Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was checking out some online info on Sasquatch and was really surprised to find that Ohio (which is where I live) is one of the states with the most sightings. The more I read, the more it seems like there MIGHT be some kind of primate still living secretly in North America. So...My question is...(and I'm not goofing around)...Any Bigfoot sightings??? This seemed like a great forum to ask, since it is the one that takes the hobby into the field. And since the topic can include "conservation in general"...I will assert that asking about a possible endangered species is OK. Duffy

Well, let's look at the data....

We have centuries of time with people walking/hiking all over every square inch of this country. And during all that time, people have run into every imaginable north American vertebrate. Yet, with all those man hours, NOT ONE PIECE of documentable evidence of the existence of this thing has been found.

Surely they die and leave bones lying around? We find bones from rarer animals than this. And if you respond with the "bigfoot bury their dead" reply...how is it that we have found thousands of Amerindian burial sites and can't find a single bigfoot burial?

The only "documentation" is of such poor quality or has been later revealed to be faked (including the most famous "walking bigfoot" film). How is it that competent photographers with thousands of dollars worth of equipment spend thousands of hours out in the woods and get great photos of very rare and elusive animals, but NOT ONE has ever taken a decent photo of these very camera shy animals? Have you seen the recent photo documentation of jaguars in Southern AZ? Why hasn't someone been able to get such a remote camera shot of a bigfoot from the "heart of their range", where ever that is supposed to be.

Can bigfoot tell when the person taking the photo has a junky camera or is incapable of focusing? If so, it has the same mind-reading ability as the Loch Ness Monster!

Why aren't credible scientists (vertebrate biologists) really looking for this thing? Why hasn't a hunter shot one? It would be worth a fortune! I can promise you that if I saw something like that and I had a rifle, there would be a specimen in the Smithsonian museum - not in a roadside carnival.

Humans have created the existence of "half man/half beast" throughout history. These stories are found in every society (bigfoot, yeti, bunyip, etc). Mermaids are an example of exactly the same thing.

In fact, the consistency with which societies have created these things is further evidence of their non-existence. They are rumored to exist on every continent and yet never has a piece of evidence been found.

They are better examined as a sociological or cultural phenomena than as a scientific reality. You could argue that they are part of current mythology. I think the interesting question is why humans "need" to imagine/create a half human/half beast?

These creations predate the (outdated) concept of the "missing link", so it isn't a desire to fill in gaps in an evolutionary record. I suspect they originally were created to warn people of the dangers of the wild. Oddly, today, they seem to represent the persistance of "wildness" in countries where the mystery of the wild has been lost.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Keep your eyes peeled.............

Well stated chrish.

:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

www.crimsonking.funtigo.com

Mark, don't be silly, that one was obviously transported outside of its local habitat. Everyone knows that the subspecific form that occurs within palmetto range has a short, scraggly, coat of hair. That poor thing would die of heat stroke in no time flat.....It has been argued that long hair among southern populations would decrease the burden of mosquitoe-borne pathogens, but thus far, it seems apparent that heat-stroke is a bigger threat to long-term survival than mosquitoes (only among southern populations). Unfortunately, all of the information I have provided is anecdotal, because of our inability to re-create such conditions in the lab.

On a closing note, I would like to admonish chrish for even mentioning that he would shoot one of our closely related bretheren. It is a well known fact that Bigfoots are much more intelligent than those who beleive in them......Shame on you Mr.H.........how would you like to have some murder charges and a "don't drop the soap" prison term? Think about that before you indulge in such a heinous act.........

Shane
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Lifelist

...now how'd uncle Joe's pic get there???
I had a much better skunk ape photo....I swear!
Weird stuff.
:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

www.crimsonking.funtigo.com

Yes, I have seen Bigfoot. He was in a field talking to Elvis and they both left aboard a UFO . . . which had been parked on the grassy knoll in Dallas.

Or did I detect just the tiniest note of sarcasm??

www.bfro.net a database of all bigfoot sightings. i too am from ohio, there actually is a lot of intriguing information about them. there was acxtually an ohio expedition this spring.

Found it VERY interesting. Some of the assumtions made in the above post are, at least to some extent, refuted fairly nicely & it leaves me once again with an open mind on the subject. I actually think that an "endangered species" primate is at least worthy of consideration. Again, I was really interested by all the Ohio (alleged) activity. Duffy

It's old (late 1980's) but relatively clear. The film includes much info on eating and mating of Bigfoots. The audio of its vocalizations is fascinating.
Link

Good pics (Homer is MY favorite, too!). Skepticism is fine; I surely appreciate good humor (even heavily laced with sarcasm).
Please...Don't shoot 'em if you DO see 'em! Duffy