Cryptoshenanigans

Imagine my stoke when I learned that a video I had posted on my blog over a year ago, found an unintended second life in an ongoing debate about an alleged San Francisco Bay sea serpent.

Believe it or not, there is a whole community of amateur cryptid seekers out there. Many of these people (me included), eagerly wish there to exist creatures that have snuck below the radar of science. Surely and hopefully there are organisms yet to be described by zoology, and stories like the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker’s and Coelacanth’s are certainly worthy of great rejoice.
But some of these people (me NOT included) actually believe that Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster are real, and that Pterodactyls still exist (but oh how I wish). And as usual, unfortunately, there are also people eager to profit off the wishful delusions of others.

There is a very fun website called cryptozoology, where skeptics and zealots debate sighting claims, specimens, and video footage of cryptids. The Ropen (pictured below) is especially silly-cool.
A few days ago, this archived video post of mine on Pelican Feeding Behavior (scroll down) started getting lots of hits from a heated conversation on one of their forums dedicated to “Sea and Lake Monsters.”

Apparently, there are a few monster-entrepreneurs (or monsterpreneurs, oooh I like that) have been busy making the case for a San-Francisco Sea Serpent. On the blurry and shaky footage, they claim a series of dots are a giant serpent swimming in San Francisco Bay, and that at one point, the animal dives below the surface. They refuse to post the video online; why? you'll have to ask them. You can follow the whole ongoing story here, or check out their website here. Good luck guys!

Thankfully there is at least one voice of reason on the crytpozoology forums. A user named Elmer Fudd. Kudos to you Mr. Fudd, you have gone above and beyond the call of duty in dealing with all the purveyors of pretense and wannabe monster magnates.

I have a little suggestion to the entire crytpozoology community. Never forget that extraordinary claims require extraordinarily indisputable evidence (another Saganism). Please strive not to define reality by your beliefs, but instead have the courage to define your beliefs by reality. The living world is beautiful enough without distracting yourself with imaginary dinosaurs. Celebrate reality, but never stop searching and good luck!

**UPDATE** New extrordinarily indisputable evidence has been posted! I eat my words (it's much greener than I thought).