January 13, 2009

Carnivorous Flying Mammal?

UN ÉTRANGE VOLATILE
Il mesure environ 80 cm et a été photographié en Argentine par un photographe amateur, Fabian Romano. L’homme a envoyé les photos prises au CEUFO (Centre Etude Ovnis) d’Argentine. Après plusieurs tests, l’organisation a déclaré être face à une image de « haute étrangeté » et d’une « entité » volante. Le curateur du Musée Provincial, Gustavo Siegentale, a émis l’hypothèse d’être face à un « mammifère carnivore avec des ailes, une espèce inconnue ». Le CEUFO a indiqué avoir reçu d’autres témoignages sur l’observation de cet étrange animal. Les investigations se poursuivent actuellement.

Translation from Yahoo Babel Fish:

A STRANGE BIRD It measures approximately 80 cm and was photographed in Argentina by a photo hobbyist, Fabian Romano. The man sent the photographs taken to the CEUFO (Center Study UFOs) of Argentina. After several tests, the organization stated to be vis-a-vis an image of “high strangeness” and a flying “entity”. The curator of the Provincial Museum, Gustavo Siegentale, put forth the assumption to be vis-a-vis a “carnivorous mammal with wings, an unknown species”. The CEUFO indicated to have received other testimonys on the observation of this strange animal. The investigations currently continue.

Source. Photo credit, Fabian Romano.

^^^

Of course, I must be realistic about this. How can anyone tell this is a “carnivorous mammal with wings, an unknown species” any more than they can tell this is a children’s toy thrown into the air and photographed? Or a known species of bird? Or an insect?

An image like this does not give any indication that it is “carnivorous,” does it? Or a “mammal”? Or just because it is blurry, that it is an “unknown species.”

But mark my words, this is going to make the rounds among some English speaking blogs, just as it is already doing among Spanish and some French “paranormal” blogs. This moved from Argentinan cyberspace to English anomalist sites last month, but received little initial play (e.g. Phantoms and Monsters, Dec. 10, 2008; Profiling the Unexplained, Dec. 11, 2008). Get ready for the second wave.

I figured you should all, at least, get a sane skeptical headstart at Cryptomundo!

Come on, now, certainly there is, well, nothing concrete here, is there?

+++

Update:

Kentaro Mori in Brazil, creator of the excellent blog Forgetomori, emails me reinforcing my sense that this is something mundane, an insect.

He passes along this photo of a mosquito:

And the link to his blog that talks of these “insect-angels”:

*****
Another update:

David Pescovitz over at Boing Boing picked up the story from us, and the UK’s Daily Telegraph has published an article based on the Boing Boing posting. And so it goes.

Loren Coleman 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.

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