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Cryptozoology (from Greek κρυπτός, ''kryptos'', "hidden" + zoology; literally, "study of hidden animals") is a pseudoscience involving the search for animals whose existence has not been proven due to lack of evidence. The animals cryptozoologists study are often referred to as ''cryptids'', a term coined by John Wall in 1983.〔Coleman, Loren and Clark, Jerome.''Cryptozoology A to Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras, and Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature''. New York: Fireside/Simon and Schuster, 1999〕 This includes living examples of animals that are otherwise considered extinct, such as non-avian dinosaurs; animals whose existence lacks physical evidence but which appear in folklore, such as Bigfoot and Chupacabra; and wild animals dramatically outside their normal geographic ranges, such as phantom cats (also known as Alien Big Cats). Cryptozoology is not a recognized branch of zoology or a discipline of science.〔 It is an example of pseudoscience because it relies heavily upon anecdotal evidence, stories, and alleged sightings. While cryptozoology takes a pseudoscientific approach to creatures and beings from the folklore record, the academic study of folklore is folkloristics. ==Overview== The coining of the word ''cryptozoology'' is often attributed to Belgian-French zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans, though Heuvelmans attributes coinage of the term to the late Scottish explorer and adventurer Ivan T. Sanderson. Heuvelmans ''On the Track of Unknown Animals'' (1955) traces the scholarly origins of the discipline to Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans and his 1892 study, ''The Great Sea Serpent''. Heuvelmans argued that cryptozoology should be undertaken with scientific rigor, but with an open-minded, interdisciplinary approach. He also stressed that attention should be given to local, urban and folkloric sources regarding such creatures, arguing that while often layered in unlikely and fantastic elements, folktales can have grains of truth and important information regarding undiscovered organisms. Phantom cats (an example of living animals supposedly found outside their normal ranges) are a common subject of cryptozoological interest, largely due to the relative likelihood of existence in comparison to fantastical cryptids lacking any evidence of existence, such as Mothman.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url= http://www.britishbigcats.org/news.php )〕 Another notable book on the subject is Willy Ley's ''Exotic Zoology'' (1959). Ley, best known for his writings on rocketry and related topics, was also trained in paleontology, and wrote a number of books about animals. Ley's collection ''Exotic Zoology'' is of some interest to cryptozoology, as he discusses the Yeti and sea serpents, as well as relict dinosaurs. The book entertains the possibility that some legendary creatures (like the sirrush, the unicorn, or the cyclops) might be based on actual animals, through misinterpretation of the animals and/or their remains. Also notable is the work of British zoologist and cryptozoologist Karl Shuker, who has published 12 books and countless articles on numerous cryptozoological subjects since the mid-1980s. Loren Coleman, a modern popularizer of cryptozoology, has chronicled the history and personalities of cryptozoology in his books. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cryptozoology」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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