Bigfoot
Frame 352 from the Patterson-Gimlin film. The Patterson-Gimlin film (also referred to as simply the Patterson film) is a short Motion picture of an unidentified subject filmed on
Creature
Name:	Bigfoot
AKA:	Sasquatch
Classification
Grouping:	Cryptid
Data
First reported:	In folklore
Last sighted:	2007
Country:	United States, Canada
Region:	Pacific Northwest (Primary)
Habitat:	Forest
Status:	Unconfirmed

Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is an alleged ape-like creature said to inhabit remote forests, mainly in the Pacific northwest region of the United States and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Cryptid is a term used in the study of Cryptozoology to refer to a creature whose existence has been suggested but not demonstrated scientifically The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwest of North America (the term refers to the land not the ocean A forest is an area with a high density of Trees There are many definitions of a forest based on various criteria The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwest of North America (the term refers to the land not the ocean The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C In northern Wisconsin, Lakota Indians know the creature by the name Chiye-tanka, a Lakota name for "Big Elder Brother. Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States The Lakota (laˈkˣota (also Teton, Tetonwan) are a Native American tribe "^[1] Bigfoot is sometimes described as a large, hairy bipedal hominoid, and some believe that this animal, or its close relatives, may be found around the world under different regional names, such as the Yeti of Tibet and Nepal, the Yeren of mainland China, and the Yowie of Australia. Bipedalism is a form of Terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves by means of its two rear limbs Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. Yeren ( variously referred to as the Yiren, Yeh Ren, Chinese Wildman, ( Man-Monkey, or ( is a legendary creature said to be an as For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.

Bigfoot is one of the more famous examples of cryptozoology, with a large ongoing debate on whether it exists or not. Cryptozoology (from Greek κρυπτός kruptos, "hidden" + Zoology; literally "study of hidden animals" is the study of and search Many scientific experts on the matter consider the Bigfoot legend to be a combination of folklore and hoaxes. History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological A hoax is a deliberate attempt to Dupe, Deceive or trick an audience into believing or accepting that something is real when in fact it is not or that Despite its uncertain scientific status, Bigfoot is nevertheless a popular symbol, included as "Quatchi," one of the mascots of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and used to name both a provincial park and the annual Sasquatch Daze event in Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia. The term mascot – defined as a term for any person animal or object thought to bring Luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal Sasquatch Provincial Park is a Provincial park in Kent British Columbia, Canada. The Village of Harrison Hot Springs is a small community at the southern end of Harrison Lake in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia.

Description and behavior

Bigfoot is described as being between 7 and 10 feet (2. 1 and 3 meters) tall, and covered in dark brown or dark reddish hair. The head seems to sit directly on the shoulders, with no apparent neck. Alleged witnesses have described large eyes, a pronounced brow ridge, and a large, low-set forehead; the top of the head has been described as rounded and crested, similar to the sagittal crest of the male gorilla. The supraorbital ridge or brow ridge refer to a bony ridge located above the eye sockets of all Primates In Homo sapiens sapiens (modern man the A sagittal crest is a ridge of bone running lengthwise along the midline of the top of the Skull (at the Sagittal suture) of many Gorillas, the largest of the living Primates are ground-dwelling Herbivores that inhabit the Forests of Africa.

They are claimed to be mainly nocturnal, and seemingly omnivorous. As an Animal behavior, nocturnality describes sleeping during the Daytime and being active at Night - the opposite of the diurnal Omnivores (from Latin omne all everything vorare to devour are species that eat both Plants and Animals as their primary In encounters where a human reported shining a flashlight at them, the eyes glowed red, possibly due to a tapetum lucidum in their eyes, not found in any other higher primate. The tapetum lucidum ( Latin: "bright tapestry" plural tapeta lucida) is a layer of tissue in the Eye of many Vertebrate animals that

Sasquatches are rarely aggressive, and there is only one reported case of a man being killed by one (found in The Wilderness Hunter by Theodore Roosevelt); however, they may harass adults traveling through a forest that could be a part of the sasquatches’ territory. Theodore Roosevelt (ˈroʊzəvɛlt October 27 1858 January 6 1919 also known as T Sasquatches do not seem to be a threat to children, for they tend to merely observe the children before walking or running away. The best protection against a sasquatch is to shine a light at it, for this makes them back away from the area.

Proposed creatures

Various types of creature have been described by proponents to explain the sightings. These descriptions have generally received little support from the scientific community. The scientific community consists of the total body of Scientists its relationships and interactions

Gigantopithecus

Grover Krantz argued that a relict population of Gigantopithecus blacki would best explain Bigfoot reports. Gordon S " Grover " Krantz (November 5 1931 &ndash February 14 2002 was a professor of Physical anthropology at Washington State University Gigantopithecus blacki ( Greek and Latin for "Black's Giant Ape" is an Extinct Species of Ape. Based on his fossil analysis of its jaws, he championed a view that Gigantopithecus was bipedal.

Geoffrey Bourne writes that Gigantopithecus is a plausible candidate for Bigfoot since most Gigantopithecus fossils were found in China, whose extreme eastern Siberian forests are similar to those of north-western North America. Geoffrey Bourne may refer to Geoffrey Bourne Baron Bourne (1902&ndash1982 British soldier Geoffrey Bourne (anatomist (1909&ndash1988 Siberia (Сиби́рь Sibir) is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of Northern Asia and for the most part currently serving Many well-known animals have migrated across the Bering Strait, so Bourne believes is not unreasonable to assume that Gigantopithecus might have as well. The Bering Strait (Берингов пролив Beringov proliv) is a sea Strait between Cape Dezhnev, Russia, the easternmost point (169°43' "So perhaps," Bourne writes, "Gigantopithecus is the Bigfoot of the American continent and perhaps he is also the Yeti of the Himalayas. The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America "^[2]

The Gigantopithecus hypothesis is generally considered entirely speculative. Given the mainstream view that Gigantopithecus was quadrupedal, it would seem unlikely to be an ancestor to the biped Bigfoot is said to be. Moreover, it has been argued that G. blacki's enormous mass would have made it difficult for it to adopt a bipedal gait. ^[3] An analysis of the Patterson-Gimlin film shows that frames 369, 370, 371, and 372 all show a slender lower mandible, that does not match the massive lower mandible of Gigantopithecus blacki, which, assuming that the Patterson-Gimlin film is legitimate, would eliminate G. The Patterson-Gimlin film (also referred to as simply the Patterson film) is a short Motion picture of an unidentified subject filmed on blacki as a candidate for Bigfoot. ^[4]

"That Gigantopithicus is in fact extinct has been questioned by those who believe it survives as the Yeti of the Himalayas and the Sasquatch of the north-west American coast. But the evidence for these creatures is not convincing. "^[5]

Other extinct apes

A species of Paranthropus, such as Paranthropus robustus, with its crested skull and bipedal gait, was suggested by Napier and anthropologist Gordon Strasenburg as a possible candidate for Bigfoot's identity. The robust australopithecines, members of the Extinct Hominin genus Paranthropus (Greek para "beside" Greek anthropos "human" Paranthropus robustus was originally discovered in Southern Africa in 1938

Some Bigfoot reports suggest Homo erectus to be the creature, but H. Homo erectus ( Latin: "upright man" is an extinct species of the genus Homo, believed to have been the first hominin erectus skeletons have never been found on the North American continent.

There was also a little known genus called, Meganthropus, which reputedly grew to enormous proportions. Meganthropus is a name commonly given to several large jaw and skull fragments from Sangiran Central Java. Again, there have been no remains of this creature anywhere near North America, and none younger than a million years old. The Lower Paleolithic (or Lower Palaeolithic) is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age.

Arguments

Bigfoot is one of the more famous creatures in cryptozoology, and, like many cryptids around the world, there is a fierce debate as to whether the Bigfoot species exists or not.

Cryptozoologist John Willison Green has postulated that Bigfoot is a worldwide phenomenon. John Willison Green (born February 12, 1927) is a retired Canadian journalist and a leading researcher into the Bigfoot phenomenon ^[6]

Indian Native tribes in the Northwest note the appearance of large creatures they call Sasquatch. Such creatures were said to exist on Vancouver Island and near Harrison Lake.

The earliest unambiguous reports of gigantic apelike creatures in the Pacific Northwest date from 1924, after a series of alleged encounters at a location in Washington later dubbed Ape Canyon, as related in The Oregonian. Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Oregonian is the major daily Newspaper in Portland Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. ^[7] Reports the pro-Bigfoot authors claim are similar appear in the mainstream press dating back at least to the 1860s. The phenomenon attained widespread notoriety in 1958 when enormous footprints were reported in Humboldt County, California by roadworkers; the tracks pictured in the media inspired the familiar name "Bigfoot. Humboldt County is located on the far North Coast of California. "

Mainstream scientists generally dismiss the phenomena due to a lack of representative specimens. They attribute the numerous sightings to folklore, mythology, hoaxes, and the misidentification of common animals. History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore"

Ecologist Robert Michael Pyle argues that most cultures have human-like giants in their folk history. "We have this need for some larger-than-life creature. "^[8]

Skeptical view

Scientists and academics overwhelmingly "discount the existence of Bigfoot because the evidence supporting belief in the survival of a prehistoric, bipedal, apelike creature of such dimensions is scant". [2] In addition to the lack of evidence, they cite the fact that while Bigfoot is alleged to live in regions unusual for a large, nonhuman primate, i. e. , temperate latitudes in the northern hemisphere, all other recognized nonhuman apes are found in the tropics, Africa, continental Asia or nearby islands. The Tropics are centered on the Equator and limited in Latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26' (23 The great apes have never been found in the fossil record in the Americas, and no Bigfoot bones or bodies have been found.

Many scientists do not give the subject of Bigfoot's existence serious attention, given the history of dubious claims and outright hoaxes. Napier wrote that the mainstream scientific community's indifference stems primarily from "insufficient evidence . . . it is hardly surprising that scientists prefer to investigate the probable rather than beat their heads against the wall of the faintly possible. "^[9] Anthropologist David Daegling echoed this idea, citing a "remarkably limited amount of Sasquatch data that are amenable to scientific scrutiny. "^[10] He advises that mainstream skeptics take a proactive position "to offer an alternative explanation. We have to explain why we see Bigfoot when there is no such animal" (ibid 20). Indeed, many scientists insist that the breeding population of such an animal would be so large that it would account for many more purported sightings than currently occur, making the existence of such an animal an almost certain impossibility.

On May 24, 2006 Maria Goodavage wrote an article in USA Today titled, "Bigfoot Merely Amuses Most Scientists", in which she quotes Washington State zoologist John Crane, "There is no such thing as Bigfoot. USA TODAY is a national American daily Newspaper published by the Gannett Company. No data other than material that's clearly been fabricated has ever been presented. "^[8] Several other prominent scientists have also expressed at least a guarded interest in Sasquatch reports, including George Schaller, Russell Mittermeier, Daris Swindler and Esteban Sarmiento. Dr George Beals Schaller (born 1933 is a Mammalogist, naturalist, Conservationist and author Russell A Mittermeier (born November 8, 1949) is a primatologist, herpetologist and biological anthropologist. Daris Ray Swindler ( August 13, 1925 &ndash December 6 2007) was an American anthropologist. Esteban Sarmiento is a functional Anatomist. His main field of study involves the biology of Hominoids and their fossils but he is also an African primatologist and ^[11]

Prominent anthropologist Carleton S. Coon's posthumously published essay Why the Sasquatch Must Exist states, "Even before I read John Green's book Sasquatch: The Apes Among Us, first published in 1978, I accepted Sasquatch's existence. Carleton Stevens Coon, ( 23 June 1904 &ndash 3 June 1981) was a American physical anthropologist, Professor of Anthropology John Green may refer to John Green (author (b1977 American award-winning writer John Green (botanist (b "^[12] Coon examines the question from several angles, stating that he is confident only in ruling out a relict Neanderthal population as a viable candidate for Sasquatch reports. The term relict is used to refer to surviving remnants of natural phenomena The Neanderthal (neɪˈændərtɑːl also with /niː-/ and /-θɔːl/ or Neandertal, is an extinct member of the Homo genus that is known from

As previously noted, Napier generally argued against Bigfoot's existence, but added that some "soft evidence" (i. e. , eyewitness accounts, footprints, hair and droppings) is compelling enough that he advises against "dismissing its reality out of hand. "^[13]

Krantz and others have argued that a double standard is applied to Sasquatch studies by many academics: whenever there is a claim or evidence of Sasquatch's existence, enormous scrutiny is applied, as well as it should be. A double standard refers to one class of entities being treated differently from another class of entities and implies an unfair or unjustified differentiation Yet when individuals claim to have hoaxed Bigfoot evidence, the claims are frequently accepted without corroborative evidence.

In 2004, Henry Gee, editor of the prestigious magazine Nature, argued that creatures like Bigfoot deserved further study, writing, "The discovery that Homo floresiensis survived until so very recently, in geological terms, makes it more likely that stories of other mythical, human-like creatures such as Yetis are founded on grains of truth . Nature is a prominent Scientific journal, first published on 4 November 1869 Homo floresiensis ("Man of Flores " nicknamed Hobbit) is a possible Species in the Genus Homo . . Now, cryptozoology, the study of such fabulous creatures, can come in from the cold. "^[14]

Hoaxes

Bigfoot sightings or footprints are often demonstrably hoaxes. Author Jerome Clark argues that the "Jacko" affair, involving an 1884 newspaper report of an apelike creature captured in British Columbia was a hoax. Citing research by John Green, who found that several contemporary British Columbia newspapers regarded the alleged capture as very dubious, Clark notes that the New Westminster, British Columbia Mainland Guardian wrote, "Absurdity is written on the face of it. "^[15]

In 1958 bulldozer operator Jerry Crew took to a newspaper office a cast of one of the enormous footprints he and other workers had been seeing at an isolated work site in Bluff Creek, California. The story and photo garnered international attention through being picked up by the Associated Press. The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio ^[16] The crew was overseen by Wilbur L. Wallace, brother of Raymond L. Wallace. Raymond L "Ray" Wallace ( April 21, 1918 − November 26, 2002) was a US Bigfoot researcher Years after the track casts were made, Ray Wallace got involved in Bigfoot "research" and made various outlandish claims. He was poorly regarded by many who took the subject seriously. Napier wrote, "I do not feel impressed with Mr. Wallace's story" regarding having over 15,000 feet of film showing Bigfoot. ^[17]

Shortly after Wallace's death, his children called him the "father of Bigfoot. " They claimed Ray faked the tracks seen by Jerry Crew in 1958. There were some wooden track makers among Ray's inherited belongings which the family said were used to make the 1958 tracks.

Alleged sightings

There have been many hundreds of alleged Bigfoot sightings, however here are some of the most notable ones:

• 1840: Protestant missionary Reverend Elkanah Walker recorded myths of hairy giants that were persistent among Native Americans living in Spokane, Washington. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States The Indians claimed that these giants steal salmon and had a strong smell. ^[18]
• 1924: Fred Beck and four other miners claimed to have been attacked by several sasquatches in Ape Canyon in July, 1924. The creatures reportedly hurled large rocks at the miners’ cabin for several hours during the night. This case was publicized in newspaper reports printed in 1924. ^[19][20][21]
• 1941: Jeannie Chapman and her children claimed to have escaped their home when a large sasquatch, allegedly 7½ feet tall, approached their residence in Ruby Creek, British Columbia. ^[22]
• 1940s onward: People living in Fouke, Arkansas have reported that a Bigfoot-like creature, dubbed the “Fouke Monster”, inhabits the region. Fouke redirects here For the medieval outlaw see Fulk FitzWarin. The Fouke Monster is a legendary Cryptid reported near the town of Fouke in Miller County, Arkansas (see map during the early 1970s where A high number of reports have occurred in the Boggy Creek area and are the basis for the 1973 film The Legend of Boggy Creek. The Legend of Boggy Creek is a 1972 documentary-style film dealing with an alleged creature known as the " Fouke Monster " a ^{[23][24][25][26][27][28]}
• 1955: William Roe claimed to have seen a close-up view of a female sasquatch from concealment near Mica Mountain, British Columbia. ^[29]
• 1958: Two construction workers, Leslie Breazale and Ray Kerr, reported seeing a sasquatch about 45 miles northeast of Eureka, California. Eureka is the County seat and principal city in Humboldt County, California, United States. Sixteen-inch tracks had previously been spotted in the northern California woods. ^[30]
• 1967: On October 20, 1967, Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin captured a purported sasquatch on film in Bluff Creek, California in what would come to be known as the Patterson-Gimlin film. Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. The Patterson-Gimlin film (also referred to as simply the Patterson film) is a short Motion picture of an unidentified subject filmed on
• 1970: A family of bigfoot-like creatures called "zoobies" was observed on multiple occasions by a San Diego psychiatrist named Dr. Baddour and his family near their Alpine, California home, as reported in an interview with San Diego County Deputy Sheriff Sgt. Doug Huse, who investigated the sightings. ^[31]
• 1995: On August 28, 1995, a TV film crew from Waterland Productions pulled off the road into Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and filmed what they claimed to be a sasquatch in their RV's Headlights. Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Jedediah Smith Redwoods Park, established in 1929 was named after the noted fur trapper Jedediah Smith, who visited its location during an 1826 expedition ^[32]
• 2005: On April 16, 2005, A creature resembling a bigfoot was reportedly seen on the bank of the Nelson River in Norway House, Manitoba. Events 1178 BC - A Solar eclipse may have marked the return of Odysseus, legendary King of Ithaca, to his kingdom Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Nelson River is a River of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Norway House is a rural community of approximately 5000-6000 people some north of Lake Winnipeg, on the bank of the eastern channel of Nelson River, in the province Manitoba (English ˌmænɨˈtoʊbə French /manitoba/ is a province of Canada, spanning 647797 square kilometres (250116  sq mi of North America Two minutes and forty seconds of footage was taken by ferry operator Bobby Clarke from across the Nelson River. ^[33] Canadian rock band The Weakerthans later recorded a song about this sighting, "Bigfoot!", on their 2007 album Reunion Tour. The Weakerthans are an award-winning four-piece (and sometimes six-piece Canadian Indie rock band that blends Punk rock with Folk rock. Reunion Tour is the fourth studio album by The Weakerthans, released on September 25, 2007 in Canada and the U ^[34]
• 2006: On December 14, 2006, Shaylane Beatty, a woman from the Dechambault Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada, was driving to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan when, she claimed, saw the creature near the side of the highway at Torch River. Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Saskatchewan (səˈskætʃəwən) is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of 588276 Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Several men from the village drove down to the area and found footprints, which they tracked through the snow. They found a tuft of brown hair and took photographs of the tracks. ^[35][36]
• 2007: On September 16, 2007, hunter Rick Jacobs captured an image of a possible sasquatch using an automatically triggered camera attached to a tree. Events 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[37] A spokesperson for the Pennsylania Game Commission challenged the Bigfoot explanation, saying that it looked like "a bear with a severe case of mange. Mange (from Middle English manjeue, from Old French manjue, from mangier, meaning to eat is a parasitic infestation of "^[38] The sighting happened near the town of Ridgway, Pennsylvania in the Allegheny National Forest, which is about 115 miles north of Pittsburgh. Ridgway is a borough in Elk County, Pennsylvania,founded by Philadelphian shipping merchant Jacob Ridgway and lumber baron Ralph Hindo The Allegheny National ^[39][38]

See also

• Bigfoot in popular culture
• Bigfoot trap
• Evidence regarding Bigfoot
• Formal studies of Bigfoot

Similar alleged creatures

• Almas - Mongolia
• Barmanou - Afghanistan and Pakistan
• Ebu Gogo - Flores Island, Indonesia
• Fear liath - Scotland
• Fouke Monster - Fouke, Arkansas
• Hibagon - Japan
• Kapre - Philippines
• Karakoncolos - Turkey, Bulgaria
• Momo the Monster - Missouri
• Người Rừng - Vietnam
• Old Yellow Top - Canada
• Orang Mawas - Malaysia
• Orang Pendek - Sumatra, Indonesia
• Skunk Ape - Florida
• Woodwose
• Yeren - Hubei, China
• Yeti - Tibet
• Yowie - Australia

Similar beings in folklore

• Giant - Southern Europe
• Ogre - Northern Europe
• Troll - Scandinavia
• Wendigo - Eastern US

Footnotes

Sources

External links

Bigfoot supporters

• Alliance of Independent Bigfoot Researchers (AIBR)
• Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization
• Willow Creek - China Flat Museum - includes an entire building dedicated to Bigfoot, including footprint casts, maps, photos, and other documents
• LorenColeman.com - website of Bigfoot researcher Loren Coleman
• Bigfoot-lives.com - A UK-based Bigfoot site
• Beckjord.com - a site by Erik Beckjord, a controversial Bigfoot enthusiast in favor of a paranormal explanation

Skeptical views

• Article by Benjamin Radford, in Skeptical Inquirer, March/April 2002
• Article by Kal K. Korff and Michaela Kocis, in Skeptical Inquirer, July 2004
• Bigfoot - from the Skeptic's Dictionary
• Skeptic World - Bigfoot