JOTB's investigative team would like to thank Coast to Coast AM, Cryptoreports.com, Stan Gordon (www.stangordon.info), and others who have expressed an interest in the mysterious cave creature which was found in Pennsylvania in late 2011. Last week our photo of the creature was featured on the Coast to Coast AM website, and as a result we have received dozens of emails which may bring us one step closer to solving this mystery. More importantly, our research into this animal may also bring us one step closer to solving the mystery of cattle mutilation.
In Episode 20 of the Earthfiles show (Sunday July 15, 2007), host Linda Moulton Howe interviewed a former marine named John Click, who is now a Baptist minister in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Around fifteen years ago John Click was employed as a truck driver, and while delivering a load of cargo on Highway 4 between Upland and Campbell (Nebraska), Mr. Click witnessed a strange creature on the back of a cow. He described this creature as a football-shaped animal with hairless yellowish skin, which looked like a cross between a crab and a scorpion. It had attached itself to the back of a cow, which was bellowing in pain, and Mr. Click observed a red fluid passing through the creature's tail, as if the animal was sucking the blood of the cow. Mr. Click also observed a white-yellow ball of light near the creature, leading to the speculation that the mysterious creature was extra-terrestrial in origin. (listen to the Earthfiles podcast here)
Could this be the same creature which Mr. Bianco found trapped in a cave in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania?
Both creatures fit the physical description. The biology teacher who examined the carcass of the Pennsylvania cave creature speculated that the flesh of the specimen (which was badly decomposed) most likely resembled the hairless flesh of an amphibian, which is consistent with John Click's account of the creature he observed in Nebraska. Here are a few other similarities:
-In the Earthfiles interview, Mr. Click says that he "didn't see any eyes" on the creature. The teacher who examined the Pennsylvania cave creature also noticed that the specimen had very tiny "under-developed" eyes.
-Mr. Click described the Nebraska creature as having claws "like a king crab", similar to the claws of the Pennsylvania cave creature.
-Both creatures have a "football-shaped" body
-Both creatures have a long tail similar to that of a scorpion
-Mr. Click described the creature's coloration as "pale yellow", while the carcass of the Pennsylvania cave creature is also pale yellow.
The Pennsylvania cave creature may also provide an explanation of the "ball of light" which was witnessed near the creature Mr. Click saw in Nebraska. Bioluminescence is the emission of light by a living organism (such as glow worms and fireflies), and bioluminescence has been observed in many species of animals which live in dark habitats, such as cave-dwelling organisms and deep sea marine life. Bioluminescence has also been observed in crustaceans, such as the ostracod. Since both mystery creatures have distinct "crab-like" features, these unknown animals may possibly be related to bioluminescent animals in the class of crustacea. Crabs and scorpions belong to the phylum arthropoda. Not surprisingly, most of the world's bioluminescentt species are also arthropods- firelies, click beetles, glow worms, railroad worms, mycetophilid flies, geophilus carpophagus centipedes, ostracods, copepods, and krill.
This may indicate that the creatures responsible for cattle mutilations are not "extra-terrestrial" in origin at all- the glowing lights often associated with cattle mutilations may have a perfectly scientific explanation.
Bioluminescence is produced when a molecule known as luciferin chemically reacts with oxygen and an enzyme known as luciferinase. An article published by Scientific American Magazine in 2009 states that 80 to 90 percent of deepwater life has evolved to produce light, because it is necessary for survival in the dark environment. Scientists now believe that bioluminescence has evolved at least 40 different times across the animal, fungal and bacterial kingdoms. Bioluminescence is used by animals to attract prey, or to repel a potential predator.
If the mystery creatures from Nebraska and Pennsylvania are the same, we should be able to prove two things: 1) the existence of caves in Nebraska, and 2) a history of cattle mutilation in Pennsylvania
John Click saw the creature in southern Nebraska, and this part of the state does have several caves thanks to the abundance of porous sandstone. For instance, there's Robber's Cave in Lancaster County, Indian Cave State Park in Richardson County, Ash Hollow Cave in Garden County, and many other small caves which are unnamed.
When it comes to cattle mutilation, Pennsylvania has perhaps the longest history of such events out of any state in America. According to Wikipedia's "cattle mutilation" entry: Reports of mutilated cattle first surfaced in the United States in the early 1960s when it was allegedly largely confined to the states of Pennsylvania and Kansas. (Editor's Note: The location of John Click's encounter was just 20 or so miles north of the Kansas border)
Can it be possible that an animal unknown to science, like the crab/scorpion creature of Nebraska and Pennsylvania, is behind the cattle mutilations? There are a number of signs which point to yes:
1) Nearly 90% of mutilated cattle are between four and five years old. [Timothy Good, Alien Contact, published by William Morrow & Co.]
Cattle of this size would be easy prey for this mystery creature. A "highly-advanced alien civilization" wouldn't need to go after tiny cows, since they would have the ability to subdue or abduct any size animal they desire!
2) According to a survey taken by the National Institute for Discovery Science, mutilation of the eye occurred in 59% of cases, mutilation of the tongue in 42% of cases, mutilation of the genitals in 85% of cases, and the rectum in 76% of cases.
For a small creature which walks on ground, the rectum and genitals would be much easier to attack than the eyes or tongue.
3) "The absence of tracks or footprints around the site of the mutilated carcass is often considered a hallmark of cattle mutilation." [Wikipedia]
It is very unlikely that the crab/scorpion mystery creature would leave tracks or footprints. The specimen found in Pennsylvania has claws for front legs, and frog-like hind legs. Have you ever seen frog footprints or crab tracks?
4) There are two main types of wounds found on mutilated cattle; incisions and small circular puncture wounds.
The mystery creature in question would be capable of producing both types of wounds. The claws are capable of lacerations and incisions, while the scorpion-like tail would be able to produce puncture wounds consistent with many cattle mutilation reports. In many reports, a cluster of three small holes are found on the cattle. The "cave creature" found in Pennsylvania has a tail which features three caudal furca. Claws would allow the creature to cut through flesh and remove organs, while the tail would allow the creature to suck the blood. Dr. H. A. Hancock of the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory, who studied a rash of mutilations in that state in the late 1970s, noted that cuts in animal hides caused by predators can look "surgically straight."
5) Cattle mutilations take place during the night
Aside from John Click, no one has ever seen a cattle mutilation during daylight hours. Since the mystery cave creature spends most of its time in a dark subterranean environment, it would be best-suited for nighttime hunting. Most scorpions and many crabs are nocturnal bu nature, even if they do not live in caves.
6) Geographic locations with abnormally high cases of cattle mutilation are also geographic areas with abnormally high numbers of caves.
Arkansas - Between April of 1978 and September of 1979 there were 39 reports of unexplained cattle deaths. All 39 mutilations took place in the northern part of the state. The northern portion of Arkansas is home to the Ozark Mountains, which have numerous limestone caverns. According to Arkansas.com, there are over 2000 caves in northern Arkansas alone.
Colorado- More than 200 suspected cattle mutilations took place in 1975, and Elbert County in the central part of the state was the site of 63 of the mutilations (Sudbury STAR, 8 Sept. 1976, pg. 39). Elbert and adjacent counties are home to several caves: Queen's Canyon Cave, Spaulding Cavern, Breezeway Cave, Cave of the Winds, Huccacove Cave, Narrows Cave, Swirling Mist Cave, Twin Falls Cave, and dozens of other unnamed caves.
Alabama- Ted Oliphant, a police officer in northeast Alabama, has personally investigated over 35 cases of cattle mutilations over a six month period from Oct. 1992 through May 1993. According to OutdoorAlabama.com: "Alabama has one of the highest densities of caves and karst features found anywhere in the world and the northern part of the state has a particularly high number."
This pattern holds true for every state with high rates of cattle mutilation. Coincidence?
Debunking Common Theories About Cattle Mutilation
Many people who study cattle mutilation claim that there may be a link to the U.S. government because "strange helicopters" are often seen in regions which have a high rate of mutilation. This turns out to be a mere coincidence, because many military installations can be found in these areas. The link between the government and cattle mutilations would be more obvious if these events occurred in places where helicopters are seldom seen. Northeast Alabama is home to two military bases, Anniston Army Depot and Redstone Arsenal. Central Colorado is home to six military facilities, including 4 Air Force bases and the Air Force Academy. All of these are located in close proximity to where the cattle mutilations took place. Helicopter activity in northern Arkansas can be attributed to Arnold AFB in Tennessee, just across the Mississippi River. Fort Indiantown Gap is only about two miles away from the Pennsylvania cave where the mystery creature was found in 2011. It is doubtful that helicopters (or the personnel within) have the precision to target the genitals of five year old cows, and the stealth required to sneak away before anyone notices.
Others believe that cults may play a part in cattle mutilation. Proponents of this theory are quick to point out that pharmaceuticals are often found in the bodies of mutilated cows. This pharmaceutical is often an anticoagulant. Many species of venomous animals produce anticoagulants, which are chemicals that thin the blood. Batroboxin, for instance, is produced by the pit viper. Hementin is produced by leeches. The presence of anticoagulants in cows may be attributed to the venom of the crab/scorpion creature, which allows it to drink the victim's blood more easily.
Another popular theory suggests that scientists secretly mutilate cattle in order to carry out experiments. Proponents of this theory point out an FBI study conducted by the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory which shows that the livers of mutilated cows contain more than four times the normal level of phosphorus. This increase in phosphorus can be explained by a process which takes place in crustaceans and arthropods known as sclerotization. Calcium phosphate is necessary for sclerotization, which is the process which allows animals like crabs and scorpions to "harden" bodyparts (claws, exoskeletons, etc.)
But what about the reports which claim that mutilated cattle often have broken bones? Proponents of the UFO theory suggest that the bones break when the cows are dropped by the UFO which abducted them. Simple physics disprove this theory. If a 1,600 pound cow is dropped from a spaceship, the poor animal is not going to suffer a few broken legs- the animal will splatter like...well, like a cow dropped from a spaceship! The broken bones may be the result of a cow struggling to fight off the blood-sucking predator.
While every theory regarding cattle mutilation may be far-fetched, we believe that the mystery cave creature is the most likely culprit.