PARANORMAL & MONSTER LEGENDS

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

BUNYIP



The Aborigines Dreamtime stories of creation were full of fantastic and magical beasts; the Bunyip was one of the beasts. In Dreamtime the Bunyip was a spirit, which inhabited river, lakes, swamps, and billabongs (former parts of rivers that were left behind when the course of the river was altered). Like other beasts in Dreamtime, the Bunyip was malevolent towards human beings. The Bunyip would defend it's watery home from all who invaded it, normally devouring the invader. At night the Bunyip was said to go and prey upon women and children. Because the Bunyip was such a threat to the Aborigines of the time whenever its terrifying bellowing cry was heard Aborigines steered clear of any water sources.


Australian stamp commemorating the bunyip  
To the Aborigines the Bunyip was a beast of many different shapes and sizes. Some Bunyips were covered in feathers; some even had scales like crocodiles. Common features in most Aboriginal drawings of Bunyips are a horse-like tail, flippers, and tusks like the ones found on walruses. Modern Bunyip

The settler's view of the Bunyip varies greatly from that of the Aborigines. Whereas the Dreamtime Bunyip was a fierce man-killer, the more modern view sees them are herbivorous grazing animals. The Aborigine's fear of Bunyip can probably be traced back to a known aquatic man-killer, the saltwater crocodile. Settlers also report two different kinds of Bunyips. The more common of the two has a dog-like face and a long shaggy coat. The second and more rare of the Bunyips is the reported to have a long maned neck, as well as a shaggy coat. As to not create confusion between the two Bunyips; the common Bunyip will be called the Dog-faced Bunyip, and the rarer Bunyip will be called the Long-necked Bunyip.


A sketch on the bunyip by Giorgio Tarditi  
Range
The Dog-faced Bunyip is commonly thought to inhabit lakes and rivers in New South Wales, Victoria, and Australian Capital Territory. There have also been a few Dog-Faced Bunyip sightings on the off shore island state of Tasmania. Reports of the Long-necked Bunyip have only come from New South Wales. No mystery animals fitting the description of the Bunyip have come from Iran Jaya or Papua New Guinea. Sightings

Most sightings of the Bunyip occurred during the 19th century, with a few sighting in the past century. One morning in November 1821, E.S. Hall saw a Dog-faced Bunyip with jet-black hair in the marsh running into Lake Bathurst South, New South Wales.

In 1847 a young herdsmen saw a Long-necked Bunyip grazing while he was looking for some cows in a flooded area. A local settler, George Hobler, reported the young herdsman's story to the Sydney Morning Herald. According to the report made Hobler:

"It was about as big as a six months' old calf, of a dark brown colour, a long neck, and long pointed head; it had large ears which pricked up when it perceived him (the herdsmen); had a thick mane of hair from the head down the neck, and two large tusks. He turned to run away, and this creature equally alarmed ran off too, and from glance he took at it he describes it as having an awkward shambling gallop; the forequarters of the animal were very large in proportion to the hindquarters, and it had a large tail."
He took two men to the place next morning to look for its track, which they described as broad and square, somewhat like what the spread hand of a man would make in soft muddy ground.


The Bunyip from Aborigines Dreamtime stories of creation  
In 1852 a Dog-faced Bunyip was observed in Lake Tiberias, Tasmania. It was described as being 4 to 4½ feet long, with a head like a bulldog and black shaggy fur. While rowing across Great Lake, Tasmania, Charles Headlam and a friend almost bumped into a Dog-faced Bunyip. They described it as being about the size of a fully-grown sheepdog, and having two small wing-like flippers. The Bunyip stayed at the top of the water until it swam out of view.

In 1872 three men watched a Dog-faced Bunyip swimming in Midgeon Lagoon, New South Wales for about a half-hour. One of the men gave the following first-hand description to the Wagga Wagga Advertiser: Half as long again as an ordinary retriever dog; the hair all over its body was jet-black and shining, its coat was very long, the hair spreading out on the surface of the water for about 5 inches, and floating loosely as the creature rose and fell by its own motion. I could not detect any tail, and the hair about its head was too long and glossy to admit of my seeing its eyes; the ears were well marked.

In 1886 some horsemen were fording a river near Canberra reported seeing a Dog-faced Bunyip, which was about the size of a dog and had a white coat. They threw stones at the Bunyip until it was out of sight. A similar beast was shot at in New South Wales; it retreated into a lagoon and was said to make a grunting sound. Then in 1890 an expedition by the Melbourne Zoo failed to capture a Bunyip commonly seen in the Euroa district near Victoria. Bernard Heuvelmans reports Bunyip sightings from as recently as 1932 near large hydroelectric dams in Tasmania. The Line Up

Now that we've gone over the different sightings of the Bunyip we must ask ourselves if it truly exists as evidence suggests, then what is it?


A Diprotodon skeleton, an ancient marsupial that resembles the bunyip  
Prehistoric Survivor
It seems that there is one extinct animal out there to explain every cryptid now days. The Bunyip is no exception. Diprotodons were large rhino sized plant eating marsupials, which went extinct about 10,000 years ago. Since nearly everything in Australia is a marsupial, why not the Bunyip? Much like the modern view of the Bunyip, the diprotodon was a grazing animal. Lifestyle wise it has been compared to modern cattle, rhinos, and tapirs.

Officially there is only one known species of diprotodon (Diprotodon australis) and it is unclear if it was a somewhat aquatic animal. Although some researchers believe that if diprotodon did survive then it evolved into something like a marsupial hippo. If this is true then a diprotodon could indeed be a Bunyip. Appearance wise the diprotodon is similar to the Bunyip. It had a face somewhat like that of a dog, as well as a somewhat shaggy coat; both major traits of the Bunyip. So could the Bunyip be a diprotodon? Yes, but first we would have to accept the fact that diprotodons survived and evolved into a hippo-like animal. That alone could be a hard theory to stomach.

Wayward or New Seal
Of all the animals that frequent Australia, seals fit the description of the Bunyip the best. Researchers have used the seal to explain the Bunyip in one of two ways. The first of these theories seems the more likely one. This is the theory that seals worked their way into the interior lakes and swamps through rivers. Then people who are not use to seeing seals misidentify them for the Bunyip. The second and more radical of the two theories is that long ago seals did work their way into the interior, but somehow became trapped. Eventually these trapped seals adapted to their freshwater conditions, and fur coats would eventually replace their blubber. If we accept this theory then it could also explain the Bunyip.

As stated earlier the first seal theory does seem the more likely of the two. The fact that most Bunyips are seeing swimming in the water and only their heads are visible strengthens the misidentified seal theory. But it is those few land sightings of Bunyips, which proves that not all sightings are of just seals. The search for the Bunyip's identity continues.


A modern art sculpture of the bunyip  
Man In the Swamp
It is thought that most of the sightings of Bunyips from the early parts of the 20th century were of nothing more then fugitives hiding in the swamps and billabongs. The billabongs were a prime area to hide from the long arm of the law, since they are such inhospitable places. Those hiding there were called swaggies, whenever they heard something coming their way they would take cover under the water. Once they thought the coast was clear they would rise up out the water, normally covered in muck and weeds. Anyone who was still around would most certainly be frightened by the whole ordeal and run off. So some Bunyips weren't Bunyips at all just men hiding in the billabongs. Just like the seal theory, not all Bunyip reports can be written off as nothing more than swaggies. Conclusion

The Bunyip is one of those animals that can't just be written off as myth. The fact that reports of them go back to the Dreamtime stories proves this, the sightings by settlers strengthens it. What we have is a genuine mystery aquatic animal here, or should I say we did. With the lack of reports in recent years it seems the Bunyip may have gone extinct. If this is true then it will be a great tragedy to cryptozoology. Here is a truly magnificent animal that may have gone extinct before its existence was even proven. Until a dedicated researcher comes along, and is willing to waste money and man-hours searching will we discover the truth behind the story of the Bunyip.

[Toy Ranch]

If Bigfoot does exist, and I believe he does, I hope no-one never finds him/them, because when they do, every Tom,Dick, and Harry
will scower the woodlands killing everyone of them, just have a Trophy on the wall.
Or they will be captured and viewed by the public in Zoos, Carnival Freakshows,Circus,etc.

I want a pet Bigfoot in my back yard.  I want to manipulate his DNA to make clone little bigfeet so I can sell them as pets and make a fortune.

Of course, I want to do that with elephants too.  Wouldn't it be cool to have a pet elephant the size of a medium sized dog?

[Paul L]

My point is very much that it's not an Either/Or issue. In fact, the concept that Faith/Reason, Science/Religion, Known World/Unknown World should be mortal enemies is a relatively new one in history (stupid, that.)

I could not agree more, that there are extremists on both sides of the debate (a pox on both their houses!)

But when those at the one extreme say, "we can't quantify it - so it is not real,"  THAT is a misuse of the Scientific Method: formulating final theory before (admittedly!) having the data to do so.

Best,
-Craig W.

My thoughts as well.

[mike c]

That was emphatically not an attack on my part. And I know Doyle was not without his... failings? (Who of us is?)

No worries, I never thought it was Craig. I was using it, along with Paul's point, as a spring board for further thought.

I bring up Doyle's quirks mostly for levity, but there's no doubt that he blindly accepted many ridiculous beliefs, and while that doesn't make him any less human than anyone else, it does color his comments on critical thinking and investigation.

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

http://www.ghostresearch.org/ghostpics/

[packy120353]

I want a Bunyip in my billabong

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

I want a Bunyip in my billabong

Sounds to me, you already had too much

[Unknown Primate]

Toy Ranch, I'm just picturing the miniature elephants & bigfoot running around together.  Would you make them affordable to the general public or would they be strictly for the snobbish elite?

" Oh James!  Would you be a dear and clean up Little Jumbo's mess? "

Little Jumbo... now, that's an oxymoron!

[Wicked Lester]

I know I stated it in my first response (I think) but I DO go with logic/reason/science first. If that works I just say "Ok,that was weird but I understand how that could happen. Now when you are watching a movie in your den and the small lamp on the end table bumps your elbow a few times and you place it back several times it gets annoying. Then the last time it bumps you and you say "KNOCK IT THE F### OFF" and the damn thing launches a couple feet to the floor THAT gets unnerving.
Perhaps some of us are just more "intuned" to this stuff than others. The more intelligent domestic animals can pick up on these things as well as oncoming bad weather quicker than humans.
I fully understand why some people believe all this is B.S. Why,because they have not EXPERIENCED it and they are too grounded in the here and now.
I remember crashing out at my soon to be wifes house and being woken up in the middle of the night to footsteps pacing from the dining room to the living room and back again. I thought it was a break in and alerted my girl and grabbed a pipe I kept by the bed. She told me not to worry it was just her dad making his rounds. He died in the house of cancer a couple years before. I had come home from work to the same house to see his favorite chair rocking to and fro like he had just got up from it. It wasn't the dogs possibly jumping off it. I heard them barking outside. Just a couple more of those "Things that make ya go,hmmm."

I have literally between myself/friends and family members multiple dozens of stories like the above.
If there is interest I can post a couple here and there as time permits. I type about 20-25 WPM so it takes awhile. LMK.
And as previously stated I could have SO gone the religion route as far as acceptable belief patterns
   but abstained for obvious reasons. Lets keep this thread civil and on the paranormal/aliens/cryptozoo level. At least on the board. PMs throwing all that out the window are accepted by me anyway.
 

[Unknown Primate]

Lester, Master Of Wickedness, I for one, would enjoy reading more stories.  I know what you mean about utilizing logic as your first tool of detection.  In my house, growing up, we investigated every little pop, bump & noise and 98% of the time, we could write it off as not paranormal.  It's that weird little two percent that gets ya.  Even then, we weren't always convinced.  I guess there are fine lines between coincidence, happenstance & the just plain strange.  And in your case, it sounds like the percentage is much higher as possibly (or probably) being true supernatural events.

I enjoy GHOST HUNTERS and practically anything paranormal on the tube, but it kills me when someone claims a door shuts by itself, then the TAPS gang tests it out and debunks it easily.  I mean, the FIRST thing I would do is check out any and everything I could to see if there was a natural reason for the door closing on it's own.  Ghost investigators talk about places with naturally occuring high EMF readings affecting one's state of mind, causing hallucinations, feelings of dread or being watched, etc.  In the backyard of the house I grew up in, right outside a high barb-wire fence, stood a huge transformer with powerlines running alongside it.  The high branches of the mulberry tree I used to climb sat just a few feet from them (and actually went through them).  I'd  sit in the top of that tree and read HORROR TALES, CREEPY, etc. relaxing to the constant vibrating hum of those lines, within touching distance!  That could explain some of the weird feelings in our house (and probably some of why I'm sorta warped to this very day,  ).

Next time, I'll tell some of the experiences my older sisters have told me they've had.

[Wicked Lester]

Lester, Master Of Wickedness, I for one, would enjoy reading more stories.  I know what you mean about utilizing logic as your first tool of detection.  In my house, growing up, we investigated every little pop, bump & noise and 98% of the time, we could write it off as not paranormal.  It's that weird little two percent that gets ya.  Even then, we weren't always convinced.  I guess there are fine lines between coincidence, happenstance & the just plain strange.  And in your case, it sounds like the percentage is much higher as possibly (or probably) being true supernatural events.

I enjoy GHOST HUNTERS and practically anything paranormal on the tube, but it kills me when someone claims a door shuts by itself, then the TAPS gang tests it out and debunks it easily.  I mean, the FIRST thing I would do is check out any and everything I could to see if there was a natural reason for the door closing on it's own.  Ghost investigators talk about places with naturally occuring high EMF readings affecting one's state of mind, causing hallucinations, feelings of dread or being watched, etc.  In the backyard of the house I grew up in, right outside a high barb-wire fence, stood a huge transformer with powerlines running alongside it.  The high branches of the mulberry tree I used to climb sat just a few feet from them (and actually went through them).  I'd  sit in the top of that tree and read HORROR TALES, CREEPY, etc. relaxing to the constant vibrating hum of those lines, within touching distance!  That could explain some of the weird feelings in our house (and probably some of why I'm sorta warped to this very day,  ).

Next time, I'll tell some of the experiences my older sisters have told me they've had.

I fully know what you mean bro. There are a TON of NATURAL reasons why weird things seem to happen. Ranging from magnetic pulls in the earth to nasty mold in sub standard foreign building material that can actually make people hallucinate and freak out thought patterns. Good case in point, the Salem witch trials. Mass hysteria/wacked out religious beliefs and ergot poisoning on the grain,add in a couple 17th century drama queens. That is a formula waiting to explode in chaos and no good. And of course innocent people died because of that.
I for one would like to hear YOUR experiences in detail.

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

ELMENDORF BEAST  MANY BELIEVE THAT THIS CREATURE IS REALLY A CHUPACABRA.


There's a genuine cryptozoological mystery deep in the heart of Texas. A rancher in Elmendorf, Texas, shot a strange animal that ate 35 of his chickens in a single day. Scientists who have examined the creature's body have not been able to identify it. Unknowncountry.com is having DNA testing done on the body. For more information and pictures, read the full story.

The Dig. Click to See Detail.  
The Elmendorf beast is a strange, hairless dog-looking creature with a blue-gray color and strangely-shaped teeth. Macanally says, "First thing that came to my mind, is surely everybody's gonna think this is a Chupacabra. But it's so odd because it has no hair." One woman who saw a photo of it says it's exactly how her grandmother described the Chupacabras she saw.


Skull Recovery. Click for Detail.  
When the rancer took the skull to experts at the San Antonio Zoo, biologists could not identify it. The zoo's Terry DeRosa thinks "It may be one of the hairless dogs that perhaps you see in Mexico." Mexican hairless dogs are generally much smaller. This animal is believed to have weighed around twenty pounds. Some experts who have observed photos of the corpse feel that the animal was afflicted by sarcoptic mange, and had not originally been hairless.

This expert says, "I believe that this animal's condition represents some sort of unrecognized environmental catastrophe. Other small predators with sarcoptic mange have been observed elsewhere in the country recently. It needs urgent study."

The condition of the Elmendorf Beast's jaw is not a result of disease process. John Gramieri, the San Antonio Zoo's Mammal Curator thinks it's a mix between a dog and a coyote?a coydog?with very strange teeth. He says, "It's clearly a member of the dog family, a family candidate. For whatever reason, this animal had a very poor fusion in the [jaw area]?so it allowed that lower jaw to spread in a way that is not normal for any mammal, actually?It apparently had some very bad skin ailment, and that skin ailment made it go bald except for the top of its body." Gramieri, as well as area ranchers, believes that there are more of the creatures out there. Area ranchers believe that they are breeding.

The jaw structure is not a deformity in the usual sense because it is symmetrical. It is not a mammalian jaw at all, but appears more akin to the jaw of a reptile. There is nothing in the genetic code of the mammal that would enable a jaw structure such as this. This raises the possibility that intentional genetic manipulation, or a highly unusual natural mutation, has been involved in the emergence of this species.

The rancher says, "I want this one to be a new species?or at least something that somebody has never seen in a cross between two different ones."

DNA results from one of the world's leading testing facilities should be available within a month.

[Dr.Teufel Geist]

ENFIELD MONSTER



This creature was reported as being 4 - 5 feet tall, and having a large grey body, looking almost like a pile of living mud. It's eyes were reported to be large and reddish-pink in color. It was said to walk on 3 short legs, and to have two short arms protruding out of the chest area of it's body.
This creature was sighted at night, and twice it was trying to attract the attention of a homehowner by making scratching sounds on the outside of it's door and walls. When the home owner opened the door, the creature stood there looking at him, then fled away into the woods, hissing. It was also reported to have been shot by a group of men searching for it, when shot it seemed unharmed and fled at a speed greater than a human could move.

At the time of the creatures sightings, there was also a large number of UFO reports in the same area.
The area is the location of one of the most thickest and unsearched wooded areas of the country, called the 'Shawnee National Forest'.

The state was also the native home of at least 5 different native american (indian) tribes. The indians said the area was very spirtual, and they often reported visitors from the skies, as well as glowing and moving orbs of light, terrifying souonds at night and more in the area of the creatures sighting. Early white settelers used to say the area was cursed.

It's interesting that like lots of other creature sightings, there was a lot of UFO activity at the same time. Also, take note that instead of knocking etc, the creature made scratching sounds on the walls and door of a house to get attention, if you research cases of demonic activity, you will note that scratching sounds in the walls is often one of the first stages of infestation.

[Wicked Lester]

ELMENDORF BEAST  MANY BELIEVE THAT THIS CREATURE IS REALLY A CHUPACABRA.

This really IMO looks like a dead mutated or deformed Dobie that washed up on some beach.

[FACTO2]

Wouldn't it be cool to have a pet elephant the size of a medium sized dog?

Only if you could have a pet Ymir in the same size.     Sorry, I couldn't resist.