Miller County’s Bigfoot: The Boggy Creek Monster

 Jennie Overstreet

Many people who live in the area surrounding Miller County, Arkansas claim to have seen a large, man-like monster. This cryptid is known as the Boggy Creek Monster. Cryptid is defined by the Merriam-webster dictionary to be “an animal that has been claimed to exist but never proven to exist” According to the article “Fouke Monster” by Amy Thompson, sightings of this creature date back to 1946. 

The Boggy Creek 

Monster

The Boggy Creek Monster, also known as the Fouke Monster, is a cryptid very similar in appearance to the more well-known bigfoot. According to Jake Carter in his article “The Monster of Boggy Creek: The Real Story of the Fouke Monster,” it was described to be a hominid-shaped furry creature that was 7 to 10 feet tall with a chest 3 feet wide. It has been reported to have large red eyes and a terrible odor. 

Sightings of the Boggy Creek Monster are all in the swamplands of southwest Arkansas. Its alternate name of “Fouke Monster” is derived from an encounter in 1971, where it attacked the home of Bobby Ford in the small town of Fouke. During the month of May, he said he had been out with his hunting friends when they saw the creature behind the Ford’s house. They shot at it, and claimed to have seen it fall, but as the group made their way toward the creature, they heard a woman scream. Bobby Ford immediately ran to the front door, where he was allegedly grabbed by the Fouke Monster. He was treated at a local hospital for scratches and minor shock. When his property was investigated, there was damage to the house and three-toed footprints, but not a trace of blood.

At least three movies were made with inspiration from this encounter. According to Jake Carter’s article, the first movie The Legend of Boggy Creek was made in 1973 and grossed over 22 million dollars. Many eyewitnesses played as actors in the movie. The two other movies made after this were called Return to Boggy Creek and The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II.

Many people have tried to explain the existence of the Boggy Creek Monster. Some have tried arguing that it is really a misidentified bigfoot, despite the footprints of the creature having only three toes versus Bigfoot’s five-toed tracks. Others have claimed that sightings of the cryptid are just misidentified black bears. The Boggy Creek Monster has captivated public attention since attacking the Ford’s home in 1971, with sightings dating back much further. Movies have been made focusing on the cryptid, sharing its existence across the country. Many have attempted to debunk the creature’s existence as a misidentified black bear or bigfoot, but the Fouke Monster continued to keep its identity.

Works Cited:

Carter, Jake. “The Monster of Boggy Creek: The Real Story of the Fouke Monster.” anomalien. 29 Aug. 2020. https://anomalien.com/the-monster-of-boggy-creek-the-real-story-of-the-fouke-monster/. Accessed 20, Oct. 2023.

Mobley, Andrew. “'That's no deer': Fouke Monster legend haunts swamplands of southwest Arkansas with new alleged evidence.” KATV Little Rock/Pine Bluff, 21 Oct. 2023. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/that-s-no-deer-fouke-monster-legend-haunts-swamplands-of-southwest-arkansas-with-new-alleged-evidence/ar-AA1iCVmp. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023.

Thompson, Amy. “Fouke Monster.” Encyclopedia of Arkansas. 16 Jun. 2023. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/fouke-monster-2212/. Accessed 20, Oct. 2023.

“Cryptid, N.” Merriam-webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cryptid. Accessed 29 Oct. 2023.

Bigfoot. 29 Aug. 2022. anomalien, https://anomalien.com/the-monster-of-boggy-creek-the-real-story-of-the-fouke-monster/.

For Further Reference:

Carter, Jake. “The Monster of Boggy Creek: The Real Story of the Fouke Monster.” anomalien. 29 Aug. 2020. https://anomalien.com/the-monster-of-boggy-creek-the-real-story-of-the-fouke-monster/. Accessed 20, Oct. 2023. Jake Carter explains various topics of information about the Boggy Creek monster. The article goes on to talk about the history of the creature, its potential appearance, and the effects that sightings of this creature had on media. The purpose of this article is to discuss a variety of topics on the monster, from its origins to the movies inspired by it.

Mobley, Andrew. “'That's no deer': Fouke Monster legend haunts swamplands of southwest Arkansas with new alleged evidence.” KATV Little Rock/Pine Bluff, 21 Oct. 2023. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/that-s-no-deer-fouke-monster-legend-haunts-swamplands-of-southwest-arkansas-with-new-alleged-evidence/ar-AA1iCVmp. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023. Andrew Mobley describes some general information about the Boggy Creek Monster. The article focuses on first-hand encounters with various people.

Thompson, Amy. “Fouke Monster.” Encyclopedia of Arkansas. 16 Jun. 2023. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/fouke-monster-2212/. Accessed 20, Oct. 2023. Amy Thompson describes some information on the Boggy Creek Monster that stalks the small town of Fouke, Arkansas. The article focuses on one incident in 1971 where the creature was reported to have attacked the house of Bobby Ford. There is also a short mention of a movie that was made with inspiration from this encounter.

The Boggy Creek Monster

Author: Koko :3 

The Legend of the Boggy Creek Monster begins in Fouke, Arkansas. The nearly 8 foot creature is said to have been first sighted in 1908. The Boggy Creek Monster is a hairy beast who crept around the small town of Fouke. There had been sightings here and there until early 1970 when an attack was reported. 

During May of 1971 Bobby Ford, a twenty five year old man, reported that he was attacked in his home near U.S. Highway 71. He reported the creature's appearance and how he though it was a bear at first however when it ran upright he knew it could not be a bear, the eyes on this creature were red, and it had very heavy fur. . He detailed  how he just barely managed to get away before getting treatment at the hospital. After the story got out about the attack more sightings started to be reported. 

From the 1970s till now the Boggy Creek Monster has gained more and more popularity. Even in the town of Fouke, Arkansas where the sightings and attack happened has embraced the cryptid and built a “monster mart” that carries Boggy Creek Monster memorabilia. Also there has been about five different movies made about this monster. Also on FoukeMonster.net there is a sightings log that was active up until 2021. 

Works Cited: 

Jackson, Nicholas. “Boggy Creek Monster.” Atlas Obscura. 20 Oct 2022. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/boggy-creek-monster. 

Powell, Jim.” The Fouke Monster: A look at how the media recorded the reports of the 1971 alleged sighting of a large creature in rural Miller County,Ark.” 20 Oct 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20030803214623/http://texarkanagazette.com/articles/2001/06/24/export15694.txt.

Links for further research:

1.Fouke Monster http://www.foukemonster.net/. This website gives a profile of the cryptid and includes information about sightings. 

2. Cryptidz Fandom cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Boggy_Creek_Monster. This website gives fans of the cryptid a space to talk about the creature and articles around the page give more info about the creature.  

3. Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1IahPyZW3U. This video is a documentary about the Fouke Monster and how the history still follows them.  

The Mysterious Bunyip: Real or Fake?

 Author: Cole Grice

Down in the swamps and lagoons of Australia, a creature called a Bunyip prowls the land and water hunting for human prey, especially women and children. Although there are many stories about this terrifying creature, does it actually exist or is it just a hoax?  

As described by Bernadette Giacomazzo in “Meet The Bunyip, The Monstrous Cryptid Said To Inhabit Australia’s Swamps," the Bunyip has black fur, a round head, a long neck, sharp teeth, and a body type that is similar to an ox, hippopotamus, or seal. This creature is allegedly between five and fifteen feet long in size. The Bunyip supposedly made load, roaring noises while waiting to devour human beings. Its roars can echo across all of Australia. The article also states that the first sighting of the creature occurred in New South Wales in the year of 1818, when two explorers named Hamilton Hume and James Meehan discovered a large set of strange bones by a lakeshore. Most people believed the bones were from a deceased hippopotamus.

Although the Bunyip’s appearance has not been reported in current time, it began to become popular in the nineteenth century. According to an article called, "18 Facts About The Bunyip, A Cryptic From The Swamps Of Australia," by January Nelson, the most frequent reports of the mythical creature happened throughout the years of the 1840s and 1850s. During these years, the actual term, “The Bunyip,” was given to the creature. The word, “Bunyip,” stands for ‘devil’ or ‘evil spirit’ (Fae). It was given this name as it attacked people which caused a lot of fear among the communities in Australia. 

The Bunyip still plays a large role in Australia’s culture today. The creature may just be a myth in a folktale, but it continues to thrive in modern time Australia. As talked about by Gabriel Berreteaga in “A Fantastic Rendition and Jubilee of the Bunyip in Australia,” the Bunyip is seen in many children’s books and films. It is also displayed around the country as statues. This article also acknowledge the Bunyip Park, which is located in southern Australia. The park includes the Button Grass Nature Trail and educates children about the Bunyip through interactive story books. 

Overall, it is only up to you whether you want to believe in this man-eating creature. Does it wait through the night for people or was it made up to scare us? Will we ever truly know if it is real or fake?

Works cited: 

Berreteaga, Gabriel. “A Fantastic Rendition and Jubilee of the Bunyip in Australia.” YOAIR Blog. October 3, 2022, https://www.yoair.com/blog/a-fantastic-rendition-and-jubilee-of-the-bunyip-in-australia/

Fae, Kota. “Aboriginal Lore: The Bunyip (Devil Spirit of Australia).” Amino. June, 19, 2018, https://aminoapps.com/c/thewitchescircle/page/blog/aboriginal-lore-the-bunyip-devil-spirit-of-australia/8qv1_pjSmuW5YWz1WpgLErK2XMR851GGP 

Giacomazzo, Bernadette. “Meet The Bunyip, The Monstrous Cryptid Said To Inhabit Australia’s Swamps." ATI. January 25, 2022, https://allthatsinteresting.com/bunyip

Macfarlane, J. Bunyip. 1890. Photograph. “The Bunyip,” Wikipedia. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Bunyip_1890.jpg/440px-Bunyip_1890.jpg

Nelson, January.  “18 Facts About The Bunyip, A Cryptic From The Swamps Of Australia." Thought Catalog. March 27, 2021, https://thoughtcatalog.com/january-nelson/2018/08/bunyip/

 Links for further research:

       New Idea Magazine’s Aussie Woman Tells: My Yowie Terror

 https://www.newidea.com.au/aussie-woman-tells-my-yowie-terror 

This article by Danielle K. presents a phone interview with a woman who had a personal encounter with a creature in which she thinks is the Yowie (also known as the Bunyip).

    The Age: Rediscovered Rock Art Reveals an Ancient Monster

 https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/rediscovered-rock-art-reveals-an-ancient-monster-20190106-p50pu1.html?fbclid=IwAR3HYSnpht9Fp1Q5Yz--cBykB8ZVv1jOAOOyGzAoUc1lhlvxAVD8_YeRLLM

 This article by Joe Hinchliffe, tells the readers about a Bunyip drawing in a cave that can be dated back to many years ago.

      Project Gutenberg License: The Brown Fairy Book

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3282/pg3282-images.htmink2H_4_0006

This book, written by a Scottish novelist named Andrew Lang, tells a story about young men who had an interaction with a Bunyip while on a camping trip.

 

Walking with A Dinosaur

Author: Rhianna Bogard

Dinosaurs: animals that fuel the imaginations of millions of people all around the world. The obsession with dinosaurs even inspires pop-culture with movie such as the Jurassic Park series or urban legends like the Loch Ness Monster. There is even a rumor that a dinosaur still lives in the Congo River Basin called the Mokele-Mbembe. The Mokele-Mbembe which most popularly translates from Lingala to “the one who stops the flow of the river” is a supposed sauropod (formerly known as brontosauruses) that roams Africa.

The rumored dinosaur is said to live, hunt, and reproduce in or around the Congo River Basin, more specifically Lake Tele, located in the Republic of Congo. With color ranging from a red based brown to grey, these creatures are said to be between the size of a Hippopotamus to an Elephant with a reported length of anywhere from 16 to 32 feet (5 to 10 meters). They are said to create burrows along the river bank where they would sleep, hide or raise young. According to Unexplained Mysteries the Mokele-Mbembe are quiet creatures that spend a lot of time in the water. There are reports that the Mokele-Mbembe follows a plant-based diet, however, they are extremely territorial and will kill trespassers, specifically hippopotamuses, on site.

Heavy speculation surrounds whether the Mokele-Mbembe is real especially with such lack of definitive evidence. Most believers claim that the size of the Congo River Basin, over 1.5 million miles, is the main reason for such lack of evidence. Many theories circulate about the origins of the rumor of the Mokele-Mbembe including one which states the creature is a ghost spirit. Authors of Abominable Science!: Origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and Other Famous Cryptids Daniel Loxton and Donald R. Prothero claim that the Mokele-Mbembe and the rumors surrounding it have been pushed by the wide spread popularity of dinosaurs and fanatics from the creationist movement. The large popularity of dinosaurs during the early 20th century gave life to the first wide spread rumors about the cryptid and since the hype about dinosaurs has yet to die down the rumor thrived. It still inspires people to go searching for the creature today.

The reality of an animal this size living and thriving, is that they would need a large breeding population to be sustained. Even though the Congo River Basin is huge with the numbers needed to sustain the population as well as size of the animal there is an extremely slim to none chance humans would not have found them by now. The existence and searches for this creature is heavily supported by creationist. The existence of the Mokele-Mbembe would greatly support their ideals that man walked with the dinosaurs and evolution didn’t happen. Many searches for the creature have been led by creationist and therefore may not be purely for scientific research. All in all, with no sustainable evidence of any kind, it is hard to believe the Mokele-Mbembe is out there. However, maybe just maybe there is a dinosaur hiding from the world in the vast jungle, keeping the hopes and dreams of children everywhere alive.

Work Cited      
 Loxton, Daniel, and Donald R. Prothero. “Abominable Science! : Origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and  Other Famous Cryptids.” Pp.260-295. Academic Search Premier. http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=d49e0785-932b-4535-a869d2d8a539f9e4%40sessionmgr4008&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN =619706&db=nlebk     

Corbell 2025, Lorieli.”Stevens dinosaur” Youtube.com, 2 Mar. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-0Tj1OEm8M       

“Painting of Mokele-Mbembe.” Mingren,wu. “Mokele-mbembe: A Legendary Water-Dwelling Creature of the Congo River.” Ancient Origins, 18 Feb. 2016, https://www.ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena/mokele-mbembe-legendary-water-dwelling-creature-congo-river-005375   

Unexplained Mysteries. “The Mokele Mbembe: A Real-Life Dinosaur Living in The Congo?” Youtube.com, 26 Jul 2018.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS6hsrxaZRM.     

Links for further research   
Mokele-Mbembe: the search for a living dinosaur  
https://www.livescience.com/38871-mokele-mbembe.html.     
The source is an online article which mentions the origins of the Mokele-Mbembe and provides detailed information about the modern searches for this creature 

 MOKELE MBEMBE A SHORT HISTORY. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6CatFN3mv4.   
This video provides an in-depth history of the Mokele-Mbembe.     

Mokele Mbembe!   
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=bf3a93f3-c6ac-4433-bc8abfc818614fcb%40sessionmgr102&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN= 79787557&db=aph. 
This source is an article that dives into the existence of the Mokele Mbembe.   

The Bray Road Beast

Myiesha Harley

The Bray Road Beast

 Bray Road in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, is described to be a very peaceful, beautiful, quiet area. It’s mainly just woods on this road, but theses woods is the home of the Beast of Bray Road. This beast is described as a cryptid which is an animal that cryptozoologist believe is real but has not been discovered yet.

This beast has been called hairy humanoid, shapeshifter, bigfoot and also a werewolf. The Bray Road Beast has been spotted in Wisconsin number of times. The first encounter of the Bray Road Beast was in1936. Although it has been label as a werewolf, no one has actual seen it transform. The first report of the beast was in 1991 by a lady named Doristine Gipson.  Doristine was driving down the Bray Road and while she was changing her radio station felt a bump up under her car. She got out and checked the rear of the car to see if she had hit anything, but she did not see anything. Doristine then checked her surrounds, but she did not see anything. As she started towards the woods, she saw something hairy charge towards her. Doristine ran back to her car and as she was driving away the creature jumped on the trunk of her car but it fell off. The next day, Halloween night, she returned back to Bray Road with a little girl that she had been taking trick-or-treating. She told the little girl to stay in one spot while she went to the She seen the creature again and drove away. 

Is it Human?

Doristine was not the only one to see the beast. Lori Enddrizzi and Tom seen the beast after Doristine. Lori had informed her mother that she thought she had seen a werewolf and her mother believed her. She explained to her mother that her first impression of the beast was a human from the beast backside. Once Lori past the animal, she slowed down to look at the beast in her rear mirror. She said that the beast was holding its food like how a human would. 

Although this creature was spotted on Bray Road, Tom claimed that he seen it two times on Route 106,which is still in Wisconsin. He also said the lit left a scratch on his car. There are many more reports and new articles about the beast. No one knows exactly if it’s a human, a wolf or a werewolf. It’s up to you whether you believe or not.

Work Cited

Conrad, Barry. “Beast of Bray Road (TV Report 1990) YouTube, 11 Mar 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piXaJOZZkx8

Godfrey, Linda. “Tracking down 'The Beast of Bray Road': Monster or Mirage, the Sightings Sound like Something out of 'Believe It Or Not’.” TheWeekextra.com. 2006

Hall, Jamie. “Beast Of Bray Road.”, Crytid Zoo, 2009. www.newanimal.org/brayroad.htm

Spelter, Siegfried. “Haunted Wisconsin: The Beast of Bray Road.” Madison Examiner, 7 Oct 2009, DOI: 134234A1CDD63C80. http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/134234A1CF25BF20?p=NewsBank .

Taylor, Troy. “The Bray Road Beast, Did A Werewolf Stalk the Back Roads of Southeastern Wisconsin?”, Unexplained America Unsolved Mysteries from America’s Haunted Past, 2002. https://www.prairieghosts.com/brayrd.html.

Links for further research:

The Wisconsin Werewolf Sightings

http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/werewolf-sightings.html

This source gives information about the sightings of the Beast of Bray Road.

Real Wolfmen, Beast of Bray Road, Werewolves, Dogmen and Other Upright Canids

https://lindagodfrey.com/the-beast-of-bray-road-official-site/

This source gives more descriptions about the beast and people that seen the beast

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cryptids

More information about Cryptid and the study of cryptids

Nessie: The Tale of the Loch Ness Monster

Kayla Reeves

 

The Lake of Loch Ness. (Kate and Tom’s Blog

Our society is filled with legends, mysteries, fable, and fear for the unknown. From the Chupacobra to Big Foot to the Loch Ness Monster. Everyone knows of the mysteries, but who knows the truthes behind these mythical beings? Though the very first sighting of the Loch Ness Monster date back 1,500 years ago, it has been the most wanted legend of the lake of LOCH NESS, since its first news debut on May 2, 1933. The creature really rose to fame when a 20,000 pound bounty was placed for its capture. This cryptid, a term used by cryptozoologists; or people who search or study animals whose existence is unknown, has been a lifetime winner of hide and seek.

The Loch Ness Monster has been “spotted” many times, the first in 1933 by Mr. and Ms. John Mackay. The couple explained that as they were driving along the road nearest the Loch they noticed a large creature rolling and rodding up and down against the water before it soon plunged into the deep waters of the lake. Soon after this, the world went in a craze and people were in a sure urge to discover this mythical creature. This led to people going to any and all lengths to “create” images of the cryptid, such as the infamous Surgeon’s photo of 1934.

Taken by Robert Kenneth Wilson, 1934

In April of 1960, Tim Dinsdale was able to capture what was supposedly a video of the cryptid after his six-day monster-hunt. Tim described the creature to be large mahogany, oval shaped with a dark spot on its side. With four minutes of filming, it was suspected to seem like the creature was waving a diamond shaped fin as it swam towards the shore, and slowly moving back away and plunging into the deep waters from where it first came. “Evidence” such as this video give more and more individuals more hope to find the legend and prove its reality.
 With all of the scientific and just everyday research people have done to find the truth behind this legend, there have been many stories, television shows and even movies about the Loch Ness Monster. In Scooby-Doo! And the Loch Ness Monster, the group of teenagers who travel all over solving mysteries, travel to Loch Ness of Scotland to vast Daphne’s Scottish ancestors’ home. As they are visiting, they are informed by Daphne’s cousin of the first annual Highland Games as well as how the Loch Ness Monster has been terrorizing them. Throughout the movie, the group experiences many peculiar things happening because of the Loch Ness Monster and soon enough are led to believe it to be a real creature. Towards the end of the movie, it is not only one Loch Ness Monster, but two. It is revealed that the both of the terrorizing monsters were merely a puppet and a submarine operated by two brothers of the town as a prank. In the final scene, Scooby-Doo spots what looks like the real Loch Ness Monster swimming in the lake.

 Scooby-Doo! And the Loch Ness Monster.

 With all the many movies and television shows such as this giving clues and hope that the Loch Ness Monster may be real, there could only be one way for everyone else to know for sure, REAL FACTS. I myself do think the Loch Ness Monster is real and don’t need any real evidence to clear my mind. It would be nice to have someone find the pure truth behind it all, but until then I will continue to believe in the possible myth.

Works Cited:
• “Loch Ness Monster Sighted.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, LLC. n.d. Web. 9 Oct 2015.
• Lyons, Stephen. ‘The Legend of Loch Ness.” Pbs.org. NOVA. 12 Jan 1999. Web. 9 Oct 2015.
• Lafrance, Adrienne. “Google Joins the Search for the Loch Ness Monster.” Theatlantic.com. the Atlantic Monthly Group. 20 April 2015. Web. 9 Oct 2015.
• “The Loch Ness Monster.” Dictionary of the Unexplained. Ed. Una McGovern. London: Chambers Harrap, 2007. Credo Reference. Web. 9 Oct 2015.
• Loch Ness.Photograph. Kateandtoms.com. 31 July 2014. Web. 18 Oct 2015.
• “Loch Ness Monster.” Brewer’s dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Ed. Susie Dent. London: Chambers Harrap, 2012. Credo Reference. Web. 9 Oct 2015.
• Robert Kenneth Wilson. Photograph. The Loch Ness Monster. “Surgeon’s Photograph.” 1934. Web. 18 Oct 2015.

Links for Further Research:
• Surgeon’s Photograph
 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/scotland/11545298/Loch-Ness-Monster-50-fascinating-facts.html
This article talks about 50 facts about the Loch Ness Monster and the Surgeon’s Photograph.
• Scooby-Doo! And the Loch Ness Monster (Movie)http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418141/
This video is an example of the myths behind the Loch Ness Monster and how people will go to the many lengths to create a different version of it.
• Loch Ness Monster Mystery Solvedhttp://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/loch-ness-monster-mystery-solved-6079792
This talks about someone thinking they have solved the mystery of the Loch Ness Monster.

The Chupacabra…fact or fake?

Author: Ashley Sharpe

Image from parazzare.

The chupacabra is a wretched, blood-sucking, vampire like creature who attacks helpless livestock animals in the dead of night. Ok, the chupacabra may not really be that severe, but it is a cryptid. A cryptid is a term used to refer to a creature whose existence is suggested but has never given scientific credit.

The chupacabra legend began sometime in the 1990’s when animals in Puerto Rico were turning up dead. The animals were killed by having their blood drained by what looked like a vampire bite to the neck. The owners of these animals said that the creatures were a grayish color, walked on its hind legs, and had vampire like fangs. Other locals described the creatures as looking like dogs.

Scientists concluded that these chupacabras were mearly coyotes with mites that had burrowed under the skin. This gave them the grayish mange look. So I ask you, do you believe in the chupacabra or do you believe that it is mearly a legend?

Works cited:

Viegas, Jennifer. "Chupacabra Mystery Solved." Discoverynews.com. Discovery Communications, LLC, 22 Oct. 2010. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.

“Definition of Cryptid”. Monstrous.com. n.p. n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.

http://parazzare.webs.com/photos/Mysteries/El%20Chupacabra.jpg

Links for further research:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggMWBHivne0

This is a video that gives more information about the chupacabra.

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130912/NEWS/130912024/

This is an article in which a man claims he has killed a chupacabra.

Dinosaurs on Prehistoric Island

Author: Catherine Puett 

 Dinosaurs were last seen on earth 65 million years ago. Or did they? In Papua, New Guinea an eyewitness saw a large creature that looked like dinosaur with a reptile tail and with a dog like head. Papua is a small village on a volcanic island. The village is somewhat prehistoric, but this village is also superstitious. On many counts the villagers have stated that they saw the creature or that it was coming after them so they couldn’t get a good look at them. Villagers and police have searched for this dinosaur like creature, but have had no luck finding it and taking a picture to prove it. Villagers also of this island go into the jungle searching for it to prove that they are not crazy. A newspaper from Sydney, Australia said that it could be a cryptic Iguanodon. Police stated in this newspaper that they went into the sacred jungle and found no results of a dinosaur living there. Even though the newspaper had an eyewitness there was nothing for them to do, but an iguanodon is a dinosaur that had a hard, conical spike on each thumb. 

 Even though Papua only had one eyewitness give a statement it is said that this creature is still roaming the island and the mayor thinks it would be a good tourist attraction. The Independent newspaper of Papua, New Guinea reported that a "dinosaur-like reptile" was seen on two occasions in the Lake Murray area, in Western Province (Dinosaurs..). This newspaper is from 1999 and no one in particular was willing to state exactly what the dinosaur looked like other than it was reptile like. This dinosaur is known for showing up occasionally only for the villagers. People all over the world come to Papua, New Guinea searching for this creature. Researchers are mostly the only group that is willing to go to the “sacred” island in search for the creature. Sometimes if the villagers allow them to search the Mayor of the small village will show them the bones that were found. The villagers are hoping someday that they iguanodon will be proven still alive. Also, the mayor is hoping to prove that the iguanodon is still alive so that they can get more attractions to this prehistoric island. It still has not been proven that this dinosaur does not roam this island, but it has not been proven that the dinosaur is even alive to this day.

Works cited:

Dinosaurs

. The Independent (Papua New Guinea), December 30, 1999, p. 6.

Elizabeth, Jamie. "Interesting Facts about Papua New Guinea." Helium. Helium, 21 May 2010. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. <http://www.helium.com/items/1839358-papua-new-guinea-history>.

"Iguanodon: Dinosaurs of Questionable Class." Discovery Channel. Discovery Communications, 2012. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. 

Links for Further Research:

helium

http://www.helium.com/items/1839358-papua-new-guinea-history

This website gives great facts on the island that this dinosaur was sighted on.

TrueAuthority

http://www.trueauthority.com/cryptozoology/newguineaprnt.htm

This website summarizes the witness statements that have been given in the past about the Iguanodon.

Sydney Morning Herald

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/12/1078594554726.html

The Sydney Morning Herald is a newspaper of a city near Papua that interviewed the eyewitness of the Iguanodon. 

Burrunjor

Author: Breona White

A Burrunjor is a bipedal between 20-30 feet tall and is 3 toed, scaly skinned and Tyrannosaurus Rex like cryptic. It has 2 short arms like the Tyrannosaurus. The Burrunjor is said to resemble the Theropod dinosaurs and is believed to be a carnivorous animal. The Burrunjor is mostly seen in the Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is said that the Burrunjor is based off a giant lizard “Megalania prisca. (Gilroy)” “The Megalania prisca, the largest terrestrial lizard known, was a giant goanna (monitor lizard)” (Mussuer). The Megalania is around 5 meters long and could be found around the southern Australian coast. The Burrunjor is most likely originated from Aboriginal  oral tradition.

The Aboriginals are tribes in the Australia region. “They are believed to have lived in Australia for between 60,000 and 40,000 years, their early ancestors coming from South-East Asia” (Dunlop ). There are around 500 different aboriginal tribes in Australia each with their own language. “There were many myths and rituals connected to both the tribe's ancestors and the creators of the world, none of whom ever died but merged with the natural world and thus remained a part of the present” (Dunlop). Some of those myths are the stories of the Burrunjor and it’s sightings.

There are many stories that are told till this day of the Burrunjor. One of a man who went into the woods and got lost; he was being tracked by policemen and two aboriginals. They woke up one night to a loud thunderous sound and the ground shaking. The policemen later told the man that if he ever went back into the woods and got lost that they would not come looking for him. He would not tell what exactly he saw, because he said that nobody would believe him. The most recent sighting of the Burrunjor was in 1985 by a modern day family, who were going to a Roper River Mission. They reported that the monster was around 20ft. tall. The family said that they didn’t stick around to stay and left immediately. Another sighting was in 1950’s: “Back in 1950, cattlemen lost stock to some mysterious beast that left the mutilated, half-eaten remains of cows and bulls in its wake over a wide area, stretching between the border country and Burketown. Searchers on horseback found huge reptilian tracks of some bipedal-walking beast. They followed these three-toed tracks with their cattle dogs through some rough jungle terrain until they entered swampland beyond which was more dense scrub. However, it was at this point that the cattle dogs became uneasy and ran off. The horses were also uneasy and obviously did not want to cross the swamp. While most of the cattlemen decided their animals knew best, two men set off on foot with their carbines. The story goes that they soon came across further tracks in an open area beyond the swamp. While his mate searched about, the other man briefly spotted the dark form of an enormous creature, perhaps 30ft in height, further off in dense timber. The men left the scene in haste” ("Webnode").

Burrunjor

Further Research:

Australian Museum

http://australianmuseum.net.au/Megalania-prisca

This website has information on the Megalania, which is what the Burrunjor is supposed to be originated from.

Truedinos

http://truedinos.webnode.com/cryptozoology/land-cryptids/

This website has all types of cryptic dinosaurs, which would be useful for anyone comparing cryptids.

The Cryptozoologist

http://thecryptozoologist.webs.com/apps/blog/show/15608929-kasai-rex-burrunjor-and-mini-t-rex-evidence-of-surviving-carnivorous-dinosaurs-part-2

This website has plenty of information on the Burrunjor.