I will be a guest on the Kevin Matthews show on Thursday, May 5th.
Be sure to tune in at 8:05 am!

                           KEVIN MATTHEWS SHOW

So, as some of you know, my family and I are in the process of purchasing a new home on 16 acres of land. Tonight the inspector came to do our inspection, so we hung out for a few hours while he did so. We decided to walk a bit of the property and get to know the area and the neighbors.
Some of that land is prime area for conducting my research as a cryptozoologist as well as observing known animals. I am working on my Zoology degree and should be finished by around March of 2012. (Due to health reasons, I had to take a short hiatus, but Im back at it now.)
Adam and I walked through the brush and to the back part of what the neighbors call "the first little woods".  The forest runs into a marshy area, then into an open meadow, and then it goes back to being thickly wooded on the other side of the meadow / clearing.
I saw definite sign of  whitetail deer and places where they had bedded down. There was a small tree in one of the clearings where a porcupine had stripped down the bark, and various bird calls serenaded our early evening jaunt through our new little patch of Heaven. I know we are going to be happy there.
I can't wait to get trail cams set up.  We are thinking of  building a little observation type cabin back there that will suit my purpose very well!
I wish I had brought my camera with me tonight but I will be sure to do so next time.

In an upcoming issue of EdgeScience (  Issue #7 ) , cryptozoologist Adam Davies, in a pre-published paper being presented in the magazine, reveals his conclusion that
“a serious consideration of the scientific evidence for the orang-pendek points in two directions at once. The structural analysis of the hair suggests either an orangutan, or something very closely related to an orangutan. The DNA analysis, on the other hand, points to a human or something very closely related to humans. But why can’t it be both? Could the orang-pendek be an example of bipedal evolution from the orangutan, a relative rather than a direct ancestor, and more advanced than any we are aware of in recent human history? They display only the most primitive tool use, on a par with the chimpanzee, but they certainly have no ability to make fire. Yet all of the witnesses I have interviewed have been startled by two key features: their bipedal locomotion, and their ‘human like’ face, had they been fortunate enough to see it.”

To read more about this intriguing revelation, please visit this link :

Orang Pendek Declared New Primate Species

A woman in the Florida Keys in 2008 was not as fortunate as the  lady mentioned in one of the articles below, as a 75 pound eagle ray leaped out of the water, struck her in the head and she died as a result. It happens more often than you'd believe.  And the main reasons they seem to engage in these aerial acrobatics is because they are preying on a food source or being preyed upon. Click on the link below to read the article and view accompanying video.

WHILE BRONX ZOO COBRA CAPTIVATES A NATION,SEA BEASTS QUIETLY ATTACK!

From the haunting Moors of England to the distant forests of the Scottish Highlands and the mysterious Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, the legends have been passed down for generations. Stories of malignant, ghastly looking black hounds with glowing red eyes that roam the wastelands and plod through ancient forests in the night, baying and howling and bringing with them a supernatural feeling of ill will and bad omens. Locals are often frightened to the point of staying in doors for days on end and crossing themselves with holy water at the slightest mention of the foul beasts. In the late 1600's hundreds and early 1700's, they were often associated with witches, either accompanying them to black masses or being one in the same as shape-shifting counterparts.
Even Mexico and North America have their versions of these creatures.

They are known by many names - Devil dogs, demon dogs, hounds of Hell, Black Shag, Black Shuck, Faery dogs, Ghost hound, "Ol' Padfoot", Yeth hound, Pooka, and probably the most well known of them all, 'The Hound of Baskervilles'.
The origins are debatable and come from many backgrounds and sources, but their descriptions have a host of things in common. They are often described as abnormally large in stature, black in color, malevolent in nature, and have glaring hypnotic red eyes that mesmerize, yet terrify any poor soul unfortunate enough to cross their path.

Very rarely are they seen running in packs  or lumbering down busy streets. They are more likely, and have been reported to be, encountered alone in graveyards, dark forests, on sites where executions or murder have taken place, ancient burial grounds, and vast distant reaches of the Moors where escape is unlikely, but death from fright a distinct possibility.
In Tring, Hertfordshire, a fiersome black beast with glowing red eyes haunts an old road and is said to be the spirit of a local chimney sweep who was brought up on murder charges and promptly executed.  It is said that the dog sinks slowly into the ground if approached.
In Jersey, the phantom black dog is known as 'Tchico' and usually makes its prescence known just before a storm rolls in.
Cape Elizabeth, Maine is home to a black dog the size of a St. Bernard but with a wolf-like sillouette. It is described as being a shadowy figure who lurks in the bushes and will block your path if you attempt to walk down the road it haunts.

Though most of these creatures are the stuff nightmares are made of, not all are considered bad luck or evil. In fact some, like the 'Gurt Dog' of Somerset, are considered benevolent and even helpful.

Anubis, the black jackal-headed god of the Underworld who is associated with mummification and judgemnt of the soul, is also known to safeguard the dead on their journey into the afterlife. He is also known as a fierce protector of children.

Now let me introduce you to my friend Tina's canine companion, Max, pictured above.
Max is a Newfoundland mix-breed dog that weighs over 100 pounds, has a beautiful midnight-black coat, and stands an impressive three feet tall at the shoulder.
He also has an unusual attribute I find particularly intriguing. Max's eyes, when any source of light hits them including sunlight, will blaze crimson-orange like the fires of a freshly stoked hearth. It is definitely not Tapetum lucidum aka "eye shine" that causes Max's to look this way. It is a natural eye coloration he was likely born with. Though medical conditions such as conjunctivitis and entropion can certainly be causes for a dog's eyes to have an odd red color to them, Max is in great condition and has a clean bill of health, eyes and all.
And don't let Max's monstrous size and unique red orbs fool you for one moment. He is neither evil or dangerous.
Max is a gentle giant who Tina rescued some time ago from a shelter where he was passed over and unwanted by others.
Could Max's uncanny resemblence to the hounds of Hell be a reason he couldn't find his forever home for so long? Who knows. But it certainly is possible that Max, and others like him, could be the cause for many a campfire story and tales told on a stormy night. 
I would like to think it was fate that brought him and Tina together. They're inseparable and are the center of each other's world. No greater love is there than the love between a person and their dog.


No matter the origins of these legends, they are indelibly etched into our cultures and heritage, and will surely live on well after we ourselves have moved on to the spectral plane.

**Special thanks to my friend Linda Godfrey for her input regarding eye conditions and variations**

"Waking the baby mammoth" is an extraordinary National Geographic documentary  that gives us a look into the life and death of a baby mammoth who lay in near perfect preservation in the perma-frost of Russia's Yamal Peninsula for 40,000 years.  Pictured above with Lyuba, as she was so named, is Professor Dan Fisher of  the University of Michigan, which is only about 15 minutes from where I reside. It was a pleasure to see someone from our area being a part of conducting such important and ground breaking research into the lives (and deaths) of the mammoths.
One question that arises with such an amazing discovery is whether it will one day be possible to clone and bring back these magnificent creatures.
According to a group of Japanese scientists, the likelihood is high that our generation may be able to see a living, breathing, woolly mammoth with our very own eyes within the next five years.
To read more about this work in progress, go to :

Can Woolly Mammoth Be Cloned From Frozen DNA?

"ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The "ghost cat" is just that.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday declared the eastern cougar to be extinct, confirming a widely held belief among wildlife biologists that native populations of the big cat were wiped out by man a century ago.

After a lengthy review, federal officials concluded there are no breeding populations of cougars — also known as pumas, panthers, mountain lions and catamounts — in the eastern United States. Researchers believe the eastern cougar subspecies has probably been extinct since the 1930s."

VIEW FULL ARTICLE WITH PICTURE HERE

The Mexican hairless dog or "Sholo" (Xoloitzcunitle : pronounced 'Show- low-its-queen-tli') as it is commonly known, is a canine native to Mexico  considered sacred to some, that has existed for at least 3000 years.
Mutations in earlier new world dogs are probably the most predominant factor as to why and how the dog achieved its unique appearance.  Coincidentally(or maybe not), the dog's skin looks very similar to the hides of some of the recent "Texas Chupacabras" canines that have been discovered.
Evolution and adaptation happen all around us all the time, but some variations are less subtle.
Are we looking at evolution in the process of creating a new species?  Or, as some believe, are these creatures simply "mangey coyotes"
Some diseases, demotectic mange being one of them, can indeed have an impact on bone structure, intestines, and of course the skin. Typically not anything like we see in the Texas Chupa though, which leaves us still scratching our heads and pondering just what mother nature is trying to say.
Cross breeding can sometimes weaken a species thereby making it more susceptible to diseases and parasites like mange, so it is quite possible we are seeing a new canid that is, because of nature itself, more likely to succomb to mange, which is why we're seeing so many that appear "mangey".
One thing is for sure, these creatures seem to have a look all their own that defies  any reasonable explanation.
Who knows, maybe in the next few years we'll hear of  a Texas "ChupaSholo" taking the blue ribbon in the Westminster !
Have a great day, and stay warm on this frosty December 2nd, Haven fans!
Raven M.