The 5 Most Transparent Photographic Hoaxes In Cryptozoology

In cryptozoology, there are infinite amounts of unfortunate hoaxes that cause perpetual confusion and negative feelings towards those that study animals that are supposedly depicted. Some of these hoaxes are so painfully obvious that it is difficult for us cryptozoologists to not point them out. In this post I would like to dedicate some space to the top 5 most obvious hoaxes in the history of cryptozoology. The particular hoaxes that I am targeting here are those of the photographic kind. A few of these hoaxes literally made me laugh at there transparency.

1.     The Cottingley Fairies Photographs of 1917

 

In 1917, Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths took several pictures of fairies that supposedly visited them in their backyard. They claimed that the fairies portrayed in the photographs were completely real and that all inquiries into their validity would end in positive evidence supporting the photos. Sure enough, checks into the reliability of these two girls’ story concluded with baffled investigators. As far as anyone was concerned, the photographs were genuine. One reporter claimed that “these dancing figures are not made of paper nor any fabric; they are not painted on a photographic background”.

Although the two girls had many people convinced of the photographs’ validity the more intelligent analysts new of its status as a hoax, even if the evidence did not back it up. Eventually, Elsie Wright did admit that the photographs were first taken without the fairies and then retaken once fairy drawings were cut out of magazines and glued onto the background. Besides Wright’s testimony, there is yet another bit of information that argues the truth about these photos. All of the fairies look the same, but the proportions are all wrong. Also, the younger of the two, Frances Griffiths, was never actually looking at the fairies, but the camera. I believe that the fairies would be slightly more interesting than the camera taking the pictures.

Despite Wright’s honesty, Griffiths continued to argue that only a select few of the pictures were faked and that one (the photograph above) was real. She could not, however explain why the hoaxed photos of fairies were not all that different from the “real” fairy.

2. The Kasai Rex photograph of 1932



In 1932, John Johanson claimed that he had caught a picture of a tyrannosaurus rex living in the Kasai region of the Belgian Congo. Along with the photograph, he attached the following letter describing his whole experience with the so-called "Kasai Rex":

On February 16 last I went on a shooting trip, accompanied by my gunbearer. I had only a Winchester for small game, not expecting anything big. At 2 p.m. I had reached the Kasai valley (sic).

No game was in sight. As we were going down to the water, the boy suddenly called out "elephants". It appeared that two giant bulls were almost hidden by the jungle. About 50 yards away from them I saw something incredible - a monster, about 16 yards in length, with a lizard's head and tail. I closed my eyes and reopened them. There could be no doubt about it, the animal was still there. My boy cowered in the grass whimpering.

I was shaken by the hunting-fever. My teeth rattled with fear. Three times I snapped; only one attempt came out well. Suddenly the monster vanished, with a remarkably rapid movement. It took me some time to recover. Alongside me the boy prayed and cried. I lifted him up, pushed him along and made him follow me home. On the way we had to transverse a big swamp. Progress was slow, for my limbs were still half-paralyzed with fear. There in the swamp, the huge lizard appeared once more, tearing lumps from a dead rhino. It was covered in ooze. I was only about 25 yards away.

It was simply terrifying. The boy had taken French leave, carrying the rifle with him. At first I was careful not to stir, then I thought of my camera. I could hear the crunching of rhino bones in the lizard's mouth. Just as I clicked, it jumped into deep water.

The experience was too much for my nervous system. Completely exhausted, I sank down behind the bush that had given me shelter. Blackness reigned before my eyes. The animal's phenomenally rapid motion was the most awe-inspiring thing I have ever seen.'

I must have looked like one demented, when at last I regained camp. Metcalfe, who is the boss there, said I approached him, waving the camera about in a silly way and emitting unintelligible sounds. I dare say I did. For eight days I lay in a fever, unconscious nearly all the time.'

There are two reasons for us to assume that this is a complete hoax. The first is that the gun boy that was with him pointed out the elephants that he knew full well they did not have the right gun to shoot. He was not expecting big game meaning that the bull elephants should never have been pointed out. The second is an even larger reason to disbelieve this whole experience. The particular reason I am referring to is the proportions in the picture. First the creature is reportedly 48 feet long. This would make the skull 12 feet in length and the rock it is balancing itself 36 feet tall. The "deep waters" in the report must have been at least 24 feet deep. All these proportions are extremely absurd and should not even be considered.

3. The Yeti Photograph of 1986

 

The Yeti photograph, taken by a man named Anthony Wooldridge, is a rare breed of hoax. Unlike the other hoaxes listed in this post, this photograph was not an intentional hoax, but an accidental misidentification. Wooldridge had been following a trail of abnormal footprints all day and finally came across what he had determined to be the Abominable Snowman. He watched it for some time and noted its complete lack of movement. What he caught in the photograph was all he saw. Assuming that we had the creature caught on video, the only difference would be the occasional movement of the camera caused by unsteadiness of hand.

Years after the photograph was taken, the public was informed that the picture was genuine, but that the subject was not. In fact, as it turns out, it was a rock that bore a striking resemblance to an unknown hominid. The real offense in this case was misidentification, not intentional hoax. There is really not much more to say beyond that point.

4. The Skunk Ape Photograph of 1997

 

The photograph in question is much like the Yeti photograph mentioned above, but with one major difference. The photographer that snapped the photo, Vince Doerr, does not believe that the animal in the photograph was real. He puts minimal stock into the reliability of Skunk Ape reports, but he believes that the subject is nothing more than a man in a gorilla suit. He said “I just think someone’s playing games… if I thought it was real, I would have run in there, beat it to death, and sold it to the National Enquirer.”

Those that support the possibility that it is an authentic photograph with an authentic subject argue that it is probably a relative of the orangutan. The theory that it is a Pongid of some sort has often been pondered, but leading orangutan experts have all agreed that it is not and that Doerr is correct in saying that it is a hoax. The question I have been forced to reduce this whole incident down to is ‘what is the subject of the photograph?’

5. The Loch Ness Monster Photograph of 1934

 

This photograph is definitely the most famous of all of these hoaxes. The unfortunate decision of Lt. Col. Robert Kenneth Wilson to take a hoaxed photograph of what would become the most famous cryptozoological creature: the Loch Ness Monster. The photograph he took was taken on April 19, 1934 and became known as the infamous Surgeon’s Hoax. With a small amount of doctoring, a photograph of a toy submarine became the ultimate atomic bomb for Nessie (the title since given to the Loch Ness Monster). This metaphor has two valid uses in this situation. The first is an atomic bomb of fame and the second of evidence. But the second, unlike the first is not a constructive attribute, but a destructive one.

The fame that was built from the photograph was eventually turned into satire when Wilson admitted to hoaxing the photo. The construction that was built was torn down just as fast through the course of events that ensued after the confession that condemned the Loch Ness Monster to extinction. This unfortunate hoax will need to be forgotten in order to allow the mystery to be solved.

Three of the five hoaxes above are from viable possibilities of actual animals (excluding the Cottingley Fairies and the Kasai Rex). It is unfortunate that Wilson had to produce such a damaging effect on the Loch Ness Monster, but the other 2 are accidents are unintentional in some way. Hoaxes are not as simple to solve once performed and require mending not long after the creation of it. Once they are created there is little chance to turn back. I have chosen this topic in order to discourage potential hoaxers from doing the unspeakable and damaging the repertoire of cryptozoology with a hoax.   



The 25 Most Well-Known Cryptids

All of the below creatures are animals that are reported by natives and other eyewitnesses. The name in the parentheses is a description of the cryptid in subject. The other name, the one before the parentheses, is the name given to it by locals. In this case, 1 is the most well-known (on a global scale) with 25 being the least well known of the group.

1.     Loch Ness Monster (Scottish Lake Monster)

2.     Abominable Snowman (Himalayan Man-Ape)

3.     Bigfoot (American Man-Ape)

4.     Kraken (Giant Squid)

5.     Chupacabra (“Sucker of Goats”)

6.     Black Cougar (Melanistic Mountain Lion)

7.     Champ (New England’s Lake Monster)

8.     Mokele-Mbembe (Congolese Sauropod)

9.     Thunderbird (Giant Bird)

10.  Mongolian Deathworm (Giant Killer Annelid)

11.  Jersey Devil (Ungulate/Bat Devil)

12.  Ogopogo (Lake Okanagan Monster)

13.  Mothman (Giant Bat-like Creature)

14.  Giant Octopus (An Oversized Cephalopod)

15.  Cadborosaurus (“Lizard of Cadboro Bay”)

16.  Skunk Ape (Bigfoot of the Everglades)

17.  Beast of Gevaudan (Mutant Dog)

18.  Behemoth (The Bible’s Dinosaur)

19.  Minnesota Iceman (Bigfoot Mummy)

20.  Thylacine (Marsupial Wolf)

21.  Moa (Relative of the Ostrich)

22.  Chipekwe (Africa’s “Killer of Elephants”)

23.  Chesapeake Bay Monster (Sea Monster)

24.  Iliamna Lake Monster (Giant Shark)

25.  Storsjoodjuret (Lake Monster)

The Discovery of the Okapi

The okapi is an animal whose tale inspires all those who choose to listen. It is an animal that defied the odds and showed the zoological that there is more. It is an animal that defied even the great Georges Cuvier’s melancholy words that “there is little hope of discovering new species of large quadrupeds.” It defied the infinite ridicule and the controversial name of the African Unicorn. Those it did not defy would eventually find themselves in an “I told you so” situation with former skeptics. It became a universal symbol of the result of dedication and trust in the words of the natives. And lastly, it opened the minds of millions of onlookers that were then forced to consider what lies within cryptozoology’s jurisdiction. The real question I am now faced with is, where do I begin?

It is possible to trace the okapi’s presence in the minds of people back a long ways.  Carvings in archaeological sites have proven that the okapi and its relatives have been known for some time. Sir Harry Johnston’s “discovery” was neither a discovery nor a rediscovery, but an opening of those incredulous zoologists’ minds that refused to accept the existence of a completely logical creature. While all of this is impertinent to my documentation of the discovery of the okapi, I do feel it serves its duty as a decent introduction.

The first time the okapi was referenced was in 1860 when H.M Stanley mentioned a creature called the “’atti’” that is similar to the donkey. Undoubtedly, this is a reference to the okapi. This reference went unnoticed until the Governor of Uganda, Sir Harry Johnston, decided to investigate native claims regarding an animal that was supposed to be part zebra, part giraffe. In 1899, he stumbled upon an opportune moment when he rescued several pygmies from a German showman that intended to exhibit them at the 1900 Paris Exhibition. This incident was an ice-breaking event in regards to these two parties (Sir Harry Johnston and the Pygmies) seeing as Sir Harry heard the desired information and received strips of the skin of an okapi (that he later sent to Dr. Sclater on August 21, 1900). Dr. Sclater, upon receiving the okapi skin, named the species Equus johnstoni, assuming that it was a relative to the zebra. This was easily justified at the time due to the striped lower extremities. It was not until later, that zoologists concluded that it was an ancient relative to the giraffe and that it deserved its own genus. It was rediscovered and given the name Okapia johnstoni.

The okapi at this point had evolved to nothing less than an international symbol of what was left to be discovered. Even today, zoologists advertizing the possibility of unknown species allude to this animal’s tale of rediscovery. The real moral to this story is that sources deemed unreliable by the scientific society can be used in the ongoing investigation into the possibility of numerous “cryptids” existence. It truly was a deciding factor in the repertoire of testimonial evidence, especially those of a unique type such as legends or cave drawings. The okapi will forever be a symbol of what many yearn to see more of; zoological discoveries.

Introduction to Cryptozoology Week

Cryptozoology Week is a tradition that I began to commemorate the day that Sir Harry Johnston wrote to a Dr. Sclater of his success in the discovery of footprints and skin that belonged to an animal known as the okapi. This day was August 21, 1900. Cryptozoology week is the week of August 21. This year, August 21 happened to be a Sunday, and seeing as that is today, I would like to spend a brief moment to describe the importance of today.

August 21, 2011 marks the 111^th anniversary of the recognition of the okapi. The okapi has become symbolical of what is left to be discovered in the remotest corners of the Earth. For a long time, it served as the International Society of Cryptozoology’s “mascot” so to speak. It’s story perpetually inspires cryptozoologists to continue the search for the cryptids that we so passionately hunt for. It is for this reason that I have chosen to celebrate cryptozoology week this year.

I apologize for my period of dormancy in operating this blog. I have two reasons for that. (1) I have focused much of my time into the preparation for cryptozoology week and (2) because I have funneled much of my more recent research into a manuscript regarding the exact topic that I blog about; cryptozoology. Hopefully, this new ground-breaking compilation will be published in the next few years, but, until then, we can only wait.

I placed a single question at the top of my blog that read “do you believe that there is room for discovery in the field of zoology?” I could not have asked for a more positive response. 100% of those who answered responded to “Yes” rather than “No” or “Indifferent”. As I thought about this, I began to wonder whether “No” or “Indifferent” is a more frustrating response. My first thought was something to the effect of “’No’ is obviously the more negative response,” but as I thought about it, I realized that those in the world who might answer “Indifferent” are those who don’t care. Those who refuse to consider the possibility that there are animals that are extremely endangered, but no one is aware of their existence. It is fairly difficult to protect species when their existence is not known. Those that would answer “Indifferent” are those that condemn all cryptids to extinction.

I would invite those of you who are or know of someone that has seen an animal who’s existence is not sure, to place a comment in the comment box including a detailed description of the creature in subject. In the long run, it could end up saving a whole species. With this as a conclusion I would now like to thank you for your participation and wish you a great Cryptozoology Week. I will be posting a single post every day this week in addition to an introduction and conclusion on, respectively, Monday and Sunday. Thank You. 

The Big Three Part 3- Bigfoot

Bigfoot is without hesitation the most widely recognized western cryptid. I recently did a project with the Abominable Snowman and it was quite shocking to discover all of the many individuals (young and elderly) that could not tell me what the Yeti was. With this fact still on my mind I then asked them if they had ever heard of Bigfoot. Every single individual had heard of Bigfoot and could tell me a synonym to its name (such as Sasquatch).
This particular hominid often ranges in size between 6 and 17 feet tall. The issue here is that most citizens would consider any hominid report to be that of Bigfoot. This is not the case. The larger sized "Bigfoots" are listed under what we now call True Giants. The smaller ones worldwide are typically called Proto Pygmies rooted from Ivan T. Sanderson's form of classification called Proto Pigmies. Such animals include the Agogwe, the Didi, and the Sehite.
Bigfoot, however, encompasses any western United States or South Western Canada hominid that is about 7.5 feet tall. It has an uncanny habit to leave footprints that force the mind to wonder, what is going on. Some can honestly assume that they think that Bigfoot is one mass hoax that just refuses to be silenced, but they say that about nearly every cryptid. Its recognizable features have also become quite a curse. Everyone had heard of Bigfoot, but not everyone could testify to their belief of this creature. Because of their previous familiarity with Bigfoot, they had decided for themselves whether or not they could believe in it. This made it almost impossible to convince them otherwise. It is true that a lot of material regarding Bigfoot is hoaxes and that causes many people to forget to consider the actually convincing facts.
The first (and in my mind most convincing) bit of evidence is that of the Skookum cast. Jeffrey Meldrum pondered on this topic in his book Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science and his information is actually quite convincing. He suggests a certain pattern as to how the Bigfoot might have fallen into the suggested position. With these particular measurements were discovered about the Sasquatch. This was part of what led to the beginning of shows like the new Animal Planet Production Finding Bigfoot.
In order to diagram a typical Bigfoot report I have pulled this report from http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_report.asp?id=29158. It said the following:
OBSERVED: It was june of 2008. I was walking from my uncles house back to a farm that was about a half mile away on university dr. in new philadelphia ohio, tuscarawas co. when I was walking towards the farm I heard what sounded like coyotes at first then it got real quiet then I heard a very strange sound it was not your usual animal sounI saw it (bigfoot) come walking out of the corn field. I would have to say it was about 7 to 8 ft tall long shaggy hair it looked like a over sized man with hair. I was walking on the road in front of it how I seen it was I heard the corn rustle as it stepped out of the corn field an I looked back to see what made the noise I started walking faster and when I got to the farm driveway my mom was there to pick me up and when she turned the head lights on the thing stopped following me stood there for a second then turned an moved quickly back into the cornfield it also made that weird noise again witch my mom also heard. 
For the extended version visit the above site.
Another quite famous occurrence in cryptozoology Patterson- Gimlin film. This was the father of the famous still photograph of an alleged Bigfoot swinging its arms back and forth. Unlike many cryptozoologists I do not trust in the validity of this film. Besides my own personal beliefs, I also have the support from the most famous cryptozoologist of all time: Bernard Heuvelmans. His explanation for his disbelief: the position of the hairs are inconsistent with what knowledge we have on a zoological level. Each species has a specific direction in which the hair is faced. There is no such pattern with this Bigfoot. I feel that that fact is enough to completely dismiss the theory, but there is another notable fact. Now that Patterson is dead, Gimlin has suggested that perhaps Patterson hoaxed the video and used Gimlin as a prop to convince the world of its truthfulness.
Bernard Heuvelmans did comment that this "obvious hoax" did not at all shake his firm conviction of the fact that Bigfoot does exist. There is an interesting fact that helps me be completely convinced of Bigfoot's existence. Albinism is a defect that causes an organism to lose all pigmentation. Its skin turns white and the eye color becomes pink due to complete lack of eye color leaving only the pink iris behind it. All species have Albinos and it would thus not be at all surprising if Albino Bigfoot reports appeared. Because of a shortage of Sasquatches (who's population was recently estimated to be between 500 and 750) there would also be fewer living Albinos and even less reported. In 1996, two Utah residents spotted an Albino Bigfoot. Such a fact is beyond fascinating, its science. I cannot possibly express to you all of the reasons for the Bigfoot legend to persist with infinite believers, but there is obviously some truthfulness to it.

The Big Three Part 2- The Loch Ness Monster

The Loch Ness Monster is most likely the most well known cryptid in the entire world. The mystery began in 565 A.D. when Saint Columba saw a boat capsize due to a disturbance in the water. He commented:

"...[He] raised his holy hand, while all the rest, brethren as well as strangers, were stupefied with terror, and, invoking the name of God, formed the saving sign of the cross in the air, and commanded the ferocious monster, saying, 

"Thou shalt go no further, nor touch the man; go back with all speed." Then at the voice of the saint, the monster was terrified, and fled more quickly than if it had been pulled back with ropes..."  

The creature attempted to destroy a man inside the canoe, but after the commandments from the saint were issued it went back under the water. Most people consider this report to be fictional in order to feature the power that Saint Columba had over the so-called "evil" creatures of the Earth. Although this was how the story began it certainly does not end there.
The story became considerably more famous after a circus owner issued a 20,000 pound reward to anyone that could bring him a specimen of the Loch Ness Monster. After this reward was issued, the nickname "nessie" became popular. According to unconfirmed information, the circus owner ordered to place an elephant in the water. If this is true, then many people could have become completely convinced that there is some sort of creature in Loch Ness.
Even if this was true, then how might you explain all of the more modern reports? There is no way to do so unless you remark that every sighting is the offspring of a hoax. Completely reliable individuals have spotted nessie and died swearing that they told the truth about the Loch Ness monster. The mystery persists with complete reliability of eye witnesses.
The surgeon's hoax was a photograph that featured a toy submarine submerging, but it convinced all of Europe that the Loch Ness Monster was a completely normal phenomenon. Now, people use that particular fact to condemn the mystery of nessie. Nevertheless, the average citizen should consider it with less skepticism and I would hope that this fact is being considered by all that read this essay.

The Big Three Series Part 1- The Yeti

The Big Three of cryptozoology are the three most well known cryptozoological animals according to western knowledge. Most people that are questioned concerning any one of these Three can honestly inform the surveyor that they are aware of these animals case. However, they also receive infinite scrutiny from researchers. As it turns out, the more famous the cryptid is, the more skeptical readers are (it runs by the same principle as the tabloids: the more famous the celebrity the more "material"  is available). Of all of the Big Three, the Yeti is perhaps the most famous on a worldwide scale.
The Yeti is a most fascinating creature that has a long history of interesting artifacts. It is to my belief that the Pangboche hand is by far the most controversial, yet interesting, artifact of this mystery. On the well documented Tom Slick Expedition, Peter Byrne scheduled a meeting with the lamas to see and examine the Pangboche hand. the results were not disappointing. He sent this letter to Tom Slick after the examination:
  

I shall not go into detail here how we got the thumb and right phalanx of the Pangboche Hand. I shall only say that we have it and the lamas of the monastery do not know that we have it. Because they do not know that we have there can not be any news on this or any publicity for some time... The Pangboche hand is still complete, as far as the lamas are concerned. It still has the thumb and index procimal phalanx. What they do not know and what they must never know is that the thumb and p. phalanx on the hand, at present, are human ones which we switched.

The hand was hidden in none other then Jimmy Stewart's girlfriend's suitcase and they were able to get it past Nepalese customs. It was examined and noted that it did resemble a hominid's hand. Whatever it was seemed part human and part gorilla. Perhaps that is what it is: a freak hybrid, but the possibilities are slim. What it most likely is is a Gigantopithecus blacki, a species of hominid that was thought to have gone extinct millions of years ago. It stood about 9 feet tall and resembled modern reports of the Yeti. It has similar footprints also. Most modern cryptozoologists sit around pondering the possibility of the Gigantopithecus blacki. It truly does make for a perfect theory.
N.A. Tombazi also had an interesting report concerning this member of the Big Three. He said
"Unquestionably, the figure in outline was exactly like a human being, walking upright and stopping occasionally to uproot or pull at some dwarf rhodendron bushes. It showed up dark against the snow and as far as I could make out, wore no clothes." This creature became even more strange with this report. But the stories were becoming scoffed at by the mainstream scientists of the day. The reports were becoming legends. This caused major skepticism. Reports would now become myth and they were passed of as hoaxes. Today more scientists have accepted that there most likely is something in the Himalayas and it is no hoax.