Tales from the cryptozoologists

The Loch Ness monster and the Sasquatch are as elusive as ever, but rumors of cryptozoology's demise may be exaggerated.

French zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans coined the term cryptozoology in the late 1950s to describe the study of unverified animals that turn up in sighting reports, explorers' accounts, archeological artifacts, and folklore. Back in 1993, The Scientist reported that cryptozoologists, the scientists who try to track down previously undescribed animals, were becoming an endangered species (The Scientist, 7[1]:1, Jan. 11, 1993). Practitioners found it hard to get funding and were scorned by colleagues, our story said, meaning that only a few dozen active investigators were left worldwide.

But now, from Sweden, comes word that the outcome may not be so terminal after all. "On January 1, 2005, GUST [Global Underwater Search Team] of Motala, Sweden, is starting the world's first school for cryptozoologists," writes Jan Sundberg in an...