So, I'm continuing my series of Crypto Theory. I don't know how long this will go on for, but considering that "crypto theory" is such a generic name, any theory regarding cryptozoology, even if it's not about the origin and species of cryptids, is fair game. Now, some of you probably don't have an issue with me writing about cryptids, but I do want to do something with ghosts and spirits in the future.
Also, I want to remind you all of my book Tales of Horror: Macabre Monsters of Michigan. The prices are still $.99 for Kindle and $4.99 for paperback, so they're still cheap. Get'em while they are. I'm in the middle of edits right now and expecting my first reviews any day now.
Anyway, in this post of Crypto Theory, I'm going to be looking at a more basic theory for the origin of cryptids, and it is...
That's right; are cryptids real animals? I mean, are cryptids animals that have evolved on our planet? If we were to study them, could we actually trace their DNA back a few thousand years and find that their ancestors resided on our planet? Well, let's take a look at this.
Many scientists and experts in the field of cryptozoology study cryptids from the perspective that they are real creatures, typically some form of animal, which might actually be working against the field when it comes to skeptics because certain cryptids are too weird to actually be real. But, what if the theory hath authority? What if cryptids are real flesh and blood animals?
Consider Bigfoot: he's been around for decades, is seen all across the world, and may even have a sound ancestor in the form of Gigantopithecus. And, there are claims from multiple sources that we have hair and blood samples of the creature. In the episode "Sasquatch Attack" from MonsterQuest, they covered a story where a cabin in Northern Ontario had been ransacked during the winter. To prevent it from happening again, the owner placed a board full of screws just outside the front door. Well, it yielded some results because when the owner returned, he found a large, bloody track left on the board. Investigators managed to scrape off a sample of blood and find a hair. The results from the hair were in inconclusive with the morphologist saying it looked like it came off a wild human. And, for the results of the blood sample, they found human DNA, but mixed with a bit of primate DNA.
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| Is this the answer to all the riddles? |
Another thing about Sasquatch is that there are several different kinds of him out there: Bigfoot, Yowie, Yeti, Menk, Grassman, Skunk Ape, Monkey Man, and they all have their own look, build, fur, and sometimes smell. This would suggest a population of Sasquatch, and more than that, this would suggest a diverse population, possibly even different species. And thanks to all of the eyewitness accounts, Bigfoot researchers have come up with a number of different types of Bigfoot meaning there could be different species out there.
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| These are all pretty terrifying. |
Add to all this, Bigfoot is not the only cryptid out there to have different types. Regarding the Dogman, there are seven recognized variants, most of them wolf-like and some of them are the spitting image of an actual werewolf. So, it seems like there are multiple species of Dogman out there. But wouldn't that mean there are Dogmen out in the wild breeding? Well, if you ever listen to the podcast Dogman Encounters Radio, there are stories of Dogman pups. In episode 137, "A Dogman Named Stripes!", investigator Josh Turner interviewed a man who supposedly rescued a pup from his dead mother and raised him. He called him Stripes because of a specific pattern on his chest, and that led to a life-long friendship and a lot of other interesting phenomena. The man who raised Stripes believes he was saved from his burning house by Stripes.
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| There's no two ways about it: Dogman is definitely scarier than Bigfoot. |
That sounds really unbelievable, but it isn't the only report of Dogman pups. If you read Linda Godfrey's Real Wolfmen, she mentions a sighting in Kentucky, Land Between the Lakes area, where a witness supposedly saw a Dogman female and three pups cross his path through the middle of a forest late one night. (Don't worry. He was in a truck.) And at some point in Linda Godfrey's work, she made an argument for what she calls the "Indigenous Dogman." Unfortunately, I can't find the source, but with it, she discusses the possibility of wolves evolving the ability to stand on two legs and use their front paws like hands.
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| The Indigenous Dogman by Godfrey herself. |
Let's change gears here and take a look at Lizardman. The most popular theory for Lizardman is that he's some sort of extraterrestrial, but there are some who believe him to be an evolved dinosaur. Dale Russell, a paleontologist, looked at the dinosaur Troodon and its evolution, and noted several interesting changes in its physiology and brain size. He theorized that if Troodon had escaped the Cretaceous extinction, it could have continued evolving into today, and it would resemble a human in its posture, hands, and capabilities.
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| "Hey, we're related!" *rawr?* |
That does sound a little nutty, but remember the Coelacanth, a fish that showed up 10,000 years after he was supposed to be dead? Looking at some other cryptids, notably lake monsters, some of them look like certain marine dinosaurs, like the Plesiosaur or even the Mosasaurus. Carry that point a little further and I'm sure some of you are familiar with a cryptid known as Mokele-mbembe, the one who stops the flow of rivers, living in the jungles of the Congo. According to reports from the local tribes, they describe a creature not all that dissimilar from an Apatosaurus. What's really interesting, is that if you dig deeper into local legends, you can find other dinosaur-like cryptids such as Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu which is supposed to resemble a Stegosaurus.
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| The One Who Stops the Flow of Rivers |
So, it seems like there's a decent argument for cryptids being real animals. Some of them do have roots in our past or even look like animals living today, some of them obviously breed, and for some of them, we have actual blood and hair samples. The evidence seems to point to an undeniable conclusion. For me personally, I don't put much stock into this theory except where Bigfoot is concerned. I think he's real, but not necessarily an animal. I think he's more likely a dead end branch of our own evolution. As for the others, I tend to think of them as being manifestations of our imaginations like I discussed last week--fantasy becoming reality. But, if fantasies can become realities, then what difference is there between a manifestation and a real animal? Both are real, right?
Next week, I'll be looking at another origin theory. This time I'll be investigating the claims that cryptids are extraterrestrials from outer space. If you want to make sure you don't miss it, join my Cryptids and Paranormal mailing list here. See ya next week.
Keep writing, my friends.
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