CRYPTOZOOLOGYCryptozoology is literally "the study of hidden creatures." The word was coined by a zoologist, Bernard Heuvelmans. There are a number of species that were thought to be extinct that have been found in recent history. Some of these formerly "hidden creatures" include the megamouth shark and the coelacanth (below). In 1976, a naval research vessel working in the Hawaiian Islands caught a previously unknown animal when it hauled in its large anchor. The 1,653 pound shark was called "megamouth" because of its large, toothy mouth. The coelacanth was supposed to have been extinct for 70 million years until a fisherman caught one in 1939. In the last decade new species of deer, lemur, and marmoset have been found. Only discovered by western science in 1992, the Saola, or forest-dwelling ox, is so different from any currently known species that a separate genus has had to be constructed. The giant squid that attacked sailing ships in the annals of ancient maritime lore was believed by many to be mythological. Numerous modern research efforts have tried to substantiate its existence. But in the fall of 2004 a live giant squid (Architeuthis) measuring roughly 25 feet (8 meters) long attacked a baited fishing line off the Ogasawara Islands. (Owen, James, National Geographic News, September 27, 2005.) Japanese scientists released still pictures of the bus-sized creature with eyes as large as dinner plates. Although cryptozoology is not yet taught as an official discipline in universities, the word "cryptozoology" can be found in scientific articles, and in many encyclopedias. A cryptozoologist is one who systematically seeks to track down species or sub-species that are still unknown to science. French cryptozoologist Michel Raynal developed from Heuvelmans a methodology for how the existence of a particular kind of plant or animal can be established on testimonial evidence (sightings), circumstantial evidence (indirect evidence), or even autoptical evidence (which anybody can see). While skeptics are dubious of this kind of evidence, it would be well to remember that it was not that many years ago that the elusive creature we now call Okapi (right) was only known to science through the stories of tribal peoples. Cryptozoologists not only seek to establish the existence of famous "hidden creatures," like the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot, but also pursue stories of common animals in unexpected places and new varieties of plants.