Mexican Nights and Mexican Skies

Posted by: Loren Coleman on July 29th, 2009

What is cryptozoologist Ken Gerhard, from Texas, doing in Mexico?


MonsterQuest : Terror From the Sky
Airs on Wednesday July 29 09:00 PM / Airs on Thursday July 30 1:00 AM
Across North America there is something strange and frightening circling overhead. Witnesses tell of human-like creatures that float or hover in the skies and often descend to attack. Legends and folklore tell of strange flying creatures, but in the 1940s and 1950s, strange humanoid forms were spotted above small towns, bringing waves of panic. Sceptics claim that misidentification explains these creatures, however the mounting evidence says otherwise. MonsterQuest will analyze the video proof of this monster while scientists work to discover the identity of an eerie corpse that may unlock the mystery of these flying humanoid monsters.

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39 Responses to “Mexican Nights and Mexican Skies”

  1. CryptoInformant 2.0 responds:

    A snippet from that MQ description irked me just a little – the bit about video “proof” of the buggers. Frankly, if those blurry shots we see here are from the “proof” they’re talking about, then I don’t see why they’re not calling the P/G film – in which you actually get a good look at the subject – “super-ultra-mega-awesome-proof” or something like that. Seriously, a blurry film like that proves nothing, though it does count as evidence – the word they were probably looking for.

  2. mystery_man responds:

    Cryptoinformant- Yeah, evidence, but evidence of what? I’m pretty skeptical of flying humanoids. I just don’t see a whole lot that is very biologically plausible about them. A large unidentified bird or bat that is being mistaken for something humanoid, maybe. But a cloaked humanoid hovering about without any discernible method of flight or propulsion? In my opinion this sort of thing is starting to leave the realm of zoology and entering that of supernatural creatures and aliens.

    What exactly is the proof or the evidence that this is a form of levitating humanoid creature rather than a misidentification or blurry film of something else entirely? I don’t mean to be a party pooper, but we are trying to do science here. Levitating humans are a bit out there and not based in any real demonstrable reality or precedent. To build a compelling case for witches flying around on broomsticks is going to take substantially more than anything we see in this video.

    I wish I could see this episode and find out what the other evidence is on offer. Too bad I only get re-runs on Japan.

    By the way, Red_Pill_Junky, you are out there in Mexico? Any insights? What do you think of all of this?

  3. raisinsofwrath responds:

    My money’s on someone wearing a jetpack with a big cloak over top of it to conceal it. I think it was planned to unfortunately mess with the Mexican people.

    By the way, did you guys ever notice the women anchors on these latino newscasts? Sometimes I have to stop while channel surfing just to marvel at them.

  4. rackliff responds:

    I’ve seen a video that explains many of the mystery Mexican videos, and ironically I think it was on the History Channel. I’m not sure what the show was, perhaps Modern Marvels, and they were discussing how the military dabbled with jetpacks for troop transport recently. The clip they played during this showed someone riding in what can best be described as a jet powered 50 gallon drum.

    The video was quite clear and I instantly connected it to the strange videos coming out of Mexico. The project obviously isn’t classified so I’m not sure why this connection hasn’t been made before. If nobody beats me to the punch, I’ll upload stills / video of it when I get home from work this afternoon.

  5. Averagefoot responds:

    Very blurry garbage bag, turkey vulture, hanglider, or flying monkey humanoid baby? You decide.

  6. praetorian responds:

    When I first read your comment raisinsofwrath, I thought a jet pack was an unlikely explanation for the flying humanoid as the technology for them has never really gone anywhere. A Wikipedia check of jet packs, however, revealed the following:

    “Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexicana (TAM)

    The Tecaeromex Rocket Belt is or was made by Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexicana, which is said to be made by the only company in the world that offers a flying and tested rocket belt package, featured in the March 2006 issue of Popular Science magazine and many TV programs around the world like the Discovery Channel, the BBC, ProSieben, TV Azteca, The Science Channel, The History Channel. Its maker claims that four of his rocketpacks are flying now; his first tethered flights were on 22 September 2005.

    On Aug. 11, 2006 Isabel Lozano was the first woman in the world to fly tethered in a rocket belt in front of millions of TV spectators; she flew with a special rocket belt built by TAM.[4]. See http://www.tecaeromex.com/ingles/RB-i.htm for a description and a big image. It runs on hydrogen peroxide. It sells for USA $125,000 including a training course in using it.”

    Ummm. A Mexican company that makes and sells a workable and proven jet pack. The fact that this device was featured on a History Channel program suggests that the Monster Quest people should mention it as a possible explanation in the program tonight. We’ll see. The object in the video flies exactly like a jet pack.


  7. shumway10973 responds:

    Jet pack would be the best explanation. Notice how there’s really no direction it is actually going? That is normal for jet packs. They take you up and there’s really not much directional control–after all the person wants the jets to point down for lift. If the person tilts just a little they might go in a direction, but there’s no guarantee that there will be any lift. Be great to have for a practical joke on or around Halloween. I do remember reading accounts of people hovering (single individuals centuries apart). One was an explorer around the 18th century (latest) that returned from Tibet and during his “welcome home” party wowed everyone with his ability to hover without any aide. He claimed the Tibetan monks taught him.

  8. red_pill_junkie responds:

    Quiobo! 🙂

    Sorry for being late. Ok, first things first:

    I actually don’t know why this issue is picked up by MonsterQuest. As some have already stated, these cases might have to do more with the Paranormal or Ufology than with cryptozoology, but let’s not get carried away trying to determine the lines separating these disciplines, lest we overflow Cryptomundo’s server! 😉

    Mystery_Man, my opinion regarding these events is that the videos are very interesting, but inconclusive. What I find even more interesting are the testimonies of the witnesses, particularly the young cop who put his job on the line telling that outrageous story. I think there’s something going on.

    Now, regarding that Tecnología Aerospacial Mexicana… that’s the first time I heard of such a company! I must disclose to you guys that I don’t watch much TV, specially Mexican TV (my work schedule is pretty hectic, I usually return home from the office at 10 or 10:30 pm). But one thing I do is read the newspapers, and I’ve never found an article mentioning this company.

    Right now I’m doing a search in the newspaper El Universal (one of the most important newspapers in Mexico). TAM or Tecnología Aerospacial Mexicana gives no matches.

    The website has a copyright of 2006. Another “red flag” IMO.

    Am I suggesting this company is a hoax? No; they could be working mainly with American companies and foreign contracts; but I seriously doubt they have a contract with the Mexican Air Force or the Mexican Army. For starters: 125K is A LOT of money; and I don’t know if you’ve heard, but right now the Army is in the middle of a war with the drug cartels; so spending that kind of dough on something like a jet pack doesn’t make sense —what would you want it anyway? to do surveillance ops over the drug fields? you would become a shooting practice for the narcos!!

    Bottomline, I wouldn’t give too much weight to the “army testing jet packs” scenario. Not only that, the technology is still too limited in range and aerodynamic capabilities.

  9. CryptoInformant 2.0 responds:

    Mystery-Man – I wasn’t saying necessarily that it’s evidence of a flying humanoid, more just that it’s rather vague evidence of something flying. I agree that, while a pretty awesome idea if you think about it (flying ninjas, anyone?), flying humanoids are just about as unlikely as a [healthy] vegetarian lion.

  10. praetorian responds:

    Hi red_pill_junkie-

    The link in my post takes you to the TAM website, which looks legitimate to me. Moreover, jet packs attributed to TAM have flown and the flights have been reported on fairly extensively. You might want to check out that March 2006 issue of Popular Science for verification.

    With Mexico being home of to one of the two companies in the world that are capable of producing commercial jet packs, I think there’s more than a coincidence involved when people in Mexico film flying humanoids that look like a person flying a jet pack. If you look at other alleged flying humanoid videos, some even show the glow of a flame in the exhaust tube.

    My mind is open to everything from a race of hidden flying humanoids, to aliens, to inter-dimensional travelers. But I think we’re talking about a human flying a jet pack in this case. We’ll have to wait and see whether it’s the manufacturer trying to generate public interest or a customer having some fun. Regardless, I want one now!


  11. red_pill_junkie responds:

    Hi, praetorian.

    I did look at the original website. I even clicked at the “Events” button. The last event mentioned by the company was a public appearance in Acapulco… in Sept 2006. So I guess that this company has had a rough time in the last 3 years.

    Could they have been responsible for some of the sightings? Maybe. But I still think this technology only enables the user to stay in the air for less than a minute.

    Furthermore, I believe that some of the sightings and the videos were filmed in neighborhoods that are close to the Mexico City National Airport (not the famous “witch” of Nuevo Leon; I’m talking about other cases). I doubt the Mexican authorities would have allowed the testing of experimental (and potentially dangerous) equipment so close to urban settlements, and close to where commercial flights take off and arrive.

    A balloon would be a more plausible explanation; yet I’m not 100% convinced that solves it.

  12. fossilhunter responds:

    Greetings All!
    My two cents worth: a balloon (very smooth, single direction) and an out-of-focus kite. When I was a foreign exchange student in Indonesia, I got to visit Bali. On the beach, I saw folks flying a kite that was exactly the shape of a person (a character from the Ramayana, I believe) that was ten feet tall. Not a person painted on a kite, but person shaped. They were about ten feet tall, and from the “witch videos” I’ve seen coming out of Mexico, they behaved in about the same way. I have also seen smaller kites run up to and away from larger kites. I’ve seen that in the “witch videos” too.
    Now if one starts zooming around writing “Rendiciona Dorothy”, then you got something!

  13. chefkevin responds:

    I understand everyone’s skepticism, but after checking out the tecaeromex website, and other videos on youtube, it seems pretty standard that these TAM’s can’t fly longer than 30 seconds at a time. That includes take off and landing times. It’s hard to tell, but a max altitude of 200 feet might not be enough to fly above the tree line in the mexican video. What does strike me as a bit odd is how straight the flight path of this UFO (it is unidentified, and appears to be flying), is almost too straight to seem “natural”. Someone in the posts above mentioned seeing a “glow” from the jet pack in other videos, but that wouldn’t apply if this were a TAM, as it is propelled by compressed gas. Also, the tanks shown in the History channel videos are pretty large. To accommodate this long of a flight, I would assume the tanks would have to be close to double in size, which would be at least the same size as an average man. Also, in all the flight videos of the TAM, the exhaust that propels the jetpack is so forceful, it causes a very noticeable disturbance beneath it, which although hard to discern from the Mexican video, doesn’t appear to be there…

  14. red_pill_junkie responds:

    Fossilhunter’s comment reminded me of this post Greg Bishop made over @ UFO Mystic a year ago, linking this site that promotes really cool (and odd!) radio-controlled flying “kites.”

    And take a look at the video of the “witch.”

    This is not an attempt to debunk the stories —as I said, I give a lot of credence to the young policeman’s testimony— but I do feel obligated to point it out, and see if it produces more valuable discussions.

    Also, as I wrote at UFO Mystic a year ago, the wild colors in the “cape” of the witch spoil the effect a bit 🙂

  15. mystery_man responds:

    Yes, I also had the impression that this is a balloon of some sort, possibly with something draped over it. The object is fairly static except for it’s drifting up and down, which could easily be due to air currents in tandem with the weight of whatever is attached to the balloon.

    Here’s something you can try. Watch the video without the spooky X-Files music and dramatic testimony and just look at what is shown. It looks like a balloon floating along, any movement on it the fluttering of whatever is apparently draped over it. Is there really anything to make us suppose that this is a human piloted machine or something living at all?

    In the end, we have to ask ourselves if it is necessary to start embracing explanations such as a jet pack, which as far as we know is not developed to the extent of what we see in this film. A jet pack seems like a more rational explanation compared to a supernatural creature hovering about, but really there is no evidence at all that we have jet packs like this.

    In short let’s take a shave with Occam’s Razor for a second. It seems to me that when looking at which is more likely (not saying absolutely the truth, but more likely given the information we have), there is no real reason to bring in secretly developed jet packs when everything we see seems attributable to a balloon.

  16. cryptidsrus responds:

    I’m also suprised to see this in Cryptomundo.
    Not because I’m not GLAD it’s being shown, but because usually “sightings” like this are usually lumped in with the “UFO/Paranormal”
    I will say this—
    The videos I’ve seen in YouTube analyzing the video frame by frame point to it being a REAL object, and don’t point to it as being a “Balloon”—it moves too unusally STRAIGHT for it to be a Balloon (sorry, FossilHunter).
    Although anything IS possible.

    I’ll tell you what, Mystery_Man:
    If this IS a balloon, (and I’m not saying it is NOT) it is a remarkably controlled one. Good hoax, then, overall. The person who did this (if intentionally) must have spent some time making it look at least halfway “real”. IF that’s what this is, though. Though yours and other’s explanations point to it being the “Best” one.

    I have my own theories as to what this could be but they tend to fall outside the more scientific, “rational” purviews of this site so I’ll stick to the more prosaic “paths,” and “speculations,” so to speak. 🙂


    Agree with you there 100%, Mystery_Man.
    Whatever this is, it is NOT a jet pack.
    I would rather see this as a balloon than a jet pack.
    And whatever THIS is or is not, it IS kind of creepy.

  17. cryptidsrus responds:

    One quick comment:

    Ken Gerhard rocks. His book on Big Bird is still one of my favorite Cryptozoological books of all time and one of my favorite Books, period.

    If anybody could get to the bottom of this, it would be him.
    Good luck, Ken!!! And Happy Hunting!!!

  18. Loren Coleman responds:

    Commenting during the episode, hey? Live blogging by you guys, humm?

  19. JohnAdams responds:

    Anyone have any thoughts on the small creature they analyzed? That seemed to be the best hard evidence shown on the show (although how they tied it to 7-10ft flying humoids is beyond me).

    I had a few thoughts. 1) I feel it is likely a small monkey 2) The photo of it while supposedly alive left me skeptical as did the parties doing the examinations.

    I predicted the DNA would come back nill for some reason.

    All we ever hear is how science needs a body…well, there was a body and we got NO kind of confirmation for it.

  20. mystery_man responds:

    Loren- No, no live blogging from me. I’m at work fer Pete’s sake!;) And even if I was at home, I wouldn’t be able to catch the program over here in Japan. All of my observations are based on the video provided here alone. If they are off base in light of emerging evidence, I shall ammend my opinion later.

    cryptidsrus- See, I’m just not sure where you are seeing the object as being “controlled.” It looks to me that it could be drifting along on the wind. Although it could be under some intelligent control, nothing really leads me in that direction. It is hard to say since we apparently don’t have any data on what the wind speed was at the time. If there had been very strong winds at the time and this thing is maintaining a leisurely pace, then I would be more inclined to think that it was being controlled somehow.

    Right now, I don’t see anything that is not consistent with something being blown forward by the wind and rising on air currents.

    As far as other explanations go, I am a little hesitant to call this some sort of levitating being at this point. In absence of evidence one could call this whatever they want, the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, Harry Potter on a Quidditch stick, whatever they can dream up and we are still no closer to understanding what it really is. If I say this is an “Air rider from the planet MaxFantastic” can you really prove that wrong with what we have here? Or say it is any less plausible than that it is an interdimensional being?

    We have to start from the mundane and work out from there. A balloon seems very similar to what is displayed here. If it is not, then I’d like to see evidence to that effect.

    I’ll agree, it is creepy for some reason, though. 😉

  21. springheeledjack responds:

    The movement does not really suggest anything animated like a bird or an animal that is taking flight. The shape is oblong, and not really rounded like a balloon.

    However, I have to think that it is probably some sort of hover device…either a jet pack or a R/C kind of thing. A flying humanoid would have some means of locomotion (wings, jets, or a a broom:), and it just moves at too much of a uniform rate to be something actually animated.

    The flying humanoid thing is intriguing, and there have been a couple of reports of police officers being attacked by something from the sky (I ASSume that is what the footage was up there–saw another show where police officers attested to being dive bombed by something–though they said it was like a witch or devil or some such thing–WHICH puts us back in the paranormal…or at least on the doorsteps of Hogwarts).

    And if there is some animated creature running amok from the skies, then the video footage above may not relate to other sightings at all, and may be a separate phenomenon altogether.

    THaT is another mind bender for cryptozoology–when you get stories of one phenomenon and then another pops up and they all get lumped into the same category. Then you have to sift through to see if you’re dealing with jet packs, the paranormal, superstition, or something that is actually cryptozoological.

  22. Loren Coleman responds:

    Now that the first broadcast of this program is over, I’m mention some thoughts and backchannel involvements I’ve had with this Mexican journalist who was behind that little body.

    Frankly, this dead monkey found in a trap was floated around among several of us who would not bite, over the last year or so. Myself and some others (who can identify themselves if they wish) were firm in this animal being a dead monkey that had long been dead in this trap.

    It was the journalist, who has been behind some UFO type radio programs, who promoted the whole “alien” or ET angle, not MQ, btw. But no one that knew anything about this guy really considered this a serious story.

    How those DNA results could come back with the results that were given, well, I think is a case of something being lost in translation!

  23. red_pill_junkie responds:

    To any Cryptomundian who was able to watch the MQ episode, a question:

    Did you happen to catch the name of the University or Institution those Mexican scientists that analyzed the DNA of the mummified monkey were affiliated to?

    The reason I ask is because I would be outraged if those were scientists from a well-credited school.

  24. Penamunde responds:

    This episode should have been on the UFO Hunters series, its almost like MQ has run its course, and maybe UFO Hunters has as well. I believe its been canceled.

    I hope MQ isn’t headed down that same path…

  25. mystery_man responds:

    Springheeledjack- The only thing I can really say is that, well, since when are all balloons completely round? My 3 year old daughter plays with oblong shaped balloons all of the time. And if this was some sort of weather balloon or what not, there’s no telling what shape it could be.

  26. rackliff responds:

    I didn’t get a chance to watch the episode tonight, but here are the photos of the “jetpack” system I spoke about earlier. They are from a National Geographic episode of Megastructures on Missiles.

    The commentator mentions that this was developed for military purposes but does not state in which country. From the video, I’d say that it could very well be the Mexican military.

  27. Laeria responds:

    The video is quite interesting, though it would be easier for me if I could speak Mexican 😛
    I agree with others; this looks like something that would be in more of a paranormal category. I have heard stories of people levitating, and, in one case, floating out a window. Though I do have some doubts about that.
    I do remember watching some show, a while ago; can’t remember what it was or what channel, that was about this. I saw the story of the cop that was allegedly attacked by something from the sky.
    A balloon is a possibility, but it seems like whatever, or whoever, knows where they are going. I think the path is too straight, or something like that. A jetpack would be more plausible, but from what I have read, there isn’t one that could levitate somebody for this long at all.
    I was not able to see MQ, so my opinions are only based on this video and other’s opinions.

    I also agree, even if it is just a balloon, it’s creepy nonetheless.

  28. Dj Plasmic Nebula responds:

    The cop said Plumas. Which translate to Feathers…

    It could be an unknown bird.

  29. raisinsofwrath responds:

    Regarding my introduction of the jet pack theory: I am only attributing it to the video on this page which I have seen several times. One of the other videos last night did look like a bunch of balloons. However, the guy pushing his balloon theory wasn’t prepared and failed miserably. Getting back to the jet pack, why does it have to be of Mexican origin? Could be testing by the US military as mentioned above or another private company or individual. I do know of a drink company that designed and built their own jet pack which flew very well. Looking at the video above, the motion of the object lends itself to being a jet pack quite nicely and yes, they can fly directionally.

    Regarding the small creature: Frankly upon seeing who was in possession of it caused the whole thing to lose credibility from the start. That guy is a big UFO/Alien promoter. Most of the stuff I’ve seen from him is fake or hoaxed. Not to say he is responsible but if I can figure it out then he must know something. The first thing I thought was the creature was either a gaff or a monkey. When they started the DNA routine I knew it would come up inconclusive as it usually does on MQ. That inconclusive DNA routine MQ does is starting to become irritating. I am not on the edge of my seat waiting for results but more waiting for failure. The shtick is getting old and they should start just telling us right from the start that testing was inconclusive.

    Unfortunately, these Mexican shows seem a bit hokey to me but it did keep my interest enough to watch the entire show.

  30. LanceFoster responds:

    I agree with others here, that this is not really a cryptozoology subject, except for the mummified monkey-whatever. It looks like they are conflating a lot of diverse phenomena/sightings under the rubric “unidentified flying humanoids.” None of the “humanoids” even bear a resemblance in appearance, behavior, etc. to each other. I like all this kind of stuff personally, kind of a grab bag 🙂 but except for the monkey, most of it doesn’t really relate to cryptozoology specifically, unless you want to include Gerhard’s interest in the folklore of the area (but without evidence so far, except locals’ mention of “UFOs” and re-imagining prehistoric rock art). The area was not in the Maya region, but that of the Aztecs and others. Although I recognized Camazotz the Bat-god, the other “bird-men” I saw were actually warriors in the Aztec Eagle-Knight ceremonial clothing (there were also Jaguar-Knights).

    1. The policeman seems sincere, but we don’t really know his mental state. He might be delusional or perhaps he had hallucinations, from lack of sleep or whatever. He might even be lying, but who knows, he seems to believe what he is saying. In any case, he is describing a “witch” with no lids and black eyes dressed in black which aligns more with folklore and the paranormal than cryptozoology per se.

    2. The flat trajectory of the “witch” in the canyon does look more like an object being suspended from and sent along a cable in a slow and steady way. I don’t see anything “humanoid” (human-shaped) about it. As a Mexican friend of mine said yesterday when I asked him what he thought about the video: “I’ll say… its a pretty slow flying witch, she’s better off running :P” I’ll go with what the police video analyst said.

    3. The Mexico City video- Some have chewed over the jetpack idea and at first that sounded like a possibility, but there are too many problems regarding the height, the lack of sound, the fact that the jet pack demonstration was “tethered” etc. So unless more evidence is forthcoming, it seems like the idea that the shining part was really a portion of a mylar balloon in a cluster catching the light of the rising sun seems about right.

    4. The Santa Monica video- You can see that the object is a distant cluster of objects of similar size and dimensions rather than a separate object. Some objects are darker than others. Just misidentification by another sincere observer. and it was either in the Santa Monica or Mexico City video that we see an unconcerned seagull fly right by it toward the end of the program.

    5. Joe Nickell’s experiment with the balloons seems to show that if the Mexico City and Santa Monica objects are bunches of balloons, they are more likely to be intentionally tied closely together (possibly even hoaxes) and thus kept closer together than the usual way tied lower on the strings which would be more scattered in appearance. Also, if it is a hoax, a very small amount of ballast would keep a more steady flight aspect (the “head” kept upright, etc.)

    6. Wind conditions vary by time of day, weather, season, location etc. Sometimes smoke rises straight up, sometimes it is dispersed, etc. Different wind conditions and manner of tying the balloons (even the strings becoming more entangled as the bunch goes further) could account for the steady movement. –I suspect we will see more and more floating objects in the near future as people have a bit of fun with seeing if they can get other people to think there are floating humanoids in the neighborhood.

    7. Gerhard sure had a lot of “funny feelings” all over different places: caves, rock art in canyons, mountains, etc. Is that typical for him? I don’t know the fellow. He has an interesting life 🙂 Speculating about rock art, listening to local tales, and entering a cave with “funny feelings” and a weird smell, is not evidence though, although fun and interesting. I will say, having been in Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico several times while working for the National Park Service, I too have smelled that weird smell, which is the ammonia etc. from the guano (droppings) of millions of bats over thousands of years of accumulation. It doesn’t smell like your average human, dog, etc. doodoo though; it’s kind of pleasant and weird in a way, almost “fruity” mixed with the ammonia.

    8. The reports from Chehalis and Houston seem more like the paranormal/UFO situation as well (the clowns, mad gassers, MIB, etc.), with a guy in helmet, black boots and paratrooper clothing and cape. The reconstructions by the program made me think of those “Second Life” avatars flying around 🙂

    9. Finally, the monkey. The dentition, the anatomy, skull etc. all looks like a naturally mummified infant squirrel monkey which could have been traded north in Precolumbian times; along with jade and parrots, which is a matter of ethnographic, historic and archaeological record. Such things were traded from Central America as far north as the Pueblo and Hopi of Arizona and New Mexico. I don’t believe it was alive when it was found, with such a dramatic story. I think those guys that found it were having a joke and probably sold it for a pretty peso to the gullible fellow with the safe. Barnum would approve. I know many of you know of the case where hoaxers took a monkey carcass, dyed it green and left it on the highway with a scorched ring around it, along with a UFO and little green man report.

    As to the DNA study, there is something fishy going on there. The way they discussed the results as “nothing” made no scientific sense. They could have at least narrowed it to reptilian, mammalian, avian etc. I would suggest another test to compare the results, preferably one at an American university lab with extensive experience doing primate genetic sequencing. They should also get a primatologist to examine the x-rays and look at the skeletal results. It’s a baby monkey which died long ago, and it’s a hoax with lots of folks in on the “joke.” A quick look at the “human foot” looked to me like the “toe” by the heel was broken off.

    But I liked the show. It was a lot of fun 🙂

  31. Loren Coleman responds:

    At one point, in the MQ review of the historical cases, I about fell off my chair.

    I was shocked to hear that Ken Gerhard was quoted as saying the beginnings of the “Houston Bat Man” sighting began with an eyewitness saying they saw a moth flying near a light, and then after the sighting, there was a flash of light. I’ve thoroughly investigated this classic pecan tree sighting, and that was the first time ever that I’d heard those details. It also felt like it was an unconscious attempt to tie the Mothman cases into this one.

    Tell me it ain’t so, Ken?

  32. Rob008 responds:

    What’s with Ken Gerhard’s hat. Is he a cryptozoologist or a tatoo artist. If he is going to be on camera, he need to find something else to wear. Ken, you need to go buy some Columbia clothes. I take it he owns a Harley motorcycle.

  33. Alligator responds:

    My daughter works for the second largest manufacturer of balloons in the world. I was amazed by the huge variety of Mylar balloons that are produced, some of a limited edition for special occasions. Needless to say, we frequently have balloons in and around house.

    A Mylar balloon unlike latex can lose some helium, taking on a more “baggy” appearance yet still hover in the sky. And they are creepy especially when they reach an equilibrium where they are floating just five or six feet off the floor. They will travel around the house on very subtle air currents and even float up the stairwell to the second floor. When its night and you’re alone, logged on to Cryptomundo with only the desk light on, it scares the pee out of you when the balloon drifts silently up behind you.

    The most logical explanation is that this is Mylar balloon losing helium but with sufficient “umph” to remain fairly high in the sky. A good steady breeze of 10 mph is moving it along. Several years ago I watched an “anomaly” flying about 10 feet above a corn field that looked just like this thing. And yes, it was weird and very eerie and my brain was not computing what I was seeing. Then after watching the object for several minutes and getting much closer, I could see it was a balloon.

    Like Mystery Man says, start with the mundane and work outwards, not the other way around.

  34. Brothermidnight responds:

    Well I can say this, I once visited Mexico city and while there I saw a man selling large mylar balloons in several different shapes .I remember there was a cow pig clown roster and a person with a smiley face for a head, maybe others but those are the few that come to mind.Now I don’t know if there is somebody selling these types of balloons in the city all the time or if it just happen to be on the day I was there, but on that day there was at least one person selling floating humanoid shapes.Now I really dont think of myself as a skeptic most of the time and I can believe a LOT of far fetched and crazy story’s but in this case I really cant see these videos and pictures as being anything other then some type of balloon like what was being sold when I was there.

  35. cryptidsrus responds:


    Besides being a cryptozoologist, Ken is also a Heavy Metal/Alternative musician. He’s founded and played in two Bands. I guess that’s maybe where the hat comes from. Let’s give the guy a break, shall we? Though I SORT OF understand where you’re coming from. Still irrelevant to his “Job,” though.
    I did not know Cryptozoologists had to adhere to a certain “dress code.” Do you, Loren??? 😉

    Anyway, my thoughts on the show:


    1) The man analyzing the “Witch” footage at the end intimated that maybe the Straight Path the “Humanoid” was taking was maybe due to IT being suspended from a Cable–notice he intimated the horn-like protusion at the top of the creature’s head was pointed and looked like it could hold a Hook. He did not say this WAS the explanation for the “Humanoid” going in a straight line, but gave a good probability to it.

    I mention this as sort of “possible confirmation” that this could be a “controlled” event—which you disagreed with. Personally, I just don’t think the guy who was filming this just happened to film a randonly floating balloon that just “happened” to
    follow a perfectly straight line like this did.

    The video’ guy’s possible explanation for the behavior of whatever this is just reinforces my feelings that this could be a controlled “whatever”.

    It’s probably (and I’m not totally convinced) a Balloon—but what KIND of Balloon? And is it Free-floating? Or is it being directed? And what are the circumnstances behind it being videotaped? That is the question, Mystery_Man. I just think that if this IS not “real,” it just feels like a Balloon Hoax.
    I’m starting from the “Mundane,” then trying to work from there—like you said.

    2) I do agree with LanceFoster that a second test on the specimen and DNA need to be done—just to see if the “results” from both match. Tell you what—have it tested multiple times. They also need to go over the photographs of the “Thing In The Trap” AND analyze the camera to see if there is any funny business going on.

    I must say, I’m kind of surprised at the level of “Doubt” leveled at the Scientists analyzing the “Whatsit.”
    Surely MQ knew that questions would be asked regarding the legitimacy of the “autopsy” of whatever-this-is.
    Call me a “naive non-cynic” on THIS instance, but I just don’t think MQ would have risked ridicule and deligitimization if they did not know these weren’t the BEST forensic scientists and anthropologists (and otherwise) they could come up with at the moment.
    While (again) I agree that further testing and research on this is necessary—the scientists featured in the episode seemed excellent to me and working within the perimeters of their discipline.

    The fact that they could not come up with a definite identification DNA-wise as to what this was does not mean they are incompetent or corrupt. I don’t see them risking their reputations or standing in their respective commnuties if they did not REALLY know what this was. The scientists seemd genuinely baffled by this. And the fact they could not even narrow this to whether this was a “mamal” or “reptile” or whatever added to the authenticity of this, in MY opinion.

    To be honest, the creature seemd “real” in the sense of it being “not a Small Monkey.” The explanations the scientists gave for why it was not were convincing to ME. I understand a lot here may disagree. Let’s see more testing, though.

    3) The “creature” does not have to be an “Alien” to be unknown to science. And just because it was featured on the MQ episode “Flying Humanoids” does not mean it is one of THEM. If it is “Real,” it could just be an animal not detected by Science beforehand. I think this may cause some unnecessary confusion to some viewers, unfortunately.

    Overall, good episode—the other “Humanoid Sightings” were too indefinite and unfocused to be Scientifically worthwhile but they still were extremely creepy. 3 out of 5 stars. 🙂

  36. greatstart responds:

    When I saw that “scientist babe” cut off a piece of the tail of the “alien” I cringed. I am not sure what it was but if it was an “alien” I would be much more careful with it.

  37. raisinsofwrath responds:

    I forgot to mention my surprise at the policeman. Most cops I know don’t run from a single person standing in front of their car. Either this guy fabricated the story to cover up a possible tryst with a woman or he shouldn’t be an officer of the law. Imagine calling him to a home invasion and the light hits the perp just right making him look like a ghost or something. Is this guy going to run away?

    Regarding mylar balloons, I’ve seen tons of videos where they are mistaken for something else. They can and do take on shapes that are quite remarkable and I can agree that some of these videos could definitely be mylar balloons.

  38. Ken Gerhard responds:

    Now that the episode has aired, here are some reflections – First, since I did not get to examine the carcass, I cannot provide any personal observations. However, upon seeing photos, my first impression was that the thing looked manufactured… like P.T. Barnum’s Fiji Mermaid. With regard to the videos, I concur that some of them are very likely balloons, possibly of the humanoid-shaped variety. Jet packs should be ruled out in my opinion, since there doesn’t appear to be any disturbance to the air below the hovering figures. I was fortunate to be present during Officer Samaniego’s interview and was struck by his sincerity. I’m personally convinced that he really did encounter some type of entity, though I can only speculate as to the identity of his ‘witch’. Also, I’m disappointed that the episode didn’t mention the sightings of a weird, bat-like humanoid that were reported in the La Junta region of Mexico just a few months ago. Fortunately, there is a good article about them in the new Fortean Times. Finally, my comments about the Houston Batman were drawn from “Strange Creatures from Time and Space,” by John Keel, as well as “Alien Animals,” by Janet and Colin Bord. I admit that I couldn’t locate my copy of the original Houston Chronicle article before filming, so perhaps my commentary bears a second look. Thanks to all who watched! I’m personally glad to see Monster Quest expanding its scope. Whose to say that all of the monsters in our world can be explained within the context of zoology? ^v^

  39. MrInspector responds:

    On the “creature” presented:
    Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat. You do an autopsy on a human being, otherwise it’s a necropsy. Secondly, it’s not sufficient to say that it’s the body of a dead monkey. Genus/Species??? I also have to say, that it really doesn’t look like a dead monkey. The spinal structure where the neck meets the skull is in entirely the wrong location. The fore and rear limbs also don’t really jibe with a small monkey. There are also numerous other points of contention with the monkey explanation.
    My first thought was also along the lines of Ken’s, it looks more manufactured to me. But, I also, have only seen pictures of the carcass. Without a proper necropsy I can’t really offer any solid conclusion, though it certainly was interesting to see. I would be very surprised if this were a monkey, unless it might be an unknown species or possibly riddled with birth defects.
    I however have a bigger question here, why should one think this is a flying creature? I mean wasn’t that what this episode was about? “Terror from the Skies” Did anyone see this thing fly? If they did, it pretty much rules out sobriety, er, I mean monkey. 😉

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