Cryptozoology refers to the science, or maybe pseudo-science, of studying animals that are only rumored to exist, such as Sasquatch, the Loch Ness Monster or El Chupacabra -- The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young. Another favorite moving target of cryptozoologists is the Yeti, or Abominable Snowman.
Mainstream science is skeptical -- that's the polite term -- of ever finding the legendary Himalayan snow ape. However, it is true that hunting for the Yeti has produced some real, and valuable, science. Thanks to environmental DNA testing (eDNA), we've actually discovered new species by examining submitted samples of purported Yeti hair. Our resident primatologist Natalia Reagan is on the hunt in today's DNews report.
Smithsonian: Did Bigfoot Really Exist? How Gigantopithecus Became Extinct
Scientific American: Why Science Tells Us Not to Rely on Eyewitness Accounts
CNN: New monkey discovered