I never really understood the fear of clowns. I mean their one purpose in life is to entertain and make you laugh. But I guess the fact that they’re human, but don’t quite look it could add some unsettling feelings for a person. They put on a facade with big shoes, a mask or painted face, and flashy colorful clothes, completely hiding the person they are on the inside. They adopt a new identity from the moment they put on their costume.
Now if anybody is currently paying attention to the news going on in this crazy world, especially the US, you’d of noticed the unnormally high amount of clown sightings lately. All these stories of kids seeing clowns toting butchers knives and luring them into the woods or a van, presumably to kidnap them. Now we have parents and communities freaking out thinking that their kids are going to be stolen by a clown to be chopped up and eaten or even worse; sold off to the circus, doomed to a life of roustabouting. But here’s the thing. Random crazy clown stories pop up every few years all the time. They’re not real. Kids make them up. Not enough people seem to question why there are never any photos of these machete wielding clowns, or why no arrests are ever made.
Now as to why these stories seem to pop up every few years as they do, I don’t know. I’m not a psychologist, I don’t know why people act as they do all the time. Whether it’s because the United States is going through some crazy political elections at the moment or it’s just random it sure makes for some good entertainment.
No. Bigfoot cannot be nocturnal. The fact that sightings mostly occur at night is not a good enough reason to back this claim up. I’m not nocturnal, but guess what, I still get up in the middle of the night sometimes. Crazy idea, I know. And if their were some campers digging around the area where I sleep, “hunting” for me, you can bet your life on it that I’d get up and make my presence known.
There are only 6 different families of primates that are completely nocturnal, but we’re only going to focus on one of them. The night monkeys, AKA owl monkeys. The reason we’re only focusing solely on them isn’t because they’re the only ones support my argument, so go ahead and erase that thought of how bushbabies or tarsiers would completely prove me wrong. No, the night monkeys are the only higher primate that is nocturnal, like what Bigfoots are argued to be. Higher primates are lacking 2 main things that successful night dwellers have. The first being why lemurs and bushbabies are so great at being nocturnal; large eyes. Bigfoot…well let’s just sat that there isn’t a lot of eye witness accounts that describe Bigfoot with large, lemurish eyes. The second thing higher primates are lacking is a tapetum lucidum. Ever see a cat run across the road in the middle of the night and notice how it’s eyes shine back at you? That’s possible, because cats and many nocturnal animals have a reflective layer of tissue which reflects light and causes eyes to shine at night. It’s really not far out at all to say that any other higher primate would also lack a tapetum lucidum. So all those “eye witness” accounts of Bigfoot having glowing, red eyes? Bogus.
“Alright, so Bigfoots don’t have the best eyesight for being nocturnal creatures, so what. They still have other great sensual keenness like smell, hearing ability, ect”.
Oh come now. Is that the best argument you can come up with? Are you forgetting who Bigfoots closest relatives are? Gorillas and humans can see in color and that’s all really cool and all, but we really suck when we compare ourselves to the levels of successful nocturnal hunters such as tiger and lions.
The science just doesn’t add up. Surely it’d be easier for a Bigfoot to hunt and forage and do Bigfoot things when there is still at least a little bit of light. Any thoughts?
Recently discovered fossils found in Kazakhstan show that the Siberian Unicorn lived much longer than we had originally thought. A new radiocarbon date on a fragment of the skull gives an age of around 29,000 BC, meaning it survived over 300,000 more years than originally thought.
Called Elasmotherium sibiricum, or the Siberian Unicorn, or just a rhino with a really big horn it doesn’t really match our fairytale version of a unicorn. Specimens samples of the Siberian Unicorn have been found that were up to 15 feet long and weighed between 8,000-10,000 pounds, but unfortunately the specimen dated here was incomplete so its exact full size is still currently unknown.Its most recognizable feature was its single horn, which is much longer than that of the rhinos, up to several feet long. Its habitat was the vast territory from the Don River in Russia to east of modern Kazakhstan. It is wondered though why this unicorn lasted so much longer than the others who died out hundreds of thousands years earlier. “Most likely, the south of Western Siberia was a refúgium, where this rhino persevered the longest in comparison with the rest of its range,” said one of the team, Andrey Shpanski. “There is another possibility that it could migrate and dwell for a while in the more southern areas.”
The investigation into the extinction of Pleistocene megafauna like the Siberian Unicorn will help scientists understand how and why these animals went extinct. This information could potentially help explain how climate change can impact the biodiversity of large animals.
The Snallygaster is a mythical dragon like creature that lives in the area and hills that surround Washington D.C. and Frederick County, Maryland. The name itself originates from the German phrase “schneller geist” which translates to quick spirit. Throughout Frederick County’s history there are very early references and stories that could be related to the Snallygaster, but the beast didn’t officially emerge to the public until 1909 when the first newspaper article on the beast was written and published in the Middletown Valley Register. That was just the beginning of many published articles on the beast during this time.
The earliest accounts of the beast were from the German immigrants that settled in the area in the 1730’s. The Snallygaster was half bird, half lizard, with a metallic like beak filled with razor sharp teeth, sometimes even with tentacles like an octopus. It would fly down from the sky, pick up it’s victims and then fly off with them. Some accounts say that the Snallygaster would then suck the blood from it’s victims. Heptagrams or seven pointed stars were said to keep the beast away and were often painted on the sides of local barns. The sightings and reported accounts of the Snallygaster went dormant around this time until the early 1900’s.
During the beginning of 1909 there were many encounters between Frederick County residents and the beast. These sightings continued for a few months and then slowed down only to come back full force in 1932. The description was exactly that of the Snallygaster with an eye in the center of it’s head. Many believe that this beast was the offspring of the original Snallygaster, which would explain the disappearance of the beast, explaining it as the time the beast was off laying eggs. The Snallygaster is also said to make a loud screeching noise like a train whistle. There was a lot of publicity about the Snallygaster at this time. So much that the Smithsonian Institution offered a reward to whoever brought them the beasts hide. It was even reported that Theodore Roosevelt had considered postponing his African Safari to go and personally try his hand at hunting the beast.
The Snallygaster isn’t invulnerable though and even has a famous enemy. The Dewayo is a mythical creature that looks like a wolf, but has the arms and stature of a human. The Dewayo is mostly seen in West Middletown, Maryland and the Wolfsville, Maryland area. The Snallygaster and Deway have reportedly been having vicious encounters since the beginning of the settlement of Middletown Valley.
The Beast of Gevaudan is a creature that was held responsible for over 60 deaths in France during the 1760’s. Many locals thought of it as a werewolf, which they described as a sorcerer who could shape shift into a wolf-like predator and feed on humans. It was also thought to be bulletproof until someone decided to try a silver bullet on it.
Because there were so many varied descriptions of how the beast looked, it is believed that there were more than one. The beast was mostly described as quadruple the size of a horse with a long wolf or pig like snout. Its mouth was lined with a series of long sharp teeth. It had small ears that were close to its head, a long thick neck, and a tail so long and strong that the beast would often use it as a weapon. Its feet either had hooves or claws long enough to resemble hooves. The color of the beast is especially varied but is usually described as red, red with a gray patch, or red with faint stripes along its back. In some rare cases it is also described as having black and white patches all over its body with no traces of red at all.
During this time in France massive hunts were organized which involved as many as 20,000 men to try to slay the mysterious beast. When these hunts came back empty handed, King Louis hired two of the best wolf hunters in the world to hunt down the beast. When they also failed to slay the beast, he then sent his own personal gun bearer to kill it. For years this continued, more people were killed and nobody could slay the beast. After about three years of this town being terrified to step outside a local farmer shot and killed a large, violent wolf, causing the attacks to end.
The fact that these attacks happened is not up for debate, but the exact number of deaths that are confirmed for the beast is up in the air. There were at least 60 deaths, but most likely had a death toll over 100.
It would be easy to just call the Beast of Gevaudan a bear or hyena, but then we’d have to disregard all eye witness testimonies. There are a few main theories:
Wolf – This is the most common theory. It’s believed the beast could’ve just been a large, violent wolf or pack of wolves. Wolf attacks weren’t uncommon in Europe during this time period, but the frequency of the attacks and manner of the killings weren’t normal for wolf attacks. Also the eye witness descriptions differ from what a normal wolf looks like.
Wolf Hybrid – Some think it could be a wolf/dog hybrid that was trained to attack people by going for their necks and was also trained on how to evade being captured. Theories have even gone as far as believing the man who killed the beast owned and trained it, because he owned a large red mastiff that could have either been the beast or have sired the hybrid with a wild wolf.
Imported Animal – It’s possible the attacks were done by a hyena, bear, or panther except the eye witness descriptions don’t match the normal look of these species. Although it could have been a hybrid or mutant of these species. For example a weird mutated bear might work, if it was mutated in the right way and had a tail. Hyenas aren’t big enough and even if it was mutated, hyenas had been extinct in Europe for a number of years.
Mesonychid – The mesonychid is an ancient and now extinct species of a large, hooved predator. The description of this species and the eye witness accounts of the beast are exactly the same in many cases. Reports seem to point at mesonychids coming from Armenia and Assyria around the year 800. Another possible mesonychid is reported to be living in the Amazon rainforest of South America and is called the Tapire-iauara. Since there is no scientific evidence to back up the theory that the Beast of Gevaudan is a mesonychid, we unfortunately have to look elsewhere for an explanation of its origin.
Werewolf/Demon – A local church official had told the people that the beast was sent by God to cleanse the region of evil people, making many believe that it was a demon or vengeful angel. It was also believed that the man who killed the beast had melted down religious artifacts to create silver bullets to kill the beast with, further confirming to the people that it was a werewolf.
Whether a weird hybrid wolf or ancient creature, the Beast of Gevaudan was responsible for many deaths and had the people of France in terror for a number of years. If you’d like to read more about the Beast of Gevaudan check out these following resources:
Clark, Jerome and Coleman, Loren. Cryptozoology A-Z. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999. Pages 33-35
Before 10,000 BC in the Nazca Valley there were a group of people with very sophisticated agricultural techniques that allowed them improve there crops, create irrigation systems, and expand upon the area they could farm. These people of Nazca Valley also made breakthroughs in many other areas, but the astounding ground art they created is their most renown cultural achievement. The very function of these lines still remains a mystery today.
There are thousands of these Nazca Lines which seem to consist of five main kinds of ground markings. The most commonly seen markings are just straight lines of which thousands of them criss cross each other throughout the desert. The second kind of markings are lines that form intricate geometric figures. These were first noticed from above and would be in the shapes of triangles, trapezoids, rectangles, etc. Third are drawings that represent different types of animals and plants that were accomplished by curved lines. The fourth type of markings are lines with rock piles added to them. The fifth and final type of ground markings were done on steep hillsides which had different figures on them and that could go on for a few miles.
There are thousands of these Nazca Lines which seem to consist of five main kinds of ground markings. The most commonly seen markings are just straight lines of which thousands of them criss cross each other throughout the desert. The second kind of markings are lines that form intricate geometric figures. These were first noticed from above and would be in the shapes of triangles, trapezoids, rectangles, etc. Third are drawings that represent different types of animals and plants that were accomplished by curved lines. The fourth type of markings are lines with rock piles added to them. The fifth and final type of ground markings were done on steep hillsides which had different figures on them and that could go on for a few miles.
The time and effort that the Nazca people put into these drawings was an incredible feat. They were created by taking the surface stones and hand placing them to create the pattern they desired. Over time the ground will accumulate a thin brown coating called desert varnish. By walking over this or sweeping it, you uncover a pinkish colored soil laying underneath. These pinkish soils are what makes up the Nazca Lines and since the climate conditions of the Nazca Valley are so dry and stable, the lines have stayed untouched for centuries.
Some of the lines are only visible from the sky which raises the question of what the significance of them are in the first place. Many believe because of this the lines were not meant to be seen completely by humans.
James W. Moseley wrote an article in the October 1955 magazine of Fate. He argued that the people of the Nazca Valley “constructed their huge markings as signals to interplanetary visitors or to some advanced earth race (presumably Atlanteans) that occasionally visited them.”
Some people like archaeologist George Hunt Williamson shared Moseley’s theories and thinks the lines were drawn at “magnetic centers” where different spaceships could refuel.
1a) Poltergeists are paranormal activity that is centered around an individual, often times a child or young adult. Most often when centered on an adult, that adult is going through a large amount of stress. They are not confined to any specific area. Hauntings are focused more on a specific place instead of a person. Many times it is a specific house. For example, they could be haunting a house where they had been murdered or even just where they lived for a long time.
2a) Hauntings have what are called hallucinatory experiences, because they may be noticed by some people while not others. These include experiences like seeing ghosts or hearing footsteps. Poltergeists on the other hand have much more physical experiences. Examples can be objects moving and/or being thrown across the room or feeling like you’ve been pushed by someone.
3a) Hauntings can last for years while poltergeists rarely seem to last more than a few months.
4a) Hauntings are thought to be done by passive souls of the dead whereas poltergeists are much more aggressive souls of the departed.
Although the people in Africa aren’t known for having strong beliefs in vampires, there hasn’t been a large amount of work done to explore their vampire mythology. In African folklore, witches were regularly participated in vampirism. Much like vampiric entities, they often went by many different names depending on location and in the broadest sense of the word, witches and sorcerers sometimes fit the definition for a vampire. Withches and sorcerers, like vampires, were inherently evil and had either the natural or magical ability to weaken living things. In the 1920’s, Montague Summers was able to find two main examples of possible vampirism in Africa: the obayifo and the asasbonsam.
The obayifo was the Ashanti name for a West African Vampire. He reappeared in most of the neighboring tribes under different names. For example, the Dahomeans name for a vampire is an asiman. A obayifo was a witch who was living within the community. No one else knew this person was a witch and they had no way of figuring out if someone was a witch or not. It was not possible to be born a witch, it was a trait that someone would want to acquire. The witch was able to leave its body at night and travel as a glowing ball of light. They would then attack people, mostly children, and suck their blood.
The asasbonsam was a vampire like monster found in the folklore of the Ashanti people in Ghana, Western Africa. It was humanoid in looks, but had a fierce set of iron teeth. It lived very deep into the forest and was rarely ever seen. It would sit high in the treetops and would allow it’s legs to dangle downwards towards the ground. It had hook shaped feet that would be used to capture the people passing underneath.
Around the Niger River Delta area it was believed that witches left there homes at night to hold secret meetings with devils and plotted to kill their fellow village members. Death was achieved by sucking the blood from their victims by several supernatural means. One of the most powerful abilities that these witches had was the ability to suck out the heart of their victims without their victims even knowing what was happening to them. In theory, a witch that was sitting on her porch could use her magic powers to suck a victims blood till they were dead.
Among the Yäko people of Nigeria, disembodied witches would attack people while they slept at night. It was believed that they cold kill their victims by laying on top of them and suffocating them.
When a person was accused of witchcraft they were put through a series of tests to see if they really were one. If found guilty then they were executed. The methods of execution bare a strange resemblance to the methods said to kill a vampire. For example some witches were killed with a wooden stake. Other times the head of the body would be severed and the rest of the body burned.
Melville and Frances Herkovits were able to trace a witch/vampire whose existence was acknowledged by almost all West African tribes. It was very similar to vampires found in the Caribbean, the loogaroo of Haiti, the asema of Surinam, and the sukuyan of Trinidad. The three vampires mentioned are pretty much identical and also found in colonies of the French, Dutch, and English. Vampire beliefs seemed to be carried from Africa by the slaves, which stayed with the decades of slavery until the present day.
African beliefs in witches, witchcraft, and vampires may have spread to the rest of the world, but further evidence is needed to be sure.
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