Ivory-billed woodpecker and other non-existent creatures

After noticing spikes in blog hits from searches including "chupacabra", "bigfoot", or "loch ness monster", I finally decided to take a look at some Google Trends.

Some results are here.

Along the way, I found this article about the damage done by Loch Ness Monster skepticism.

Excerpts:

LONDON: Fewer people are reporting sightings of the legendary Loch Ness monster in Scotland, prompting concerns that skepticism about its existence could threaten tourism in the region.

There have only been two reports of sightings this year, compared to three in 2006 and much lower than a decade ago, when the annual number sightings was consistently in the double digits, The Times newspaper said Saturday.

"It's becoming a potential crisis," said Mikko Takala, 39, a founding member of the Loch Ness Monster Fan Club who runs four webcams on the lake's north shore.
...
Nessie has been a key tourism draw, bringing an estimated 6 million pounds (€8.6 million, US$3 million) a year into the Scottish Highlands, according to The Times.