- Karl Shuker
Dr. Karl P. N. Shuker (born
1959 ) is a Britishzoologist living in the West Midlands,England . He is currently working as a full-time freelance zoological consultant, media consultant, and author, specializing incryptozoology , for which he is internationally renowned. During the course of his continuing researches and writings, he regularly travels worldwide, and also appears frequently on television and radio.Academic
Shuker has a BSc/Honours in pure
zoology from theUniversity of Leeds and a PhD in zoology and comparative physiology from theUniversity of Birmingham . He is a Scientific Fellow of theZoological Society of London , a Fellow of theRoyal Entomological Society , a Member of the International Society of Cryptozoology and a member of theSociety of Authors .Career
Shuker has authored many hundreds of articles, and thirteen books, including the cryptozoological works "Mystery Cats of the World" (1989), "The Lost Ark: New and Rediscovered Animals of the 20th Century" (1993; expanded in 2002 as "The New Zoo"), and "In Search of Prehistoric Survivors" (1995), as well as two worldwide bestsellers - "Dragons: A Natural History" (1995; resissued in 2006), and "The Unexplained" (1996; reissued in 2002). During his writings and researches, Shuker has been the first cryptozoologist to bring to widespread public attention a considerable number of cryptids that were previously little-known. These include the Sri Lankan horned jackal and
devil bird ,Gambo the Gambian sea serpent, Goodenough Island mystery bird, New Guinearopen and devil pig orgazeka , Scottish earth hound, Indonesianveo and horned cat, New Caledonian du, Irish dobhar-chú, Shatt al Arab venomous mystery fish, Zanzibar makalala, Ethiopian death bird, Zululand kondlo, Arctic North Americanwaheela ,Kellas cat ,Mongolian Death Worm , Hungarian reedwolf, Fujian blue orMaltese tiger , Welsh cenaprugwirion,bigfin squid , St Helena sirenian, Timor Sea ground shark, and crowing crested cobra.Aside from his own publications, Dr. Shuker pens two regular cryptozoological columns ('Alien Zoo' and 'The Lost Ark') in "
Fortean Times ", is a contributing editor and cryptozoological columnist for "Strange Magazine ", is a regular contributor to "Fate" and related publications. In addition, he is the zoological consultant for theGuinness World Records .He has acted as a consultant for several television specials and series too, including Discovery TV's "Into the Unknown". He has also served as a question setter for the BBC's quiz show "Mastermind".
Trivia
In November 2001, Shuker became a £250,000 prize winner on the British version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?".
In 2005, Shuker was honoured by the naming of a new species of
Loricifera after him, "Pliciloricus shukeri", a highly distinctive species characterised by possessing a unique secondary double organ.Books
*"Mystery Cats of the World" (
1989 ), Robert Hale, ISBN 0-7090-3706-6
*"Extraordinary Animals Worldwide" (1991), Robert Hale, ISBN 0-7090-4421-6
*"The Lost Ark: New and Rediscovered Animals of the 20th Century" (1993), HarperCollins, ISBN 0-00-219943-2
*"Dragons - A Natural History" (1995), Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0-684-81443-9; republished (2006 ), Taschen
*"In Search of Prehistoric Survivors" (1995 ), Blandford, ISBN 0-7137-2469-2
*"The Unexplained" (1996), Carlton Books, ISBN 1-85868-186-3
*"From Flying Toads To Snakes With Wings" (1997 ), Llewellyn, ISBN 1-56718-673-4
*"Mysteries of Planet Earth" (1999), Carlton Books, ISBN 1-85868-679-2
*"The Hidden Powers of Animals", (2001 ), Reader's Digest, ISBN 0-7621-0328-0
*"The New Zoo: New and Rediscovered Animals of the Twentieth Century" (2002 ), House of Stratus, ISBN 1-84232-561-2
*"The Beasts That Hide From Man" (2003 ), Paraview, ISBN 1-931044-64-3
*"Extraordinary Animals Revisited" (2007 ) CFZ Press, ISBN 1-905723-17-1
*"Dr Shuker's Casebook" (2008 ) CFZ Press, ISBN 1-905723-33-1Consultant/Contributor
*"Man and Beast" (
1993 )
*"Secrets of the Natural World" (1993 )
*"Almanac of the Uncanny" (1995 )
*"The Guinness Book of Records/Guinness World Records" (1997 -Present Day)
*"Mysteries of the Deep" (1998 )
*"Guinness Amazing Future" (1999 )
*"The Earth" (2000 )
*"Monsters" (2001 )
*"Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained" (2007 )
*"Chambers Myths and Mysteries" (2008 )External links
* [http://members.aol.com/karlshuker Shuker's website]
References
[1] Newton, Michael, 2005, "Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology: A Global Guide" (McFarland & Co, Inc: Jefferson), p. 425: "Today, he [Shuker] is globally recognized as an author and researcher on all aspects of animal life and unexplained phenomena, the heir apparent to Heuvelmans himself."
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