The two lucky winners of the CRYPTID CHRONICLES TUMBLR 200 CONTEST of 2012 were Gommetrik and Koshkavshliape who were both kind enough to share these awesome photos of themselves with their giveaway prizes and to provide a little background of how they became interested in cryptozoology and this blog!

Gommetrik shares: “I first found this Tumblr page after hearing a story from a friend that was eerily similar to that of the Enfield Horror. To show her what the creatures looked like from that particular story, I searched Tumblr (rather than google images, for some reason) and discovered that Cryptid Chronicles had made a post about it around the same time.  Since then, I have been following the page. Cryptozoology has always been something of interest to me, from when I grew up with stories of the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot, to today where I am searching for a link between Chalkley Steelman Leeds (First mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey) to the Leeds family that is connected to the Jersey Devil. (Not pictured above is a sticker of the Jersey Devil that was included in the package.  Sydney has been a huge help in suggesting different books that I should read about the subject.)  I see cryptozoology as a persistent branch of science that seeks to give complete explanations for strange occurrences.  While it is not given as much credit as other branches of science, one must consider that several creatures that we know of today were once considered to by cryptids, such as the Okapi and a wide variety of animals from Australia.  Simply because one cannot find something easily does not mean that it does not exist.”

Koshkavshliape shares: “Cryptid Chronicles is AWESOME for doing this amazing giveaway! The package came decorated completely with cryptid stickers, and the prizes inside were even better. I received a 54” plush anaconda, which I have named Andy, and who lives on my couch. He’s an excellent cuddler for watching TV! My other prize was a Kraken mouse pad, which not only I use, but my boyfriend tries to steal on occasion. I love my prizes! I’ve always been fascinated in some way with cryptozoology because the thought of elusive creatures in the wild we’ve only caught glimpses of is just amazing. I’m hugely interested in wildlife, so the possibility of there being these amazing creatures (whether really “wild” or not) who’ve managed to avoid mankind all these years really holds my interest. I love when new discoveries are made, and the possibility of finding concrete evidence of ANY cryptozoological creature is enough to keep me interested. I’d love to find out more about these creatures!”


I would like to again thank everyone for their participation in last year’s contest and in helping promote the wonderful world of cryptozoology! It’s so great to know there are so many people out there that are helping to celebrate Cryptozoology and this blog is dedicated to all of those worldwide fans and exists also to honour and show my endless support and gratitude toward the many biologists and other scientists, researchers, authors and investigators that have seriously contributed to this field.

There will be another giveaway again later this year, so stay tuned for that announcement!

And how about one more round of applause for this contest’s winners!

Thank you!
Your Chronicler,
Sydney C. Squidney
Discover more cryptids and mysterious creatures at cryptidchronicles.tumblr.com
Also follow at http://twitter.com/cryptidfans and now on facebook.com/CryptidChronicles

Come join Cryptomundo and The Museum of the Weird for an afternoon and evening of fun and frivolity in Austin, Texas on January 26, 2013!

Public Itinerary:

3PM-6PM: Tour of Museum and Speaker presentations
(includes author book signings!)

Confirmed Authors/Speakers/Researchers:



Ken Gerhard: Author of Big Bird! Modern Sightings of Flying Monsters and co-author of Monsters of Texas



Nick Redfern: Author of Wildman! The Monstrous and Mysterious Saga of the British Bigfoot, Monster Diary: On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures and co-author of Monsters of Texas



Lyle Blackburn: Author of The Beast of Boggy Creek



Dave Coleman: Author of The Bigfoot Filmography



Craig Woolheater of Cryptomundo and founder of the Texas Bigfoot Research Center (now the Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy)


Followed by:

6PM-8PM: Dinner @ Chupacabra Cantina, http://chupacabracantina.com/

8-10: Movie night at the Museum: Creature from Black Lake

$10 Admission (food and drinks are separate and will be the responsibility of the attendee)

Don’t miss your chance to hang out with these leading personalities in the cryptozoology community!

I will be in attendance, as well!

If you are interested in joining us, please let me know and check here for updates on the Cryptomundo Night at the Museum facebook page

Your Chronicler,
Sydney C. Squidney
cryptidchronicles.tumblr.com
Follow on twitter @cryptidfans
and now on http://www.facebook.com/CryptidChronicles

Greetings, Cryptid Chronicles fans!

British author and contributing editor for Phenomena magazine, Nick Redfern, has notified me that Anomalist Books has just published a new book from him: Monster Diary: On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures.

In Nick’s own words: “Written in first-person style, the book chronicles my on-the-road investigations of all-things cryptozoological from early 2009 to late 2011. And here’s the AB background-info on the book…”

MONSTER DIARY is the latest saga in Nick Redfern’s ongoing series of worldwide road-trips in search of strange creatures and terrifying beasts.

In this transatlantic trek, Redfern is hot on the trail of…a Mothman-like creature in Wisconsin; giant eels that lurk in the canals of Birmingham, England; a spectral mammoth and a ghostly big-cat in American woods; Bigfoot in New Mexico; a Chupacabras in the wilds of Oklahoma; vampire-like beasts roaming the valleys of Wales; and California’s very own shape-shifting Skinwalkers.

MONSTER DIARY reveals that many of the unknown animals of our planet are not all they seem to be. They may appear to be flesh-and-blood creatures, but is that what they really are?Redfern sets out to prove that the true nature of the fearsome creatures that dwell in dark and shadowy woods, atop imposing mountainous peaks, and within the depths of murky lakes and rivers can only be understood with a knowledge of ancient rituals designed to conjure up foul life forms from some terrible realm, ominous sacrificial ceremonies undertaken in the dead of night, and disturbing occult rites.

Monsters do exist. Monsters are among us. But according to Nick Redfern, they are not what you probably think they are.

Later this month, I will be reading this book and once I am finished reading will post my review of Nick’s latest saga.

Stay tuned for more Cryptozoology news and discover more cryptids and mysterious creatures at Cryptid Chronicles and let us know What is the Scariest Cryptid You’d Never Want to Meet?

If you enjoyed this cryptozoological news update please comment, Like ❤ and share! Thank you!

Your Chronicler,
Sydney C. Squidney
cryptidchronicles.tumblr.com

Follow on twitter @cryptidfans

THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED, WINNERS HAVE BEEN POSTED HERE!

★★★ CRYPTID CHRONICLES TUMBLR 200 CONTEST! ★★★

Welcome to the 200th Post Giveaway Contest at Cryptid Chronicles!

To show my appreciation for my Tumblr followers and in honour of supporting biologists, researchers and investigators that have helped us on this journey, i’m gifting some really interesting books and neat items to a few lucky cryptid fans participating in this giveaway!

Reblog this post to have a chance at winning one of 9 cryptid-related gifts including four Cryptozoology Books (Tom Slick: True Life Encounters in Cryptozoology By Loren Coleman, In Search of Ogopogo: Sacred Creature of the Okanagan Waters By Arlene Gaal, Big Bird! Modern Sightings of Flying Monsters By Ken Gerhard and Tasmanian Tiger: The Tragic Tale of How the World Lost Its Most Mysterious Predator By David Owen), a 54” Plush Snake Anaconda, a Mongolian Death Worm Tote Bag, Mongolian Death Worm DVD, a Chupacabra Mug or a Kraken Attack Mousepad!

Help give Cryptid Chronicles a signal boost and you could be one of 3 Winners!

• Grand Prize Winner - First Choice of 3 items!!!!
• Second Prize Winner - Second Choice of 2 items!!!
• Third Prize Winner - Third Choice of 2 items!!
 
RULES:

1. Follow me on Tumblr http://cryptidchronicles.tumblr.com (All current followers are automatically entered once)

2. Reblog this post (You can reblog up to 20 times to maximize your chance of winning since each reblog counts as an entry and gives you a greater chance to win, but please do not reblog this post over 20 times)
and *** keep tags intact ***.

3. Follow me on Twitter (OPTIONAL, but counts as an entry! Tweet me @cryptidfans and tag your tweet #cryptidfanscontest so you’re entered. Existing twitter followers are automatically entered as a separate entry)

4. You must have your ask-box open.

5. If you are chosen, you have 3 days (72 hours) to respond with your full name and clear mailing details before I chose another name. All personal information remains strictly private.

6. The winner will be drawn randomly using a generator to pick the winner.

7. I will ship worldwide.

8. Giveaway ends when we reach our 199th post, winner will be announced on 200th post! I will be notifying followers where we are at every 25th post increment until we get there to help you keep track.

9. If you have unfollowed at time of 199th post, your previous entry(s) will not count.

10. Addendum: Likes do not count. Only re-blogs of this post count, not reblogs of any other posts.

11. Reblogging and deleting does not count and will disqualify you.

12. As of 3/17/2012, please only re-blog once per day, you have plenty of time!

13. If you win, you must post a pic to your tumblr of the gifts you’ve won once you receive them (preferably including yourself in the photo with a big WINNING smile, but including yourself is NOT necessary, just a pic of the items posted to your blog is totally fine!)

Disclaimer: This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by Tumblr or the authors of the books being given away or producers/manufacturers of the other items. This is just a fun way to support cryptozoology!

If you have any questions, send me a message!

Have fun and thank you for showing your support! Follow the rules! AND GOOD LUCCKKKK.

GO!!!!!

Texas Blue Dogs, a canine cryptozoological mystery.

February 2012

Jon Downes travels to the Lone Star State to solve a canine cryptozoological mystery.

My search for the blue dogs of Texas began in November 2004, when I visited a farm in Elmendorf, just south of San Antonio, where local rancher Devin McAnally had shot a hairless, blue-skinned canid in July that year. He took photographs of it to a local convenience store where one of the customers said that it looked just like “the chupacabra that her grandmother had told her about when she was a girl”.

Thus was born the legend of the Texas chupacabra. I took one look at the bones of the unfortunate creature and was convinced that it was nothing of the sort. Meanwhile, the Elmendorf beast was discussed widely across the Internet and dismissed as a coyote with mange. Well, I was pretty sure that this couldn’t possibly be the answer either, and over the next six years I studied the matter from afar and hoped that I would eventually get back to Texas to investigate in person.

In the spring of 2009 – thanks to the generosity of Richie and Naomi West – Corinna and I returned to Texas and became involved in the hunt for the blue dogs, as what started as a holiday became a full-scale investigation. Richie and Naomi had already visited Blanco, Texas, where another specimen was languishing in the deep freeze belonging to a local student taxidermist. He took a number of tissue samples, which were sent off for DNA analysis. The results have since come back from the Davis Labs, California: it was a coyote cross; although what it was crossed with proved impossible to isolate.

Our first port of call was a small town some miles north of Houston where a lady I shall call ‘Denise’ lived in a suburban house with her young son and elderly mother. The house backed on to an area of wilderness owned by the local electricity company. Some 40 miles (65km) long and a mile (1.6km) across, this strip of wilderness contained a rich and diverse population of animal life. Richie and Naomi had set up security cameras which picked up foxes, raccoons, deer, possums – and on one occasion a very peculiar-looking canid.

Denise had been watching these strange dog-like creatures – almost completely hairless in the summer and with a thin coat of down in the winter – for about six months, and had filmed and photo-graphed them. One of the problems with the Elmendorf creature being a coyote was that if the animal had been so riddled with sarcoptic mange that it was completely hairless, it would have been hardly able to walk, let alone kill chickens, eat mulberries and wag its tail. Denise’s creatures were apparently able to procreate and appeared to breed true. The video footage we have of them shows them walking with a peculiar hump-backed gait, eating food off the forest floor and appearing perfectly healthy. Eyewitnesses even reported them cocking their legs and scenting trees like normal dogs.

But what were they? They had only moved into the area within the past six months and – according to Denise – the population of rabbits, opossums and other small creatures had diminished rapidly, while a local semi-tame coyote appeared to be very scared of these new arrivals. The family’s own dogs, however, seemed eager to make friends and I have footage which appears to show them and a naked blue/grey dog sniffing at each through a chain link fence.

Our journey then took us west to Fayetteville where, at the Hayek family ranch, we met Harvey and his son Deric. For some years, they had been seeing strange beasts living in several locations on their ranch. Once they had even found roadkill, which had been sent to the local university, which was unable to identify it. Once again, the description was of blue/grey, hairless, dog-like creatures larger than the largest coyote, with long muzzles and hunched backs. The Hayeks took us to a remote part of their ranch where, in the sandy walls of a desolate gulch, there was a series of large holes that led deep into the sandy cliff-face. These were, or at least had been, the lair of a family of these creatures, they explained. They had seen them on a number of occasions, including a large specimen, which went into a hole and came out again facing the other way; which implies that inside was an area big enough for it to have turned around.

The Hayeks had once been the proud owners of a large and fruitful orchard of pecan trees. In recent years, though, they had seen their legacy being slowly but surely destroyed as trees withered and died and even apparently healthy trees produced few or no nuts. They blamed this upon SO2 from a local coal-fuelled power station. Could it be, they wondered, that these silent but deadly emissions had somehow caused an unknown mutation in one of the canids living in the area and produced these strange bald blue/grey dogs?

We had no answers, and headed on to Cuero to meet Dr Phyllis Canion.

Dr Canion, who has lived in Africa and has been a hunter all her life, was obviously the lady of the manor. we met her at a genteel little country club which she traversed like a ship in full sail (I dubbed her ‘the Grand Canion’ in my own personal rolladex). She had appeared on a National Geographic documentary about the Texas blue dogs. In 2007, she had come across no less than four specimens – all male, all identical, and all road kills. Through misadventures, two of them had fallen by the wayside, but she had preserved the remaining two carcasses.

The National Geographic documentary had likened the Cuero blue dogs to the late, lamented thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) and had even described – alongside a single pair of nipples – “pouches” on their back legs. We had interpreted this as suggesting that the mysterious blue dogs were marsupials. Over an excellent dinner, I tried to draw out Dr Canion on the subject, but no matter how many conversational gambits I tried, she seemed determined to ignore the topic of the Texas blue dogs, and instead talked (eloquently and entertainingly) of everything and anything else. Despite eating the best meal I’d ever been presented with in the New World, my frustration was mounting.

When we finally arrived at Dr Canion’s ranch, all was revealed. For there, in her fireplace, was a stuffed and mounted Texas blue dog. She burst out laughing. “I wanted y’all to see this for yourselves, and to see your faces,” she said.

But was it a marsupial? Could it be, as some Internet pundits had suggested, a peculiar example of convergent evolution? A New World thylacine analogue that had evolved from the carnivorous opossums of North and South America?

No, of course not.

The first thing I did was to have a look at the much-vaunted pouches. Now I’d assumed these to be those marsupial trademarks – protective membranes under which the semi-developed ur-fœtus (which is ejected unceremoniously from its mother’s birth canal long before it is able to face the rigours of the outside world) can fully develop. But, they were nothing of the sort. When Dr Canion and others referred to “pouches”, they were referring to things that looked like bulging packets of meat, roughly the shape and size of a large scone, positioned on the haunches of the animal, roughly where its buttocks would be, if it had buttocks (which it doesn’t). My immediate thought was that these were anal glands. However, Dr Canion insisted that they were flesh, and not glands of any sort.

It was a remarkable creature, and apart from the “pouches”, it had four other notable features.

1. It was almost completely hairless, and while there were hair follicles on the skin they were few and far between. Dr Canion insisted – and I see no reason to disbelieve her – that she investigated the hair follicles of the recently dead creature and found them to be perfectly healthy.

2. Like Hitler, and my dog Biggles, the specimen was apparently mon-orchid.

3. The eyes were a remarkable pale blue. I would have taken exception to this, and assumed that it was the result of incompetent taxidermy, but Dr Canion showed me a photograph which proved that this was exactly the same as the eye colour in the recently dead animal.

4. It was mounted in a peculiar hunch-backed position. I queried this with Dr Canion, and she confirmed to me that when she has seen the specimens of these animals alive, they have stood in this very manner.

We recorded several hours’ worth of interviews with Dr Canion, and that night as we drove back to our hotel we asked ourselves the obvious question: What the bloody hell were these blue dogs?

It is certain (and – unusually for a cryptozoological case – I can say certain) that not all of the blue dogs were of the same species. Genetic material from the Elmendorf creature was tested at two laboratories: one in New York and one in Copenhagen. Both tests proved conclusively that this animal was a domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris). However, five different tests on the Cuero creature all identified it as a cross between a coyote (C.latrans) and a Mexican wolf (C.lupus baileyi).

And herein lies the problem.

Although the Mexican wolf was once found in Texas, its range never included Cuero or the other areas we had been investigating. But although C.lupus baileyi was never – as far as we know – found in this part of the Lone Star State, the Texas grey wolf (with the monumentally fortean Latin name of C.lupus monstrabilis) was once known across this part of the state. However, according to accepted wisdom, the last Texas grey wolf was shot in 1942. Another sub-species, the buffalo wolf (C.lupus mubilis) once followed the bison herds across the state’s plains, including central and southern Texas, although the last of these was shot in 1926. And this is where it gets complicated.

A few years ago, wolf taxonomy was revised and 12 of the original sub-species which occurred in the western United States and central Canada were re-classified as C.lupus mubilis: so, according to some taxonomists, the buffalo wolf still exists, although every-one agrees that it no longer exists in Texas.

The status of the Mexican wolf is also on shaky ground. The last two Texan specimens were both shot in 1970, and in a rare display of co-operation between the American and Mexican governments, the last five wild Mexican wolves were captured in 1980 and used to start a breeding project. Several hundred have been bred in captivity, although from an extremely limited gene pool, and 100 were liberated in southern Arizona. However, by the time we were in southern Texas only 42 were left – and they were over 1,000 miles (1,600km) from Cuero. It seems highly unlikely that a wandering male from this population could have sired the Cuero creatures.

There are suggestions that a relic population of baileyi still exists in the Sierra Madre, and during our sojourn in Texas we discovered a surprisingly large number of anecdotal accounts of wild wolves in several locations around the state. At the very least, this would suggest that either a small pocket of baileyi still exists in the wild, or that monstrabilis in fact managed to evade extinction. Even if these animals turn out to be surviving nubilis, the existence of living genetic material from the buffalo wolf could well cause the taxonomic revisions of a few years ago to be looked at again.

But it gets even more confusing. Because – depending on whom you believe – there is a second species of wolf in Texas. The red wolf (C.rufus) was supposed to be extinct in the wild, but our friend and colleague Chester Moore Jnr rediscovered them in the late 1990s by using camera traps set in his native Orange County. But is the red wolf a separate species? Well, once again, it depends…

It was Naomi who first noticed that several of the photographs of dead blue dogs from across southern Texas collected by our friend and colleague Ken Gerhard show the creatures exhibiting the “pouches” that are such a singular feature of the mounted Cuero specimen. Indeed, when you look hard enough, even some of the animals filmed and photographed by Denise show these peculiar characteristics on their nether regions. However, others do not. All the animals that have the “pouches” appear to be male. Could this be an example of sexual dimorphism? Or are the animals without “pouches” something else entirely?

The 2004 Elmendorf beast had no “pouches”. But it was a female. The DNA tests revealed it as a domestic dog, and without access to a complex reference library of genetic material it is very difficult and expensive to go any further in investigating what domesticated type could have been the progenitor of this unfortunate creature. It appears that at the time of Columbus there were a large number of native American hairless dog breeds, a small number of which have survived to the present day. Is it possible that one of the supposedly extinct breeds has resurfaced due to its genetic legacy surviving unsuspected in the feral dog population of the Elmendorf region? Yes, quite possibly.

Ken Gerhard and Naomi West, both together and separately, have done a remarkable job in collecting several dozen photographs of blue dogs, mostly dead. I agree with Ken that a large proportion of these (as well as several of the so-called Texas chupacabra videos on the Internet) are of nothing more than very ill and mangy dogs or coyotes. However, as you have seen, a small proportion – including those secured by Dr Canion and those filmed on Denise’s property – are, I believe, something of more importance.

From the available evidence, they show – at the very least – that wolves are not entirely extinct in Texas, and we hypothesise that the discovery of these wolves may have enormous implications for the survival of the rarest sub-species. The Elmendorf creature is something else entirely. Whether or not it is a surviving member of the pre-Columbian domestic races of dog we may never know.

We are still awaiting the results of the DNA tests on the genetic material taken from the ‘Blanco beast’ but would make an educated guess that it will prove to be the same as Dr Canion’s specimen, and that the morphological peculiarities of both beasts are similar enough to suggest that the differences are purely sexually dimorphic. We are awaiting these results, and any to come from the Fayetteville creatures now or at any time in the future, with interest. Here we should probably make brief mention of the creature filmed by a police car in DeWitt County, a figurative stone’s throw from Cuero. This did not appear to have the buttock “pouches”, but had a peculiarly elongated muzzle and appeared to have the hunched back of the Cuero and Blanco beasts (as did Denise’s animals). We would hazard a guess that the DeWitt creature was probably a female, as it was far too energetic and exuberant to be merely a diseased mutt or coyote.

Story By Jon Downes February 2012 for Fortean Times
Photo Copyright Jon Downes

STOP KILLING TEXAS BLUE DOGS!

“Farmer May Have Caught Legendary ‘Chupacabra’  - October 14, 2004 Pollok, Texas - What are the strange, unidentified grey-blue animals that people keep seeing ? and shooting ? in Texas? Back in May this year, Elmendorf, Texas farmer, Devin McAnally, shot an animal eating mulberries that he also thought was killing his chickens. Devin was amazed that his bullets did not cause bleeding on the strange, grey body.”

Really? A clearly canid-type animal was eating mulberries and it gets shot because it was assumed to be preying on chickens (though it clearly was seen eating mulberries). You know what they say about assumptions.

Here’s another bright set of genes for ya:

“A Texas teenager has shot a strange animal he believes may be a chupacabra.

Carter Pope, 13, said he woke up Sunday at his home in La Salle and saw a strange animal walking across his backyard.

“Something slowly came across and started shaking, slowly moving across,” Carter said. “It was gray, no hair at all. I thought that’s a chupacabra.”

Carter said he ran to his parents’ room to wake up his dad to come see what he had discovered.

“I thought I’m dreaming or this kid is crazy,” said Carter’s father, Will. “Probably a little bit of both.”

Will Pope said when he went outside with his son, he was amazed at the strange creature.

Carter said it was about 200 feet away when he fired three shots before the animal stopped moving.”


Here is part of an article from Texas Cryptid Hunter:

These odd looking creatures are being called “blue dogs” and, ever increasingly, “chupacabras”. The chupacabra, of course, is a cryptid whose legend began in Latin America, specifically Puerto Rico. Also called the “goat sucker”, the chupacabra supposedly attacks small domestic animals like chickens, goats, and sheep. It is said it kills by making two small puncture wounds on its victim through which it drains its blood. Usually, no other marks are present on the body of the victim. Immigration has brought the legend of the chupacabra to America.

It seems any hairless animal that is captured or killed is being categorized as a chupacabra these days.

Strangely, the original descriptions of the chupacabra don’t resemble anything close to the strange creatures being seen now.

The chupacabra, according to early reports, was an upright alien looking creature with large glowing eyes, spikes protruding off its back, and large claws (see photo below).

The blue dogs of Texas, while certainly odd, look nothing like this. That has not stopped the media from dubbing these hairless creatures as chupacabras, however.

I have actually seen one of these blue dogs in the Sam Houston National Forest just outside of Conroe, Texas. A fellow TBRC member and I were returning from a camera maintenance trip in the Big Thicket National Preserve. Our route home took us through the heart of the SHNF. On a whim we decided to drive down a forest service road and take a look around.

We had not gone very far when we spotted an animal in the road. As we got closer we were surprised to see a hairless creature somewhere between 18 and 24 inches high. The animal trotted across the road and into the forest. Once in the brush the creature froze. It was difficult to see in the shadows but stayed still for about a minute affording us a good look. The animal had bluish grey skin that resembled that of an elephant. It also had a long whip-like tail. It was a truly strange site.

Strange as it was, however, the animal was clearly a canine of some sort. My guess is that it was a coyote with a terrible case of mange.

From Phantoms and Monsters:

These creatures are not ‘chupacabras’. Most likely, these ‘blue dogs’ are a hybrid species of Mexican wolf and another canine species. Ken Gerhard and Jon Downes have done extensive study and have written about this cryptid canine. I just wish people would stop killing the ‘blue dog’ just because it’s been given the ‘chupacabras’ moniker.

Full Article http://www.naturalplane.blogspot.com/2010/07/stop-killing-blue-dogs.html