Library of Cryptozoology

The blacks [of the Bloomfield River, Queensland] say that they have watched this animal's mode of attacking the kangaroo. It only does so when its victim is isolated from its mates and then only by stealth. It keeps at a distance from its prey until it can frighten it by suddenly rushing towards it, uttering screeches. As soon as the kangaroo turns its back or is in the act of jumping away, the cat springs on its back and crushes the base of its skull in its jaws, which the blacks describe as very powerful. I have never seen this animal myself, but I have seen its tracks, which are very similar to those of a large dog and seem to be provided with long claws. The blacks describe it as about the size of a bulldog with long brindled fur and very large eyes. They are frightened of it and will not go near any cave or hole where they think one might be, as they say it does not hesitate to attack a man and often kills their dogs. [ - Robert Hislop]

The waterless wastes of central Australia are penetrated only occasionally by lone prospectors and other adventurers. These men have a reputation for hard drinking. When they first brought back stories about 10-foot rabbits, the yarns were credited to their alcoholic tendencies. Then the famous Australian naturalist, Ambrose Pratt, drew attention to the skeletons of certain extinct animals called Diprotodons in the local museums. These creatures were just about 10 feet long and must have looked uncommonly like enormous rabbits. They were of the same general shape, tailless, with rounded rumps and a pair of enormous, rabbit-like front teeth. It's possible that the Diprotodon isn't as extinct as was thought. Australians who hunt the water buffaloes that now run wild in huge numbers in the north of their continent will tell you that this great beast can literally vanish before your eyes in fairly open country. A buffalo is nearly the size of a Diprotodon.

I could write an interesting paper on the discovery of the Israelite Bay mammoth kangaroo, and the preparations made by Messrs. Ponton Bros. for capturing living specimens. The natives told some marvellous stories about the big kangaroo being abundantly found at a big fresh water lake, far away inland.

I have had a long conversation with 'Charlie Pierce', an aboriginal, relative to these [ Diprotodon ] fossils; and he avers that they are those of an animal, long extinct, known to the natives by the name 'gyedara'. Tradition among them has handed down the appearance and habits of the animal for generations, but Charlie says he never paid much attention to the descriptions that have been given to him, but imagines the animal was as large as a heavy draught horse, walked on all fours the same as any other four-footed beast, eating grass, never went any distance back from the creeks to feed, and spent most of its time in the water, chiefly in enormous holes excavated in the banks. I told him he must mean some other animal; but he spoke most positively and asserted that the bones which we have been finding are those of the animal of which he was speaking, and that at one time the bones were very numerous about the Gowrie waterholes, where his forefathers had seen the anima

It is possible that it [ Diprotodon ] is at the present time still living in the tropics of this country, which are rich in water. This I was told by Mr. Dennis, that the blacks speak of extensive lakes and gigantic animals.