When I was little I loved looking at picture books of wild animals. I especially loved any animal that looked unusual, and God made some crazy ones. The nautilus, tapir, pangolin. If it looked cool, I wanted to know more about it.
I think every kid goes through a phase where they are obsessed with dinosaurs. Giant creatures that can snap trees in half that stomp around. What could be better!?
Learning that animals go extinct was a major bummer for me. I wanted to see the Tasmanian Tiger (AKA the Thylacine) more than anything! It looks like a cat/fox/wolf all mixed together with zebra stripes on its back.
Recently I listened to a podcast. This biologist was telling stories of going to look for extinct animals in remote parts of the world. In 2021, he and his team spent months in the Australian Outback following stories of Tasmanian Tiger sightings. They set up miles of trail cams, and they THINK they got a picture of one.
It’s not as bad as the Bigfoot footage, but it’s not clear exactly what kind of animal it is. Of course, the scientific community would not accept that the species still exists without physical proof. The hunt continues for the Thylacine!
How much proof do you need to believe something is real?