io9 is offering $2000 for authentic cryptid shots.

io9 Offers $2000 Bounty For Authentic Photos Of Cryptids

io9 is looking for submissions of authentic pictures or videos of cryptids and I'm curious to see what they end up getting. They've already put up a few of the submissions for voting and you can find and vote on those here. In my opinion, most of the critters on that page are insects that could probably be identified by a competent expert. Another looks like a decomposing sea turtle to me. Overall, I think that the white cheetah is the most compelling and the reasons for that are outlined in the description accompanying the photo.

The folks at io9 also have a contest for the best fakes that are submitted but all you'll get are some books and DVDs. All of the authentic submissions will be judged by a panel of experts that will make the final decisions. Submissions also have to be original and submitted by the person that shot them. All of these factors should make for some really interesting submissions.

I'm really glad to see a website doing something like this in what seems to be a lighthearted manner. Sure, there may not be any groundbreaking scientific discoveries coming out of it but for those that are interested in cryptozoology this is definitely something to keep an eye on. Is there incentive to try to pass off a hoax as the real deal? Sure. Will it make this entire prospect any less interesting? I doubt it. If anything, I think it will be even more interesting to see if anyone is able to pull one over on the panel of experts.

My final verdict on the mysterious creature in Kentucky.

With some input from a friend and further inspection of the photos, I'm convinced that the creature I discussed in this post is a hairless opossum, probably the victim of the same kind of severe mange that is causing coyotes to be confused with the Chupacabra in other places.  I'm hoping that some official identification will be made by a professional, but I honestly don't expect to hear much more about this.  In case we do ever get an answer, I decided to put my judgment here for the record.

Mysterious Creature in Kentucky

Mysterious creature found in Nelson County

It looks like another mangy forest creature to me and not a Chupacabra or anything like that.  If I had to take a guess, I'd say it looks like a hairless raccoon and not a bloodthirsty killer of livestock.  No doubt the poor critter is strange looking, but I really don't think it's that much of a mystery.

Lately, whenever a hairless creature that's not immediately identifiable turns up it seems to be labeled as a Chupacabra or some other monster.  It's interesting to note that the original descriptions of the Chupacabra don't match the appearances of these creatures very well at all.

UPDATE: Strange creature in Louisiana is viral marketing.

A friend tipped me off to the fact that the strange creature in Louisiana that various media outlets have been reporting on (and which I did a blog post about a couple of days ago) is a viral marketing image for an upcoming Playstation 3 game.  I knew that the image was too good to be true and I'm glad to see it outed so soon.

Creepy Resistance Viral Spooks Media

Strange creature in Louisiana?

There is growing buzz about a picture taken with a hunter's trail camera that shows what appears to be an unearthly creature in the Louisiana woods.  You can get the story here and here.  Naturally, this kind of thing stirs controversy.  Is it real?  Is it a hoax?  Is it a misidentified animal or human?

When I first saw this last night I thought that the backstory was extremely suspicious.  The camera was allegedly destroyed but the data card survived and the hunter wished to remain anonymous.  This alone was enough for me to want to write the whole thing off.  I'll just come out and say that I don't think it's legitimate.  I want more details on the whole thing before I believe there's a ghoul stalking the woods of Louisiana.

Maybe someone with some photo manipulation experience would like to take a look at the photo?

The latest Nessie sighting.

Loch Ness monster: new pictures and sighting of Nessie

It looks like waves to me.  That said, it has been a while since there's been a Nessie sighting.  Maybe enough public interest will get another expedition out on the lake to look for the creature.  I happen to be a fan of the "Nessie is a dinosaur's ghost," hypothesis.  Hopefully someday we will know for sure what's going on out in Loch Ness.