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The Thunderbird

Started by Brian Johnson, January 03, 2007, 06:48:30 PM

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Brian Johnson

Has anyone heard of this creature? If so, what do you know about it?

Holly

The thunderbird is a mythological creature in American Indian culture. But in for cryptozoology I found this....

There is a story that in April 1890, two cowboys in Arizona killed a giant birdlike creature with an enormous wingspan. It was said it had smooth skin, and featherless wings like a bat. Its face resembled an alligator. This description has more than a cursory similarity to the prehistoric pterodactyl. They dragged the carcass back to town, and it was pinned, wings outstretched across the entire length of a barn. There is supposed to be a picture of this event, that may or may not have been published in the local newspaper, the Tombstone Epitaph. Despite numerous people who have claimed to have seen this photograph recently, no one has ever been able to produce a copy of the picture nor make historic corroboration that this event ever occurred, and it is most likely an urban legend. Ivan Sanderson is perhaps the best-known person who claimed to have seen this Thunderbird Photograph.

There have also been thunderbird sightings more recently. In the 1960s and 1970s, sightings of a large bird the size of a Piper Cub airplane were made in Washington, Utah, and Idaho. On occasion, such reports were accompanied by large footprints or other purported evidence.

Among the most controversial reports is a July 25, 1977 account from Lawndale, Illinois. About 9 p.m. a group of three boys were at play in a residential back yard. Two large birds approached, and chased the boys. Two escaped unharmed, but the third boy, ten-year-old Marlon Lowe, did not. One of the birds reportedly clamped his shoulder with its claws, then lifted Lowe about two feet off the ground, carrying him some distance. Lowe fought against the bird, which released him.[1]

Viewed by some as a tall tale, the descriptions given by the witnesses of these birds match that of an Andean condor: a large black bird, with a white ringed neck and a wingspan up to 10 feet. In South America, some Andean condors are purported to attack and carry away newborns when very hungry or otherwise starved, but it is unknown whether this is based in fact as condors do not hunt live prey.

In 2002, a new sighting in Alaska was announced; the most probable explanation was a stray Steller's Sea Eagle.

There is more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbird_(mythology). ;)
Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say & not giving a damn. - Gore Vidal

Brian Johnson

#2
Thanks Holly, I've seen a picture of the condor that you mentioned and that commnly is misrepresented as the thunderbird. I think there is a picture of it on google images. Aloha everyone.

PPI Brian

Here's a recent article about someone who claims to have spotted a Thunderbird in PA:

http://farshores.org/c8tbird.htm

Regards,

Brian Miller
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

Brian Johnson

Dude, I was looking for a copy of this photograph everywhere and it just appears in some article. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR, oh, by the way great article.


MichaelF (FPIE)

I am extremely skeptical of reports of these birds in North America, at least in modern times.  Simply because of the fact that they would be so visible while flying.  There are some very wild parts of the US yet, plenty of places for Bigfoot and other creatures to avoid Humans, but the second a bird with a 20 foot wingspan leave the trees or ridgeline, it would be very visible.  Look back to when the Bald Eagle was very very close to extinct, it's numbers were very small, yet they were still sighted in the wild (and photgraphed,) they are nowhere near the size of the Thunderbird.

I do believe that a bird like this could feasibly exist, but it would need to be somewhere like Papua New Guinea (I think I spelled that wrong,) where the land is extremely wild and uninhabited.

One thing that always intrigues me when thinking about creatures such as these and Nessy or other "creatures" that are remnants from the past; that is the biologics of them.  For example, they need to mate, meaning you need at least two.  Now if the offspring mate amongst themselves, wouldn't you eventually get genetic defects?  So it seems like there are only a few options, they breed successfully, increasing thier numbers to a point where they are actually spotted, captured, filmed or whatever; or they breed themselves into extinction due to not enough of a gene pool.  Now predators and nature could obviously have a hand in keeping the numbers down, but it's hard to imagine some of these creatures being prey.  It seems like thier only enemies would really be man and our contaminants such as DDT, but for that to effect them, they would need to be close to man.

I just find it odd that they could breed well enough for survive these thousands of years, but not well enough to not be so elusive.  I'm not saying I don't believe, but it's an aspect I just can't figure out.
200 years ago, our communication over computers would have been deemed magical and we all would have been burned at the stake.  200 years from now, explanations for what we call Paranormal will be in Science Textbooks.

PPI Brian

Finally, another report worth sharing with our PPI forum members:

On Sunday October 26th, a long time, avid outdoorsman saw two giant birds, probably 10 to 15 feet above the ground. The birds had a wing span of at least 10 feet. What were they?


http://biofort.blogspot.com/2008/10/recent-central-illinois-giant-bird.html
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Tim

#7
Thunderbird is quite common.
You go to any Liquor Store and it's right there, sitting on the third shelf, up front going for $3.99
Fresh from the bottle with a twist off cap still in the bag is preferred.
QUAL-LIT-TEE BABY!
MMMMMM...IT'S THE GOOD STUFF!
;D
Sounds interesting...Go on.

PPI Tracy

Quote from: PPI Tim on October 30, 2008, 04:43:11 PM
Thunderbird is quite common.
You go to any Liquor Store and it's right there, sitting on the third shelf, up front going for $3.99
Fresh from the bottle with a twist off cap still in the bag is preferred.
QUAL-LIT-TEE BABY!
MMMMMM...IT'S THE GOOD STUFF!
;D

I cannot believe you actually KNOW this fact.  Okay Tim, I am officially frightened of you now.     :o

Brigham

Anybody wanna peanut?

PPI Jason

I've seen Thunderbirds!!

  I wasn't real impressed though.
Probably the earliest flyswatters were nothing more than some sort of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick.
-Jack Handey

PPI Tim

Sounds interesting...Go on.

Brian Johnson

Disney did a re-make with Bill Paxton, it Suuuhu-cked.

PPI Tim

They should have tried to attach strings to the actors.
Sounds interesting...Go on.

PPI Brian

An allegedly "remarkable" photograph of a possible Thunderbird has been published that has sparked a lot of discussion. Investigators of Thunderbird sightings claim there is no doubt that the image is real; it is not a hoax. But the question is: is it really a Thunderbird or something else?

http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/tbird-photo/


"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

Gary

Brian... I was looking at that picture.  Check this out.    It looks like the top of the parking lot light post... notice the light post i marked on the left.  Has EXACT same features at the top, but the one on the right is blending in with the Sky and Clouds.   The size of this photo is pretty large, but if you save it and zoom in you can clearly see it.  My opinion.... BUSTED!
Gary \m/
An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself!

PPI Brian

Hi Gary,

That's very interesting! I will have to blow the image up and study it a little more closely. I hadn't noticed the similarity, but now that you pointed it out...  ;D
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Karl

I'm with Gary on this one.  I think he's right.  I saw a similar photo of an alleged UFO sighting in Hawaii that turned out to be exactly the same phenomenon: a parking lot lamp post.  If push came to shove, I'd believe this were a UFO before I believe it's a Thunderbird--unless, of course, it's actually King Gidhorah!
If you want to end your misery, start enjoying it, because there's nothing the universe begrudges more than our enjoyment.

PPI Brian

Stumbled across this article during my daily paranormal wanderings and thought it was interesting.

Extinct New Zealand Eagle May Have Eaten Humans

Computer scans of New Zealand fossils may have helped scientists unravel a mystery about a giant raptor that became extinct 500 years ago. Says a researcher: "The science supports Maori mythology of the legendary pouakai or hokioi, a huge bird that could swoop down on people in the mountains and was capable of killing a small child."

http://www.physorg.com/news171900306.html
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan