WELCOME TO THE CFZ BLOG NETWORK: COME AND JOIN THE FUN

Half a century ago, Belgian Zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans first codified cryptozoology in his book On the Track of Unknown Animals.

The Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) are still on the track, and have been since 1992. But as if chasing unknown animals wasn't enough, we are involved in education, conservation, and good old-fashioned natural history! We already have three journals, the largest cryptozoological publishing house in the world, CFZtv, and the largest cryptozoological conference in the English-speaking world, but in January 2009 someone suggested that we started a daily online magazine! The CFZ bloggo is a collaborative effort by a coalition of members, friends, and supporters of the CFZ, and covers all the subjects with which we deal, with a smattering of music, high strangeness and surreal humour to make up the mix.

It is edited by CFZ Director Jon Downes, and subbed by the lovely Lizzy Bitakara'mire (formerly Clancy), scourge of improper syntax. The daily newsblog is edited by Corinna Downes, head administratrix of the CFZ, and the indexing is done by Lee Canty and Kathy Imbriani. There is regular news from the CFZ Mystery Cat study group, and regular fortean bird news from 'The Watcher of the Skies'. Regular bloggers include Dr Karl Shuker, Dale Drinnon, Richard Muirhead and Richard Freeman.The CFZ bloggo is updated daily, and there's nothing quite like it anywhere else. Come and join us...

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Sunday, November 07, 2010

MUIRHEAD`S MYSTERIES:A SNAKE HAS BABIES WITHOUT MATING

The following story appeared in the Metro free paper and elsewhere on Thursday, November 4th 2010:

Virgin snake has babies: A female snake has twice given birth to offspring without mating, experts say. The boa constrictor produced 22 babies that have no father. Even more unusual is that the genetic make-up of the babies is unlike any previously recorded among vertebrates, the group which includes almost all animals with a backbone. The captive-born female boa constrictor gave birth at the same time as being housed with four male snakes but DNA tests showed none was the father. That confirmed the first instance of a known virgin birth among boa snakes. ` The results may require scientists to take another look at reptile production,` said Warren Booth, a geneticist at North State University. Asexual reproduction in snakes reproduction in snakes could be more common than thought, he added.` (1)

This story also appeared in HerpDigest vol. 10 issue 47 which said this situation has occurred amongst captive Komodo dragons and insects.

1. Metro. November 4th 2010.

Thanks friends for all birthday greetings. In a strange coincidence, The Guardian`s archive column for Nov. 5th 2010 consisted of a report of Nov. 5th 1966 (the day I was born) on the Surrey Puma.


THE ALARM DEVOLOUTION WORKING MAN`S BLUES

I`m a man
Torn in two
State and Nation
I`ve got to chose
For on these streets
That I spit upon
There`s no money in my pocket
No soles on my shoes
Ain`t got no religion
But the working man blues…
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