The Irving family posed many questions to Gef the Talking Mongoose to try and get his answers. Once, among all their questions, the Irvings asked Gef if he knew what death was. To which, his voice replied simply, “Yes, a changeover.”
Cryptid of the Day: Ryukyu Kingfisher
Description: The Ryukyu Kingfisher, a 9 ½ inch bird, lived in Japan’s Miyako Island, but only one specimen was ever collected back in 1887. It’s believed that the bird went extinct due to the introduction of rats to the island. However, some have reported seeing the bird and believe they are still alive.
Black Dogs -
An English ghost, a black dog can be seen as an omen of death and bad luck. They are often described as monstrously large with eyes of flaming red or green, appearing to those who are doomed to die. It is possible for them to have other demeanours though, some black dogs are benevolent and choose to watch over humans, even going as far as to walk women home at night and watch over children while they play. In some stories they are not so friendly, attacking and killing humans where they find them.
A notorious black dog from Suffolk was Black Shuck. This dog burst into a church during a service and killed a man and a boy who were attending church. The claw marks from the dog’s attack can be still seen in the church to this day.
Dartmoor is said to be home to many ghostly black dogs. They inspired the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle spend some time there. The story of the hounds of Dartmoor tells of a huntsman who sold his soul to the devil. When he died he became a ghost that rides through the moors with a pack of black dogs running alongside him.