This mysterious creature is known by many names including Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Yeti and
the Abominable Snowman. Whatever name you call it by, it is a mystery that still persists
despite decades of researchers and adventurers trying to find real proof of its existence.
Grainy film footage and photographs are suspected of being faked, as are hundreds of plaster
casts of footprints and other scraps of "evidence." Even in this age of ever-present camera phones,
evidence remains elusive. For most people only a body that can be verified by scientists
will solve the mystery once and for all. Bigfoot might not be real, but it's been a real part
of popular culture and will likely continue to be.
Joe Rogan vs. Bigfoot
Joe Rogan is most known as a stand-up comedian and as a color commentator for UFC's Mixed
Martial Arts bouts. In 2009 he started a podcast that has become pretty popular. The podcast
has given Rogan a platform with which to discuss a range of topics with millions of listeners.
Although the topics usually revolve around sports and entertainment, his show has taken
on less mainstream topics such as extraterrestrials and even the existence of Bigfoot. Rogan hasn't
pulled any punches on the subject, making his view that the whole thing is a big hoax
perfectly clear. In the process he has greatly annoyed some people in the Bigfoot research
community with his enthusiasm for trashing them on his podcast. One would think believers
in the mysterious creatures would have developed thicker skins since they must deal with skeptics
of all stripes. Rogan is known for his aggressive, pull no punches style that seems to be particularly
galling to his targets. They do have a point about Rogan, because calling people names
doesn't prove Bigfoot is fake. Rogan is an entertainer, and whether you believe in Bigfoot
or not, he has had entertaining moments on his podcast talking about Bigfoot, so he wins
either way.
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Bigfoot and Pop Culture
If it's true that there is no such thing as bad publicity than what do Bigfoot researchers
think of Jack Link's using the creature to sell it's beef jerky snacks? Presumably Bigfoot
would enjoy the bits of dry salty meat, but it probably wouldn't enjoy the spotlight that
it has attracted in our popular culture. The mysterious creature has been the subject of
a number of movies, television shows, books, comics and toys since the 1960's. Before Hollywood
treated Bigfoot fans to the 1987 release of Harry and the Hendersons there was Bigfoot's
infamous appearance on the 1970's hit show The Six Million Dollar Man where the creature
went up against the cyborg Steve Austin. Perhaps Bigfoot and his fans’ biggest boon has been
the Internet. The world wide web sometimes seems to exist in order to spread and popularize
arcane information to the masses. Enthusiasts used to speak to one another on the phone
or at small gatherings, but cyberspace allows millions of people to connect on a daily basis
to share images, stories, and other information. Cable television routinely airs documentaries
of varying quality that offer the latest evidence of Bigfoot's existence. As far as pop culture
is concerned, it’s probably better for business if Bigfoot remains a mystery rather than proven
to exist.
Bigfoot Footprints
People who are convinced that Bigfoot is a real creature, and not a longstanding hoax,
often point to a number of large footprints that have been photographed over the years.
Plaster casts have been made of many of the footprints found in mud and snow, and are
touted as concrete evidence. The footprint casts have become one of the iconic pieces
of evidence associated with Bigfoot. But many critics of the Bigfoot research community
dismiss the casts as fakes. Unfortunately for believers in Bigfoot, there have been
several documented cases of people trying to perpetrate hoaxes using props to create
phony footprints. All it takes is for one prankster to put on a pair of rubber feet
and traipse around the woods to call into question years of hard, painstaking work by
dedicated people. A handful of mainstream scientists have studied some of the casts
with mixed results. While some of the evidence has not been shown to be completely fake,
they cannot be proven to be real either. Footprints will never be a substitute for a body or some
clear cut DNA evidence that everyone can agree is genuine. But until there is incontrovertible
evidence of Bigfoot's existence that scientists can agree on, footprint casts will continue
to be an important part of the case for the creatures' existence.
Bigfoot Sightings
Many of us want Bigfoot to be real, but barring real physical evidence, skepticism must be
maintained. For many people, seeing has been believing with thousands of people reporting
Bigfoot sightings across the United States. There is a site called bigfootsightings.org
where people can report their own experiences. Since the time of the first European settlers,
sightings have been reported in most states in the union of varying quality. Descriptions
of the creature have been remarkably consistent, but this fact can be a double-edged sword
that has been used against people reporting a sighting. Critics have argued that the reason
the descriptions are so consistent is that the people are working off of descriptions
they have heard or read about rather than from a genuine sighting they've made themselves.
It's almost certainly true this is the case with at least some sightings. It is difficult
to argue, however, that this can account for all of the sightings reported for centuries
all over the world. This type of behavior certainly can't account for the photographs
and videos that might depict the creature. Although it's true that many eyewitnesses
might easily be mistaken, the majority of them seem to be completely sincere about what
they think they've seen.
Sounds of the Bigfoot
Although lesser known than the footprints, video, and photographic evidence, Bigfoot
vocalization evidence has been an important part of ongoing research efforts. Bigfoot
has long been associated with making loud and menacing cries and growls that are sometimes
part of a sighting experience. Often the "witnesses" only hear evidence of the creature and never
set eyes on it. Perhaps these sounds that are said to be audio evidence of the creature
have become prominent because sounds are easier to capture than visual evidence. Critics would
probably argue that the vocalizations are much easier to fake than the video and photographic
evidence is. Whatever the reason, however, vocalizations of unidentified animals are
increasingly recorded and analyzed using the latest acoustic software. Although without
a live specimen's vocalizations to compare to the recordings, they cannot be considered
to be definitive proof. Nevertheless, many Bigfoot researchers consider the vocalization
evidence to be more important than visual evidence that is often easily discredited.
It has become common for Bigfoot researchers to go into the woods with microphones and
recording equipment and attempt to elicit the vocalizations. The researchers do this
by trying to mimic the Bigfoot calls and then hope for either an audible or visual response
from
a creature.
Bigfoot Hair Samples
Bigfoot researchers have tried many different ways to verify the existence of the shadowy
creatures. Footprints, and photographic evidence have so-far come up short. Samples of supposed
Bigfoot hair have appeared periodically over the years and held out as proof. Although
many of them have been shown to be obvious attempts at fakery, other samples have not
been brushed aside quite so easily. In 2012 a genetic researcher and self-proclaimed
Bigfoot skeptic in Texas named Melba Ketchum says she subjected a collection of hair samples
to repeated DNA analysis in her laboratory. After years of research she concluded that
some of the hair samples were from an as yet unidentified primate she believes to be Bigfoot.
Ms. Ketchum has further explained she believes that Bigfoot is a form of human hybrid formed
approximately 15,000 years ago. Independent tests by other scientists would go a long
way toward validating Ms. Ketchum's work. This is not the first time Bigfoot hair figured
prominently in the attempt to prove the creature's existence. In 1960 British explorers traveling
in Nepal were shown an alleged Yeti scalp with intact hair that for a time was considered
fairly convincing evidence that the creature was real. However, other researchers eventually
concluded that the " Yeti scalp" had been fabricated from the hide of a type of local
mountain goat.
The Science of Bigfoot
Cryptozoology is the study of animals whose existence is in doubt. Bigfoot and its relatives
around the globe such as the Yeti and Abominable Snowman are the primary focus of this research.
Although cryptozoology is not considered to be a real branch of science like biology or
chemistry, a lot of expertise, money, and time has been expended trying to solve the
mystery of Bigfoot's existence. A number of researchers have tried to bring true science
to bare on the question, but so far they have had inconclusive results. One researcher at
a 2016 conference presented compelling teeth mark evidence found on elk bones that he argued
were from an as yet unidentified hominid or early ancestor of man. This evidence was found
in the Pacific Northwest and has so far not been debunked by mainstream scientists. Another
area of research that is progressing and could lead to a breakthrough has to do with the
science of smells: Bigfoot stinks. Many people who have had close encounters with the hairy
beast report that he often emits a foul smell that is not easily forgotten. This odor problem
would be in line with other primates, such as mountain gorillas that release a powerful
odor as a defense mechanism. Bigfoot researchers hope that evidence like this will continue
to stack up until the reality of the creature becomes clear to everyone.
Bigfoot Great Ape?
If Bigfoot is a real, but a still unidentified primate then there is a good chance its identity
could turn out to be Gigantopithecus. Gigantopithecus is Greek for "Giant Ape" and the name certainly
fits as fossil evidence shows that the large primate stood over 9 feet tall and weighed
as much as 1,300 pounds. The fossil record also shows that this great ape lived at least
as recently as 100,000 years ago. This is important because it would place the animal
in the same timeframe as several other hominid species or early versions of man. However,
many researchers believe the giant primate was likely more closely related to modern
day Orangutans. There is disagreement over whether the animal was bipedal or walked on
its knuckles like an ape. Either way it should be noted that the vast majority of Bigfoot
sightings describe the creature walking in a true bipedal fashion like humans. Bigfoot's
upright gait is the one reason many researchers think it is unlikely that most sightings are
actually misinterpreted bear sightings by people unfamiliar with the animals. Misidentifying
a bear as a Bigfoot has long been a common way skeptics have dismissed sightings. Evidence
points to Gigantopithecus being an herbivore which seems to be in line with theories about
Bigfoot's dietary habits. Most mainstream scientists refuse to comment about whether
Bigfoot may in fact be modern day populations of Gigantopithecus. Although, many Bigfoot
researchers and lay people alike hope that someday scientific evidence will solve the
question once and for all.
The Patterson Bigfoot Footage
The most famous and best evidence to date of the possible existence of Bigfoot is still
a shaky piece of color film shot in 1967 by amateur photographers. The film footage in
question was shot along Bluff Creek, one of the tributaries of the Klamath River in Northern
California. This was a remote and rugged area, but it was pretty well traveled by loggers
at the time who had previously made reports about finding large, unexplained footprints
in the same area. Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin were traveling on horseback with a
camera when they say they suddenly came upon a large creature. Patterson had recently become
interested in the local legends about Bigfoot and was determined to gather evidence of the
creature. Some critics have used Patterson's interest in the creature against him saying
he had a motive to stage the encounter. The film Patterson shot appears to be of a female
Bigfoot and lasts just under a minute. However, it gives fairly clear images of the creature.
Various critics and even Hollywood special effects teams have attempted to debunk the
footage without success. Even skeptics of the film have been forced to admit if it is
a hoax it was very well done and has so far stood the test
of time. Both Patterson and Gimlin maintained the authenticity of the movie up to the time
of their deaths. In 2002 a costume shop owner named Phillip Morris claimed to have provided
an ape suit that was used in the Patterson film, but this man's claims have remained
unsubstantiated. Perhaps one day Bigfoot will be proven to be a real species of primate
thought to be extinct, but until then millions of people around the world will continue to
hope that this mysterious creature is real.
Legendary Art
Native American Indian culture is full of references to a mysterious hairy creature.
In oral legends passed down for centuries and in cave paintings like the Ute Indian
cliff painting in this photograph, various tribes were depicting something specific.
The question is whether their works were purely fantasy or were they reporting on actual experiences
with real animals that they came into contact with? Many tribes consider Sasquatch or Bigfoot
to be an actual animal and one that is believed to hold a special place in the natural world
because of it's seemingly close relationship to mankind. Native Americans do not generally
consider the creatures to be a threat to them, but just another being that deserves respect
and perhaps a wide berth. Many of the tribes believe Bigfoot has a spiritual nature and
may even exist in another dimension. The appearance of one of the creatures conveys an important
message whose meaning should be carefully considered by the person who made the sighting.
It is this supposed spiritual nature that Natives credit for Bigfoot's ability so far
to elude modern efforts to capture or kill it. These works of art may be compelling evidence
of the reality of the creature. They predate by centuries the popular culture's fascination
with Bigfoot.
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