What is Cryptomundo?
Posted by: Craig Woolheater on April 23rd, 2007
Cryptomundo is a cryptozoological news and interest website. We post news items that are of interest to the field of cryptozoology.
We also post fun items, such as the crypto comics.
Not everything posted here at Cryptomundo is necessarily thought provoking. Sometimes it’s just for fun.
Case in point the recent Pterodactyl video I recently posted here on Cryptomundo.
I never purported that it was real. I didn’t even offer an opinion. I just presented it for the readers of Cryptomundo and asked “Is it real, or is it hoaxed? Watch the video here on Cryptomundo and judge for yourself!”
Most of the Cryptomundo readers saw it for what it was, entertainment.
However, some of the readers did not.
It blows my mind that you would even post junk like this on your site.
And people say Biscardi is bad!Sylense
I hope Loren isn’t turning into Jamie Maussan. This screams FAKE out loud! Please Loren, provide us with media that isn’t produced with a video editing program. “If this videotape doesn’t prove that the Biblical version of Creation is True, I don’t know what does.” UHH, CRAZ! I’m at a loss for words.IMAdamnALIEN
And
I am still baffled by Craig posting this however.IMAdamnALIEN
Look, I like a good hoax as much as anyone, but I see a real threat here of Cryptomundo losing any kind of credibility in the field if you guys don’t filter -some- of these out. A blobsquatch is one thing, but if you’re going to start posting stuff like this, incredibly obvious, over the top fakery, I think you’re walking into dangerous territory. Have some respect for your readers and for the field of cyrptozoology: if you insist on posting crap like this, at least describe it honestly as a source of humor instead of ‘Is it real or is it hoaxed?’ NO science ever advanced based on pointless sensationalism.mrdark
Some people are under the impression that the site is solely Loren Coleman. See the above example where Loren was blamed for the Pterodactyl video post.
Cryptomundo, as I stated above, is merely a website where we, Loren Coleman, John Kirk, Rick Noll and myself, post items of cryptozoological interest.
It is not a research organization.
The four of us are involved with cryptozoological research, but it is not through Cryptomundo.
Loren has investigated and documented items of cryptozoological interest for 5 decades now.
John Kirk co-founded the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club in 1989 and been actively investigating and researching since then.
Rick Noll has been involved with Sasquatch investigation and research since 1969.
I co-founded the Texas Bigfoot Research Center in 1999. As stated here previously on Cryptomundo, we have reformed as a new non-profit organization, the Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy in January of this year.
Those are the avenues of our collective cryptozoological research, not Cryptomundo.
Here at Cryptomundo, we merely report on the research. Hopefully, the majority of the readers here at Cryptomundo get it. We present it for your perusal.
Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005.
I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films:
OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou.
Well said.
As I have mentioned, it is sometimes useful through our blogs to use breaking incidents and YouTube visuals to give our readers a flavor of the critical thinking process we have to go through ourselves.
I get the feeling we have a rather high level of thoughtful readers and intellectuals here, and to occassionally challenge you without giving you all the answers, or sharing with you some questions that are floating around in our own brains is a good thing.
Also, we do have a sense of humor, even if some people miss the jokes.
Well, folks, it’s off to Lake Champlain soon…
Cheers
Loren
Bring back Champ.
I love this site; it doesn’t take the subject matters too seriously, but it is also a forum where folks with various crypto-interests can examine the talk of the day or cryptid of the day. Nobody gets bashed too cruelly (unless you are a known hoaxer, or you take yourself too seriously), and a little escapism is good for everyone.
Also, for anyone who has heard that unknown rustle in the leaves, seen that strange swirl in the water, heard that weird howl over the horizon or glimpsed the dark shadow cross the road, this is the place for you.
I think it’s important to thoughtfully consider and evaluate a sampling of the entire array of reports, videos and other documents being presented publicly as valid Crypto info, just so we “enthusiasts” are familiar with the whole spectrum of data that researchers have to wade thru in an attempt (not always successfully, as we have seen!) to find the truth.
If Cryptomundo only carried well documented, fully supported reports, it would soon become an accurate, scientifically-admirable and very boring site. There are other Websites that fill that niche competently.
Let’s enjoy this wide-ranging and well-chosen exhibit of all salient aspects of the Crypto mystery, to be better informed about its intellectual variety and challenges! Doesn’t mean we have to accept them as credible, but just to know what’s out there.
Eh?
Joppa (MD?): Evocative prose there.
How about this quatrain?
Listen, my cryptos,
and you might hear,
the splash of a turtle,
the laugh of a deer…
The puff of a wingbeat,
the buzzing of bees,
the footfall of Sasquatch,
on leaves ‘neath the trees!
Earth’s mysteries continue,
Nature’s secrets abound…
and if we would just Listen,
there’s sounds all around.
“Here at Cryptomundo, we merely report on the research.”
“Merely”, but not “only”, it seems.
The clarification of how Cryptomundo works comes none too soon. I too was confused for a long time as to who “owns” Cryptomundo, or who is responsible for what. In fact it was only through email, some time ago, that I began to get a notion of its structure.
My suggestion is that you refine the information presented in this present post (just the bits about what Cryptomundo is, and who the contributors are) and put a permanent link right under “Main Page” > “Cryptomundo Home”, called “About Cryptomundo”.
Cheers,
Chris.
PS – even now, with the explanation of who the four contributing authors are, there is still no clarity as to who “owns” Cryptomundo. Say, for example, one of you thought “I really don’t like aspect X of the site – I think we should rip it out” … how would the decision whether to proceed or not be made?
I for one greatly appreciate the daily updates presented here. The humor presented (often tongue in cheek) allows me for a lighter day and keeps me wanting more.
The one thing about the multiple non/less serious postings that does get to me are the article titles. A lot of the times that I am hoping for a truly newsworthy article based on the title of the posting, I get old news (1800s) or fake news (the recent pterodactyl incident). I enjoy both of these, but a clue in the posting title as to the style of the information conveyed in the main article would be appreciated. Maybe even different posting style rooms could be created.
I thoroughly enjoy this site, guys. Keep it up.
I noticed fuzzy had prose so how about a tongue twister:
How much squash has a sasquatch squashed if a sasquatch has squashed squash?
Or Haiku:
Sasquatch has big feet;
Nessie lives in land locked Loch,
Cryptids all are sought.
I liked Loren’s perspective…about using YouTube as a tool to use our critical thinking (or something like that)…everyone here who investigates, looks into or just plain likes to delve into these subjects has to wade through stuff like the Ptero-(as in terrible)-dactyl video, and I think it is good for us as a community (within Cryptomundo) to look at these things to better train our critical eyes…not to mention keep our sense of humor.
I think the frustration has come that everyone is eager for real hard evidence on the crypto-front, and when we get tantalizing possibilities that turn out to be eye-rollers, people get frustrated.
You do have to keep your sense of humor in all of this…as in all things…otherwise you run the risk of becoming a close minded fanatic…
I keep my faith on these creatures despite all of the critics and the doomsayers and the (dare I say it…I do, I do) “skeptics” who are debunkers in skeptics clothing–I have seen enough to believe there is more out there than what is revealed to the mainstream…and on occasion we do need a good pterodactyl video (please missus, don’t start crying again…) if for no other reason than to roll our eyes.
Keep the faith brothers and sisters.
A haiku, you say?
Carnivorous Nights
A Tasmanian Tiger
Alive in our minds
Cadborosaurus
Elusive nightmare of old
in the lake’s black depths
Jersey Devil’s voice
Unheard as he leaps away
Wings scraping the night
Loch Ness is its home
Sinuosity unseen
Except for the few
Hair covered man beast
So silent in the forest
Oh that I could see
Extinct tiger wolf
Trying to stay out of sight
Did we kill them all?
Leatherwing nightmare
Soaring from the ancient skies
Into our grey air
Living animals
Enticing the researchers
Hiding from us all
Enough for today
But I’ll return tomorrow
With more silly prose
I thought the comments about the pteradactyl video were a little harsh as well. It was obviously a fake, and I knew it was posted out of fun, and perhaps an otherwise slow cryptid news day!
Cryptomundo is a great site, and a little bit of fun splashed about here and there is fun. There are a lot of serious discussions and things like that need to be taken with a grain of salt.
Good going Fuzzy.
I bow to crypto genius and bid you good night.
I think if you actually read the home page and look at what’s posted then what Cryptomundo is about is quite clear. I guess this is for those that like to jump in feet first though?
I was going to suggest a crypto prose competition but I think fuzzy has already won!
Not that you were worried or anything.
But I’ve gotten it the whole way. I know just how it works. And it wouldn’t work if it worked differently.
I’ve winced a few times. But I’ve kept ’em to myself.
Boy you better have a sense of humor in this field.
There are some interesting points here, and of course a bit of fun, now and again, is a good thing.
Like a newspaper or magazine though, if Cryptomundo didn’t include quite a lot of ‘pulp’, there just wouldn’t be enough material to keep it going on a daily basis… which is absolutely essential to ensure that readers keep coming back.
Maintaining the balance right between ‘serious’ and ‘non-serious’ content is a very difficult one, as the site owners will be well aware.
From time to time, I do wonder if the ‘non-serious’ does overbalance the ‘serious’ – ie. perhaps there is very slightly too much ‘padding’?
Whatever, it’s a great website, if only for the appreciable level of journalise that goes on behind the scenes – which may, with respect, go overlooked by many who have never been in the profession.
Regards,
Vaughan
Like I said before in the other post, for me this site is a forum to discuss all aspects of cryptozoology. That includes the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly. Unfortunately, fake videos and people trying to pull one over on everyone are a common occurrence in this field and one that I think should definitely be addressed be it in the form of shoddy blobsquatch videos or the very fake looking pterodactyl video. I feel it is good to post these so that not only will people be able to use their critical thinking skills and hone their bs detectors, but also to show those who would produce these kinds of hoaxes that we are not all a bunch of gullible fools. We do our research, and I agree with Loren that we have a very high percentage of knowledgeable, intelligent and thoughtful people visiting this site. I think the message from posters here to those that put out these hoaxes is overwhelmingly that we do look at these clips critically and we are not taken in so easily. I think that is not a bad message to be sending and it will ultimately show that we do take this field seriously. As long as we are not helping these jokesters get rich in any way, I definitely see a place for such clips here on this site. This is a great, solid site, full of outstanding articles and articulate, intellectual posters. I wouldn’t change a thing.
This site works so well for the precise reason that it’s NOT a hardline crypto only forum. Having a little humour can only encourage those who have perhaps only passingly considered the possibility of cryptid creatures such as sasquatch or Nessie. It shows those that have ridiculous preconceptions (aided by those lovely media types) that ALL cryptozoologists and any folk interested in the unknown are complete loony toons. It shows those that perhaps didn’t know before that we’re “just like everyone else”!!
That’s my thoughts on the matter anyway! Keep it up guys. This site just keeps getting better.
Rob
To add to Rob’s comments.
This website forum surely MUST be a healthy sign to ‘outsiders’ that many of us who are interested in cryptozoology, aren’t the raving obsessives, or ranting non-believers, who the media all too often, for obvious reasons, choose to feature in their documentaries… at least here in the UK.
We can, and most often do, without hesitation, ‘shout wolf’ whenever we suspect a fraud. We DON’T try to sweep obviously nonsensical claims under the carpet, in the belief that they will damage a ’cause’.
and here’s a thought:
Isn’t a badly put argument AGAINST the existence of (e.g. Nessie), ‘better’ for the science / art / religion (!) of Cryptozoology, than an ill-founded and unsubstantiated assertion in favour?
Sorry I am late
Other projects fill my day
Back now as promised
Slithering patterns
Entwine unsuspecting prey
Impossibly large
Felids from nowhere
Prowl the moors, then disappear
Shadows in the shrubs
Four cryptic haikus
Mystic prose for those who know
We all seek answers
There once was a ‘squatch from Nantucket…
I’ve always understood just how this site works and have always enjoyed everything I’ve read here. Keep up the great work guys!
I’d totally missed this somehow. My name in lights!
I think what you’re missing here is public perception. What you want to do and what the public perceives you doing are two different things.
You’re dealing with a field that polarizes people like few scientific topics. If you were a UFO blog and posted commentary-less YouTube vids of people tossing pie plates across their back yards, you’d be subject to the same criticism I offered here.
The question isn’t your intent. The question is, if you care about the field, how can you also engage in the same kind of behavior that makes studying the field so very difficult?
I am not saying, never post goofy fakes. Please do! I love a good hoax. You’ll notice 90% of my comments here are critiquing the hoxers, usually upset they didn’t do a better job. However, call it what it is. A vacuum of commentary is a commentary. You elevate the material to the same level as other, serious material that deserves a solid analysis. In doing so, you do what the skeptics do, which is consider the hoaxes equal with the rest of the evidence. It’s all one big pile of nonsense to them, and posting incredibly silly things without any indication that it’s intended to be so simply reaffirms their stance.
In short: you harm the study of the field itself.
One last thing before I finish blowing hot air all over this Intraweb thingy: my other point of contention is in how these items are presented. Based on the intro and titles, considering that is the info that goes out on the RSS feed, it reeks of ‘hey, come visit my site and see bigfoot!’ I know you don’t intend that, but almost every one of these you’ve posted is one step shy of The Thing out in Arizona. Tongue might be firmly in cheek, but one can’t necessarily detect that from a title and summary like the ones you’ve attached to the videos in question.
Just food for thought. Not angry, not blustery, don’t hate you, don’t think you suck, don’t think Loren made any fraudulent videos of prehistoric bird lizards…just the opinion of someone who -likes- you guys and what you do here, and wants the best for ya.
Now if you’ll excuse me, my friend has rented a hovercraft so I’m needed out on the moors in my fur coat. You’ll see it on YouTube tomorrow.