CRYPTO 1991

1 Houston, Texas 77058, U! S

THE MUSK OX IN EURASIA: EXTINCT AT THE PL EISTOCENE-HOLOCENE BOUNDARY OR SURVIVOR TO HISTORICAL T MES? NIKOLAI SPASSOV Department of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History,

NIKOLAI SPASSOV Department of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, Boulv. Russki 1, Sofia 1000, Bulgaria ABSTRAcr: The musk ox, Ovibos moschatus, now restricted to the North Amer ican Arctic, inhabited Eurasia in the Pleistocene, and was thought to have become

In 1 924, P . Kozlov, the explorer of Central Asia, discovered burial tombs in the N oin Ula Mountains of Mongolia, about 60 miles ( 100 km) north of FIG. 1 .-Pleistocene long-horned African buffalo, Pelorovis antiquus, depicted on rock draw ings at Fezan, Libya. A. After Epstein ( 1 97 1 ). B. Aft

Some interesting osteological evidence from north Siberia supports the proposition that the musk ox persisted well into the Holocene in Asia. In fact, this bone material indicates that the musk ox may have survived in Asia until recent centuries. Some years ago, Nikolai K. Vereshchagin, the eminent

ADRIENNE MAYOR 55 Aiken A venue, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, U.S.A. ABsTRACT: The griffin or gryps was first described ca. 675 B.C. in a Greek work about Central Asia. The gryps was a lion-like quadruped with an eagle-like beak; it made nests on the ground and was associated with gold-mining and st

accepted Browne's declaration that the classical griffin was purely imaginary and symbolic. Ross's optimism was not rewarded - no living mammal with four legs and a hooked beak was ever found . But he was right to challenge Browne's reading of the ancient sources, which do not portray the griffin as

Griffin-type animals combining the features of birds and mammals ap peared in Near Eastern art as early as 3000 B.C . , and they show up in Mycenaean (Bronze Age Greek) art as well. However, we have no way of knowing what kind of folklore, if any, was attached to these creatures. The first written

Scythian art ( 700 B.C.-A.D. 300) is notable for its depictions of many unknown animals, including griffin-types (Bisi 196 5 , Bouras 1983, Flagge 1 9 7 5 , Bartscht 1987, Metropolitan Museum of Art 1 9 7 5 , Rudenko 19 70, Bolton 1962, Rolle 1980). Scythian tombs of the time of Aeschylus and Herodo

Many hypotheses have been proposed for the origin of the griffin since Ross and E rman attempted to account for the legend's zoological features. As already noted, art historians and classicists usually consider the griffin to be an imaginary composite of real animals. Their main interest is in trac

Numerous Greek and Roman texts refer to the discovery of fossil remains (Bromhead 1945, Mayor, in preparation). Some fossils were exposed by earthquakes and erosion; others were deliberately dug up. The Greeks and

It has long been recognized that legends of dragons, giants, and monsters occur in fossil-rich areas (Thenius 1 9 7 3 : 34-39 , Carrington 19 5 7 : 7 1 , chap. 7, 1 9 58 : 49-54, Ley 1948 : 42-54, Wendt 1968, Sutcliffe 198 5 : chap. 3, Buffetaut 1987, Solounias 198 1 : 18- 19, cf. Cable 1987: 9 7).

According to Herodotus, "It was among the Issedonians themselves that the strange tales" of "gold-guarding" griffins originated. To test the fossil theory, we need to locate the important gold deposits exploited by these nomadic peoples, and then determine whether ancient gold-seekers w9uld have bee

Cryptozoology, 1 0, 1 99 1 , 42-54

UNKNOWN ANIMALS IN LAKE CHAMPLAIN YASUSHI KOJO Department of Anthropology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, U. S.A. ABsTRACT: The existence of large, unknown animals known generically as

YASUSHI KOJO Department of Anthropology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, U. S.A. ABsTRACT: The existence of large, unknown animals known generically as "Champ" in Lake Champlain, in the northeastern United States, is indicated by

Department of Anthropology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, U. S.A. ABsTRACT: The existence of large, unknown animals known generically as "Champ" in Lake Champlain, in the northeastern United States, is indicated by isolating a behavioral pattern, nocturnality, associated with the

Joseph Zarzynski of LCPI has compiled and published Champ sighting reports from 1609 to 1990 (Zarzynski 1988a: 1 54-205, 208- 16, 1988b: 7477, 1989: 70-7 1 , 1990: 80-8 1 ). Fig. l A shows the distribution of sighting times in these reports. Since not every sighting report includes the exact time of

There are two sighting reports indicating that the animals swam like a snake, i.e. , horizontal undulation of the body. However, the majority of reported sightings that include a description of locomotion (n 8) indicate vertical undulation of the body. Six other reports state that the body un dulat

In the winter, but mainly in February and March, the surface of Lake Champlain freezes over, though in warm years the entire surface is not frozen. On the other hand, that the animals are air-breathing is most probable CRYPTOZOOLOGY

TABLE 2 . - Reported sightings that occurred in the same locality within a few days. (Based on Zarzynski 1 988a.) NY: New York, VT: Vermont. In the ice-free seasons, it is most probable that the animals subsist mainly on fish. This is supported by the number of reports stating that the animals were

Based on the preceding ecological considerations, the following suggestions for future research may be of value. In ice-free seasons, the animals are likely to be moving from one locality to another within the lake, often staying at a specifci locality for at least a few days. If this is so, investi

EDWARD B. WINN 25, chemin de Trembley, 1 197 Prangins, Switzerland ABsTRACT: Analytical tests consisting of examination by electron microscopy, melting-point measurements, and determination of solubility in seven representative solvents were conducted on samples of short, reddish, fur-like fibers pu

TABLE 1 . - Fibers used a s controls i n first step o f identifying the samples o f unknown origin and alleged to be Sasquatch hair. Natural fibers Synthetic fibers

MARC E. W. MILLER AND KHRYZTIAN E. MILLER 3702 Stringtown Road, Lancaster, Ohio 43130, U.S.A. INTRODUCTION In 19 1 7, Fran9ois De Loys, a Swiss geologist, set off on an expedition into the montane and lowland rain forests of Venezuela. His expedition lasted

3702 Stringtown Road, Lancaster, Ohio 43130, U.S.A. INTRODUCTION In 19 1 7, Fran9ois De Loys, a Swiss geologist, set off on an expedition into the montane and lowland rain forests of Venezuela. His expedition lasted for three years, and encountered many difficulties, including sickness and

NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION After meeting in Caracas, we proceded by bush plane to the state of Amazonas. We landed near the Ventuari River, and were met by Piaroas Indians and Lorenzo Rodriguez, a well-known j ungle pilot for over 25 years. The expedition spent a great deal of time traveling a wide varie

1194 Robson Street, Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada V6E 1B2 INTRODUCTION In early 199 1 , Nippon Television (NTV) became one of many groups to have launched a search for Ogopogo, the reputed monster said to inhabit Okanagan Lake in south-central British Columbia. Bucki ng the trend of

]AMES A. HEWKIN 35237 A ubuchon Drive, St. Helens, Oregon 9705 1 , U.S.A. INTRODUCfiON This report updates my previous findings published in this journal con cerning continuing attempts to obtain evidence for the Sasquatch (Bigfoot),

P. O. Box 1 686 Altona, Manitoba ROG OBO, Canada Tom Slick, and the Search for the Yeti. By Loren Coleman. Faber & Faber, Boston and London, 1 76 pp. $ 1 1 . 9 5 (p.). This book is a worthy addition to the sensible, serious cryptozoological

(Comment on Bernard Heuvelmans, 1 9 8 8 , The Sources and Method of Cryptozoological Research, Cryptozoology, Vol 7: 1 -2 1 ) In translating into Russian some high points of Heuvelmans' article, I encountered his definition of c ryptozoology: "The scientific study of hidden animals, i.e. of still un

(Response to Bayanov) It is sad, disappointing , irritating, and, frankly, even distressing to realize that, 10 years after the founding of the International Society of Crypto zoology, some of its most senior members have still not grasped the very meaning of the term "cryptozoology," or do not see

(Comment on Bernard Heuvelmans, 1 990, The Metamorphosis ofUnknown Animals into Fabulous Beasts and of Fabulous Beasts into Known Animals, Cryptozoology, Vol. 9: 1 - 1 2) A cartoon in the March, 1 99 1 , issue of the B ritish archaeological journal Antiquity (Vol. 6 5 [246]: 1 34) portrayed a "cave

230 Wilton Drive Decatur, Georgia 30030, U.S.A . (Hugh Trotti 's main interests are ancient history and anthropology. He is the author ofthe book Beasts and Battles, which attempts to find "real" elements in "fabulous " historical accounts. )

(Comment on James A. Hewkin, 1990, Sasquatch Investigations in the Pa cific Northwest, 1990, Cryptozoology, Vol. 9 : 8 2-84) Along with two others, I was the one who found the January, 199 1 , Mill Creek Sasquatch tracks. Because Hewkin states that these tracks were fakes, I feel I should provide m

1 333 Dell A venue Walla Walla, Washington 99362, U.S.A. ( Wes Sumerlin has spent a lifetime in the Blue Mountains of northern Oregon and southern Washington. ) CRYPTOZOOLOGY

(Response to Sumerlin) I have all due respect for Sumerlin and his considerable experience as a horse packer, hunter, and observer of wildlife in the Blue Mountains. How ever, there are several discrepencies in our respective investigations of the tracks on Mill Creek.

(Comment on Angelo P. Capparella, Review of Thunderbirds! The Living Legend of Giant Birds, Cryptozoology, Vol. 9: 94-9 6) Capparella has done his best to describe a book containing serious omissions and flaws. Fortunately, he has failed to describe Thunderbirds! - the book that I wrote. First of al

92 1 5 Nicollet So., # 1 04 Bloomington, Minnesota 55420, U. S.A. (Mark Hall is the author ofThunderbirds! The Living Legend of Giant Birds, 1 988, and Natural Mysteries: Monster Lizards, English Dragons, and Other Puzzling Animals, 1 98 9, 1 991. He is also editor of a new quarterly called

(Response to Hall) It is surprising that Hall regards my review of his book as overwhelmingly negative, specially considering my use of words such as "useful" and "con siderable value" in my concluding recommendation. Hall states that his book was intended to stimulate di scussion regarding the mer

(Comment on Aaron M. Bauer, Review of Exotic Zoology, Cryptozoology, Vol. 9 : 8 8-9 1 ) Regarding Bauer's review of Willy Ley's Exotic Zoology, I believe certain remarks concerning the H uguenot refugee Fran9ois Leguat should not remain uncommented upon. Bauer laments Ley's reliance on Leguat's book

65 Springfield Road Southborough, Kent England TN4 ORD, U.K. (Errol Fuller is an artist and ornithologist. He is the author a/ Extinct Birds [Viking/Rainbird (Penguin), London, 1 98 7], and Kiwis fed.], [Seta Publi

(Errol Fuller is an artist and ornithologist. He is the author a/ Extinct Birds [Viking/Rainbird (Penguin), London, 1 98 7], and Kiwis fed.], [Seta Publi cations, A uckland, New Zealand, 1 990]. He is currently working on a new book titled The Lost Birds of Paradise.) STANLEY AND THE OKAPI

(Comment on Stephen F. Kredel, 1990, More on the Okapi- Persepolis Link, Cryptozoology, Vol. 9: 1 1 5 ; Robert G. Tuck and Raul Valdez, 1989 , Per sepoli s: Nilgai - Not Okapi, Cryptozoology, Vol. 8 : 146-49) Kredel points out that, according to Henry M. Stanley's own account, he did not actually s

(Comment on Robert G . Tuck, Jr. , and Raul Valdez, 1 989, Persepolis: Nilgai - Not Okapi, Cryptozoology, Vol. 8 : 146- 149) Shortly after 5 18/5 1 7 B .C . , the Persian king Darius I started creating Persepolis as a royal and sacred architectural unit for non-permanent resi dence. After his death

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