Under some definitions, dracontology unites the studies of sea serpents and lake monsters. Above: Loch Ness monster sketch by land witness Margaret Munro (1934); below, Cuba sea serpent sketch from the Azores (1934).
Dracontology (French: dracontologie) is an area of cryptozoology broadly dealing with aquatic cryptids.[1] As originally defined, the term exclusively referred to the study of freshwater lake monsters. However, since 2001, it has increasingly been applied to the study of all aquatic cryptids, including both lake monsters and sea serpents. It has also been used in reference to the study of dragons.[2]
The term was introduced by Canadian lake monster researcher Jacques Boisvert, based on the advice of a Benedectine monk and linguist from the Abbaye de St-Benoit-du-Lac. The word has been accepted by some dictionaries and linguistic bodies, and, according to Boisvert, was approved by Bernard Heuvelmans. However, dracontology is not a widely-used term even within cryptozoology, and Loren Coleman argues that, due to its "too nearly mythical feel," it is more appropriately applied to dragons than any cryptids.[2]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Newton, Michael (2009) Hidden Animals: A Field Guide to Batsquatch, Chupacabra, and Other Elusive Creatures, ABC-CLIO, ISBN 9780313359064
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Coleman, Loren & Huyghe, Patrick (2003) The Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep, TarcherPerigree, ISBN 978-1585422524