California Thylacine?: Addendum

Bill Warren, the gentleman who purchased what may be the pelt of the ostensibly extinct thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) has sent a brief response to the article, written by TBRC Chairman Alton Higgins, entitled "California Thylacine?" and posted here on this site back on November 22, 2010.



You can access the article here or just hit the "guest blogger" label in the right margin to review the original post. In the article, Higgins posits that the pelt Mr. Warren has purchased is actually that of a zebra duiker (Cephalophus zebra), a small (9-20 kg) antelope that lives in the dense forests of West Africa. The zebra duiker is a spectacularly colored and marked animal and is listed as endangered. Alton did a very nice job of comparing the available photos of Mr. Warren's pelt to those of photos of zebra duikers as well as to known photos of thylacines.



Higgins, while not completely ruling out that the pelt is thylacine in origin, came to the conclusion that the skin is most likely that of the zebra duiker. He wasn't alone in reaching that conclusion. A gentleman identifying himself as a Col. Bailey from Tasmania wrote in and said, "You are so right. This is indeed the pelt of the Zebra duiker from Sierre Leone. The striking similarity to the thylacine pelt has previously lead many astray." This Col. Bailey claimed to have been involved in the analysis of the Emmerich photos, alleged to be of a thylacine, as well. To be fair, I have no idea if this gentleman is who he claims to be as this message was left as a comment to the original article. So take it for what it is.

A gentleman identifying himself as Bill Warren left the following comment today: "I am Bill Warren and I have written reports from various experts on the Tasmanian tiger and they agree my skin is a Tasmanian Tiger. The stripes on my skin are shorter than a duiker. My skin is much longer. My skin is soft when you run your hand against the grain." Again, to be consistent, I have no idea if this is in fact the real Bill Warren. I have reason to doubt it is not either so, again, take it for what it is. I replied, as you can see in the comments section below the original post, that I hope he is right and the pelt is that of a thylacine. I did ask if he had made the skin available for DNA testing and if any museums or universities had stepped up to help make this happen.



Mr. Warren, if you are reading this, I would like to say again that I, and I think I can safely speak for Alton Higgins as well, hope you did find the skin of a thylacine. It would be a spectacular find. The points you mention about the pelt being larger than a duiker, the stripes being shorter than those of a duiker, and the texture being different could all be valid but, obviously, you have the advantage as neither I, nor Mr. Higgins, have had the opportunity to inspect the pelt in person. Higgin's assessment of the pelt was made on comparison of photographs only. I would be glad to publish some or all of the written reports you possess from scientists who have examined the pelt. It could go a long way toward removing the doubts that persist out there.

Chinese Wisdom

"What is the smartest animal? The one you cannot find."

- Chinese Proverb

I actually don't know if this is an old Chinese proverb or not. This quote was part of an email I received through the TBRC website. I thought there was much wisdom in it. I hope you agree.

My best...

The Cougar of Sierra Blanca

The picture below was sent to me by a reader who, noting the unusually dark color of the cougar, wondered if it, and others like it, might not be responsible for black panther sightings in Texas and other areas of the country.



According to what I've read, this cougar was taken in far west Texas near Sierra Blanca. Sierra Blanca sits in the Trans-Pecos region of the Lone Star State in Hudspeth County (see graphic below). This is an area of the state which is recognized by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department as having a breeding mountain lion population. That being the case, a mountain lion in the area is not out of place. The coloration of the lion, though, makes it a somewhat unusual specimen.



The animal in the photo is unusually dark for a cougar but far from the dark black color reported by witnesses who claim to have seen a black panther. Having said that, I can see where a dark cougar, like this one, could easily be misidentified as being black in color at night or low-light conditions.



I don't feel this cat satisfactorily explains black panther sightings across the state. Cougars as dark as this one are rare to be sure as this is only the second photo I've come across of one this dark; however, these cats go through phases when their coats are thicker or thinner depending on the time of year. No doubt, this affects coloration. Still, this cat is unusually dark. Since this coloration, seemingly, is seen only sporadically it can't be the basis for all black panther sightings; many of which that have occurred in broad daylight. In addition to that, this cat's coloration is still far lighter than the truly melanistic cats described by many witnesses.



The question that may need to be asked is this; if cougars can get as dark as the individual animal in the photo above could they get darker still? If so, then the black panthers of Texas might not be an impossibility after all.

The Lake Nasworthy "Monster"

Ok, I admit that title is a bit sensational but early last month a news report out of San Angelo caught my eye. The report, written by Michael Price and published in the San Angelo Standard-Times details an incident involving the "Lake Nasworthy Monster." This "monster" has been described as a large reptile roughly six feet long cruising the depths, and occasionally the shallows, of Lake Nasworthy.

Lake Nasworthy is a small municipal lake located in San Angelo. The lake is named for John R. Nasworthy who sold the land the lake is located on to the city. The lake was built back in 1930 by the Texas Utilities Company to provide water for the city of San Angelo. The lake is small encompassing only 1,380 acres and is a mere 29 feet deep at its deepest point. It hardly seems a likely location for a monster. Even so, reports of a large animal in the lake have persisted for at least a decade.



Mr. Price, who is the Executive Director of the San Angelo Nature Center, stated in his piece, "Before my hobby of herpetoculture brought me to the Nature Center this decade, I had heard rumors of an enormous (always at least 6 feet long) reptile that would patrol the depths of Lake Nasworthy." He added, "This tall tale has been brought to my attention at the Nature Center a few times but never as seriously or as dangerously as this past week."



It seems two San Angelo police officers visited the Nature Center, which sits on the eastern shore of Lake Nasworthy, to see if all of their alligators were present and accounted for. A concerned citizen had reported that he had shot at a large creature in the lake and was worried about the safety of the people of San Angelo.

Mr. Price pretty much dismisses the possibility of an alligator, be it an out of place wild one or an escaped pet, outright. Instead, he theorizes the person who reported the sighting actually had seen a large flathead, or yellow, catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) or a longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus). Both species can reach lengths of 4-5 feet and are present in Lake Nasworthy. Mr. Price also suggests the possibility the report is an outright hoax.



Who knows what, if anything, was actually seen in Lake Nasworthy on this particular occasion? The fact is, however, that reports of something big in the lake have persisted for a decade or so. This leads me to believe that something big does, or did, live in the lake. I'm not suggesting there is a "monster" in the lake by any means; however, I do think dismissing an alligator as a possibility might not be wise. It is true that San Angelo is outside recognized alligator habitat. So is Cross Plains, Texas but an alligator was killed there back in August of 2009. You can read that account here. The Cross Plains alligator had made a home in a stock tank on the property of one Dick Vestal. Vestal speculated that his reptilian squatter had been a pet that grew too large and dangerous for it's owner and had been released somewhere near his property. Whether the Cross Plains gator was wild or a released pet is irrelevant. The point is, wild or not, an alligator was making a home for itself in a stock tank in West Texas. Is a similar scenario impossible in San Angelo? I don't think so.



I'm not suggesting the citizens of San Angelo should be afraid to enter the waters of Lake Nasworthy. I do think simply dismissing the possibility of the "Lake Nasworthy Monster" being an out of place alligator could be a mistake. You just never know. Many stranger things have happened.



What swims in the waters of Lake Nasworthy? Probably nothing unusual or exotic; however, if you live in the area and frequent the lake it might not be a bad idea to keep a camera handy. After all, you just never know.

Back To Work

I hope that everyone had a restful and peaceful holiday. I pretty much stepped away from everything and just recharged. I kept my eye on things and have several topics I would like to address but nothing too earth shattering seemed to take place during my short hiatus.

I have been biding my time a bit and waiting for deer season to close. I want to get a few game cameras out into some areas of interest in East Texas. I am not a fan of being accidentally shot by some hunter so I have waited. Also, with increased human activity in some of these areas there is a greater chance of having one of the cameras vandalized or stolen. The season ended in most regions of the state yesterday so the plan is to get out to the areas I'm interested in shortly. I am going to specifically dedicate one camera to the pursuit of a big cat photo. I would love to show cougars are indeed making a comeback and, of course, getting a black panther photo would be the ultimate reward.

While hunting season puts a bit of a crimp in my camera trapping it does tend to bring more sighting reports into the TBRC. This is always interesting and I hope this trend continues this year.

Also, I have been sitting on a photo for a long time that I have almost worked my nerve up enough to share on this site. Don't get too excited. It is a classic blob squatch in most ways. It is far from definitive and whatever the photo shows is partially obscured by a tree. Unlike most such shots, however, it is in focus. What you can see is pretty clear. I am going to attempt to enlarge the photo a bit in order to get more clarity before I post it. Like I said, don't get too excited. It is not the shot we've all been waiting for. It is what it is but I figure there are people that might like to see it...and, yes, I took the photo myself.

Here's to hoping that 2011 yields some interesting photos and evidence supporting the existence of some of the mystery animals of Texas.

Onward...

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to pause and wish everyone out there a Merry Christmas. I pray it is a blessed and peaceful time for you and your family.

Recent events involving some friends of mine have driven home just how important it is to keep proper perspective on life and to remember all that is truly important. Hold your loved ones tight this Christmas and thank God for every day you have them.

My very best to you all...

Camera Trapping Report

I've had one game camera out for the last month in what I call "Location 1." This is the area where a woman told me she witnessed a large cat, matching the description of a cougar, crossing the road. This incident allegedly took place over a year ago now. I've had a camera in the woods adjacent to this spot off and on since that time.

I had the camera in a slightly different location this time around. The camera was mounted to a tree looking over a flat open spot that has a game trail running through it. The dry creek bed that runs through the area is at the back of the open area from the point of view of the camera. You can't really see the creek, as it drops away to a depth of about three feet, but you can see in several shots animals coming up and out of the creek or eye-shine just above the edge of the bank.



I managed to capture a ton of photos of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). The number of deer in the area, according to this photo census, seems to have increased greatly. This could be due to hunting pressure the deer are experiencing now. This area is within the city limits where hunting is not allowed. One thing that makes me think this could be true is the presence of a couple of nice bucks. In the past, I've only managed to get shots of doe in this area. It could also be that the number of deer in the area has remained constant and I only got more photos due to the camera being in a better location. Whatever the case, I got lots of great shots of deer.



I got one great shot of a pair of coyotes (Canis latrans) on the run as they come up out of the creek toward the general location of the camera. This is the first time I've managed to get a shot of both of these coyotes. The last time around I got two different shots of coyotes. I thought they were of two different individuals but could not be sure. This shot confirms there are at least two coyotes roaming this area. Last year I got a shot of a coyote sniffing a tree on which I had applied scent-bait that was more brownish-red in color than either of these two. I have not seen him for quite a while now.



I also got an interesting shot of a glowing white object close to the camera. It is sort of flower-shaped and appears bright white as the flash of the camera washed out whatever natural color it is. Is this one of those mysterious glowing orbs I've heard so much about? Nah, I'm guessing it is some sort of insect, a moth perhaps, that fluttered too close to the camera. It is kind of cool looking though.



So, to wrap up, I got some nice shots but didn't get anything unusual. That is not unexpected. I'm sort of biding my time until hunting season is over here in Texas and then plan on deploying at least four cameras in heavily wooded areas of SE Texas in the hopes of capturing a wider variety of animals. I will fill you in on those details soon.

I can't tell you how much I enjoy camera-trapping. I find myself sitting in my house at night thinking about the cameras out in the field. I wonder what has walked by them as they have kept their vigil 24/7. I get genuinely excited when I go to pull the memory cards from these cameras. I imagine that anticipation will only grow as I place the cameras in locations where creatures like black panthers and sasquatches have been reported.