CFZ's Next Generation Initiative

At the end of January, Anomalist Books published a new title from cryptid investigator Michael Mayes, who runs the  Texas Cryptid Hunter  blog. The book is  Shadow Cats: The Black Panthers of North America,  and, as the title suggests, it is an examination of sightings of anomalous big cats in the United States, primarily focused on the American South and the author's home state of Texas. Mayes starts off his book by going over the anecdotal history of "black panthers" and the history of the term. He notes that, in the South, the term "panther" is always used to describe black cats, and differentiates from normal-colored pumas or jaguars. Several chapters are also devoted to historical and contemporary sightings and reports of large black cats in the American South. Chapters 6-10 examine the possible suspects. Mayes goes over the biology and diversity of several cat species that could possibly be misidentified by witnesses as black panthers. These cats i

One of the main things I recommend to upcoming cryptozoologists is to read. A lot. Besides actually working with other researchers, this is probably the best way to learn about the field. There are hundreds of books out there on cryptozoological subjects, though many are not on par with others. In this post, I decided to put together a list of books both I and Colin recommend for those getting into the field. General Cryptozoology Recommendations Hunting Monsters: Cryptozoology and the Reality Behind the Myths By Darren Naish Naish's book is one of the best examinations of cryptozoology that I have ever read. He examines whether cryptozoology is really about animals or more about the human mind and why 'monsters' are reported all over the world and what likely inspired tales of them. It also tells readers that cryptozoology can be done scientifically and how to do so. Naish has a background as a paleontologist and science writer to back him up.

CFZ Director Jon Downes asks the question:  How does one become a cryptozoologist? 1. Becoming a cryptozoologist is easy, because there are no professional qualifications in the field. So, in many ways, one becomes a cryptozoologist by simply saying one is. But, it doesn't end there. There are lots of people who claim to be cryptozoologists, but very few who actually fulfil on these claims. The way that one gets respect and a position within the field is by being scrupulously scientific in one's methodology, and rigorous in what one publishes. My organisation, the Centre for Fortean Zoology, was started 25yrs ago, primarily to encourage a pursuit of excellence within the cryptozoological field. From your position do you encounter many young people entering the field? 2. We always encourage young people to get involved in cryptozoology and - indeed - a young man from Ohio, Colin Schneider, is currently in the process of starting the 'Next Generation Initiative

The NGI just launched our Facebook group. You can join by clicking the link below. Please share this around to let any young people that may be interested in cryptozoology know about the group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/297960184051994/

I would like to welcome everyone to the blog of the Centre for Fortean Zoology's Next Generation Initiative. The NGI is the brainchild of Colin Schneider and Jonathan Downes, director of the CFZ. Since this is the first post on the new NGI blog, I thought I would take some time to introduce the CFZ, the NGI, and tell readers a little bit about who we are and what we will be doing. ABOUT THE CFZ The Centre for Fortean Zoology was founded by Jon Downes in 1992. On the CFZ website , Jon explains how it came to be: "I've been interested in this stuff all my life. My interest probably started when I was a little boy. I was brought up in Hong Kong surrounded by all sorts of weird and wonderful animals anyway. Every week my mother used to get me library books and one week when I was about seven years old she got me a book called 'Myth or Monster' which introduced me to the wonderful concept that there were real monsters like the Yeti, the Loch Ness monster