Mark Bayless, 46, Dies
Posted by: Loren Coleman on November 3rd, 2006
Mark K. Bayless, 46, who was the moderator of a yahoogroups list on Bigfoot, Bigfoot books, and an active cryptozoology email correspondent to many of us, has passed away.
The Snakes of Arkansas Forum, on Friday, November 3, 2006, is posting this news:
We are saddened to report that Mark K. Bayless of Berkeley, California, died of complications of diabetes the morning [of November 1, 2006], aged 46. Mark was well known in the monitor community, having overseen the newsletter VaraNews that preceded websites and forums as a source of information about monitor husbandry and biology. An irrepressible Renaissance man, Mark assembled what is surely the largest existing collection of articles, accounts, stories and pictures of anything and everything related to monitors — it is less well known that his collections relating to the biology of whales, and cryptozoology, were even larger. Mark was always extremely generous in sharing any of the information he collected with anyone who asked, and a great many people….
Mark K. Bayless had been a herpetoculturist for 23 years and had written extensively about monitor lizards, especially the African species. This year saw the publication of his Red-tailed Boas, coauthored with Ben Aller (ISBN: 0-7938-2888-0; $9.95; Paperback; May, 2006). He also was the author of Savannah Monitors.
Our thoughts go out to all of Mark’s friends and family. Another young cryptozoologist has gone into the wilderness too early.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
I love reptiles and kept pet boas and pythons for many years. Mark will be missed.
Ugh, my age and done in from the disease I’ve fought since I was ten. I’m even more thankful I got off with just a mild stroke,
It is bad when those so young are struck down.
I never met Mark, but anyone as dedicated to knowledge and scientific curiosity as he was will be greatly missed.
Godspeed, Mark.
We (Bill and Bob Clark) had the pleasure of meeting Mark and discussing several cryptozoological subjects with him. We were providing him with information for a paper he was writing on the subject of sea serpents in the SF Bay area when he passed away. He had done extensive reasearch on the history of the type of animal we have seen. We knew that he was ill for some time and we will miss him greatly. We hope that some of his yet to be published work will be able to be read by the cryptozoology community. Rest in peace, Mark.