Newspaper Page Text
,_ FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS — Thurtday, June 15,2000
PAGE 10A
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freezone.com • AOL Keyword: FREEZONE
A rare giant squid netted off the coast of Tasmania In 1997 measured approximately 49.5 foot from head to tentacle tip. • The Incanyamba, reportedly a serpentine creature, Is found in Zulu legend.
NATURE *
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Cryptozoologists are always on the lookout for unknown creatures
by Kelly Milner Halls
Strange animals are lurking. Mysterious crea
tures, too rare to be “officially” named, swim
through murky waters, hunt in rain-drenched
forests and hike across rocky mountain trails. Now
and then, we catch a glimpse of them. But like
falling stars, they vanish almost as soon as they’re
seen.
How do we know these crafty beasts exist at
all? “We don’t,” says Ben Roesch, editor of “The
Cryptozoology Review.” But dozens of cryptozool
ogists around the world are devoted to gathering
the facts.
What is cryptozoology, exactly? It is not a sci
ence, according to Roesch. In science, facts can be
verified and duplicated - proven and disproven. “I
like to think of it as natural history rather than sci
ence,” he says.
“It is the study of strange, unidentified species,”
says Rick Spears, an exhibit designer at Rock
Eagle Museum of Natural History in Eatonton,
Georgia. Spears recently created a special display
on the subject for his museum.
Teachers! Get guides for using Free Zone pages in your classroom at freezone.com/parents_teachers
“Creature from the Black Lagoon” was a 1954 horror film about the fictional discovery of a prehistoric creature called “Gill-Man.” • The Animals had a hit with the song “House of the Rising Sun” In the 19505.
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“supimal,” which means “super ammal. It
would be the sweetest animal in the wor .
would be suitable for a pet. Also, t "
be some mixed breeds-some would be hke
dogs or cats . Jurtl n N., Bg® I°,
Detroit, Michigan
X*lf you could create*
( your own animal, what
would It be like?
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Serving the North Georgia Poultry Industry jdfefci
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To prepare for the exhibit, Spears used his com
puter. “I did an Internet search for ‘cryptozoolo
gy,’ and the first site listed was for a creature
called the Altamaha-Ha.” Spears had discovered
the legend of Georgia’s own “Loch Ness Monster”
- called “Alty” for short.
Others say Alty is a big fish called a sturgeon.
Some people say it’s a figment of a few ripe imagina
tions. “1 really haven’t a clue what, if anything, the
Altamaha-Ha might be,” says E. Randall Floyd,
author of “Great Southern Mysteries” and a weekly,
syndicated newspaper column on puzzling topics. .
“But in my opinion, there have been enough sight
ings over the years to suggest that something out of
the ordinary is out there.”
Not all “cryptids” (crypto-creatures) are as elu
sive or far-fetched as “Alty” or the “Loch Ness
Monster,” according to Roesch. “Peter Hocking, a
naturalist working in Peru, has done some interest
ing research on reports of mysterious big cats
there,” Roesch says. “And the evidence of big cats
in the United Kingdom is pretty convincing.”
And let’s not forget the coelacanth. Zoologists
thought the mighty fish was extinct until fishermen
“ h " f an animal ,hat lo ° ks «a«ly like a
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* idee a human. Or maybe a fish that looks like a cow
sounds like a sheep and glows in the dark.
- Brandie, age 11, Canada
If I can create my own
dog, but he won t have l u , ht an d wake us up. He
every day, and he won t bark ah n , f 1
won’t follow cats, an wo f I care o f himself,
leave him alone in the ous ’. , jL»|j have green eyes
Without breaking m^ S /’ S^un d his eye.
and white fur with a htt k ago 13, Lebanon
My animal ofmidniX black with a
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come whenever flowers and small trees, and
ever I wanted it to be. ~ Andrea, age 10,
Nickerson, Nebraska
For more KW Opinion questions anti answers,
cfcecfc us out at freezono.com
Rita, fe*
My cat scratches ths screen
door all day, every day.
a bottle of water, but It doesn't
help! What should I do?
- Koga, ago 9
is your pet s annoying mdk waangonng its rewwortsnip wwn ywr ?«wiy r
Got help from Rita, Free Zone’s resident pet expert, at fre«rane.oom/advice
netted one off the coast of Africa in the 19505.
“Cryptozoologists made predictions that popula
tions of coelacanths might still exist,” Roesch says.
“So the recent discovery of an Indonesian popula
tion of coelacanths is pretty impressive.”
Could the same be said for cryptid all-star
“Bigfoot”? “I’m not convinced that Bigfoot
exists,” Roesch says, “though some evidence is
compelling. If it is a real animal, 1 think it would
have to be some species of unknown giant primate.
A popular candidate is Gigantopithecus.”
Spears believes there are undiscovered species on
this earth. “At least 1 hope there are,” he says.
“Remember, the earth still has vast areas of unex
plored country. And who knows what may be
lurking in the depths of the oceans!”
But maybe what’s “real” isn’t the best part of
cryptozoology. “I’d like to think some of these
things are real,” Floyd says. “But in away, I hope
we never find out the truth. I like to fantasize
about this creature the same way I do about
Atlantis and other great mysteries of the world.
Without mysteries, life would not be nearly as
exciting or wondrous.”
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• “Animal Farm,” the 1946 novel by George Orwell, Is a satire of the Russian Revolution.
Koga,
Try putting atuminum Ml ovar the
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door. Cats don't teethe foe/or
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Good luokl
-fttta
BIG
FOOT:
Coming
to a town
near you
According to the Bigfoot Research
Organization, the two-legged, manlike
creature has been a lot more visible than you
think. Sharp-eyed citizens have submitted
eyewitness reports from all but five of the 50
United States. Folks in Alabama,
Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii and Rhode
Island must have been sleeping.
In Canada, the creature has been reported
in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba,
New Brunswick, Ontario, Prince Edward
Island and Saskatchewan. People in
Australia, China, Malaysia, Russia and the
Himalayan regions also have turned in eye
witness reports.
For more information on cryptozoology,
write to:
International Society of Cryptozoology
P.O. Box 43070
Tucson, AZ 85733
Endangered
species
What can you do to help
Leant about endangered animals
at freezone.coffi/i>rainZanimals
“Mutual of Omaha'* Wild Kingdom” was a popular TV show for more than 30 years. • extinct, ad).: no longer In existence; lost or especially having died out leaving no living representatives