Flashlight Frog

by Cole Herrold

New animal species are discovered daily, and with each new discovery, there are more exciting and bizarre features and elements in each species. While we accept the notion that there are still undiscovered species, many scientists dismiss or mock the existence of cryptids. To them, Bigfoot, Yeti, Nessie, and the rest of their hidden cousins are mere fables, and that for something the size these creatures are supposed to be to remain elusive is something that is an impossibility. Yet while the more prominent superstars like Bigfoot and Nessie are the main points of interest for cryptozoologists, there are other species that a Zoologist, Biologist or Ecologist would be hard-pressed to officially declare impossible. These "lesser" cryptids do not get the love they so rightfully deserve compared to the more exotic species, yet they are more than likely the most possible of the bunch. In the halls of "lesser" cryptids, one shines out to me both figuratively and literally, and that anomalous amphibian is the Cameroonian Flashlight Frog.

The history of the Flashlight Frog was brought to the world’s attention by none other than infamous Cryptozoologist Karl P.N. Shuker in his book Mysteries of Planet Earth. The interesting thing, however, about the Flashlight Frog is that while Shuker wrote a section in his book and later a highly updated article due to the Flashlight Frog's lackluster appearance, it has gone unnoticed in recorded history that is until Shuker was given information on the fabulous frog from the only to date recorded eyewitness of the species who was none other than infamous Fortean researcher Jonathan Downes. For those unfamiliar with Jonathan Downes, he is the director of the Center for Fortean Zoology and has written countless classic books on a variety of bizarre phenomena, but his masterpiece has to be his book on the winged weirdo the Owlman in his book the Owlman and Others. It seems fitting that someone with such an interest would encounter and notice something anomalous.

Napa Rebobs

by Cole Herrold

California is one of the most famous areas when it comes to Fortean phenomenon. The state is home to Bluff Creek, where the infamous Patterson-Gimlin film was shot. The state is home to the Winchester Mansion, one of the most haunted and unique buildings in the United States. A sea serpent was allegedly beached and photographed in Santa Cruz, and a bipedal reptilian monster attacked a man in his car near a Riverside, California Bridge. It is surprising that a state we often associate with high population density would also seem to be a major mystery hotspot. While the state is home to classic phenomena like Bigfoot, ghosts, and sea serpents, it is also home to one of the most bizarre and downright ridiculous creatures in the books.

I first came across the creatures known as the Napa Rebobs while watching an episode of Monsters and Mysteries in America. These creatures were described as mirror images to the flying monkeys from the classic children book and fantasy film the Wizard of Oz. These creatures allegedly reside in a particular section of the Napa Valley known as Partrick Road. However, some sources, when researching the phenomena, do misname the road Patrick Road. The creatures allegedly have been in the Napa Valley area since at least the '50s, or 60's yet upon digging in newspaper archives, paranormal books that mention or focus on the region, and deep-dive Google searches, I have found no mention of these creatures at least officially prior to 2008.

Release the Bodette Film: A Cryptid Documentary Review

by Cole Herrold

I recently had the chance to view Crash Course Cryptozoology’s first documentary, Release the Bodette Film. The documentary topic is very dear to my heart, which is Champ or the Lake Champlain's Monster. In 2005 two experienced Lake Champlain fishermen would capture on camera what some have claimed to be the best evidence for the existence of some large as of yet undiscovered animal living in Lake Champlain. The 45-minute video has never been shown completely, and the only portion of it shown was on ABC News that same year. The clips that were revealed show what appears to be an odd circular thrashing or churning in the water followed by a large creature with a triangular-shaped head and long neck next to the boat where the photographers managed to catch the beast moving. The Bodette Film has since been kept under lock and key by a lawyer who now owns the film and has refused to release it to the public.

One of the most famous shots from the Bodette Film

With Crash Course Cryptozoology’s doc, it takes a deep dive into just about every aspect of the history of Champ. From eyewitnesses to potential physical evidence such as tracks and a possible skull cap and the infamous echolocation recordings, the documentary succeeds in slowly working through all of the evidence building its way to discussing and concluding with the documentary's namesake. The documentary covers multiple hypotheses and focuses on naming specific ancestor or candidate species to what has been reported in Lake Champlain as opposed to other documentaries that use lump terms as fish, snake, turtle, or even plesiosaur since there are multiple species and relatives. The documentary gives each hypothesis its time in the sun and includes accounts and testimony that appeal to this reasoning. One of the highlights is the interviews with veteran Champ researcher Scott Mardis and his thoughts and hypotheses on the species.

The Ridge Road Monster

by Cole Herrold

There's been a phenomenon gaining recognition in the past few years of strange humanoid creatures that appear to be emaciated in form and extremely unnerving. Many Fortean researchers have been collecting and cataloging such accounts, but most researchers really don't have a category in which to put them in aside of organization in a physical sense. They are often viewed as something supernatural, beasts that have no connection to earthly evolution or normal biology. They are often viewed as supernatural entities because of this reason, even though there is in most cases nothing directly supernatural about them. The reason it appears that this is the case is that they are often described as very humanlike in form, which pushes these creatures into a realm most people have never even thought of and, in doing so, making them extremely terrifying.  There are tons of cases in which these creatures are seen wandering wooded sections of the world, mostly in the United States and Canada. One such regionalized case of such a creature is found in a desolate area known as Ridge Road in Pennsylvania.

It was in the 1960s when an area known as Ridge Road in Blair County was a hotbed of strange occurrences. These occurrences were the result of an enigmatic entity that stalked around several homes and woodlands on this stretch of road. The accounts filled the hearts of those who encountered them with terror for generations to come. The bulk of which was thrust upon the Steele family. John and Martha Steele, their son David and their four other children lived in the wooded section of Ridge Road on Blair County. For those who are not familiar with the area Blair County while home to such large cities as Altoona, is intensely encapsulated by woodland. Shadows seem to flicker in and out of the woodlands even during the day, giving the woods a sense of isolation every single time one enters into the tree-lined sections of forests. John was a hard worker in part because he and his family were subsistence farmers and hunters. They had a large garden that stretched across their land, and from it, the family's fruits and vegetables took life throughout the changing season and to add a little more flavor to their meals, John would take his rifle out into the thick green darkness and hunt the game of the land —filling his family with the tender flesh of turkey, pheasant, deer, and anything else he could bag.

The Greene County Winged Humanoid

by Cole Herrold

Winged humanoid accounts seem to be a variety of creatures. There are large birdmen accounts, as seen with the Freeport Owlman, Owlman of Mawnan, and the Mothman. Accounts of hairy flying hominids and angelic-type beings are a not-so-common occurrence but have been reported. The most common variety aside from the birdmen are the humanoid bat-winged creatures. While this phenomenon is as ancient as our ability to record such accounts, it appears that there has been a surge of flying humanoid reports with a crescendo occurring in the Great Lakes area of the United States in recent years. These flying humanoids, known collectively as the Chicago Mothman or Lake Michigan Mothman, have been seen en masse during the span of 2016-2020 with reports still coming in. Flying humanoids are because of this flap of sightings and several other accounts reported in states like Wisconsin, Ohio, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska believed to be an entirely midwestern phenomenon. However, reports of similar creatures are seen throughout the United States with some frequency in Pennsylvania. There are scads of reports mostly chronicled by Lon Strickler and Stan Gordon of a variety of bizarre flying humanoids, most of which are from the southern border of the state.

Greene County in Pennsylvania is so predominant in strange occurrences and cryptid sightings that Rosemary Ellen Guiley and Kevin Paul recently released a book called Haunted Hills and Hollows. It is an extremely useful tome for research on Fortean topics in a specific segment of Pa. In it are tons of bizarre encounters from lizardmen, frogmen, dogmen, bigfoot, black spectral mole-like figures, ghosts, and UFOs. Yet of all these topics, there was one of an extra bizarre and more esoteric nature that would add to the already growing list of encounters with creatures known collectively as Flying Humanoids.

The Allegheny River Monster

by Cole Herrold

The waters around Pittsburgh and West Virginia are a hotbed for reports of strange aquatic beasts. The Monongahela River is allegedly home to three different kinds of alleged cryptids. The most famous being Ogua, a giant reptilian creature that is often described as a kind of mosasaur or crocodilian creature. Monongy is another alleged creature said to exist in the depths of the Monongahela and is often described as a Gillman, but reports of this creature are possibly dubious. The Rivesville River Monster is another creature similar in description to the Ogua and was reported in the 80s in Rivesville, West Virginia. While a vast majority of the phenomenon is found in the Monongahela River, the river does connect to several other waterways, which also allegedly are home to aquatic anomalies. One such waterway is the Allegheny River.

It was on a warm Spring Day in March of 2008 when an unnamed witness was out near Loch 3 on the Allegheny River. The river was exceptionally high and dark with mud this day because recently there had been a very heavy storm filling the river to the point of almost flooding. The area around Loch 3 was a place where the witnessed had gone there many times in the past to fish and enjoy the churning brine of the river. Anyone who lives near a river knows that they are one of the major sources of recreational activities for the local populace. It was on this day that the witness returned to the area. The reasons in the original source are not specific, so it could have been to return to the glories of a simpler time with rod and reel in hand or to simply reflect upon those times and enjoy the natural scenery. While in ponderance of thought, however, he began to hear the sound of thrashing in the water. Scanning the horizon, he saw a great churning in the chocolate-colored murk, the rising of great wakes and bubbles and froth disturbing the natural flow of the river. The form was very near the shore in a patch of marsh where there were a great number of trees. The witness's eyes scanned the beast and noticed it was colossal. Its form was large and serpentine, with various shades of brown coloring on the top of the body. On the underbelly, the beast was a bright yellow, and the body splashed and churned like a great fish. The size he estimated to of been around 20ft long from what he could tell that was out of the water.