sasquatch anatomy & origins

Sasquatch seems to mix the behavior of both humans and great apes. However, we can only rely on reports for that information. It seems in terms of physical appearance, this species has evolved similarly to our own species, which can be scientifically backed. ​

Illustration: @mohr.art
Nose
The Patterson Gimlin film has proven to be the most credible piece of photographic/videographic evidence to date. Luckily, throughout the years, this film has been stabilized, enhanced, and restored to an incredibly successful degree. When focusing in on the subject’s face, we notice a few things, including what looks to be an external nose. Humans are the only ape species (with the exception of the Proboscis monkey) to possess this type of nose. There are several scientific hypotheses that support this anatomical evolution in humans. Why are we the only ape species with an external nose? The answer once again lies in our shift in food sources. When humans started eating meat, evolutionary changes began. Not only did our social structure become more complex, but our anatomy too. Consuming meat was a taxing pursuit for humans; it meant that we had to chase prey as well as outcompete other carnivores. The endurance and organization it takes to hunt not only evolved our social complexity, but our spatial awareness. Olfactory Navigation is when smells are associated with locations and activities, which in turn helps a species navigate. Because our new diet and lifestyle demanded us to navigate, our noses had to evolve to do so. The second shift in our nasal anatomy occurred when we began cooking our meat. Because of the changes in our diet, our facial bone structure changed significantly, which may have evolved our noses further. How does this relate to Sasquatch? Good question. Although we can’t verify every eye-witness report, we must recognize consistencies in physicality reported. Witnesses tend to describe the Sasquatch nose as “Relatively flat, but not like an ape-more like a human.” If we look at the anatomy of the Sasquatch, we see that they have evolved much like humans. For example, footprints indicate the evolution of their bipedalism (walking upright.) We see a lack of a divergent toe, which is a very humanlike trait. According to witness encounters, Sasquatch has been seen actively hunting and killing deer and other animals alike. If they are in fact carnivorous, this would mean that they execute organized hunting like us humans. Remember, in our own species, we needed to develop spatial awareness for hunting, which began evolving our nose. However, the difference between humans and Sasquatch is that we cook our food. There has been no evidence to suggest that Sasquatch has mastered fire. This means that their nasal evolution would have ended with Olfactory Navigation, as they still consume raw meat, which requires muscles and other anatomical features we humans no longer need. This certainly explains why Bigfoot seems to have a nose that appears more humanlike, but not quite as evolved as ours. This scientific study validates the Bigfoot species’ course of evolution, which seems to be very similar to our own. 

Sagittal Crest
The sagittal crest is a prominent ridge of bone that projects upwards from the cranial vault along its midline. This anatomy is most commonly seen in male gorillas and orangutans. This anatomical feature is a direct result of chewing hard food sources like fibrous plants and raw meat. The subject in the PG film clearly possesses this anatomy, which tells us a bit about their diet! Humans lost our sagittal crest because we started cooking meat, which made it softer and easier to chew. 

Eyes
It’s hard to say whether Sasquatch’s eyes are more humanlike or apelike, as we can only go off reports. However, it is important to note that humans have a very unique optical feature that is unlike other apes: the whites of the eyes. Humans have a white sclera, which is not seen in other apes. Scientists believe this could be due to the social structure of great apes. In their culture, it is essential to hide the direction of gaze, as not to intimidate another individual or reveal a food source. Great apes are more competitive than humans, so lacking the whites in the eye makes it easier for them to hide their gaze. Humans communicate through eye contact, which is why our eyes evolved the way they did. Sasquatch reports are mixed when it comes to this feature. Some reports include whites of the eyes in the description whereas other witness describe “big black eyes with no whites.” This feature is not apparent in the PG film and so it must remain under speculation at this time.  

​Sources:
“The Navigational Nose.” Jacobs Lab, 6 Feb. 2019, https://jacobs.berkeley.edu/the-navigational-nose/. 

“Sagittal Crest of the Skull.” Sagittal Crest of the Skull | Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), https://carta.anthropogeny.org/moca/topics/sagittal-crest-skull#:~:text=The%20sagittal%20crest%20is%20a,adult%20male%20gorillas%20and%20orangutans. 

Caspar, Kai R., et al. “Ocular Pigmentation in Humans, Great Apes, and Gibbons Is Not Suggestive of Communicative Functions.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 21 June 2021, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-92348-z#:~:text=Pigmentation%20patterns%20of%20the%20visible,that%20enhances%20eye%2Dmediated%20communication.