NEWS CFZ EXPEDITION TAKES PLACE WITHOUT OUR KNOWLEDGE

http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/4508477.Swimmer_hit_by__monster__wake/

A BIZARRE swimming incident on Windermere coincided with the announcement that a team of paranormal investigators will plumb the lake’s depths in search of a giant creature.
Thomas Noblett, 46, was swimming the lake this week when he was suddenly swamped by a three-foot wave of unknown origin.

A spate of eyewitness sightings reported by The Gazette during 2006-2007 described a 50-foot long serpent-like animal surfacing on Windermere.

Psychic Dean ‘Midas’ Maynard, who came to prominence by accurately predicting sports score lines and X factor winners, will join The Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ), in the hunt for the beast in September....

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I can exclusively announce that...

...I have no idea what these people are talking about.

This September Max, Corinna and I shall be in Ireland, following the yellow brick road and Richard, Chris Clark et al will hopefully be oop t'Jungle (an announcement will be made at the WW). I have not actually heard of Dean "Midas" Maynard, and although it is perfectly valid CFZ policy to go drinking with wizards, it is not CFZ policy to publically ally ourselves with TV psychics. Some bloke telephoned Richard the other week to ask about the results of our 2006/7 Lake District investigations. He asked Richard if he would join in some new investigation, and Richard was non-committal, though he wished him luck. I can only suppose that it is the same person. Richard did not commit because of financial constraints and because (as I hint above) a new expedition is in the offing.

I think Dean should have forseen that.

PURELY FOR OLIVIA

Both my darling stepdaughters are very dear to me. Olivia, the youngest, now lives in mine and Richard's old home in Exeter, and asked for a pair of small, tropical freshwater shrimp as a graduation present. The `Graduation Shrimp` were promptly purchased, and installed in the aquarium that currently holds our nascent colony of Heterandaria formosa - the seventh smallest fish in the world.

Knowing Olivia's tastes in peculiarly sweet aquatic life, therefore, here is a piglet squid...

"Meet Smiling Mr. Squidlet"

"He could almost be a new Mr Men character with his rotund shape, cute curls and shy smile. But this is really a piglet squid caught in a rare image on camera. His tentacles made what looks like a mop of curly hair over his large eyes while his skin patterns created a grin. The small squid, which is the size of a large orange, is normally found more than 320ft (100m) below the ocean surface, meaning little is known of its behaviour. Measuring just 4in in length the species has unusual pigmentation and acquired its name from its tuft of arms and tentacles, and rotund shape. Because of its deep water habit, little is known of the behaviour of the squid, although not surprisingly, judging by its body shape, it is known to be a sluggish swimmer.

Properly called Helicocranchia pfefferi, the animals are also noted for the light producing organs known as photophores located beneath each of their large eyes. This specimen was collected by the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro, California, where director Mike Schaat managed to capture it on film."

FINALLY MIKE AND GREG WARNER RELEASE SOME FILM FROM THEIR EXPEDITION TO PERU IN SEARCH OF GIANT SNAKES

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday’s News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

It’s Friday so I make it Fact Friday o’clock, so here’s the fact of the week:

Rather than the female sitting on their eggs to keep them warm, as is the case with most poultry, the Puedam hen hands over all egg care to the rooster who keeps the eggs in natural pockets on his oversized comb.

And now the news:

Goat's Crowning As King Of Ireland In Doubt
Girl hit by plummeting tortoise loses memory
Rare tortoise could become father
Zoo breeds 'extinct' fish species
Wild camels 'genetically unique'
Human Stabbed a Neanderthal, Evidence Suggests
New Discovery Suggests Trees Evolved Camouflage Defense Against Long Extinct Predator

‘Tree’mendous fun, eh readers?

MORE TERATOLOGICAL TURTLES

This is rapidly turning out to be the year of the teratological turtles. Yesterday we posted a bizarre halved turtle, and now we have a partial albino softshell:

IT MAY look more like your Christmas turkey just before it goes into the oven, but this milky white creature is actually a rare white turtle.

The creature, whose creamy colour is offset by a few hints of pink, was discovered by the bank of the Yellow River in Henan province, China.

White turtles have a special place in Chinese culture, as the classic novel Journey from the West features an entity from Heaven who is turned into one of the animals after performing ill deeds.

However, unlike the character in the tale, this white turtle won't be ferrying any people across rivers: it is just 40cm long and 6.5kg

AN INTERVIEW WITH GREG AND MIKE WARNER

I haven't heard hide nor hair of Mike and Greg Warner since we posted their `expedition report` on the 23rd June. I have not seen their video report, or anything else. This morning, however, we received this - it is an interview with them from a Northern Irish radio station...

ANOTHER HONG KONG MYSTERY ANIMAL

As you may know, Richard Muirhead and I have been working on a project on the mystery animals of Hong Kong for many years. He recently sent me this posting from the Hong Kong Outdoors forum:

Returned to Sam A. Wan for an overnight this weekend. I wanted more time to explore the coves, snorkel, and dry off. I was also interested in the nightlife, having previously seen a mongoose here, and many guidebooks mentioning this as the best area for mammals. Stayed at the campsite till an approaching (but never arriving) thunderstorm sent me scurrying to the ferry pier pagoda at about 2130hrs. The nightwalk was fun, seeing two snakes but not even hearing anything else.

A small rat-snake slithered across in front, and a 2.5ft bamboo pit viper who loved the concrete at the pagoda. Took a good hour to get him to leave. I wanted him to make his own way off, but really needed to settle down and take my eyes off him. So he was coaxed away. He liked that pagoda and circled around, came back, and bit my walking stick 5 times before he eventually made off permanently through the grass. It broke my heart but I just couldn't have him around when I was going to hammock-up there all night. Now for the strange part... I'll start by saying I have seen, both up close and distant, many wild boar. And it was a full and bright moon, which provided a lovely reflective glass view of the bay and mountains.

Upon arriving at the pier, a pale (in the moonlight) sheep-sized creature ran off the stony mangrove beach whilst grunting, huffing and growling at me. Size- and shape-wise it didn't seem like a wild boar, nor did it sound like one, and too fat for a muntjac. The paleness also confused me. I hoped it would come back, and put it behind me as it was impossible to identify. I set up the hammock (apologies to the villager whose rope I used, I forgot to put it back next morning, but it would have been very easy to find), so as to get a view of the surroundings.

A bull ambled past. Got the binoculars out and settled in. Almost immediately my first scan of the adjacent shoreline revealed a large mammal. First thought was 'dog'. Never thought 'boar' till I had no options left. Now this is going to sound silly, but it was a bear-like creature with thick fur that shone in the moonlight. The legs were thick, unlike a dog or boar, and it perambled along, bear-like. I watched this for about 10mins at a distance of 100m in the moonlight as it snuffed along the beach looking for morsels before entering the scrubline and dissapearing. I am completely unsure of any identification, and will not even attempt it. It has to have been wild boar, but my mind just will not agree. As far as I am concerned, keep it quiet and let it be. But if anyone wishes to investigate they may. The creature was aware of me and though initially startled came back quite soon. Maybe some smuggled pet has either escaped off the smuggling boat or been set free? I must save up and either get night vision or photo-trap. These night walks are frustrating the hell out of me.