What is Cryptozoology? The Discovery of the Montauk Monster Brings Fringe Science to the Forefront

Cryptozoology literally means "the study of hidden animals." It is concerned with two main focuses: finding living examples of animals that are thought to be extinct, and finding examples of animals that exist outside the current taxonomic records. The first focus is concerned with finding living examples of things like dinosaurs, saber-toothed tigers, or dodo birds. The coelacanth, a fish that comes from an order that was long thought to have been extinct, was discovered in 1938 off the coast of South Africa, is an example of this branch of cryptozoology at work.

But, it is the second focus is the one that gets more people's interest. This branch of cryptozoology is concerned with finding the animals that lie outside of our current classifications - those "mythological beasts" that are rumored to exist, but are rarely seen. Creatures like Bigfoot, the chupacabra, the Loch Ness monster, the New Jersey devil, and the monster-of-the-moment, the Montauk Monster. These animals are called cryptids.

This branch of cryptozoology is not granted as much credibility as the first one. The search for these legendary animals is often relegated to researchers on the fringe of accepted science.

Many followers of this side of cryptozoology believe that human expansion into parts of the Earth that previously saw no humans could have sent many of the unique fauna of those regions into hiding or into more remote parts of the land. They say that these animals are so rare, and so wary of man, that they are difficult, if not almost impossible, to find. They also suppose that creature such as Bigfoot may be intelligent enough to actively avoid anyone who might discover their lairs.

These explorers of the unknown also use as proof the fact that species previously unknown to man are often discovered in remote regions such as the Amazon rain forest. New species of insect and arachnid are occasionally found. Why, then, could we mot come across a creature bigger and more "exciting," they ask.

The Montauk Monster adds another piece to the puzzle - that of genetically engineer animals. Many are suspicious about the fact that the Plum Island Animal Disease Center is just off the coast of Long Island, N.Y., not far from where the Montauk Monster was found. Plum Island is a federal research facility that looks into foreign animal diseases. Many also suspect that there are more nefarious experiments going on at Plum Island, and that the Montauk Monster is either an escaped experiment that perished, or one that died in the lab and was poorly disposed of.

It is very likely that the Montauk Monster will turn out to be nothing more than a decomposing pig or raccoon photographed at an odd angle. But for the time being, cryptozoologists of all stripes are eagerly awaiting any news of what this new find may, or may not, be.