MONSTERS: BOOK REVEAL SNAPS OF THE GENUINE, THE HOAXES AND THE UNEXPLAINED
De Loys Ape/ Monsters: Caught On Film by Melvyn Willin
Sunday September 26,2010
By Clare Heal
Sightings of various monsters and previously unknown creatures have been happening for centuries and, as long as photographic technology has existed, people have tried to use it to substantiate their claims. A new book collects pictures of the genuine, the hoaxes and the as yet unexplained. Clare Heal takes a look from behind the sofa.
THE CHUPACABRA: This picture is found widely on the internet and purports to be the “Chupacabra” or “goat sucker” of Puerto Rico. Reports of a two-legged creature, about four feet tall and possessed of huge teeth have abounded since the mid-Seventies in various Latin American countries. In March 1995 the bodies of eight sheep were found with the blood sucked out of them. Similar killings followed with the deaths of more than 150 livestock being blamed on the Chupacabra.
MONSTERS: CAUGHT ON FILM, GALLERY OF PICTURES
THE SEA SERPENT: Caught off the English coast in 1897, this “sea serpent” has prompted many theories as to its identity. Seafarers have been reporting sightings of creatures matching its description for hundreds of
years. Some suggest that it might have been an oarfish, a scaleless, gelatinous fish which lives in the Atlantic and Mediterranean and can grow up to 15 metres long. Others are convinced it is a hoax, with the men’s hands covering up the joins on a cleverly constructed model.
THE PTERODACTL: This picture, said to have been taken in the 1860s, allegedly shows a group of US Civil War soldiers with a pterodactyl at their feet. Sadly it was revealed to be a fake, a promotional stunt for a programme called Freaky Links, broadcast in the US. There do exist other, unsubstantiated, accounts of “living dinosaurs”. In 1856 a group of French miners were reported to have seen a “leathery creature” with a three-metre wingspan fly out of a cave they had blasted into. A Tyrannosaurus Rex-type reptile known as the Burrunjor has reportedly been sighted several times over the past 60 years in New South Wales, Australia.
MONSTERS: CAUGHT ON FILM, GALLERY OF PICTURES
THE SEA SERPENT: Caught off the English coast in 1897, this “sea serpent” has prompted many theories as to its identity. Seafarers have been reporting sightings of creatures matching its description for hundreds of
years. Some suggest that it might have been an oarfish, a scaleless, gelatinous fish which lives in the Atlantic and Mediterranean and can grow up to 15 metres long. Others are convinced it is a hoax, with the men’s hands covering up the joins on a cleverly constructed model.
THE PTERODACTL: This picture, said to have been taken in the 1860s, allegedly shows a group of US Civil War soldiers with a pterodactyl at their feet. Sadly it was revealed to be a fake, a promotional stunt for a programme called Freaky Links, broadcast in the US. There do exist other, unsubstantiated, accounts of “living dinosaurs”. In 1856 a group of French miners were reported to have seen a “leathery creature” with a three-metre wingspan fly out of a cave they had blasted into. A Tyrannosaurus Rex-type reptile known as the Burrunjor has reportedly been sighted several times over the past 60 years in New South Wales, Australia.
DE LOYS’ APE: In 1920 Swiss geologist François de Loys and his team were set upon by two ape-like creatures while searching for oil on the Columbia/Venezuela border. They shot one of the creatures and the other fled. Unable to transport the animal back to Europe they photographed it to “prove” their story of a 1.5m ape with 32 teeth and
no tail. Scientists however were unconvinced, especially since none of their photos showed the animal’s posterior. Most thought it to be a hoax and that De Loy’s photos in fact showed a large spider monkey with its tail hidden.
THE CLACHU: X-rays of these shrunken figures found in Haiti have apparently proved that their skin, horns and hooves really are human. Legend has it that they are the last of the lost Juju tribe of “Devil Men”, a Nigerian tribe of the Yorubu culture whose 600 gods were also demons. Scientists have suggested that they are simply deformed
freaks of nature.
Monsters: Caught on Film by Melvyn Willin is published by David and Charles at £12.99. Available at rubooks.co.uk or to order a copy, please send a cheque or Po made payable to Sunday Express Bookshop to Po Box 200, Falmouth TR11 4WJ or telephone http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/201747
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