Bigfoot, Sasquatch
Evidence:
North America has its own
monster. While Scotland has its Loch Ness sea serpent and the Himalayas has its
Abominable Snowman or Yeti, North America lays claim to Sasquatch or, as he has
been nicknamed, Bigfoot. Sasquatch - a 7- to 8-foot-tall man/ape - has been
sighted in North America for centuries. Before the European invasion, Native
Americans were very familiar with this "hairy giant" that lived in the
wilderness.
One of the earliest recorded
sightings of Sasquatch by a white man occurred in 1811 near what is now Jasper,
Alberta by a fur trader named David Thompson. Since then there have been many
sightings of the creature in Western Canada, and in many states of the U.S.,
especially the Pacific Northwest, Ohio, and even as far south as Florida, where
the swamp-dwelling beast is known as the Skunk Ape.
Is Sasquatch mere legend or a
remarkably elusive reality? What's the evidence? Personal accounts of sightings
are plentiful and deserve weight because of their numbers. Physical evidence,
such as footprints and hair samples, is rarer, and recordings on film and video
rarer still. Here's a look at some of the best - and always controversial -
evidence for the existence of Sasquatch.
Native American Artifacts:
Bigfoot has long been believed in by the Native American
people. The creature was part of their folklore long before Europeans arrived
to the area. Native Americans had different names for this creature throughout
various tribes. Historical artifacts from these people have been brought
forward as evidence to support its existence. These artifacts show what looks
to be an ape-like creature, though many of these tribes would have never seen
an ape or monkey at this point in time. Some scientists believe the Native
American legends created the modern Bigfoot and therefore offers no evidence
of Bigfoot existing.
Has A Body Or
Skeleton of Bigfoot Been Found?
No body or bones of a Bigfoot have ever been found. This can
be explained with many reasons. One reason is that nature has a way with
getting rid of animal remains. Many large animals die each year of natural
causes, yet rarely are any remains found. When an animal dies, its remains are
quickly consumed by maggots and other predators. This process can take less
than ten days. Anything still remaining will be spread out across the forest,
rotted, or buried in leaves. Some experts also feel that Bigfoot may bury their
dead as humans do. Another thing worth mentioning is if someone is hiking in
the woods and see's a bone, they don't usually take it with them for further
analysis. On top of everything, these creature’s probably don't die very often,
making any fossils very rare. All of these factors make it unlikely that any
bones or body are to be discovered.
Footprints:
He isn't called Bigfoot for
nothing. There have been more than 900 footprints attributed to Bigfoot
collected over the years, having an average length of 15.6 inches. The average
width is 7.2 inches. That's one big foot. By comparison, the foot of a 7-foot,
3-inch basketball player - a rarity, to say the least - is 16.5 inches long but
only 5.5 inches wide.
Through 1958 and 1959, Bob Titmus
and others found numerous Bigfoot tracks in the area of Bluff Creek where the
famous Patterson/Gimlin film was shot several years later.
In 1988, wildlife biologist John
Bindernagel of Vancouver Island found massive footprints in the snow and heard
a "whoo-whoo whooop" call in the woods. His evidence includes
16-inch, human-like footprints found in Strathcona provincial park while
hiking. In addition, Bindernagel said he heard a strange, ape-like call at a
friend's cabin near Comox Lake in 1992. Bindernagel said he knows of no other
creature in North America that makes such a call, and he believes it was a
Sasquatch trying to communicate with its own kind.
Dwellings and
Graves:
Although by no means verified or
authenticated, there have been claims of discoveries of Sasquatch dwellings and
even burial sites:
Dallas Gilbert says he has had
several encounters with Bigfoot, but his most controversial claim is for that
of a possible Bigfoot community and burial site. Gilbert's story is weakened by
his reluctance to disclose the exact location of the site. However, he has told
The Daily Times of Portsmith, Ohio,
"There are places where you can see territorial markings and snaps that
the creature has made in the trees. There are even canopies and bows made of
trees for him to sleep under." The burial site is marked by a stone,
according to Gilbert. "It looks like a tombstone almost," Gilbert
said. "You can see the outlines of the creature's eyes, head and his
teeth." No corpses or other remains have been recovered from the area, so
all we have is Gilbert's word on these claims.
In 1995, Terry Endres and two
friends were researching an area known for Bigfoot sightings for a local cable
TV show. They chanced upon a large, dome-shaped structure constructed of
branches and brush. It was large enough for three full-grown men to sit in and
was obviously not a natural occurrence.
Nest type structures have been found throughout many areas.
These nests often consist of sticks and branches with a soft lining of moss. It
is thought that the structure could have been built by Bigfoot as a place to
rest.
Sounds:
Not many people have heard the
lonely, chilling cries and howls of Bigfoot. But those who have, and know the
sounds of the wilderness, say it's an unforgettable sound like no other.
Outdoorsman Bill Monroe, a writer
for the Portland Oregonian, recounted his
experience in an article for the newspaper. Monroe was elk hunting when the
stillness of the late afternoon was broken by an eerie sound. "The
deafening screaming, choking, belching moan from the ridge was chilling."
he wrote. "The kind of scream that sends mothers scurrying to find their
children. The kind of scream no cougar or bear could ever squeeze from their
throat... unless it was their last. Piercing, echoing, guttural; a single,
horrible high-pitched-yet-throaty, inhuman, unnatural creation of Steven
Spielberg that makes your skin crawl."
In 1984, Bruce Hoffman was
prospecting for gold near the Clackamas River. He told investigator Greg Long
this story: "I had to park a couple hundred feet from the river, and I had
to walk a little ways back towards the small stream that was running into the
river. And just before I got to the small tributary, I would say from
one-eighth of a mile to a quarter of a mile away, down in the woods I started
hearing this yell, or a call. The sound had a base tone, a muscular sound to
it, and the sound got loud. You could hear how it went up through the trees and
up to the sky. The sound traveled about three to four miles to the ridge of the
mountains. You could hear the sound hit the mountain."
Rock Throwing and Stick Banging:
Rock Throwing is the act of throwing rocks. It has been said
that Bigfoot does this activity. This is common with other known primates as a
way to communicate. In an episode of History Channel's MonsterQuest, the crew experienced
a rock being thrown and landing on the roof of their cabin. It was stated that
no other humans were around for many miles.
Stick banging is also considered to be a form of communication.
A very primitive, but effective form of communication used to warn others in
the group, call the attention of others to one area and to scare off unwanted
guest. The animal would most likely break off a live branch and use it for
communication rather than picking up a weak branch from the ground, the live,
strong branch would make a stronger sound and would travel further.
Odors:
Invariably, the sighting of a
Sasquatch is accompanied by a very strong, very foul odor. In June, 1988, Sean
Fries was camping on the north fork of California's Feather River. "I
climbed into my tent and lay down on my bedroll. I let my dogs run around
because they always stay close to camp. I started to dose off when suddenly I
woke up. It was dead quiet - no crickets, nothing, and my dogs came running
into my tent shaking. I grabbed my rifle and flashlight and stepped outside the
tent. I couldn't see anything, but I had that sensation of being watched. Then
I heard some very heavy footsteps right behind me in the trees. There was also
a very strange odor, almost like a cross between a skunk and something dead.
This thing circled my camp site all night long."
Hair and Blood Samples:
Hair samples have been taken in North America that cannot be
linked to a specific animal. When testing samples of hair and blood
there are some problems, the tests done offer little
information because there is no conclusive sample to compare it to. All that
can be done is to compare it to known samples, which will lack all known
animals.
Feces Sample:
Feces have been found that is said to belong to Bigfoot. This
creature is thought to eat 5000 calories a day, although only a few such
samples have been found. There have been reports from hikers, campers and
hunters that they came across massive piles of animals feces while they were out
in the woods. The have reports have been consistent with what the feces looks
like, 6 to 8 inches high and about 10 inches wide with an almost p-nut butter
type of make-up and having a color from dark brown to brown.
Broken Branches:
Broken branches have been thought to be evidence of Bigfoot
living in an area. Several branches and trees, in many different known Bigfoot
sightings areas, have been noticed to be broken or twisted off and these trees
are often two to three inches thick and would take an incredible amount of
strength to bend or twist. These are signs that a Bigfoot may be marking their
territory and/or marking areas so that they can know where they are when they
return to that area.
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