Blog Post 1

    I was very fascinated to learn about the Jersey Devil, something that I had never heard of before. Growing up in Central Jersey for most of my life, I surprisingly had never heard of this legend. Now that I have been living in South Jersey for school, hearing that the Jersey Devil is so prominent in Galloway and South Jersey in general is interesting to learn. When I saw the image of the Jersey Devil that was allegedly seen in Galloway, it is hard to believe how a creature like this could exist. Since it was only captured in a photo a couple of times in its decades of existence it is hard to imagine that something like this could really exist. I have always heard of creatures like Big Foot and the Loch Ness monster and never really understood why so many people were so invested in finding these creatures and proving their existence. Hearing that people would blame the Jersey Devil when they were faced with poor health or when something bad would happen to them makes it seem to me that people believe in these mythical beings to give reason as to why things happen in a way that is easy to write off. I also believe people try to find these creatures as a way to prove to themselves that there is something out there and we do not know everything like we think we do. 

    It is interesting to me that people dedicate their lives to cryptozoology. Having a career dedicated to proving the existence of creatures we have heard about for hundreds of years, but never truly found, is a very daunting task that takes a lot of faith and perseverance. Although I am not sure if all of these animals have the possibility of existing, I give lots of credit to those dedicated to proving so. I have added a link to a video of Lyle Blackburn, a cryptozoologist, where he explains why he got into the field. I found it interesting that there are all different legends all over the country, like the Jersey Devil to us, that interest people and get them into the field. Lyle Blackburn discusses how growing up in Texas exposed him to many of these legends and hidden creatures that are much more prominent and popular in the south.    


https://youtu.be/i9eIYjd4Qkc?si=Grnr5zoqnCsxtH_e