David Wallechinsky - The Book of Lists

Muntjacs, or barking deer, are a common food in Vietnam. But in April 1994, the World Wildlife Fund and the Vietnamese Ministry of Forestry announced that a new species of the mammal — the giant muntjac deer — was discovered in Vu Quang Nature Reserve, the same rain forest where the sao la had been found two years earlier. One and a half times larger than other muntjacs, the deer weighs about 100 lb and has 8-in. antlers that are bowed inward. It has a reddish coat and large canine teeth. A live animal was captured in Laos by a team of researchers working for the Wildlife Conservation Society, and in August 1997 another mountjac, the Truong Son or dwarf muntjac, was located in the Vu Quang Nature Reserve. Weighing only 30 lb, it has black fur and extremely short antlers. It is expected that other new species of animals will be found in the Vu Quang Nature Reserve, which miraculously survived bombing and herbicide spraying during the Vietnam War. British biologist John MacKinnon calls the area ‘a corner of the world unknown to modern science’ and ‘a biological gold mine’.

This large, black and white whistling tree kangaroo was first described by zoologist Dr Tim Flannery in 1995. The local Moni tribe in West Papua (Irian Jaya) on the island of New Guinea had long revered the bondegezou as their ancestor.

‘Nessie’, the world-famous serpent-like creature of Loch Ness, Scotland, was first photographed in 1933, after decades of rumours that something odd lived in the lake. Since then, ‘Nessie-watching’ has become an international sport, and there now exist a variety of photographs, an official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club and numerous theories. One of the most popular theories is that the snake-like neck and lizard-like head point to this beast being one of a race of as many as 30 remaining pleiosaurs, a type of dinosaur previously believed to be extinct. However, Loch Ness could not provide sustenance for a pleiosaur, and other theories are hotly debated. Nay-sayers believe all the photos to be no more than bark, driftwood and seaweed. The latest theory, proposed by cryptozoologist Jon Downes, is that Nessie is actually a European eel, grown to an enormous size. Occasionally, these eels become sterile and lose their biological imperative to move from a lake to the Sargasso Sea and breed — thus they are called ‘eunuch eels’. Downes proposes that there is something in the waters of Loch Ness and nearby lakes that causes this condition. These eels can cross long distances on land, which might account for the numerous out-of-water sightings.

This creature apparently lives in a lake which knifes from New York to Canada. Only a few photographs and videos of ‘Champ’ exist. However, a 1977 photo, taken by one Sandra Mansi, is considered the most impressive photo of any sea or lake ‘monster’. Ms Mansi was taking a leisurely drive with her family along the lake when she saw a disturbance in the water. She ‘saw the head come up… then the neck, then the back’. Her fiancé began to scream, ‘Get the kids out of the water!’ Sandra had the nous to take a picture, which she tucked away in the family album for four years until it was published in the New York Times . Since then, over 130 further sightings have been reported. Books, seminars and arguments followed, and many strongly believe Ms Mansi took a photo of a piece of driftwood. Arguing against this is her statement that ‘the mouth was open when it came up and water came out’. Champ is most often seen in early mornings in summer.

Canada is said to be home to numerous famous lake monsters. There are usually several sightings a year of the Ogopogo, rumoured to live in the Okanagan Lake in British Columbia. Author Mary Moon lists hundreds of sightings, beginning in the late 1700s. The creature is 30–50 ft long (9–15 m.), with an undulating, serpent-like body, a long, thin neck, and a rather horse-like head. It is reputed to swim extremely fast, appearing as several humps, or arches, on the surface. Native American legends tell of the Ogopogo attacking humans, and some swimmers in the lake have disappeared without a trace.

Sea monster lore includes myths of giant squid, the most famous of which is the terrifying Kraken, the subject of Norse myth and a poem by Tennyson — ‘There hath he lain for ages and will lie Battening upon huge sea worms in his sleep’. Modern scientists speculate that the Kraken is actually a school of giant squid breaking the surface, or several schools, fanning out together.

Cadboro Bay in British Columbia supposedly sports a pair of aquatic reptiles nicknamed ‘Caddy’ and ‘Amy’. Caddy’s overall length is estimated at 40–70 ft (12–20 m.). There have been more than 50 years of sightings, beginning in the 1940s, continuing with at least half a dozen a year. In 1946 sightings were so common that a plan developed to catch one of the creatures and put it on display in Vancouver’s swimming pool; happily, Caddy and Amy’s friends vetoed the idea. In 1994, Dr Ed Bousfield published a book about Caddy — Cadborosaurus — Survivor from the Deep .

The following situations may occur anywhere in bear country. This recommended behaviour is generally advised, but is no guarantee of averting a mishap. Above all, remain calm and give the bear the opportunity to learn that your intentions are not hostile.

Do not run. Bears can run faster than 30 miles (50 kilometers) per hour — even faster than Olympic sprinters. Running can elicit a chase response from otherwise nonaggressive bears.

If the bear is unaware of you, detour quickly and quietly away from it. Give the bear plenty of room, allowing it to continue undisturbed.

If the bear is aware of you but has not acted aggressively, back away slowly, talking in a calm, firm voice while slowly waving your arms. Bears that stand up on their hind legs are usually just trying to identify you, and are not threatening.

Do not run; do not drop your pack. A pack can help protect your body in case of an attack. To drop a pack may encourage the bear to approach people for food. Bears occasionally make ‘bluff charges’, sometimes coming to within ten feet of a person before stopping or veering off. Stand still until the bear stops and has moved away, then slowly back off. Climbing trees will not protect you from black bears, and may not provide protection from grizzlies.

If a grizzly bear does actually make contact with you, curl up in a ball, protecting your stomach and neck, and play dead. If the attack is prolonged, however, change tactics and fight back vigorously. If it is a black bear, do not play dead; fight back.

Source: Denali National Park and Preserve, Denali Park, Alaska

In The Intelligence of Dogs (New York: The Free Press, 1994), Stanley Coren ranked breeds of dogs for working intelligence. The rankings were based on questionnaires completed by 199 obedience judges from the American and Canadian Kennel Clubs.

• Border Collie

• Poodle

• German Shepherd

• Golden Retriever