North American Biofortean Review
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NorthAmerican BioForteanReview Themostbeautifulthingonecanexperienceisthemysterious. Itisthesourceofalltrueartandscience. Hetowhomthisreactionisastranger-whonolonger canpausetowonderandstandwraptinawe- isasgoodasdead,hiseyesareclosed. -AlbertEinstein TableofContents Foreword Articles: Kentucky’sHairlessAnimal ActiveSasquatchinCoshoctonCounty,Ohio Canadian“BlackAlligators”:APreliminaryLook PrimatesinHarrisonCounty,Indiana? TheCaseoftheMysterious,UnexplainedNocturnalSoundnearVincennes,Indiana UnusualColorMorphoftheAmericanLongtailedSalamander EyewitnessAccount:AMysteryCatinMissouri TheCalifornia“Snow-Worm” LakeMonsterCaptured? GiantAmerindians AMountedCatMystery FrederickGerstäcker’s“WildMenoftheWoods” ATennesseeMysteryCat CryptoherpsofIndiana FishFinderCryptozoology SouthBayBessie:AContinuingInvestigationintoanAllegedGreatLakesSerpent BookReviewsandLiteratureSurveys: AbstractsinReview LiteraturefromthePast:SpringonanArcticIsland. BookReview:AmericanElves MythicalAnimalsoftheCherokee LiteratureSurvey:FieldTechniques TechniquesandMethodology: InvestigationTechnique BiologicalModelinginCryptozoology ContributingAuthors: ChadArment,DonKeating,RichardL.King,BradLaGrange, BillRebsamen,RonSchaffner,DouglasE.Trapp Foreword Technicalnote Thispublicationismeanttobeviewed fromacomputermonitor.Ithasbeen WelcometothefirstissueoftheNorthAmerican createdinPDFformat,andisreadablewith BioForteanReview.Weshouldpointoutfirstwhat thefreedownloadableAdobeAcrobat thispublicationismeant,ornotmeant,toaccomplish. Reader.Forbestviewing,wesuggestreading TheNABRwillcoverbiologicalodditiesfromNorth at125%fromyourPreferencesmenu. Americaforwhichthereareunansweredquestions. Thispublicationmaybeprintedout.There Thesemayincludecryptozoologicalsubjects, might,however,besometechnicaldifficulties extremephenotypes,orunrecognizedpopulations withcertainprinters(preferencesmayneed ofintroducedspecies.Wewillalsomentionthe tobereset). unusual,butperhapsnotunexpected,occurrences Thispublicationisfree.However,all suchasout-of-placeanimalsorunusualwildlife copyrightsareheldbytheirrespectiveauthors. behavior.OurfocuswillremainonNorthAmerica, Noarticlemaybereprintedinpartorinwhole althoughwemayoccasionallyreportonother withouttheexpresspermissionoftheauthor. investigationswhichhaverelevancetogeneral cryptozoologyandbioforteaninvestigations. Weareespeciallyinterestedinpointingout areasforwhichfurtherresearchisneeded,and wouldbehappytohearfromanyreaderswho Frontspiece decideto takeonachallenge.Methodologyand resourcesforinvestigatorswillalsobediscussed. The“threewildmen”onthecoverarefrom Wedoholdtotheideathatmostquestionscan FrederickGerstäcker’sWesternLandsandWestern beansweredwithoutleaningonparanormal Waters(1864).Seethecorrespondingarticleinside. explanations.Articlesinthispublicationwill reflectthat,althoughtheviewsoftheeditorsand authorsmaynotbethesame. Weinviteanyoneinterestedinwritingforthe NABRtocontactus.Wealsoencourageyouto forwardarticlesyou’vecomeacrosswhichmaybe NorthAmericanBioForteanReview ofinteresttoothers.Wewilloccasionallyreprint Vol.1,no.1 olderarticles.Experiencedinvestigatorsmaybe April1999 familiarwithsomeofthismaterial,butwewill attempttosticktobooksandarticleswhicharenot Editors: readilyavailable. ChadArment Publicationwillbeonanirregularbasis,butwe BradLaGrange expecttoputout2-3issuesayear. ChadArment [email protected] BradLaGrange [email protected] Kentucky’sHairlessAnimal BradLaGrange Althoughmanypeoplethroughtheyearshave agooddeal. seenanimalsthatare“unknown,”BobbyHaleof First,aftergainingaccesstotheareaofthe Ashland,Kentucky,reallysawsomethingthat propertywiththeanimals,thethiefsingledout threwexpertsacurveballbackin1989. thebaldraccoonastheirtarget.Next,thevery Halelivednearadump,whichisapparently wildandhostileanimalwasgrabbed,thenthe wherethesecreaturesalsoresided.The cagedoorwasclosedandlocked.Asalast creaturesweredescribedashairless(except showoftalent,thecat(orrather“coon”)burglar fortuftsontheirfeet), andlookedlikeacross escapedwithoutleavinganytracksinthemud. betweenaraccoonandanopossum.Theyalso Sandersonwouldbeproud. madebarkingsoundsandate“justabout Asamatterofthanks,I’dliketomention anything.” RonSchaffnerwhoisresponsibleforatleasthalf Afterfacingdisbeliefandridicule,Hale ofthisinvestigation,andof course,Barbara trappedoneofthecreaturesanddelivereditto Rosenmanof“KentuckyWildlifeLive,Inc.”for authorities.Atthetime, theauthoritieswere hertimeandinformation. baffled,andtheoriesrangedfromstandardNorth AmericanspeciestoAustralianbandicoots.At Source: thattimethestate-appointedcaregiver, Schaffner,R.Hairlessmysteryanimal.Website. BarbaraRosenmanmadethestatements“I http://home.fuse.net/rschaffner/hairless.htm. thoughtitwasaprank.Ithoughtsomeonehad takenastraightrazorandshavedher,”and “everytheorywecomeupwith,youcanblow holesrightthroughit.” However,inarecentphoneinterview,Ms. Rosenmansaidthatfourofthecritterswere capturedbuttheyturnedouttobeunfortunate raccoonssufferingfromheavymetalpoisoning. Allbutonefemaleeventuallydied.Thisfourth raccoonis,however,thesourceofaseparate mystery.Ms.Rosenmansaidthatthisindividual specimenwasdoingquitewell,althoughit nevertamed.Itresidedinacagebehindher house. Barbarareturnedhomeonedayand went outbacktofeedthevariouswildlifecharges inhercare.Shefoundthatthehairlessraccoon hadnotonlyescaped,butshutandlockedthe doorbehindit!Ofcourse,ithadobviouslybeen stolen,butwhoeverstoleithadaccomplished ActiveSasquatchinCoshoctonCounty,Ohio DonKeating,Newcomerstown,OH WhenIfirstheardoftheSasquatchphenomenon samelocationastheTunnelHillsightingofJuly1995. inOhio,Ithoughteveryonewascrazy!Boy,wasI Sevenyoungpeople,ranginginagefrom17to wrong.CoshoctonCounty,Ohiohasrecordedthe 23,spotted,ontwooccasions,adarkbrowncolored highestnumberof‘alleged’sightingsofthemythical creaturebetween8and9feetinheight.Thecreature beastsincerecordsbegan.Thisisalsoacountythat atfirstwasabout75yardsawayinanopenfieldjust bordersmyhomecountyofTuscarawas. uphillfromtheroadtheyouthswereon.Thecreature Sincebefore1900,therehavebeenover79 begantowalkawaybackwardswatchingtheyouths. reportedsightingsinthisonelocation.Thelast ItthenstoppedandbeganwalkingTOWARDSthem. sightingthatwasincludedinthatnumberwasin Atthistimeithadonearminanup-rightposition lateMayof1993.Manyadditionalsightingshavebeen blockingthelightfromitseyes.Itwasreportedthe reported.Herearesomeoftheonesthatstandout eyeshadagreenreflectiontothem.Theyouthsleft themostinthedecadeofthe1990’s. theareahurriedlywhenitbegancomingtowards OnApril27,1990ArtCarusoofYoungstown,Ohio them. spottedalightcoloredcreatureatabout11:48p.m. Thesearejustahandfulofthemorefascinating Hereportedthecreaturewasbetween6and6feet reportedsightingsfromCoshoctonCounty,Ohioin tallandhestoodnomorethan50to75feetfromit. the90’s. ThistookplacenearNewMoscow. WhydoesBigfootapparentlyinhabittheforestof ItwasreportedatmySeptember1992Bigfoot thecounty?Letslookatthethreethingsananimal meetingthatanalbinocreaturewasseennearWest needstosurvive.... Lafayette,Ohio.ThecreaturewasspottedinAprilof •Food 1992andwaswhiteandwasreportedtobenearly9 •Water feettall. •Shelter OnJuly21,1993asightingtookplacenearLake Withthesethingsinmind,rememberthat Lilacampgrounds.Thecreaturewasobservedto CoshoctonCountyhastheWoodburyWildlife “jumpoutofatree”.TheSasquatchwasreportedly RefugeAreaincentralandwest-centralsections reddishincolorandabout8feetinheight. andtheColumbus&SouthernCoalLandsinextreme Inmid-July1995DannyNewellofCoshocton, southernpartsoftheCounty.Thesetwoareas Ohioreportedlywashuntingforscrapironnearthe provideplentyofthethreecriterianeeded. communityofTunnelHillinthewesternpartofthe Thousandsofhunters,fishermen,outdoorsmen county.Hespookedacreature—thatcreaturebeing andsightseersroamthesewoodlandsweekly. alightorwhitecoloredSasquatch.Itwalkedaway MaybethereareotherpartsofOhiomoresuitable fromhimontwolegs,was7-8feettallandlessthan forSasquatch,butthisjusthappenstobewhere 35yardsfromhim.Itwouldbeovertwoyears,but they’rereportedthemost. hisfather,whowasjustabout50feetfromhim, finallyadmittedtohavingseenthesamecreature Dannydidthatdayatthesametime. Twofascinatingsightingstookplaceduringthe earlymorninghoursofJuly31,1996at1:30nearthe Canadian“BlackAlligators”:APreliminaryLook ChadArmentandBradLaGrange Inhis1997publication,FromFlyingToadsto Scottgavefurtherdetails. SnakeswithWings,Dr.KarlP.N.Shukermentions anunusuallizard-likeanimalreportedina British “Hetoldofapproachingtowithinabout Columbianewspaper.EbertsandMills(1978) sixmetresofalargelizardandnotingtwo interviewedamannamedWarrenScottwhostated rowsofshark-liketeethandhorn-like thathehadfounda“lostvalley”nearPittLakewhere protrusionsbehinditshead.‘Iwasreadyto tropicalplantsgrewandstrangecreaturesswamthe runforatreeifitcametowardme,’Scott waters.Oneofthesecreatureswasalarge“horned said.” lizard,”whichhewasunabletoidentifyasaknown speciesofreptileoramphibian. Scottcapturedthreeoftheyoung“lizards,”and Onthesurface,thissoundslikeoneofthoseold kepttheminhisbathtub.RobertPowell,aHaney “explorerfindsdinosaursinisolatedvalley”movies. resident,sawtheanimalsanddescribedthem. Thearticlecertainlydoesn’tdomuchtolendcredence toScott’sclaims.Shukernotedthatspecimensof “‘Theyhadhornsonthem,’saidPowell, thisanimalweresupposedlygiventoaB.C.university, ‘theywerelizardsthatlookedlikethesortof butthattheuniversityhadnorecordofreceiving prehistoricmonstersyouseeinthemovies, suchspecimens.Onthewhole,notaparticularly buttheywerejustsmallones,ofcourse.’” supportivecaseforcryptozoology.Infact,some mightsuggestthatthere’snocaseatallsupporting Asmentionedpreviously,theSimonFraser thisanimalasacryptid.We’regoingtosuggest,