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by Karl Shuker 
A new classic of material cryptozoology
In this thorough investigation of alleged prehistoric survivors, Dr. Karl Shuker continues the tradition established by Bernard Heuvelmans, analyzing reports of such creatures as the mokele-mbembe of the Congo, the living pterosaurs of Africa and Texas, lake monsters from around the world, the Queensland tiger and the wooly mammoth (to name my favorites), all considered to be extinct by mainstream science. For each cryptozooid, Shuker looks at reports by Western travellers, as well as folkloric accounts and artifacts from natives where the creature is found, which might represent the creature being discussed. He then considers a possible identity for the creature, based on specimens from the fossil record. His credentials for such work are impressive: he holds a Ph.D. in zoology and comparative zoology, and has worked in this field for well over many years. This training and experience have given him the knowledge required to determine a likely identification from the fossil record, as well as consider more mundane candidates for identification, as when he explains reports of an alleged sea scorpion sighted in Florida as more likely being a spiny lobster. His scientific knowledge is complemented by his wide knowledge of folklore, mythology and material culture from around the world, which will, I am certain, lead him to new hiding places for cryptozooids in the future. As a result, Shuker is one of the best material cryptozoologists, by which I mean one who looks at cryptozooids as physical beings which will someday be classified according to mainstream scientific methodology. Their existence requires no revolution in the field of biology: these creatures, if they are proven to exist by the discovery of a body (the only proof that material cryptozoologists will accept), will be classified as part of the system initially conceived by Linnaeus. In this matter of classification, the capture of a creature in Loch Ness will be dealt with no differently than are any of the plethora of microorganisms which are discovered each year--though such an event would understandably be attended by considerably more press than discovery of our invisible neighbors. Where material cryptozoologists part ways with mainstream biologists is in their attitude toward the survival of supposedly extinct species. Mainstream thinkers hold that all dinosaurs are extinct, and that therefore no dinosaurs can exist in central Africa. As a result, any reports of dinosaurs in central Africa must be false. This type of circular reasoning is oneo the more unfortunate legacies of the Enlightenment, and is discarded by cryptozoologists, material and paranormal both, in favor of the perspective that such creatures might still exist, whatever theory says--theories are often proven wrong, after all--and that the evidence for their existence deserves attention. Shuker gives these accounts, reports, and cultural artifacts the attention they deserve, analytically and skeptically, bringing his vast knowledge to bear on the subject at hand. The appendix providing information about organizations and publications dedicated to this subject, and the exhaustive bibliography, are also important parts of the work. It is unfortunate that this book is out of print, but I am certain that if it is reprinted, that Shuker will fulfill his obligation to include revisions of the extant material, making the new version even more useful than this book is now (as it is, most chapters in this book have a section at the end added just before it was printed, providing the latest information on the subject). Recommended to anyone interested in cryptozoology, as well as those who like to read about prehistoric creatures and travel accounts of exotic lands. |
