Emmer Rick. Giant anaconda and other cryptids

New York : Chelsea House, 2010. — 109 p.Welcome to Creature Scene Investigation: The Science of Cryptozoology, the series devoted to the science of cryptozoology. Bernard Heuvelmans, a French scientist, invented that word 50 years ago. It is a combination of the words kryptos (Greek for “hidden”) and zoology, the scientific study of animals. So, cryptozoology is the study of “hidden” animals, or cryptids, which are animals that some people believe may exist, even though it is not yet proven.
Just how does a person prove that a particular cryptid exists? Dedicated cryptozoologists (the scientists who study cryptozoology) follow a long, two-step process as they search for cryptids. First, they gather as much information about their animal as they can. The most important sources of information are people who live near where the cryptid supposedly lives. These people are most familiar with the animal and the stories about it. So, for example, if cryptozoologists want to find out about the Loch Ness Monster, they must ask the people who live around Loch Ness, a lake in Scotland where the monster was sighted. If they want to learn about Bigfoot, they should talk to people who found its footprints or took its photo.