Lonely Benjamin

Ever heard of the Black Shuck?  It is a large ghostly black dog that is commonly considered to be an omen of death across the British Isles, however at times it has been known to help those that that meet it.  I wonder how cute Black Shuck puppies are. 🖤

Finally after 40 years my hometown’s crypto comes back. Welcome home buddy

The Last Thylacine: September 7, 1936

Hey everyone! This may be a little late depending on your time zone (as I’m in Los Angeles / PST, I’m behind practically everyone). Sorry about that!

Today, September 7th, 2019, marks the 83rd Anniversary of the death of the last known thylacine in the Hobart Zoo. This animal is pictured above.

There are a lot of myths and misconceptions surrounding the thylacine - and this individual in particular - so I thought I’d make a post to correct a few of these. Keep in mind that new facts and evidence do occasionally come to light, so this is of course subject to change!

MYTH #1: The last thylacine was named Benjamin.

FACT: The name “Benjamin” was allegedly given to the animal by a keeper named Frank Darby. Darby later claimed to have worked with this animal in an interview that took place in 1968. However, no record exists of Darby ever working at the Hobart Zoo, and the zoo curator’s daughter Alison Reid denied that Darby ever worked there.** [Source]

** Note: Although the nickname “Benjamin” was likely made up by Darby after the fact, it has stuck, so many thylacine enthusiasts (including me) still use it to refer to the last individual.

MYTH #2: The last thylacine was actually female.

FACT: Zoologist David Fleay, who took much of the film footage of this individual, stated in a newspaper article and diary entry that the animal was male, referring to it as a “fine male marsupial wolf.” Furthermore, in 2011, careful video analysis by Dr. Stephen Sleightholme (director of the ITSD) confirmed the presence of a scrotal sac, indicating that the last thylacine was indeed a male. [Source, Source]

MYTH #3: “Benjamin” was part of the Mullins family group.

FACT: The Mullins female was snared while her young were still in the pouch. This assertion would assume that “Benjamin” was one of the pups, grew up in captivity, and was the last surviving member of the family. However, in photos (including the one on this post), the snare mark is clearly visible on the animal’s hind leg, indicating that it was wild caught. It is more likely that “Benjamin” was snared by a man named Elias Churchill, though this is also debated. [Source]

MYTH #4: The carcass of “Benjamin” was immediately discarded after death because it was in poor condition.

FACT: The carcass was in fact sent to the Tasmanian Museum. What happened to it after that is unknown. [Source]

my trail-cam inspired thylacine piece for @cryptozineology, along with the (slightly sappy) informational blurb I wrote to accompany it! 

This grainy image has very little information surrounding it. All that is said about it is that it was taken in 1923 in Cobalt, Ontario, and is supposedly of Old Yellow Top - a Bigfoot-like creature that is said to roam Ontario. Old Yellow Top is said to be called such because, unlike other Bigfoot sightings, this one always has blond colored hair on its head. It is thought to be the oldest known photograph of a Bigfoot-like creature.

Minimalist thylacine watercolors by artist Melissa Siles. [x]

pet peeve of mine is people laughing at this w/out knowing this is literally how the bigfoot looks in the famous footage. xfiles didn’t make this up bigfoot has always had huge boobs

https://animatedtext.bigcartel.com/product/bigfoot-ate-my-ass

Midnight Monster Bestiary • 4/? - Church Grim 

 A black dog spirit that guards church graveyards and is an embodiment of demonic and spectral energy.  

Jackalopes are my favorite cryptid, so I decided to stitch one featuring the night sky!