Over the years I've read and reported on many odd creatures and anomalies. I've been fortunate to have so many great witnesses and readers send their accounts. I'm going to run this as a series, similar to the 'Humanoid Incursion' posts. This series will not include personal encounters or current research (Flying Rays, Conewago Phantom, etc.). Here are a few more interesting examples:
TWO GIANT 'BLACK BIRDS'
Location/Date: Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania - June 26 2002 - 9:30 PM
The primary witness had stepped out on his back porch when his attention was drawn to two huge black "birds" which were approaching from the north. His first impression was they were Herons, but soon realized that the color was wrong, and "they were huge, much larger than any bird I have ever seen." The two huge birds landed at the top of a very tall coniferous tree. The witness stated that the wingspan appeared to be wider than the branches, just below where they had landed. The body size was estimated to be about six feet from head to tail. The oddest feature was the shape of the wings, which according to the witness appeared to be bat-like. The tree where the "birds" landed seemed as though it would break from their weight. The witness yelled for others in the house to come outside to look. Another family member was able to see the huge black birds as they passed overhead, and headed for some woods. After checking the size of the branches where the birds had landed, the witness estimated that the wingspan would have been close to 12 feet or somewhat larger.
Source: Stan Gordon
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CHICKEN-CLAWED CRYPTID
Location/Date: El Verde, Puerto Rico - late October 1973 - 9 PM
Ana Dominguez and Jose Alemar accompanied by their daughter and others were visiting an area near where their youngest son Jose Jr. had mysteriously disappeared 3 months before. While Jose was in a nearby ranch house, Ana and her daughter stayed in the car, which was parked near the road waiting for his return.
Suddenly from the left side of the car, they both heard what they thought was Jose's voice, saying loud and clear; "Negra open the car door, I'm back." The voice repeated the same thing again, and suddenly the girl pointed at something outside the car. Ana Dominguez then saw a terrifying looking being standing outside the car, leaning on the windshield and looking in. The creature was described as tall, thin, with a huge egg shaped head, long pointy ears, and two huge black oval shaped eyes. The being was leaning on the windshield and had placed a "hand" on it. The hand was long and skinny, with three long thin fingers, somehow resembling those of a chicken claw. No other facial features could be seen, since it was dark outside.
Both witnesses now in a panic began screaming and pushing on the car horn. When Mr. Alemar and the rest arrived the strange being had disappeared. To this date, both mother and daughter are convinced that the voice they heard had been that of Jose Alemar, however they are not so sure if it was audible or telepathic.
Source: Evidencia OVNI / Albert Rosales
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JERSEY DEVIL?
Location/Date: Near Trenton, New Jersey - March 4, 2002 - near midnight
Several witnesses were camping outside of town and late at night one of them was attempting to put out the bonfire when he heard the most awful and horrifying scream. It resembled that of an injured dog crossed with a scream of a woman. The witness dropped the flashlight and was joined by another witness.
Suddenly out of the woods a hideous and gruesome creature appeared. It did not look human, somewhat satyr-like in appearance and walked on two legs. It had a long tail like a dragon and wings like those unicorns in fantasy books. The beast took several steps towards the witnesses. One of them picked up and yelled at it and then shone his flashlight at it. The creature then turned towards the bushes and ran away from the area.
Source: Mystical Universe
NOTE: this report is similar to other 'Jersey Devil' reports though, Trenton is quite a distance from the Pine Barrens area where most sightings have been reported.
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WWII VET SAW LIVING 'PTERODACTYL'
Duane Hodgkinson, now a flight instructor in Livingston, Montana, in 1944 was stationed near Finschhafen, in what was then called New Guinea. After he and his buddy walked into a clearing, they were amazed as a large creature flew up into the air. The men soon realized that it was no bird that started to circle the clearing. It had a tail “at least ten to fifteen feet long,” (book Searching for Ropens, 2007) and a long appendage at the back of its head: apparently, a live pterosaur.
Jonathan Whitcomb, a forensic videographer, interviewed Hodgkinson, in 2004, and found his testimony credible. In 2005, Garth Guessman, another experienced ropen investigator, video-taped his own interview with Hodgkinson and the session was analyzed by Whitcomb, who became even more convinced the World War II veteran was telling the truth: The man had seen a ropen.
In late 2006, Paul Nation, of Texas, explored a remote mountainous area on the mainland of Papua New Guinea. He videotaped two lights that the local natives called "indava." Nation believed the lights were from the bioluminescence of creatures similar to the ropen of Umboi Island. The video was analyzed by a missile defense physicist who reported that the two lights on the video were not from any fires, meteors, airplanes or camera artifacts. He also reported that the image of the two lights was authentic and was not manipulated or hoaxed.
In 2007, cryptid investigator Joshua Gates went to Papua New Guinea in search of the Ropen for his TV show Destination Truth. He and his team also witnessed strange lights at night and could not confirm what they were.
In 2009, the television show Monster Quest conducted an expedition in search of the "demon flyer" but found no evidence of the creature. Later, they had a forensic video analyst examine the Paul Nation video. The analyst could not definitely conclude what was causing the lights, but ruled out vehicles and campfires believing the footage was of a pair of bioluminescent creatures perched in a tree that later take flight.
Source: Various Witnesses
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THE DEVIL MONKEY
On January 12, 2006, the witness walked into his home to find a devil-like creature confronting his 6 year old labrador dog. This creature seemed to be an unusual combination of a monkey, dog, and the devil. Suddenly, it sprang to its hind legs and ran, nearly pushing us over to get to the open door I had just come through. This creature had long fangs, monkey-like tail and extremely bright glowing eyes.
In another report, An Ohio woman driving through Roanoke, Virginia at about 2:30 a.m. reported a similar encounter in the late 1990's while driving on a dark road at night and forced to take a detour due to road construction. She had driven past a road sign that read, "Red Wolf Crossing" close to Elizabeth City when a creature, which was not a wolf, leaped in front of her car.
The creature was all black with very short sleek fur, pointy ears and had a long thin tail. She described it as catlike, and yet not like any cat she had ever seen. The snout was flatter than a dog's and more like a cat's. The creature was very tall, because she saw it when it was standing on its hind legs and was easily 6 feet tall. She indicated its torso looked very much like that of a very thin man and its head resembled a large monkey but with a pointy beard. However, the creature's hind legs were like a wild cat or dog. It was very muscular and thin.
Later, the woman checked with the US Game and Wildlife Department who told her there were no black wolves in the area, but suggested she had seen a feral dog (feral meaning "wild") or a wolf-dog hybrid. But the woman was emphatic it was not a wolf or dog.
The woman explained the creature may have been on all fours just before leaping. The creature leaped with such force and height that it only took one bound to make it across both lanes of the highway. This indicates the creature leaped more than 18 feet or 6 meters to get across the road. Dogs and wolves do not leap this far in one jump. Even larger animals such as deer usually take several bounds to leap across a road.
These descriptions are somewhat similar to the infamous 'Dover Demon' which began at on April 21, 1977, in Dover, Massachusetts.
NOTE: the information was forwarded to me a few years ago by a friend who has been collecting reports of what he describes as a 'Devil Monkey'. Of course, "chupacabras" came to mind, but these descriptions were somewhat different. In at least one instance, this creature killed and fed on dogs and cats but did not bother livestock...Lon
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THE FOUR-EYED HAIRY MONSTERS
Location/Date: Poggio Umbricchio, Italy - July 28, 1999 - 6:30 am
Two teenage brothers, Giacomo and Alfio, were collecting mushrooms in a pine grove near their home when a loud rustling sound attracted their attention to some nearby trees. They stood looking at the spot where the noise had originated from and waited in total silence for about 15 minutes. Suddenly they heard loud grunting sounds coming from the brush.
Curious, both boys walked toward the brush to see what was making the strange sounds. Suddenly out of the brush stepped out a bizarre creature covered in dark black hair, about 1.50 meters in height, with an oblong shaped face with four eyes, two on top and two closer to a snout-like nose. It had normal hairless ears and what appeared to be five clawed legs. The creature stared at the boys with a malevolent gaze full of hate. As both watched in horror four other similar creatures walked out of the woods. Both witnesses fled the area in a panic. Later they debated whether to notify local authorities, but they decided against it.
Source: CUN Bologna
NOTE: Gianfranco Degli Esposito of CUN Bologna left a footnote stating that both boys gave credible anecdotal evidence and where genuinely fearful when they returned to the site with Esposito. The investigator notes that a similar report was filed in 1951 with police in a nearby jurisdiction. This was 35 years before the boys were born.
Monsters and Mysteries: Bigfoot, Nessie, and Other Unknown Cryptids Around The World
Cryptozoology A To Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras, and Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature
Phantoms & Monsters: Cryptid Encounters
Abominable Science!: Origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and Other Famous Cryptids
