Texas Coyote Folklore

An outdoors columnist discusses stories of giant coyotes in east Texas. (News source.)

Illinois Cougar

More sightings of large brown cats here.

Yucca Valley Canid

A strange canine seen in Yucca Valley, California, is likely a mangy coyote. (News source.)

"Dino" Sightings in PNG

Creation Ministries International has published an article by an Australian man who collected sighting reports of large reptile-like (or dinosaur-like) creatures in PNG.

OT: Auditory Synesthesia

Interesting research here on individuals who "hear" movement.

Big Cat Allegations

An Ohio couple think that a cougar visits their property. "They describe the animal as a large, long-tailed tawny cat, with rounded ears and body about 3 feet long from chest to tail. It weighed '75 pounds . . . maybe a little more.'" (News source.)

Livestock on a New York farm has been killed, and the farmer thinks it may have been a cougar. DEC thinks it was a coyote. (News source.)

Australian "Big Cat" Sightings

Stories from near Berowra Heights and from the South Australia/Victoria border (I haven't looked on a map -- they may or may not be the same region).

SC Feline Sightings

Sightings of cougar and black felines in South Carolina noted here.

Smallest Snake Discovered

A tiny threadsnake discovered in Barbados appears to be the smallest snake species as yet discovered. Adults average just under four inches in length. (News source.)

New Zealand Moose?

Recent hair samples given to a NZ Wildlife Forensics lab suggest that introduced moose might still survive in New Zealand forests. (News source.)

Univ. MD "Cougar" Isn't

Police think the feline spotted on University of Maryland's campus was not a cougar, but a "savannah cat," a serval-domestic cat hybrid. This is based on video, which I've not seen, (and I don't see it on the UMD police department website, though reported there by the news). I don't know how accurate the identification is; it's fairly common for a simplistic exotic solution to be "jumped on" by authorities when the evidence is vague. Might just be a large patterned domestic cat, sans hybridization. Of course, in comments on the story, most will overlook the "hybrid" part of the explanation, and freak out over the "African wild cat" part.

Ontario: Cougar Sighting?

A big tan cat is reported roaming around Lambton... (News source.)

Search for Moe Called Off

With no luck so far, the California search for the missing chimpanzee has been postponed until further sightings appear. (News source.)

Snubfin Dolphins Filmed

A group of the recently described snubfin dolphin was filmed off Australia's northwest coast. (News source.)

Genetic testing (via dart gun) is being done; there seems to be some speculation that this group may represent a new subspecies or even a new related species. (News source.)

BioFortean Review

New article is available:

An Account of a North American Bipedal Reptile from Wyoming

Saola

Smithsonian Magazine has an article on the saola.

U MD Cougar?

A big light brown cat was spotted on the University of Maryland campus. (News source.)

Yeti Hair Update

From the news:

"Ape expert Ian Redmond, who is coordinating the research, said they had ruled out the hairs belonging to Asiatic black bears, macaque monkeys, humans, dogs, and wild boar." ...
"Zoe Forbes, a spokesman for Oxford Brookes, said: 'The testing of the hairs is a three-stage process, involving microscopic analysis, analysis under a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and then the extraction of DNA.
"'The SEM analysis is also taking place at Brookes, but if it confirms the original findings, the hairs will be sent to other laboratories for DNA extraction.'"

New Species of Fungus-Eating Ants

They like their mushrooms... (News source.)