At the beginning of the 21st Century monsters still roam the remote, and sometimes not so remote, corners of our planet. It is our job to search for them. The Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] is - we believe - the largest professional, scientific and full-time organisation in the world dedicated to cryptozoology - the study of unknown animals. Since 1992 the CFZ has carried out an unparalleled programme of research and investigation all over the world. Since 2009 we have been running the increasingly popular CFZ Blog Network, and although there has been an American branch of the CFZ for over ten years now, it is only now that it has a dedicated blog.

Tuesday 22 July 2014

WINGED APE



Up  above you can see some Winged Monkeys from the land of Oz.  But have you ever seen a winged monkey in real life?  In the year 2000 at Tucapol, Chile, a Winged Ape was reported.  It was about 4' in height, it had clawed hands and protruding fangs.  It sounds a fearsome creature.

However, wings on an ape or monkey of the type seen in The Wizard of Oz should not be able to make it fly without defying the laws of physics.  Perhaps their function was to allow it to glide.  From the description, though, I wonder if what was actually seen was some kind of bat.

I hear someone ask, What exactly is the difference between an ape and a monkey?  You have come to the right place, O Inquisitor, for I have the answer to your query.  Basically, a monkey has a tail and an ape hasn't.  The only recognized apes are the gorilla, orang utan, chimpanzee, gibbon and bonobo.  The rock ape of Gibraltar is in fact a monkey.

Once the terms were interchangeable.  If you wanted to refer disparagingly to someone as a monkey, you could call him a jackanapes.  In fact, you still can if you want to.  I have no wish to restrict your freedom.

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