#north American hog sucker

[harvestpuppy]

Drew some of the fish requests I got…

[405blazeitt]

stream of consciousness list of neat-looking animals many people dont seem to know about but should because they’re cool, i dont feel like stealing photos so you’re gonna have to look them up yourself:

pyjama catsharks: small, dark gray, stripy shark

leopard catsharks: like the pyjama catshark but light gray with dark spots

sea robins: fish, but with fingers. all the better to feel you (or the ocean floor) with.

bush dogs: lil brown short-legged wild canids native to south america, like little furry sausages

dholes: red wild canid native to central and south asia that would be the perfect base for a sparkledog, but is way underutilized in that area

red river hogs: funky lookin’ wild pig with elf ears from western and central aftica

numbats: a marsupial, looks like halfway between a thylacine and a rat

quolls: brown, mousy-faced marsupial with white spots

cuscus: category of possums that look more like weird animatronic toys than real living animals, not to be mistaken for couscous

japanese serows: little gray mountain antelopes. VERY fluffy.

snailfishes: big family of bottom-dwelling fishes that the blobfish belonged to, species vary in level of goopiness but many look very goopy

rainbow darters: small, colorful north american native fish that makes you wonder how the exotic tropical fish trade ever gained traction in north america when we’ve got these guys right here

pangolins: something between an anteater and a pinecone, found in africa and south/southeast asia

tawny frogmouths: big mouthed bird native to australia that always looks either totally unamused or like it’s trying to inhale your soul

lumpsuckers: lil round fishes with a single “sucker” on the bottom for attaching to rocks. the cutest thing you’ll ever see. called “dango fish” (ダンゴウオ) in japanese because they look like rice dough dumplings

chimaeras: order of fishes related to sharks, sometimes called rat fish or ghost sharks, that lives in deep water and has buckteeth. also huge eyes, a venomous spine, and a long thin tail.

silky anteaters: fuzzy arboreal anteaters

tree kangaroos: kangaroos, but arboreal, red, and cuddlier

longear sunfish: another colorful north american native fish, looks like a bluegill at a rave

all of viverridae (civets, genets, linsangs, binturongs): a whole family of woefully underrated mammals, often with some pretty wild coloration. each species looks like a different combination of a cat and a member of the raccoon family. please appreciate these more, im begging you

give me some time and i’ll probably think of more

[equinoxparanormal]

Map of the United Monsters of America

The natural world is losing up to 2,000 species a year, and that's a low estimate. Fortunately, one corner of the animal kingdom is immune from extinction: the monsters that thrive in our imagination. This map unites America's most famous cryptids on one map, from Caddy, a Northwestern sea serpent, over Nebraska's Alkali Lake monster to the skunk apes of Southern Florida. 

There's a whole discipline dedicated to the study of beasts unknown to science: cryptozoology, literally 'the study of hidden animals'. Although frowned upon by mainstream science, some of these 'hidden animals' have actually been proven to exist. The giraffe-like okapi of Central Africa was confirmed only in 1901. Indonesia's komodo dragon seemed too fantastical to be true until 1912, when its existence finally could be documented. These two species share the questionable distinction of having their existence threatened (by us) so soon after being discovered (by us).

Until science discovers evidence for the Loch Ness monster, the Himalayan yeti or any of their fellow cryptids (i.e. 'hidden creatures'), these monsters will have the good fortune to be as uncountable as they are unaccounted for, free to roam and multiply in our campfire stories and our folklore. The United States has quite a few of these cryptids, some famous, like the Mothman or the Chupacabra, some perhaps only known (and feared) locally, like the Beast of Busco or the Pope Lick Monster. 

As shown on the map, which brings them together for the first time, most cryptids are concentrated in the eastern third of the US. Perhaps not surprising: that's where most people live, thus presumable also an agreeable environment for monsters (as notable for their attention-seeking as for their camera-shyness). Further west, monsterdom is spread more thinly, with just 15 out of 32 cryptids mentioned on the map occurring in the two thirds of the land mass west of the Mississippi. So, which are America's favorite monsters?

1. Alkali Lake Monster

 A 40-feet horned reptile said to inhabit Nebraska's Walgren Lake (formerly Alkali Lake). Favorite treat: livestock and fishermen. Stinks to high heaven. More at American Monsters.

 2. Altamaha-Ha

A 30-foot creature navigating the mount of Georgia's Altamaha River with seal-like movements, blending in to its surroundings thanks to its green skin. A.k.a.: Altie. Possible footage of the monster here.

3. Bear Lake Monster

Although the person who first reported the Monster of Bear Lake, on the Utah-Idaho border, later admitted it was a “wonderful, first-class lie,” his tall tale has continued to generate numerous sightings, turning the 30-foot 'water devil' into a modest tourist attraction. More at American Folklore.

4. Beast of Busco

In 1949, inhabitants of Churubusco, Indiana reported seeing a giant snapping turtle which, despite a month-long turtle-hunt, managed to evade its pursuers. The town now boasts a statue of 'Oscar the Turtle', and annual Turtle Days, held in June. More at Unknown Explorers. 

5. Bessie

Loch Ness has Nessie, Lake Erie has... Bessie. Snake-like and between 30 and 40 feet, Bessie was first sighted as far back as 1793. A.k.a.: South Bay Bessie. Has its own comic book series.

6. Bigfoot

Perhaps North America's most famous cryptid, this large, hairy ape-man is said to inhabit the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Bigfoot (a.k.a.: Sasquatch) has left an aptly large imprint on American popular culture, figuring in countless TV series, movies and even a musical. The famous picture, claimed by some to show a genuine Bigfoot, by others a man in a gorilla suit, can be seen here.

7. Big Bird

A giant, ape-faced bird that terrorized the Rio Grande Valley. First spotted in 1976, it has blood-red eyes and a 12-feet wingspan. After a few months, the monster disappeared as mysteriously as it had emerged. Could it have been a jabiru, a Central American stork, as claimed by the Brownsville Herald?

8. Caddie

Named after Cadboro Bay in British Colombia, Caddie is a sea monster said to frequent the coasts of Washington and Oregon. A.k.a.: Cadborosaurus willsi. More at The Cryptid Zoo.

9. Cassie

Maine and Oregon both have a Portland, and also a sea monster. The Pine Tree State's Casco Bay is home to Cassie. Sea serpents were reported in the area as early as 1751, but have tailed off in the last couple of decades, says Maine Mysteries.

10. Chessie

Chesapeake Bay has its own sea monster – unavoidably called Chessie. Reportedly 25 to 40 feet long, it was sighted most often between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s, and as recently as 2014. Ranked #8 scariest sea serpent by Animal Planet.

11. Champ

The champion among American lake monsters, Champ's habitat is Lake Champlain on the New York/Vermont border. As with many monsters, the numerous contemporary sightings are supported by Native American traditions – in this case, the local Abenaki tribe's stories about a creature called Tatoskok. Last year, the Daily Mail reported on audio recordings presented as evidence of Champ's existence.

12. Chupacabra

The original sighting of the Chupacabra (Spanish for 'goat-sucker') was in the mid-1990s in Puerto Rico, and apparently influenced by a creature in the sci-fi movie Species. A rash of sightings (and mutilated goats) in northern Mexico and the southern US has been linked to mangy dogs. Yet the legend lives on, reports the Huffington Post.

13. Flathead Lake Monster

The Flathead Lake Monster is that Montana Lake's version of Nessie. Strangely, nobody thought of calling it Flessie. More at NBC Montana.

14. Honey Island Swamp Monster

Seven feet tall, with gray hair, red eyes and a foul smell, the Monster of Honey Island Swamp, Louisiana is a hominid cryptid seen since 1963 (but also linked to older Native American myths).

16. Jersey Devil

Winged and hoofed, the Jersey Devil would probably look like a devil, if it could be coaxed out of its lair in New Jersey's Pine Barrens. More info (and t-shirts) here.

17. Kipsy

Or the Hudson River Monster. Could also be an unusually large (and very lost) manatee? See also Cryptid Wiki.

20. Loveland Frogmen

Humanoid frogs about 4 feet tall, first sighted in Loveland, Ohio, and from 2014 stars of their own musical, named Hot Damn! It's the Loveland Frog! More at Who Forted? 

21. Mogollon Monster

A Bigfoot-like creature sighted along the Mogollon Rim in central and eastern Arizona. No attested sightings confirm its existence, but the monster does have its own website.

22. Mothman

'Couples See Man-Sized Bird...Creature...Something', titled the Point Pleasant Register on 16 November 1966. The sightings continued for just over a year, popularized by the book The Mothman Prophecies (1975), turned into a 2002 movie starring Richard Gere.

25. Paddler

Is Paddler a real monster in Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho, or is it just a cover story for secret Navy submarine tests? More on Cryptomundo.

26. Pukwudgie

A three-foot humanoid from Wampanoag (Massachusetts) folklore, with enlarged noses, fingers and ears, able to appear and disappear at will, transform into a porcupine, and lure humans to their deaths. Hence best left alone.

27. Pope Lick Monster

The Pope Lick Monster is part man, part bovine, lives under a railway bridge near Louisville, Kentucky, and kills people either by luring them onto the tracks, or jumping down on motorists beneath the bridge. Quite disappointingly, no actual popes were licked in the making of this urban legend. More at the Louisville Ghost Hunters Society.

28. Shunka Warakin

An Ioway term meaning 'carries off dogs,' the Shunka Warakin is said to resemble either a hyena or a wolf, or both. One such animal was shot and mounted in 1880s Montana, was displayed in a local store until it mysteriously vanished in the 1980s. 'Ringdocus,' as the animal was named, was found again in 2007, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

29. Skunk Apes

A.k.a. Florida Bigfoot, the skunk ape, according to the US National Park Service, does not exist. However, some mysterious photossent in by an anonymous source, seem to indicate otherwise.

30. Tessie

Another Nessie spin-off, Tessie swims in Lake Tahoe, on the California-Nevada border. After a few dives in the mid-1970s, famed French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau reportedly said: “The world isn’t ready for what is down there.”

31. Thunderbirds

Large bird-like creatures with enormous wingspans, associated with Native American myths, but sighted (and shot) in modern times; as in one famous (but apocryphal) case in the early 1980s. A picture of a dead thunderbird nailed to a barn in Arizona is one of the many cryptid clues that have 'mysteriously' gone missing. Or is this it?

32. Wampus Cat

A cougar-like cat stalking eastern Tennessee, not unlike the Eewah, a half-woman, half-cougar, from Cherokee mythology. Legend has it that when you hear the Wampus cry, someone will die within the next three days. The Wampus Cat also steals children, and smells awful. More here.

[Frank Jacobs, Big Think / Map by Hog Island Press]

[csenews]

"Look at Us Now" by Jessie Curry

There has always been two Americas. We entered this country two ways, through Ellis Island or

the slave ship. One group had shoes on. The other (slaves) were barefoot. From the beginning,

we were told to pull ourselves up, make mortar without straw. Impossible feats to overcome.

But during these dark days, there has always been a bright spot. God was with us every step of

the way. Against all odds, we still arose. As slaves looked up following that bright north star to

the Promised Land, freedom was still not free. Through blood, terrorism and tears, we still

arose. Black America, don’t ever stop telling our story; the true story of us. Take some time to

research with your children. This poem is to portray some of our story:

"Look at Us Now"

Heads hang low tamed by the whip

Us came marching off these old slave ships

We were strong with intelligent minds

Great men of stature, the beginning of mankind

Loyal to wife, family and friends

But here in America is where it all ends

Kings and Queens in our homeland, majestic we did bow

But just take a look, take a look at us now

Separated whipped sold from our house

No longer a family; man, child, spouse

Massa' took our precious virgin girls

Took their virginity for an old string of pearls

We plowed the fields, planted the corn

Children sold as soon as they were born

Old massa' was mean, called us fools

Couldn't read or write, not allowed in school

Time passed on as we prayed from day to day

Years of work without a thank you or pay

Blood touched blood, treated like dogs

No decent food but the scraps of hogs

They called us winches, suckers and big black bucks

Lord, when will it be over? 'Cause it hurts so much

It took wars, bloodshed and tears

And before it was over there was many nights of fear

Then came the victory with great anticipation

God made it possible with the Great Emancipation

But there was still no relief, no place to go

Massa' wasn't finished cause here comes Jim Crow

Crow was so relentless with his master plan

Clothed in white sheets came the Ku Klux Klan

Straight out of hell in the darkness of the night

Terrifying innocent people trying to live right

They burned their crosses, put torches to our church

With Billy clubs and dogs; treated us like dirt

But God was still working, he raised up a man

He said "I won't take it" and drew a line in the sand

Stop with segregation, dividing of the people

God is not pleased with separate but equal

Martin followed Gandhi, nonviolence. We marched

Singing we shall overcome, we sang from our hearts

We are American and we took our stand

I am somebody; Yes, I am a man

We dared to dream, it was our hope

That God would lead the way, caused we earned the right to vote

Tired of the challenge down with defeat

On the back of buses standing on our feet

The Voting Act was passed, now I need a job

Got to feed my family, I don't want to starve

So Martin got busy, took his last train ride

Blacks wanted equal pay, tired of being denied

Martin made a lot of speeches. He had a dream

He looked over the mountain, this is what he's seen

Men treated equal, not judged by the color of their skin

Brothers, neighbors and yes even friends

He saw a rainbow of men, women and people

Holding hands together, not separated and yes they were all equal

God sent a man to show us how

But boy, oh boy look at us now

Have we forgotten the trials he's brought us from?

Now we are proud but the victory has not been won

From boys to men, we need to be

Put down the drugs, why can't we see?

Pull up your pants, below your knees

God will open doors and he has the keys

For the way is not drugs, money or bling

It was the voice that was silenced, the voice with the dream

That voice can still be heard

God has the answer and it's found in His word

Ship ahoy, ship ahoy, the ships have long gone

God has been with us and America is our home

But take a look around in our neighborhood and school

We were once kings, and now we act like fools

Stop killing your brothers, burying them in ditches

Lift up your black queens, stop calling them bitches

There was a great price paid for you and me

They paid it forward, so let your minds be free

Free to think, to wonder, to dream

Let God in your heart and you can be anything

Let us remember and never forget

The blood that was shed, we owe them a great debt

They marched, bled and cried

We will not turn back, we won't be denied

Now in the White House came a great voice like thunder

A BLACK president, Barack Obama

To you, old slave, who walked behind that plow

I wish you could see us, just take a look at us now.

Jessie Curry (freelance writer, author of "Obama-Rama"), ©2013