No reports or rumours of the megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) existed prior to its discovery in 1976. The megamouth was therefore never ethnoknown, and is not an example of a former cryptid.
Ethnoknowledge is a major criterion by which cryptids are defined. An ethnoknown animal is "known" through published reports and traditions, rather than one which is "known" in the zoological sense of the term, i.e. scientifically described. The term was introduced by J. Richard Greenwell of the International Society of Cryptozoology in 1985.[1]
In cryptozoology, ethnoknowledge comprises shared human knowledge of an animal which is not yet formally recognised. Such knowledge may exist in the form of sighting reports, oral traditions, and ancient depictions. Although ethnoknowledge often comes from the people living near the cryptid's habitat, this is not a requirement: the accounts of outsiders such as explorers and travellers also constitute ethnoknowledge.[1] However, the vast majority of terrestrial taxa were known to local people prior to their discovery.[2] In defining "natives," Greenwell stressed that, as an example, Scottish residents of Loch Ness are no less "local" or "native" people than those living traditional lifestyles in remote regions.[1]
The requirement for an unknown animal or cryptid to be ethnoknown is a basic tenet of cryptozoology.[1] Discoveries of new species which, while large or "unexpected," were not previously ethnoknown, such as the megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios), therefore do not fall within the scope of cryptozoology, and are not examples of former cryptids or cryptozoological successes.[3][4] However, they may still be cited as precedents for the existence of ethnoknown animals, and for the basic cryptozoological theory that large animals remain to be discovered.[3][5]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Greenwell, J. Richard "A Classificatory System for Cryptozoology," Cryptozoology, Vol. 4 (1985)
- ↑ Heuvelmans, Bernard (1955) On the Track of Unknown Animals, Routledge, ISBN 978-1138977525
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Interview: The Father of Cryptozoology Gives his Views on Many Matters," The ISC Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Autumn 1984)
- ↑ Shuker, Karl P. N. (2016) Still In Search Of Prehistoric Survivors: The Creatures That Time Forgot?, Coachwhip Publications, ISBN 978-1616463908
- ↑ Greenwell, J. Richard "The Future of Cryptozoology," The ISC Newsletter, Vol. 11, No. 3 (Autumn 1992)