Cryptozoology is a word many (if not most) of us have never seen before. Sort of like the legendary creatures cryptozoologists devote their lives to tracking down. Our Serena Altschul has joined the hunt:
In Jefferson, Texas recently, a group of like-minded (or should we say, like-obsessed) people gathered to swap stories of strange sightings ... mysterious animals and elusive creatures lurking in the deep woods.
There's a scientific name for it: Cryptozoology. Loren Coleman explains: "'Crypto' means 'hidden.' 'Zo' means animals. 'Ology' means the study of. It's the study of hidden or unknown animals."
Which sounds very academic, until you realize that those "hidden animals" include the Yeti (better known as the Abominable Snowman), the Loch Ness Monster, and the favorite obsession of THIS Cryptozoology Conference, Bigfoot (a.k.a. Sasquatch).
For scientist David Nixon, his fascination with cryptozoology is a guilty pleasure. "It's fun. Whether or not it's science, hard to say." He admitted, though, "This is not exactly the kind of thing I talk about at work."
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