WELCOME TO THE CFZ BLOG NETWORK: COME AND JOIN THE FUN

Half a century ago, Belgian Zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans first codified cryptozoology in his book On the Track of Unknown Animals.

The Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) are still on the track, and have been since 1992. But as if chasing unknown animals wasn't enough, we are involved in education, conservation, and good old-fashioned natural history! We already have three journals, the largest cryptozoological publishing house in the world, CFZtv, and the largest cryptozoological conference in the English-speaking world, but in January 2009 someone suggested that we started a daily online magazine! The CFZ bloggo is a collaborative effort by a coalition of members, friends, and supporters of the CFZ, and covers all the subjects with which we deal, with a smattering of music, high strangeness and surreal humour to make up the mix.

It is edited by CFZ Director Jon Downes, and subbed by the lovely Lizzy Bitakara'mire (formerly Clancy), scourge of improper syntax. The daily newsblog is edited by Corinna Downes, head administratrix of the CFZ, and the indexing is done by Lee Canty and Kathy Imbriani. There is regular news from the CFZ Mystery Cat study group, and regular fortean bird news from 'The Watcher of the Skies'. Regular bloggers include Dr Karl Shuker, Dale Drinnon, Richard Muirhead and Richard Freeman.The CFZ bloggo is updated daily, and there's nothing quite like it anywhere else. Come and join us...

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Saturday, December 17, 2011

SOME RECENT PAPERS OF INTEREST (Via Chad Arment)

Multiple lines of evidence for an Australasian geographic boundary in the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis): population or species divergence?

C. H. Frère, J. Seddon, C. Palmer, L. Porter and G. J. Parra
Conservation Genetics, Volume 12, Number 6

Abstract: The taxonomic status of humpback dolphins (genus Sousa, sub-family Delphininae) is unresolved. While the classification of this genus ranges from a single to three nominal species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the International Whaling Commission only recognise a 'two-species' taxonomy (S. teuszii in west Africa, and S. chinensis in the Indo-Pacific). Under the IUCN (2008), S. chinensis is listed as 'near threatened', but is only considered as a 'migratory' species in Australia. Taxonomic resolution of the genus Sousa is needed to define particular conservation status and develop appropriate management actions. Using phylogenetic analyses of 1,082 bp of mitochondrial and 1,916 bp of nuclear DNA, we provide multiple lines of genetic evidence for the genetic distinction of S. chinensis in China and Indonesia from S. chinensis in Australia. The separation of Australian Sousa from Sousa of Southeast Asia requires a review of their current conservation status and respective management actions.

Full PDF can be downloaded at:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/7532157124gg5128/

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Reassessment of the occurrence of the kinkajou (Potos flavus Schreber, 1774) and olingo (Bassaricyon beddardi Pocock, 1921) in the northern Brazilian Amazon

Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment
Volume 46, Issue 2, 2011

Abstract: Brazil's only records of Pocock's olingo (Bassaricyon beddardi) are based on sightings from the northernmost state of Roraima, where the similar kinkajou (Potos flavus) was reported as absent. Our recent field work in the region led to the collection of two specimens and several more observations of kinkajous and a complete lack of evidence of the presence of olingos. Furthermore, the name used locally to describe the nocturnal procyonids previously treated as olingos, gogó de sola, refers to the leathery bare throat patch that we believe to be a characteristic unique to kinkajous. Thus, we conclude that previous records of olingos in Roraima represent misidentifications of kinkajous and recommend that, until supported by a specimen, B. beddardi be treated as absent from Brazil.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01650521.2011.572678
[Not available for download]

RAREST AMERICAN BUMBLEBEE REDISCOVERED

http://mobugs.blogspot.com/2011/12/rarest-bumblebee-in-us-rediscovered.html





An elusive bumblebee, which was last seen in 1956, was recently found living in the White Mountains of south-central New Mexico, scientists announced Monday

Read on...

HAUNTED SKIES: Times (The) 20.11.53



http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2011/12/times-201153.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1912 Piltdown Man was discovered. Although it was later revealed to be a hoax it succeeded in fooling quite a large number of eminent scientists at the time. You’d have thought it would have been a bit more obvious considering he was found with a stone cricket bat, but there you go.…

And now, the news:

Baby Seal Wanders Into Home, Lounges on Couch
New large horned viper discovered, but biologists ...
Predator proof fence boost for Hawaii's birds
Cable guy finds sleeping bear in NJ basement
India temple elephants sent on rejuvenating holida...
Tigers caught on camera trap in Indonesia's Way Ka...







Piltdown man didn’t like cricket though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBRAzmaq5x0

NEWSPAPER ARCHIVE

THIS TURNED OUT TO BE A RIP-OFF, SO BEWARE

Some years ago I signed up to 'Friends Reunited' - not entirely to my surprise, most of the people who were my particular cronies back in the 1970s were not on there. Whether that means that they are such well-rounded characters that they feel no need to revisit their schooldays and hook up with people with whom after decades of separation they have damn all in common anymore (if, indeed, they ever did) or whether it means that they are now deadbeats who cannot afford a computer I don't know. However, today `FR` sent me this: something that may actually turn out to be a good resource....














Launch of the British Newspaper Archive













Friends Reunited are pleased to introduce you to our sister site, the British Newspaper Archive (BNA).

Launched by a merry band of retro-Victorian news vendors at King’s Cross Station on 29 November, the BNA contains over 3 million historical newspaper pages from over 200 local, national and regional titles from across the UK and Ireland.

Today, the majority of newspaper pages on the BNA website are from the 19th Century. But with up to 8,000 pages being added daily, the website will eventually span the years 1720 to 1950. Every page on the website is fully-searchable, the website is free to search and registration is free, too.

The British Newspaper Archive











Visit the BNA »




DALE DRINNON: Megalithic measurements

New blog, based on another email I got this morning from another reader:
http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2011/12/megalithic-yard.html

KARL SHUKER: The Last Morning


http://starsteeds.blogspot.com/2011/12/last-morning.html