Bookhabit Presents “What On Earth Is A Crypto Zoologist?”
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Every culture has tales of hidden or mythical creatures, legends that grow beyond the size of the creatures they portray. Bigfoot, The Loch Ness Monster – stories are passed down through the generations, and youngsters grow up with imaginings of darkness cloaking monsters ready to pounce at any moment.
Crypto Zoology is the study of these “hidden” or undiscovered animals. It’s not a recognized, degree-granting field of study, such as its respectable relatives: zoology, anthropology or paleontology. “Indeed, dabbling in it can wreck a career,†said Dallas Tanner, a CryptoFiction writer based in South Carolina.
That’s because the tame part of it — such as discovering the long-thought-extinct coelacanth fish off the coast of South Africa — is overshadowed by the far-out part of it — searching for the Loch Ness Monster. Many adventurers and researchers have made it their mission to find these creatures. The lure of a treasure hunt, the danger of the unknown, and the quest to discover the clues of existence – even Indiana Jones couldn’t devise a better plot. Like Indiana Jones, a Crypto Zoologist doesn’t just race out into the unknown. It can take years of research to carefully unearth the clues to solve the puzzle.
Dallas Tanner, has the distinction of being one of the first novelists in the genre of cryptofiction. Cryptofiction is a phrase coined in the last several years to describe stories written about cryptids, essentially animals out of place or time. Although Dallas writes novels, he is also a strong advocate of research and the application of the scientific method. In his novels he is striving to discover the origin of the species that account for native legends, from historical records and eyewitness reports. He goes into more detail about this process in his books, but suffice to say he does his homework before he devotes a year of his life to any project.
After speaking with Dallas, you can understand how the fascination grips the hunter as they set out on the trail of discovery. “It is often the other discoveries along the way that make it rewarding,†enthuses Dallas.
Uncover the adventure in Dallas’ three books available on Bookhabit: Shadow of the Thunderbird, Track Of The Bigfoot, Wake Of The Lake Monster. Dallas Tanner’s books are available on www.bookhabit.com
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