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the prime habitats, are more self-assured and are more obvious to human hunters. The survivors are probably those that have always been forced to live in the poorest habitats and, through competition with more dominant individuals, have been forced to become cryptic. When humans clear the prime habitat of the species, the cryptic individuals survive in remnant habi- tat and pass on their genes for cryptic behaviour to their offspring. If the Eastern puma can survive as an almost invisible entity in such a heavily populated area as the eastern part of North America, how much easier is it for our own cryptic species, such as the often-reported mainland thylacine (the Tasmanian tiger), supposed feral pumas and panthers, and the Yowie and Junjadee? When biologists point out that thylacines were easily trapped and hunted in the early part of the 20th century and so could not possibly have changed their behaviour to become cryptic, it is possible that the cryptic mem- bers of the population always avoided the hunters and continue to do so now. With the increasing technological advan- tage that we humans possess, it may even- tually be proved that we were extremely arrogant, and that cryptic species—which we swore could not possibly exist without our knowing all about them—have been observing us all along. oo faecal scat were found. Analysis of the droppings revealed the remains of con- sumed prey (snowshoe hare) and indis- putable Eastern puma hairs from the feet and legs, presumably ingested while grooming after feeding. On | March 1993, the New Brunswick Minister of Natural Resources officially acknowledged the presence of an Eastern puma population.‘ The Eastern puma is still regarded as extinct in the USA, despite the eyewitness reports and its official rediscovery in Canada. It is now understood to have sur- vived all of that time that it was thought to be definitely extinct, even though not a photograph or specimen has been obtained as evidence. Unlike what some researchers thought, the sightings did not represent an entity from another dimension, but an ordi- nary animal that could easily survive and reproduce without revealing any evidence of its existence. If a carnivorous animal is hunted into apparent extinction, what is probably exter- minated are all those members of the popu- lation that have been the most successful competitors for territory and therefore hold Endnotes 1. Healy, T. and Cropper, P., Out of the Shadows: Mystery Animals of Australia, lronbark/Pan Macmillan Australia, Sydney, 1994. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. The ISC Newsletter, International Society of Cryptozoology, vol. 12, no. 2, 1993-1996. 7. Strahan, R. (ed.), Complete Book of Australian Mammals, The Australian Museum, Angus & Robinson Publishers, Sydney, 1983. 8. The ISC Newsletter, ibid. About the Author: Gary Opit is an environmental consultant with a 25-year career in field research and public rela- tions in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Southeast Asia. His skills and expertise include vegetation and fauna surveying and mapping techniques, plant conservation biology and wildlife habitat management. He lectures to uni- versity and high school students in botany, zool- ogy, biogeography, Australian and Aboriginal ecology, and Aboriginal religion and culture. He has a fortnightly talkback radio program on regional ABC Radio 2NR (94.5 FM, 720 AM) on Tuesdays at 10.30 am. 88 = NEXUS Understanding the Yowie Phenomenon Continued from page 71 AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 1999