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What is cryptozoology ?
Cryptozoology is a scientific discipline which is not (not yet ?) taught in our universities, although it should be done.
Historically, the word "cryptozoology" has been created in the late 1950s by zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans (figure 1) to speak of the kind of research he was doing since 1948.
Figure 1 : Bernard HeuvelmansIt should however be emphasized that American-Scottish naturalist Ivan T. Sanderson had also, quite independantly, created the word "cryptozoology" before Bernard Heuvelmans re-creates it, as Heuvelmans himself recognized it in the first edition of his book on the sea-serpent (1965) :
"When he [Sanderson] was still a student in Cambridge, he invented the word "cryptozoology" or the science of hidden animals, which I was ingenuously to re-coin more recently, without knowing his priority." (Heuvelmans 1965 : 580).
Curiously enough, this passage has been omitted in the second, updated edition (1975).
The first published mention of this neologism was in 1959 in a booklet by Lucien Blancou, Géographie Cynégétique du Monde, where the author wrote in the dedication (Blancou 1959) :"To Bernard Heuvelmans, master of "cryptozoology", respectful and friendly homage."Bernard Heuvelmans, a doctor in zoology, was born in 1916, and is considered since as "the father of cryptozoology". He is the author of numerous articles and books on these questions (see : Some bibliographical data).
What is cryptozoology ?
Etymologically, the word has been coined by Bernard Heuvelmans from the Greek roots zoon (animal), logos (discourse), and the prefix kryptos (hidden) : if zoology is "the science of animals", cryptozoology is, from the etymolocal point of view, "the science of hidden animals".
More precisely, Bernard Heuvelmans intended to create a methodology in order to track dwon systematically (and not by luck) animal species or sub-species still unknown to science, but the existence of which can be established on testimonial evidence (sightings), circumstancial evidence (undirect evidence), or even autoptical evidence (which everybody can see) but considered unsufficient by some.Nowadays, the word "cryptozoology" can be found in scientific articles, and even in some encyclopedias. For instance, the Quillet dictionary gives the following definition, written by Jean-Jacques Barloy (1968) :
"cryptozoology : Science which aims to study objectively the case for animals only known from witnesses' accounts, anatomical pieces or photographs of questionable value (Snowman, ameranthropoide, Sea-Serpent, various "monsters") ; illustrated in France by Bernard Heuvelmans's books."Bernard Heuvelmans himself only gave a precise definition of cryptozoology much more recently (Heuvelmans 1988) :
"The scientific study of hidden animals, i.e., of still unknown animal forms about which only testimonial and circumstantial evidence is available, or material evidence considered insufficient by some."The research for species or sub-species still unknown to science implies that the survival of animals considered extinct in historical times is not relevant to cryptozoology stricto sensu : for instance, the late survival of the Steller's sea-cow (Hydrodamalis gigas, supposed to have become extinct in 1768), of the great auck (Alca impennis, supposed to have become extinct in 1844), or even of the thylacine or marsupial wolf of Tasmania (Thylacinus cynocephalus, supposed to have become extinct in 1932), despite their interest for cryptozoology, remain zoological "affairs", as their recent existence is not questionable. On the other hand, the present survival of Neanderthal men in Central Asia is relevant to cryptozoology, as they are believed to have become extinct about 40,000 years ago, and as the status of a sub-species (at the very least) is given to such "living fossils".
The fortuitous discovery of new species is no more relevant to cryptozoology : discovering dozens new insects in a tropical forest after spreading an insecticide has nothing to do with cryptozoology. The main aim of cryptozoology is to anticipate the discoveries to come (isntead of hoping a lucky event), by collecting all the available data prior to the discovery, allowing to establish the possible existence of a still undescribed animal form.
How can we know unknown animals ?
Pretending to study scientifically unknown animals may seem paradoxical. It should be emphasized that the knowledge of an animal, even a well-"known" one, is never perfect : to give an example, we still wonder how cats purr...
With regards to the apparently unknown animals, with which cryptozoology is concerned, five great categories can be recognized from the available information on them, allowing to suppose their existence. By the way, the admitted species can also be classified in these categories :type 1 : animals known from native tradition, i.e. a "print" in the collective memory.
Most mystery animals dealing relevant to cryptozoology are known by tradition, and therefore possess a vernacular name (or several ones) among the natives. It should be emphasized that many "classified" animals belong to this category : most people known the wolf or the bear, for instance, more by tradition than by any other means...
Artistic representations of animals also fall into this category, unless they are directly related to an actual observation, thus relevant to the following category.type 2 : animals known by witness' account, i.e. a "print" in any of the five human senses.
We indeed possess visual information (when the animal is observed), as well as auditive (when it is heard crying, whistling... or just moving), olfactive (when it is smelt), tactile (when it is touched), and even gustative (when it is eaten).type 3 : animals known by interaction with matter, i.e. a physical "print".
Tracks and trails (print on the ground), photographies and movies (print on a pellicule), sonar echoes (electronic print ), injury marks (claw, tooth... print), hybridization marks (genetic print), evidence of symbiosis with another species or modification of the environment (ecological print), etc.type 4 : animals known by anatomical fragments.
Hears, feathers, fur, bone fragments, excrements, blood drops, tissue samples, etc.type 5 : animals known by an actual complet specimen.
One could believe that cryptozoology is not concerned with this categorie, but there are indeed some controversial species relevant to cryptozoology, although they have been described from a specimen : for instance, the pygmy elephant (Loxodonta pumilio).
Bibliography
BARLOY, Jean-Jacques
1968 Cryptozoologie. Dictionnaire Encyclopédique Quillet, 2 : 1622.BLANCOU, Lucien
1959 Géographie cynégétique du monde. Paris, Presses Univesitaires de France, collection Que-Sais-Je ? n° 807 : 4.HEUVELMANS, Bernard
1965 Le Grand Serpent-de-Mer — Le problème zoologique et sa solution. Paris, Plon.
1988 The sources and methods of cryptozoological research. Cryptozoology, 7 : 1-21.
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