Bigfoot, Myth or Monster?

Introduction on Bigfoot Bigfoot is also known as Sasquatch It is the name given to a cryptid simian , ape , hominid , or

Hominin like creature that is said to inhabit forests, mainly in the Pacific North West region of North America

Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bigpedal humanoid. Most scientists discount the existence of Bigfoot and consider it

to be a combination of folklore, misidentification, and hoax, rather than a living animal, because of the lack of physical evidence and the large numbers of creatures that would be necessary to maintain a breeding population.

However, a few scientists, such as Grover Krantz and Jeffrey Meldrum, have focused research on the alleged creature for the greater parts of their careers, or, in the case of John Bindernagel, for significant parts of it.

Appearance and anatomy

Bigfoot is described in reports as a large, hairy, muscular, bipedal ape-like creature, with adults in a range of 1.8–3 m (5.9–9.8 ft) tall, and usually estimated to weigh from 280 to 1,000 pounds (130 to 450 kg). It is reportedly covered in hair that is usually black, dark brown, or dark reddish. "The skin, when it can be seen, is generally dark," "but sometimes light."

Hair is described as straight and short or medium length.

Rupert Matthews noted the occasional presence of a mane, or "mantle," of hair.

With respect to the torso, Rupert Matthews states: "Their shoulders are wider in proportion to their height than is usual for a human and that width is maintained right down to the equally wide hips"; he characterized the chest as deep.

Appearance and anatomy

Matthews describes females as having "visible breasts" (unlike gorillas). Breasts have been reported to be located lower on the chest than a human's. A lack of detail on genitalia in reports have led some to conclude they are inconspicuous.[

The arms are reported as long. "Their hands are large and wide with stubby fingers and short thumbs that are not opposable to the fingers."

The neck is purportedly thick and so short as to be unobservable. Claimed witnesses have described the head as being flat-faced, like a human, or exhibiting slight prognathism; having a pronounced brow ridge; and having a low-set forehead with the skull behind it being noticeably higher in back than in front, culminating in a top that is rounded and crested, similar to the sagittal crest of the male gorilla.

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Locomotion, gait, and posture

John Bindernagel describes three reported elements of Bigfoot's gait as: gracefulness and smoothness, owing to its bent-knee or compliant gait; an exaggerated arm-swing; and a high shank-lift, which “brings the sole of the foot to an almost vertical position at the end of each stride.” John Green (1978) writes, "Whether walking or running, they almost always took long steps."

Bindernagel further states that a "hunched or stooped posture" is "noted in many Sasquatch reports" . . ., with "their long arms dangling" when standing. Sasquatches have been reported crouching, squatting, and sitting. "Swimming . . . appears to be an important means of locomotion, ... especially on the west coast."

Behavioral traits John Napier writes, "A frequent comment is that

when observed, the creature stands and stares, immobile and expressionless ...." Behavioral traits claimed by John Bindernagel and others include that they occasionally sway slightly from side to side when standing; that infrequently, bristling hair has been observed on the shoulders and neck; and that reports of them sleeping are rare – but that a face-down position appears in some accounts. Drinking from cupped hands, as a man would. Proponents further claim that Bigfoot is omnivorous and mainly nocturnal.

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Scientific view The evidence that does exist supporting the survival of such a large,

prehistoric ape-like creature has been attributed to hoaxes or delusion rather than to sightings of a genuine creature. In a 1996 USA Today article, Washington State zoologist John Crane said, "There is no such thing as Bigfoot. No data other than material that's clearly been fabricated has ever been presented.“

In addition, scientists cite the fact that Bigfoot is alleged to live in regions unusual for a large, nonhuman primate, i.e., temperate latitudes in the northern hemisphere; all recognized apes are found in the tropics of Africa and Asia. As with other proposed megafauna cryptids, climate and food supply issues would make such a creature's survival in reported habitats unlikely. Great apes have not been found in the fossil record in the Americas, and no Bigfoot remains are known to have been found. 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. Skeptic Kenneth Wylie has published, in boiled-down, tabular form, a comprehensive, nine-page "comparison between Bigfoot 'data' and various relevant bionomic facts.

Scientific view There have been a limited number of formal scientific studies

of Bigfoot. Evidence such as the 1967 Patterson–Gimlin film has provided "no supportive data of any scientific value."

Most mainstream scientists do not consider the subject of Bigfoot an area of credible science. In the 1970s, when Bigfoot experts were frequently given high-profile media coverage, Michael McLeod writes that the scientific community generally avoided engaging in debates with them, lest doing so lend credibility to their theories. However, as of 2003, four prominent specialists in relevant branches of science considered it science-worthy and even (in three cases) belief-worthy: George Schaller, Russell Mittermeier, Daris Swindler, and Esteban Sarmiento 

Bigfoot claims Proponent and author Chris Murphy

summarizes the evidence in an illustrated online article, "Do Sasquatch Really Exist?“

The North American Wood Ape Conservancy also summarizes the evidence online.

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