Heuvelmans was born in
Le Havre, France and raised in
Belgium, and earned a
doctorate in
zoology from the
Free University of Brussels. His doctoral dissertation concerned the teeth of the
aardvark, which had previously defied classification. Though earlier interested in zoological oddities, he credits a
1948 Saturday Evening Post article, "There Could be Dinosaurs", by
Ivan T. Sanderson, with inspiring a determined interest in unknown animals. Sanderson discussed the possibility of
dinosaurs surviving in remote corners of the world.
Heuvelmans undertook a massive amount of research and wrote
On the Track of Unknown Animals, considered by some the most influential work of cryptozoology in the
twentieth century. After
On the Track, Heuvelmans wrote many other books and articles, few of which have been translated into English. His works sold well among general audiences, but saw little attention from mainstream scientists and experts.
In the Wake of the Sea-Serpents was his second book translated into English and sold in the United States in 1968. It consisted of his book on
sea serpents, with parts of his book on the
giant squid (and
colossal squid) added. As he continued his researches he saw the need to "give a name to the totally new discipline in zoology my research implied. That is how I coined the word 'cryptozoology,' the science of hidden animals."
Heuvelmans searched the world's
oceans for giant
animals, to substantiate the rumors and
legends about animals known to local people but still unknown to
science. In the late 1960s, Heuvelmans helped spread the controversy surrounding the
Minnesota Iceman when he examined the "ice man" then in the possession of a road-traveling circus exhibitionist. Heuvelmans thought the creature could be genuine and published a formal description, naming it as the new species
Homo pongoides. There was never conclusive evidence given to either substantiate or discredit the Minnesota Iceman, and the idea that it represented a new species of living hominid has never been accepted by mainstream zoologists.
In
1975 Heuvelmans established the Center for Cryptozoology in France, where his library is housed. In 1982 he helped to found the
International Society for Cryptozoology, and served as its first president. He was also the first president of the
Centre for Fortean Zoology.
Although much admired and considered "the father of cryptozoology" among cryptozoologists and many general readers, Heuvelmans was also criticized and even ridiculed among skeptics for his belief in
cryptids, for example
Swedish author and naturalist
Bengt Sjögren.
rss feed