CATCHING CRYPTIDS

A handy guide to high-tech, low-tech, and no-tech tools for tracking down Mongolian death worms and similarly elusive creatures worldwide.

“Animals, it turns out, are really good at hiding.” Grouping select cryptids by type—sea and lake monsters, those that are wolflike, batlike, or apelike, and so forth—Long pairs summary reports of sightings and general descriptions of each creature with descriptions of gear and techniques that readers may use to verify that the animals actually exist. Recent advances in technology have expanded the tool kit considerably, so in addition to relying on standbys like radar, sonar, and trained dogs, researchers can analyze DNA floating in water and even air, break down recordings of ambient sounds in forests and other habitats, and employ nearly silent aerial or deep-sea drones. These technologies can also be used to track down actual as well as legendary fauna, of course, as the author points out with examples of species that have wrongly turned out to be considered extinct, along with suggestions for careers in biology from zoologist to wildlife computer scientist. Still, the stars of the show here are the cryptids. They’re seldom more than vague shapes in Miles’ understated illustrations, and Bigfoot doesn’t even make the cut. At times, the author’s skepticism about many of the others shows through. Nevertheless, there are frights and marvels aplenty left for believers. “Adventure awaits,” she writes, “so let the search begin!”

Stimulating fare for both outdoor and armchair cryptid hunters.