Comments on: The Quick 10: 10 Animals of Folklore

By: Annie

Annie — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:59:07 +0000

the last of the really great whangdoodles is one of my favorite childrens stories! omgosh. when it said high behind splinter cat i just about fell out of my chair. i’m going to go read that book now, just cause thats how i roll.

By: Dahi

Dahi — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:19:37 +0000

I always heard barking spiders referenced as a cover for someone passing gas. You know, after the sound, the guilty party says “Darn barking spiders”

By: Bryan

Bryan — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:37:01 +0000

I would add:

The Thunderbird: An American Indian legend about a bird large enough to abduct small children, that makes a thundering noise when it flies.

The Chupacabra: The legend has roots in a misnomer. What we now call the “nightwing” family of birds used to be called the “goatsucker” family, because it was believed that they lived off goatsmilk. Their mystery was further enhanced by the fact that most of these birds are nocturnal and blend in with the tree branches they sleep on, making it seem like they just appear out of nowhere. The story has been exaggerated and gained a life of its own.

Barking spiders: I recently attended a boyscout campout where one of the scout leaders made a reference to barking spiders being nearby. Several 12-year-old boys came running to see the spider.

By: Lily

Lily — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:15:16 +0000

Speaking of the Jersey Devil, schools in the area were closed for a day in the 1950′s because of a Jersey Devil sighting! We hardly get snow days anymore, let alone Jersey Devil Days…

By: z3ncat

z3ncat — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:04:00 +0000

Huh. I figured Pratchett had to have gotten the tree-octopus (mentioned in Nation) from SOMEWHERE – I just didn’t know it was a Pacific-Northwest thing.

He also used Drop Bears, in The Last Continent

By: KathyC

KathyC — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:59:53 +0000

Boy Scout Camp Rainey Mountain in North Georgia has a beaver shark in the lake. THere is a hide from one hanging in the admin building.

By: VM

VM — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:27:49 +0000

The Joint Snake reminds me of the famous Ben Frankin cartoon “Join or Die” – the snake pieces being labeled with the initials of various colonies.

By: lame name

lame name — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:43:38 +0000

Has anyone else heard of the treebehind?

By: Miss Cellania

Miss Cellania — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:26:07 +0000

The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus.
http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/

By: Jenn the Hen

Jenn the Hen — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:07:29 +0000

Have you ever heard of the skunk ape? Its basically Bigfoot with BO and it is said to live in Florida.