Although I am sure that most cryptozoologists do not see it as a competition to be better than the other researchers, but I feel it necessary to give great cryptozoologists a sort of online memorial. For this I decided to create a Top 10 list of cryptozoologists.
1. Bernard Heuvelmans: Bernard Heuvelmans literally coined the term "cryptozoology". His works are nothing short of the scriptures for cryptozoology. He was the president of the International Society of Cryptozoology and will forever hold that title. His painstakingly written books consist of exquisitely researched chapters that is a joy for everyone.
2. Ivan T. Sanderson: Ivan T. Sanderson often referred to Bernard Heuvelmans as his friend and close colleague and they were nothing less than that. He was Heuvelmans' correspondent when the word cryptozoology was put to paper. He wrote fantastic classics like Abominable Snowman: Legend Come To Life and other wonderful books. He assisted in the research of the Minnesota Iceman and other strange phenomena.
3. Roy P. Mackal: He was the vice president of the ISC and he wrote A Living Dinosaur?, The Monsters of Loch Ness, and Searching For Hidden Animals. All of his works became instant hits in the world of cryptozoology. He is the only living member of the ISC presidency.
4. Loren Coleman: Loren Coleman is often called the most widely recognized cryp[tozoologist of modern times. His first solo work was Mysterious America, but he had multiple co-authored books before that. He is the author or co-author of notable books such as Cryptozoology A-Z; The Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep; and The Field Guide To Bigfoot, Yeti and Other Mystery Hominids Worldwide. He has appeared on innumerable television programs and currently runs the blog Cryptomundo.
5. J. Richard Greenwell: He was the secretary of the ISC and went on many expeditions usually accompanied by Roy P. Mackal. On one of these expeditions he allegedly caught a photograph of the Mokele-Mbembe, an African dinosaur that refuses to perish with the rest of its kin. His efforts to keep the ISC out of dormancy were reflected in his effort to keep there website updated until he died in 2005.
6. Lucien Blancou: This man was the first cryptozoologist to publish the name of the discourse. His research appears often in Bernard Heuvelmans' works especially throughout On The Track Of Unknown Animals. He, like Sanderson, was also a correspondent with Heuvelmans when the word cryptozoologyu was invented.
7. Karl P.N Shuker: This man's efforts today continue to cause the study of cryptozoology to grow towards infinite. He is continually updating his website ShukerNature which is a superb resource fo anyone desiring to study cryptozoology. His works include research on the supposedly extinct and unknown animals which many desire to study about.
8. Antoon Cornelius Oudemans: Oudemans' book The Great Sea Serpent is often regarded as the first comprehensive volume of what is now known as dracontology or the study of water-living cryptids. He intended to write a sequel to this classic, but unfortunately died before he could complete it.
9. Scott T. Norman: He studied mainly exotic cryptids which led to the creation of CryptoSafari, his organization of cryptozoology which remained active until he died in 2008 of a blood clot in the brain. Previous to his premature death, he studied many various cryptids especially the Mokele-Mbembe.
10. John Green: John Green has collected hundreds of reports concerning the North American Bigfoot. His works have become quite notable for Bigfoot reseachers. Every Bigfoot researcher is aware of his incredible collection of reports with which he writes the most comprehensive of volumes. If he is not the greatest Bigfoot researcher of all time, he is certainly up there.
Do not feel that because I have left out some of the greatest authors within cryptozoology that I do not think that they are some of the best people to ever walk the earth (such as John Kirk). It took me a long time to decide where I should place each individual (except for the first three) and some decisions might seem off, but once again, cryptozoology isn't a competition and I guarantee that most cryptozoologists see that.
