# Cryptozoology ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 3, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cryptozoology/166304 "2003-04-03T21:14:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![T.Slothrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@T.Slothrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Slothrop)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cryptozoology/166304/1 "2003-04-03T21:14:43Z")
As a young medic on my first tour in Viet Nam (a long time ago), I was involved with burning a water-filled trench. It turned out later, that we were supposed to be putting a thin layer of diesel fuel in the trench to kill the mosquito larvae, but I didn’t know that at the time. So we kept setting it on fire, waiting until it burned off and then doing it again. In the water in the ditch, I noticed (between burnings) that there was a small semi-transparent animal about the size a fingernail that moved pseudopodally. I was amazed. It looked and moved like an amoeba, but it was big enough to see with the naked eye. I put my finger near it and it moved toward my finger. That startled me and I jerked my finger away. I had seen enough horror movies to know not to let it get on my finger. I told our doctor about it (the sainted Doc Laubengayer), but he was more concerned with getting us playful medics to stop setting the ditch on fire every time we had it well layered in fuel, so he didn’t really pay any attention. I have wondered what the little creature was for a long time. I have searched the web and even e-mailed one cryptobiology website about it, but they are more interested in creatures much larger and hairier and toothy so they never answered me. I have asked such scientifically inclined folks as I know, but usually get answers like: “I’m a chemist” or “I dunno buddy, I’m just here to fix the leak in the sink.” Any microbiologists out there want to hazard a guess ? If it turns out to be something new, will you name it after my kids ? ---
**Author:** ![T.Slothrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@T.Slothrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Slothrop)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cryptozoology/166304/2 "2003-04-03T21:23:30Z")
oops, I thought this was going into “General Questions” ---
**Author:** ![T.Slothrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@T.Slothrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Slothrop)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cryptozoology/166304/4 "2003-04-03T21:37:26Z")
OK. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cryptozoology/166304/5 "2003-04-03T22:10:10Z")
I remember reading a while back about some sort of amoeba-like creature that was the size of a pigeon’s egg - even though it was (supposedly) single-celled, but IIRC this organism was marine, not aquatic. Could it (what you saw) be some kind of mollusc perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![T.Slothrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@T.Slothrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Slothrop)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cryptozoology/166304/6 "2003-04-03T22:18:20Z")
I don’t think it was any sort of mollusc. I am familiar with molluscs and other salt water denizens having grown up on the coast. where did you read about the pigeon’s egg sized amoeba-like creature ? that sounds like a likely candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cryptozoology/166304/7 "2003-04-03T22:42:41Z")
[_Chaos carolinense_](http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/PDB/Images/Sarcodina/Chaos/): > [@](#): > > Species: Polypodal, 1000-2000 ìm; monopodal, 1000-5000 ìm long Some of these get up to 5mm long (5000ì)! [sub]_fixed coding - **DrMatrix** _[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cryptozoology/166304/8 "2003-04-03T23:06:34Z")
I’ll move this to General Questions for you. Off to GQ. **DrMatrix** - GQ Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cryptozoology/166304/9 "2003-04-03T23:08:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by T. Slothrop \* > \*\*where did you read about the pigeon’s egg sized amoeba-like creature ? that sounds like a likely candidate. \*\* [Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?&threadid=128182), but let me stress these are marine organisms; not a likely candidate, I would say. ---
**Author:** ![T.Slothrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@T.Slothrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Slothrop)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cryptozoology/166304/10 "2003-04-04T00:49:59Z")
Thanks all. I think it probably was something similar to Chaos Carolinense. It is good to know that there is such a thing. I have wondered about it for 30 years. They didn’t have message boards back then. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cryptozoology/166304/11 "2003-04-04T01:01:57Z")
My vote to call your one _ **Chaos Carolinense Slothropiens** _ ---
**Author:** ![T.Slothrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@T.Slothrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Slothrop)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cryptozoology/166304/12 "2003-04-04T02:03:50Z")
But I wanted to name it after my kids: “Chaos BenandJulie” ---
**Author:** ![bryanmcc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@bryanmcc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bryanmcc)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cryptozoology/166304/13 "2003-04-04T02:08:24Z")
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature strictly forbids capitalization of specific names, so it should be _Chaos carolinense slothropiens_ (assuming ICZN covers Protists, which I can’t quite recall at the moment). Also, my advisor’d sack me if I didn’t add that I work with Foraminifera, whose tests can get up to the cm range. Although they don’t look it, they are Sarcodinian protists, just like _Amoeba_ (albeit with shells). ---
**Author:** ![T.Slothrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@T.Slothrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Slothrop)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cryptozoology/166304/14 "2003-04-04T05:42:19Z")
* * * “The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature strictly forbids capitalization of specific names, so it should be Chaos carolinense slothropiens” * * * How about Chaos carolinense benandjulieslothropiens ? If you dropped in on the Slothropian house, you would see that this is an appropriate name, except for the carolinense part, she doesn’t live here. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cryptozoology/166304/15 "2003-04-04T14:58:58Z")
This thread made me go and drag out my microscope after a bit of a long hiatus. I’d nearly forgotten how much I enjoy hunting for protists.