Karl Shukers interest in cryptozoology began at the age of thirteen when he came across a copy of Bernard Heuvelmans classic book, On the Track of Unknown Animals, while at a book store near his home in West Midlands, England. Though unable to afford the book at the time he soon received it as a birthday gift and with in a short period of time had read it several times. He fell in love with cryptozoology and soon began to collect all the information on the topic that he could, including news clippings articles and books.
When it came time to attend college Dr. Shuker choose zoology as his major, but during his first year as a zoology undergraduate in 1979 he began to lose weight suddenly and was admitted to a local hospital. A week later it was determined that Karl was a diabetic and that he would be dependent on insulin to survive. However, this did not slow him down, he went on to finish his studies in zoology at the University of Leeds and obtained a Ph.D. in zoology and comparative physiology at the University of Birmingham. It was at this time that Karl Shuker decided to turn his life long interest in cryptozoology into a writing career.
Soon Karl found himself writing articles for minor magazines and thoroughly researching several book ideas. Today Dr. Shuker writes two regular cryptozoological columns for the Fortean times, is a contributing editor and cryptozoological columnist for Strange Magazine and is a regular contributor to Fate and related publications. He appears regularly on television and radio programs, journeys throughout the world in the course of his research and is widely recognized as one of the leading experts in cryptozoology today because of his attention to scientific detail.
Quick Info: (where applicable)
Date of Birth: 1959
Birthplace: West Midlands, England
Current Location: West Midlands, England
Books:
Mysterious Cats of the World (1989)
Extraordinary Animals Worldwide (1991)
The Lost Ark: New and Rediscovered Animals of the 20th Century (1993)
Dragons: A Natural History (1995)
In Search of Prehistoric Survivors (1995)
The Unexplained (1996)
From Flying Toads to Snakes With Wings (1997)
Mysteries of Planet Earth (1999)
The Hidden Power of Animals (2001)
The New Zoo: New and Rediscovered Animals of the Twentieth Century (2002)
The Beasts That Hide From Man (2003)
Dragons: A Natural History (2006)
Schooling and/or Degrees:
BS zoology University of Leeds
Ph.D. zoology University of Birmingham
Organizations:
Zoological Society of London
Royal Entomological Society
International Society of Cryptozoology
Society of Authors
Website: http://members.aol.com/karlshuker/
|
