought was a turtle."I saw a black dome which was more rounded than a turtle's shell and its head kept popping out of the water every five minutes."It seemed to lurk over some weeds in about four foot of water for around half an hour."The semi-retired electrician rushed home to get his camera but when he returned the creature was swimming away."That was when I realised it wasn't a turtle at all," he said."What I thought was the shell was actually the creature's back and it seemed to change colour like a chameleon."When it was in the shade it was a black colour and then when it swam off it changed to a greeny-brown."It seemed to camouflage itself."That's probably why not many people have spotted them."It was standing feeding on the weeds and had its back arched."My eyesight is perfect, I don't drink and I'm not on drugs."Just six days previously angler Trevor Smart, of Leicestershire, reckons he spotted a sperm whale, first seen in Tor Bay at the end of June.Mr Smart, who was staying on his boat in Torquay harbour, had gone out fishing early on July 21 when he says the creature surfaced near him in flat calm conditions a quarter of mile from shore.He said: "I was totally enthralled. I don't think I would have seen it if the sea hadn't been so flat. I hadn't got a clue what it was."I have visited this area since the early 1960s and fished all my life, seeing dolphins and basking sharks and other sea life in our seas, but I've never seen anything like this."The marine conservation charity Sea Watch sightings officer Gemma Veneruso said: "We do have some concerns that it might strand itself."Sperm whales feed on deep sea squid and fish close to the edge of the continental shelf in the North Atlantic but rarely come into shallow waters."It is very rare for a sperm whale to travel as far east as this in the Channel and to come so close to shore."Meanwhile, the unexplained creature is causing a stir on the MCS website where theories range from sea serpent to salt water crocodile.An MCS spokesman said: "It was reported as a turtle but was also said to have a small head on a thin neck about two feet long which craned above the surface like a Plesiosaur. It's described as being as long as a sea lion with a long neck. This is not a fake."

Source:http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/news/Sea-monster-spotted-Bay/article-2475547-detail/article.html

 posted by J on behalf of tabitca. She thought you wouldn't want to miss this!The summer silly season has started .

a last blog and thanks

I Just Saw a Frightful Monster

By Jeff Smith | Published Wednesday, July 28, 2010 

Extract from article:

“I just saw a frightful monster,” said Charlesworth, “fully thirty feet in length, shaped like a snake, with three sets of fins, a tail like an eel’s.” He paused to catch his breath. “The head, like an alligator’s, was a bit wider than the neck” but “very thick at the base.” A film covered the small eyes. The dark body had “mottled skin spotted something like a trout,” the belly a “yellowish cast.”The fins looked like a sea lion’s, between 3 and 4 feet in length, the forward pair heaviest and situated about 2 feet back of the neck. The first 12 feet were “at least 2 feet thick.” Then it tapered toward the tail.The monster lay on wet sand. When he first saw the long brown sprawl, Charlesworth couldn’t believe his eyes. “At the captain’s approach,” writes the Union, “the serpent-fish raised its head” and arched it toward the intruder. Since Charlesworth wasn’t far away, “His only thought was to increase that distance.

Read more including flying devils and Lake Hodge Monster  here:

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2010/jul/28/feature-i-just-saw-frightful-monster/

Thank you for the nice comments. I shall leave the blog but put comments on moderation.Hopefully when I have good days I will be able to post but in the meantime be good whilst I am away and keep looking .xx

good bye

I am afraid due to my continuing ill health I am going to have to stop posting blogs. Due to the spam that I keep attracting on the blog I am not sure whether to delete it completely or leave it for people to read. If anyone would like to write a comment on how they feel about that, please do. I will make a decision later in the week. Thank you so much for following the blog and reading my stuff. I have had some insightful and lovely comments since the blog started and I can't tell you how much it was appreciated that people took the time to post something.Keep researching and looking fellow cryptozoology enthusiasts , one day you may find something wonderful xx

Two Bigfoot Shows

Utahns tell of Bigfoot encountersHUNTSVILLE -- Tales of Bigfoot come to life during "Dave's Bigfoot Show" on Monday.
Live music will also be featured during the event, beginning at 5 p.m. on the lawn behind the Texas Pride Barbecue restaurant, 235 S. 7400 East.The Bigfoot show, which runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., features Ogden and Huntsville residents sharing their "unexplained experiences" with the mysterious creature, said organizer David Carver of Eden.Each of the 30 people will be interviewed on stage in a talk-show-style format. Most of their encounters took place in the Top of Utah, Carver said, although some happened in the Uintas and Montana."No one's ever had a chance to hear (the stories) from the real people -- real people and real experiences, it hasn't been done," Carver said.And, he added, "Some of them are spectacular encounters."The event isn't out to prove or disprove the Bigfoot phenomenon, Carver said, but will show there are encounters with no logical explanation and "for sure, it was not a guy in a suit!"Carver himself hasn't had any run-ins with the furry legend: "Nope, I haven't seen one and I'm standing around waiting. And I sure hope something's going to happen before I die."Music during the show will be presented by Theresa Ellis, a Liberty violinist and fiddler, and Danielle Vaughn, a Huntsville singer/songwriter.Dark Horse the Band, an Ogden Valley group, will perform at 5 p.m.Advance tickets are $2, or $10 per family; tickets at the door are $3, or $15 per family. Proceeds from the event will be donated to youth soccer groups.Guests should bring their own lawn chairs.
Source:http://www.standard.net/topics/features/2010/07/22/utahns-tell-bigfoot-encounters

Comins Bigfoot Bash to offer serious look at legend

COMINS — Legend and reality will meet come Friday at a first-ever event called “Bigfoot Bash” hosted by the Michigan Magazine Museum in Comins, about 90 miles north of Bay City.The three-day event will provide a serious study of Bigfoot in Michigan with dashes of fun and live entertainment. Comins is the "heart of Bigfoot country," with 35 documented sightings, said event organizers.Friday’s festivities start at 10 a.m. with most of the schedule dedicated to anyone who wants to share their Bigfoot sightings at the museum, 3309 North Abbe.“This gives people who have had sightings a forum to share those stories with others without being criticized,” said Nelson Yoder, the museum’s curator. On Saturday, several scholars will appear during the weekend festivities to share stories of their own Bigfoot sightings and research.Phil Shaw will lead the stream of guest speakers at 11 a.m. on Saturday with a presentation on the historical and amusing side of Bigfoot. Shaw graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in science.At 1 p.m., architect Sanjay Singhal will share his childhood stories of seeing Bigfoot in South Dakota.Yoder said the event can serve as a forum for serious discussion on the subject.“There’s skepticism, but once you do the research, you realize there’s definitely something valid to the subject,” he said.The event will also include presentations featuring unpublished sighting reports and rare audio recordings. A sketch artist will attend Friday’s guest testimonials to draw the creature described by those sharing their Bigfoot sightings.
For more event information, call (989) 826-3169.

 Source: http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2010/07/comins_bigfoot_bash_to_offer_s.html

I am in two minds about these things. On the one hand people get to discuss their experiences and share them with others and that may encourage others to come forward with their stories but on the other hand  I think should cryptids be made into a show? What do you think?

A P.S. There will no blogs this weekend as I am not well and need a rest and also it is my birthday on Sunday and I will be the ripe old age of 55 years. Daughter is arriving today to fend off any party goers as I am really not up to any sort of frolics . We have had some good parties in the past. So keep the place clean and tidy and don’t forget to lock the door and turn off the lights. I will be back on Monday hopefully !

Strange beast killing cattle in Ecuador

Strange beast killing cattle in Ecuador

This a Google translation of the article so not brilliant:

Strange animal kills livestock in Nero

Two dead and three calves with severe injuries is the result of the attack of a mysterious animal that Monday night alarmed the residents of the community La Cuadra, belonging to Nero.

….Luz Brito narrated that, residents armed with flashlights, searched around the night and witnessed  a strange animal, large and black, ran into the bushes. An account that coincides with the flesh and bones left on and near a barbed wire fence in the stables where the cattle were attacked.

Nobody knows what kind of animal is that is killing the animals, however,  the residents suspect that it can be a cougar who escaped from a private zoo, or was abandoned by owners of circuses. Others talk of a possible panther, still others relate to the legend of the chupacabra.It is believed to be a beast with great force, because it kills easily steers and cows, eats lots of meat and leaves deep prints of nails and teeth.

This episode recalls the deaths of sheep and Czech Tutupali between September and October 2007, and occurred on August 21, 2009, in Gullanzhapa of Tarqui. (ASQ). (ASQ).

Source: http://www.eltiempo.com.ec/noticias-cuenca/45494-extraa-o-animal-mata-al-ganado-en-nero/

Egyptian Cryptids?

I have always been intrigued by the Egyptian depictions of monsters. They are found everywhere on ceremonial slates, plaques ,knife handles, inside tombs particularly at  Hierakonpolis and Naqada in Upper Egypt. These are early depictions and include winged griffins and what looks like leopards with long, winding necks (see photo) . They are thought to be inspired by models found in Mesopotamia. What if the images were also inspired by travellers and their stories? The long winding neck creature reminds of stories from other parts of Africa of prehistoric looking creatures such as Mokele- Mbeme.

There are also modern monster stories from Egypt, such as the strange carcass washed ashore in 1950 called the  Ataka animal because of the place it was found.

In January of 1950, following a gale, which raged along the banks of the Gulf of Suez, Egyptian authorities discovered huge carcass decomposing on the beach. A team of scientists were sent to try and identify the carcass.It was described as the size of a whale with two  huge walrus-like tusks, which protruded from either side of its large mouth. There was some evidence of a blow hole but no apparent eyes and a row of cilia like appendages circling its maw.

This led some to speculate that the animal may have been an unknown species of marine mammal. Eyewitnesses, at the time, claimed that there was  a large, whale-like creature swimming in the gulf just ten days before the storm. Experts could not positively identify the creature at the time , which seems odd considering that in modern times it has been dismissed as a Baleen Whale. Surely marine biologists in the 1950s knew what a Baleen whale looked like? The appearance of "walrus-like tusks" on the Egyptian carcass have been said to be the lower splayed jaws of the whale. Surely the experts in the 1950’s would have realised if it was a whale carcass , even decomposed. It has been a matter of speculation for years and there is no definite answer. So another Egyptian mystery.

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chupacabra mystery solved?

by JONATHAN BETZ  WFAA Posted on July 20, 2010 at 8:21 PM

DECATUR — The sightings of strange animals suspected to be the mythical chupacabra have puzzled North Texans for months.But Kathleen Forth calls them pets."So I raise chupacabras, I guess," she said.

They're actually dogs — rare, hairless dogs. The Decatur woman has been breeding and showing them for 16 years.Although some of the chupacabras found in the wild turn out to be sick coyotes, Forth is convinced that ranchers have been shooting at hairless dogs."I believe all of those things are deceased Xolos," she said, referring to a breed of hairless Mexican dog. "That's why people are concerned they are the chupacabras, because they've never seen them; they're not used to something like this, and it scares them."

The Xolos may not win any beauty contest, but they're actually quite friendly, and largely harmless.

Mexican hairless dogs are very rare, and certainly unlike any other. "They have a good chin, good look," Forth said. "They look in the distance and they look majestic.

Majestic? Perhaps. But on some ranches, they are certainly not getting the royal treatment. 

source: http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Meet-the-Xolo-Chupacabra-mystery-solved-98885759.html