Karl Shuker
| Karl P.N. Shuker | |
|---|---|
 Karl Shuker with Smilodon skull |
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| Born | 1959 West Midlands, England |
| Education | PhD Zoology & comparative physiology (University of Birmingham, UK) |
| Occupation | Cryptozoologist Zoological consultant Media consultant Author |
Karl P. N. Shuker (born 1959) is a British zoologist, cryptozoologist, and author living in the West Midlands, England. He works as a full-time freelance zoological consultant, media consultant, and noted author specializing in cryptozoology.[1][2]
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[edit] Career
Shuker received a BSc(Hons) in zoology from the University of Leeds and a PhD in zoology and comparative physiology from the University of Birmingham. He is a Scientific Fellow of the Zoological Society of London, a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, a consultant for the Centre for Fortean Zoology, and a member of the Society of Authors.[1][2][3]
Shuker is one of the leading cryptozoologists in the English speaking world. Some of his larger works include Mystery Cats of the World (1989), The Lost Ark: New and Rediscovered Animals of the 20th Century (1993; expanded in 2002 as The New Zoo), and In Search of Prehistoric Survivors (1995), as well as two worldwide bestsellers - Dragons: A Natural History (1995; reissued in 2006), and The Unexplained (1996; reissued in 2002).[3] Shuker also published Star Steeds and Other Dreams, a book of poetry which appeared in 2009.
Shuker was the first cryptozoologist[4] to bring to widespread public attention a considerable number of cryptids that were previously little-known. These include the Sri Lankan horned jackal and devil bird, Gambo the Gambian sea serpent, Goodenough Island mystery bird, New Guinea ropen and devil pig or gazeka, Scottish earth hound, Indonesian veo and horned cat, New Caledonian du, Irish dobhar-chú, Shatt al Arab venomous mystery fish, Zanzibar makalala, Ethiopian death bird, Zululand kondlo, Arctic North American waheela, Kellas cat, Mongolian Death Worm, Hungarian reedwolf, Fujian blue or Maltese tiger as shown on the cover of Mysteries of Planet Earth (1999), Welsh cenaprugwirion, bigfin squid, St Helena sirenian, Timor Sea ground shark, and crowing crested cobra.
Shuker pens two cryptozoological columns ('Alien Zoo' and 'The Lost Ark') in Fortean Times, and contributes regularly to Strange Magazine, to Fate Magazine, and to Paranormal Magazine. In addition, he is the zoological consultant for the Guinness World Records.[1][2][3]
He has acted as a consultant for Discovery TV's Into the Unknown, and served as a question setter for the BBC's quiz show Mastermind.[1][3] In November 2001, Shuker became a £250,000 prize winner on the British version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.[5]
In 2005, Shuker was honored when a new species of Loricifera was named after him, Pliciloricus shukeri.[6]
[edit] Books
- Mystery Cats of the World (1989), Robert Hale, ISBN 0-7090-3706-6
- Extraordinary Animals Worldwide (1991), Robert Hale, ISBN 0-7090-4421-6
- The Lost Ark: New and Rediscovered Animals of the 20th Century (1993), HarperCollins, ISBN 0-00-219943-2
- Dragons - A Natural History (1995), Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0-684-81443-9; republished (2006), Taschen
- In Search of Prehistoric Survivors (1995), Blandford, ISBN 0-7137-2469-2
- The Unexplained (1996), Carlton Books, ISBN 1-85868-186-3
- From Flying Toads To Snakes With Wings (1997), Llewellyn, ISBN 1-56718-673-4
- Mysteries of Planet Earth (1999), Carlton Books, ISBN 1-85868-679-2
- The Hidden Powers of Animals, (2001), Reader's Digest, ISBN 0-7621-0328-0
- The New Zoo: New and Rediscovered Animals of the Twentieth Century (2002), House of Stratus, ISBN 1-84232-561-2
- The Beasts That Hide From Man (2003), Paraview, ISBN 1-931044-64-3
- Extraordinary Animals Revisited (2007) CFZ Press, ISBN 1-905723-17-1
- Dr Shuker's Casebook (2008) CFZ Press, ISBN 1-905723-33-1
- Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals on Stamps: A Worldwide Catalogue (2008) CFZ Press, ISBN 1-905723-34-2
- Star Steeds and Other Dreams: The Collected Poems (2009) CFZ Press, ISBN 978-1-905723-40-9
- Karl Shuker's Alien Zoo: From the Pages of Fortean Times (2010) CFZ Press, ISBN 978-1-905723-62-1
- The Encyclopaedia of New and Rediscovered Animals (2012) Coachwhip Publications, ISBN 978-1-61646-108-9
[edit] Consultant or contributor
- Man and Beast (1993)
- Secrets of the Natural World (1993)
- Almanac of the Uncanny (1995)
- The Guinness Book of Records/Guinness World Records (1997–Present Day)
- Mysteries of the Deep (1998)
- Guinness Amazing Future (1999)
- The Earth (2000)
- Monsters (2001)
- Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained (2007)
- Chambers Myths and Mysteries (2008)
- The Fortean Times Paranormal Handbook (2009)
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Newton, Michael, 2005, Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology: A Global Guide (McFarland & Co, Inc: Jefferson), p. 425: "Today, he [Shuker] is globally recognized as an author and researcher on all aspects of animal life and unexplained phenomena, the heir apparent to Heuvelmans himself."
- ^ a b c Coleman, Loren & Clark, Jerome, 1999, Cryptozoology A To Z (Fireside Books: New York), p. 221: "Shuker...is today widely recognized as one of the leading experts in cryptozoology because of his attention to scientific detail."
- ^ a b c d Karl Shuker website
- ^ Chorvinsky, Mark, foreword in: Shuker, Karl P.N., 1997, From Flying Toads To Snakes With Wings (Llewellyn: St Paul); Downes, Jonathan, foreword in: Shuker, Karl P.N., 2007, Extraordinary Animals Revisited (CFZ Press: Bideford).
- ^ Tarrant, Chris, 2002, Millionaire Moments: Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - My Story (Time/Warner: London), p. 356.
- ^ Heiner, Iben & Kristensen, Reinhardt Møbjerg, 2005. Two new species of the genus Pliciloricus (Loricifera, Pliciloricidae) from the Faroe Bank, North Atlantic. Zoologischer Anzeiger, vol. 243, no. 3. 121-138.
