St. John’s Day: Finding MacFarlane’s Bear
Posted by: Loren Coleman on June 24th, 2012
Ah, it’s June 24th again.
Photo credit: Strange Ark
Two Inuits killed a huge, yellow-furred bear at Rendezvous Lake, Barren Ground, Canada, on June 24, 1864. The bear was similar to Arctodus simus, which died out in the Pleistocene. Naturalist Robert MacFarlane acquired the bear’s skin and skull, and shipped the remains to the Smithsonian Institution, where they were placed in storage and soon forgotten. Eventually, Dr. Clinton Hart Merriam uncovered the remains, and in 1918, he described the specimen as a new species and genus, calling it the “patriarchal bear,” with the scientific name Vetularctos inopinatus. Today, it is often recognized as a new species, Ursus inopinatus. Later thoughts have called into question the uniqueness of this species. (For more, see Matt Bille’s contribution.)
On another June 24th, locals would have Bigfoot sightings, in Logan and Union counties, Ohio (1980). A Chupacabras was encountered outside a disco, at Maria Elena, Argentina (2000). Moose hunters saw a Bigfoot, near Fort Simpson, NWT, Canada (2002). A mysterious fire erupted in Mothman country, in a Gallipolis, Ohio resident’s car on a bridge from Ohio to Point Pleasant, West Virginia (2003). Massive unusual aerial phenomena (winged weirdies?) were viewed at Xalapa, Mexico (2005). “Aren’t You Chupacabra to See Me?” aired for the first time on Cartoon Network (2005). Nestle used Bigfoot-costumed marchers to launch Kit Kat Limited Edition – Cappuccino at the Giant Mahkota Parade, Malacca, and Jusco Tebrau City, Johor (2005).
For my latest look at the long list of phenomena on this special day, see Twilight Language’s new 2012 posting “St. John’s Day: June 24th.”
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Loren Coleman no longer writes for Cryptomundo. His archived posts remain here at Cryptomundo.
Pixar’s Brave was released this weekend. Though I haven’t seen it, I know a giant ‘monster bear’ is central to the story.
The only thing wrong with “St John’s Day” is the name. John the Baptist wasn’t born in June.
He was born in March.
The reason the Roman Catholic Church picked a date in June was because the Bible makes it clear that John is six months older than his cousin Jesus. And they’d already decided on the December (Yule) date for HIS birth.
Which isn’t accurate either.
If anyone wants to know how to work these dates out, visit here.
If they have the skin and skull, why not do a DNA test?