Cryptozoology

Cryptozoology

I’m a “Fact and Science Guy”, a degreed Zoologist, and so maybe it’s surprising that I have an interest in cryptozoology, i.e., the biology of unknown animals.  Let’s face it, virtually every society has a version of the Abominable Snowman.  Whether he’s known locally as Yeti, Skunk Ape, Dog Man, or Chupacabra, our friend Sasquatch has a continuing occurrence in our lore.  And don’t forget Kraken and Giant Squid.  There’s a reason for their persistent and consistent presence, and as a scientist, I’ll be the first to admit that we don’t know everything; so why not entertain the notion of our unknown companions?

And entertaining this notion is.  Cryptozoology first crept into my adult awareness 15 or so years ago, when red-eyed, iron-clawed Monkey Man hysteria swept through a major Indian city.  Apparently one couldn’t sleep through the night on one’s roof without encountering him, and several folks chose the option of jumping to their deaths instead of facing him.  While this isn’t exactly entertaining, it was a slow, hot summer for comedians, and so David Letterman asked, “Why can’t we have a Monkey Man?”  I’m sure it would have spiced up his material for a time.

But then, lo and behold, we did get our Monkey Man.  Sasquatch started starring in a series of TV commercials (infantile bro-humor sells!); and a couple of shows outlined our modern search for him.  I love the portrayal of “science” in these shows, and I love the internal skepticism of this “science” within the shows.  Occam’s Razor has no place in the hunt for Sasquatch; and if science can’t immediately prove a position wrong, then the position must be correct!

(At this time, please take a moment to reflect upon what this means about our perception of science, and the adaptation of such a style of thinking to politics.)

But how can I not appreciate the irony of a recent, sad incident.  When a young man tried to incite some local Sasquatch Fever by getting dressed up and providing a few sightings, he was almost immediately run down by multiple motorists, none of whom apparently saw him.  Clearly, Sasquatch is so elusive that we can’t even see imitators of him or his lifestyle.