When it comes to Bigfoot, many will argue that the hundreds of recorded eye-witness encounters are simply a man in a monkey suit running in front of a deliberately shaky camera. Fair enough, as most of the videos posted online are just that! However, upon further investigation and intricate analyzation of eye-witness videos, we can better determine the difference between Bigfoot fact and fiction. Here’s your formula to proving fact or fiction.
 
If you’re not familiar with the Bigfoot Independence day video, it depicts a large creature carrying (what appears to be) a small Bigfoot child. At first glance, the creature in the video almost appears to be a CGI insert, simply created on a computer by a graphic designer. Similarly, the Patterson-Gimlin film has been just about the most controversial piece of footage that has ever existed. Most believe it to be an elaborate hoax, and many have admitted to being involved in its production. However, as scientists, we must not discredit any evidence, as it would be unscientific to assume footage is a hoax without dissecting and analyzing the small details within it. Unless we can prove the evidence to be false, we must not assume that it is. After all, upon further investigation of the Independence Day film and the Patterson-Gimlin film, citizen-scientists have gathered enough information and scientific backup to rule out human involvement in both sets of footage. In order to determine a video or photo’s credibility, it is important to understand the difference between the subjects in the footage, and Homo sapiens (us.) Throughout the dissection of hundreds of credible Bigfoot footprints, scientists and researchers have discovered the difference in anatomy between Homo sapiens and Bigfoot. This differentiation is what can help the average person determine the credibility of footage or photos within seconds. If you understand the difference in anatomy, you will be an evidence expert.
 
Let’s talk Homo Sapien: A human has a longitudinal arch in their foot, which means the entire foot is incorporated into the lever which propels it off of the ground, and weight is pushed to the ball of the foot while walking. The bending happens at the toes, providing traction while moving. This is why we, as Homo Sapiens, only lift our foot slightly between strides.
 
Let’s talk Bigfoot: By analyzing the structure and imprint of credible footprints, scientists discovered that a Bigfoot has mid-foot flexibility, like the subject in both films. The weight of the creature is not concentrated on the ball of the foot like Homo Sapiens, but rather the midfoot. A Mid-tarsal break causes weight to transfer from rear to forefront. This anatomy is typical of great apes, and causes these creature’s legs to lift at a higher angle between strides in order to support their midfoot flexibility while walking. In fact, Bigfoots lift their leg 21 degrees higher than a human with each step. Another aspect of anatomy that differentiates Bigfoot from us is the ratio of the arm to the leg, which are approximately the same size. If a human was wearing arm extensions under an ape costume to create a more primitive appearance, their elbow would
  (CLICK THE READ MORE BUTTON)

​Sasquatch, Canada
The word Sasquatch is derived from the Coast Salish tribe’s language; specifically the word, Sasq’ets, meaning “wild man” or “hairy man.” J.W. Burns established the term “Sasquatch” in the 1930s when he acted as an Indian agent assigned to the Chehalis Band, otherwise known as the Sts’ailes First Nation. The Sts’ailes people claim a close bond with Sas’qets, and believe it has the ability to switch from the physical to the spiritual world.
 
In 1884, an article regarding Sasquatch was published in Victoria’s British Colonist. It is known as the earliest documented evidence of a Sasquatch sighting. The article follows the quest of local village men chasing down and capturing a “half man, half beast” near Yale, British Columbia. When villagers found the creature near a set of railroad tracks, they nicknamed it “Jacko.” After waking the creature from unconsciousness, they chased it all the way to a set of bluffs above the town. The men were said to have corralled “Jacko” onto a rock shelf and rendered him unconscious with the toss of a rock. Two days later, the newspaper ran a letter to J.B. Good, former superintendent of the Lytton Indian Mission. Good wrote that similar stories of “wild men of the woods” had been told by indigenous groups that encountered such creatures while out hunting. During the summer of 2011, a British Columbia man shot a video showing a possible Sasquatch traveling swiftly up a mountain range in the Tantalus Mountains near Squamish.
 
Sasquatch is reported to range between 6-9ft tall and is covered in thick black or brown hair.
 
Bigfoot, United States
The first mention of the name, "Bigfoot" can be traced back to a construction worker named Jerry Crew who presented a plaster cast of a huge footprint he had found in Bluff Creek Valley to a local newspaper office in Northern California. He reported strange activity and huge tracks around the construction site; causing Crew and his buddies to nickname the creature, “Bigfoot.” On October 5, 1958, The Humbolt Times printed his story accompanied by a picture of him holding up the footprint cast, which spanned more than half the length of his upper body. The title of the article read: "New 'Sasquatch' found - it's called Bigfoot." Once published, the name took off and became the coined term for the creature.  
 
Bigfoot is reported to range between 6-9ft tall and is covered in thick black or brown hair. (Click Read More) 

Sasquatch, or Bigfoot, is known to be a large, bipedal creature that roams the forests of North America and Canada. Thousands of sightings and hundreds of credible footprints have been enough evidence to raise public interest. However, there is one piece of evidence that still remains missing: a body. Perhaps the most important question that has surfaced among the Bigfoot community is why we don’t find them sleeping, eating, or socializing. Another question one may ask is why we don’t see them more often. The answer may lie in their living space. In a number of sightings, Bigfoots have been said to dwell in caves. One may argue that caves are not abundant enough to support an entire population of creatures. However, many underground metropolises existed thousands of years ago, supporting civilizations of over 20,000 individuals. Nature-made caves may be the wrong place to look. Perhaps, if Bigfoot is half-man, we should be on the search for something man-made.
 
​
The Cappadocians of Turkey were a civilization from the Byzantine era that constructed a system of underground corridors that stretch 1.5 miles wide and run 371 feet deep within a mountainside. Within these dwellings, the Cappadocians kept livestock, supplies, and roughly 20,000 individuals. Although this civilization is among the largest underground cities, Cappadocia has a record of subterranean communities. In fact, there are over 200 underground civilizations that exist in this region of Turkey. Derinkuyu, is an 18-story underground city that also housed over 20,000 people. Over 1,000 years have passed since these corridors have been occupied, however their discovery can lead to clues about Bigfoot’s wareabouts. In order to determine if Bigfoots have the ability to construct such intricate tunnel systems, we must look to past accounts of their behavior. In order to recognize credible behavior, we must first turn to a credible piece of evidence.
 

Bigfoot DNA evidence is far and few between, and most specimens are inconclusive or only suggestive. However, a story of an ape-woman named Zana seems to support the existence of the creature we’ve all been seeing for thousands of years: Bigfoot. Zana was a mysterious woman discovered in 1850 in the Ochamchir region of Georgia, Russia by local hunters. Zana’s appearance was extremely unusual and uncharacteristic of modern human. Her body was massive at 6’6”, she was covered in hair, and was slightly different in anatomy than the humans of the time. After being captured from the dense forest, she was brought to an isolated mountain village called T'khina, fifty miles from Sukhumi Russia. She became extremely violent, and exercised non-human strength and speed. These characteristics seem to reflect the many eye-witness reports of Bigfoot. Zana would outrun horses and effortlessly climb trees. Zana’s incredible strength, unmatchable speed, and physical appearance is exactly what witnesses report in North American Bigfoot sightings. Although science isn’t entirely sure what Bigfoot is, Zana’s existence may point to the answer, and this answer clues us in to Bigfoot’s behavior.
 

Zana was determined to be a relic hominin. During her time in the village, Zana conceived children from two men in the community. Her youngest son, Khwit’s tooth along with the saliva of several of Zana’s living descendants were submitted to Oxford professor Bryan Sykes for DNA examination. The skull of  (CLICK "READ MORE"  TO CONTINUE) 

Bigfoot is described as a hairy, bipedal ape-like man that roams the dense forests of the United States. They are often characterized by their sheer size, strong odor, large footprints, and striking resemblance to our own kind. How can we know that they exist? What clues has nature given us that many scientists choose to ignore? In this post, we will take a look at the evidence nature has provided us with, that signals a strong correlation between Bigfoot sightings and prime habitat conditions.
 
A rainforest can be described as a luxuriant, dense forest rich in biodiversity, found typically in tropical areas with consistently heavy rainfall. Most often, one may relate the term “rainforest” to South America, Asia and Africa. However the seemingly secret dense, tropic-like areas of the Pacific Northwestern United States are unknown to many. The Olympic Rainforest lies within Washington State, and soaks up an average annual rainfall of 170 inches, making it the wettest place in the U.S. Imagine a creature 3 times the size of a large Chimpanzee. What might they be thriving on in a Pacific Northwestern rainforest? The answer lies in the diet of known rainforest apes. Primates are omnivorous, however while most of their diet consists of fruits, leaves and other plants, most apes will also eat insects, spiders, bird’s eggs and occasionally rodents. Chimpanzees have actually been seen hunting full-grown colobus monkeys. The Olympic National Park is not so different from your average Asian or African rainforest.  However, for a large hominin like Bigfoot, the prey must be larger for an animal of such size to thrive. Species that dwell in these forests include plenty of deer, moose, grizzly bears, river otters, pine martens, and an abundance of edible plants and insects. If Bigfoot is an intelligent hominin, perhaps its species creates tooling to assist in hunting large prey. However, if Bigfoot is classified as a Great Ape, (Click Read More)

Interview with Cliff Barackman:
​
1.Bigfoot has been described as a bipedal ape-like man. Do you believe it could be a surviving hominid, or do you believe it to be an ancestor of Gigantopithecus?

Cliff: "Sasquatches are definitely a surviving hominid, but all apes and humans are hominids, which means they are in the family Hominidae.  The question would be if they are a surviving hominin, which is defined as being in the lineage or an offshoot of human beings.  Hominins include Australopithecus all the way up to present day Homo sapiens sapiens, and all the offshoots thereof.  This is most likely the case for sasquatches as well.  At the same time, it is entirely possible that Gigantopithecines were also an offshoot of the Hominin lines. So little is known about them (though much is speculated), that it is impossible to say at this point."
 
2.What are some common behaviors that you’ve seen/heard in a Bigfoot report?

Cliff: "Most of the time when a Bigfoot is encountered, besides the mere shock of the event, it is rather a dull affair.  The Sasquatch typically either walks/runs away, or it watches the observer and then walks away.  Some atypical reports would include intimidation displays, such as yelling, growling, throwing and breaking objects, stomping, or even bluff charges."
 
3.If Bigfoot is so large, how could it remain so elusive?

Cliff: "They are large, but not significantly larger than a brown/grizzly bear.  Many members of the species, if not most, are smaller, perhaps the size of a large black bear.  These animals also largely stay out of sight.  Sure, there are many reports of seeing bears, but there are probably at least 100 bears for every Bigfoot.  The numbers are in favor of Bigfoots being rarely seen.  When one adds to this that Sasquatches seem to be mostly nocturnal, very smart, hyper aware of their surroundings, and want nothing to do with us, it seems natural that they would rarely be seen."  
 
4.Could you give me your best description of a Bigfoot’s features?

Cliff: "In general, adult Sasquatches range from six to eight feet or so in height, and they probably weigh between 400 and 1,200 pounds.  They are generally human-like in shape, but covered, with hair (except on parts of the face, the palms, and bottom of the feet) with wider shoulders, longer arms, and a lower-placed head that often seems to rest on the shoulders (they do have a neck, of course, but their muscles can often obscure this).  The hair covering is dark, usually brown or black, with a reddish tinge when seen in the right lighting conditions.  They are often described as having an overhanging brow ridge, and a head that slopes away from the forehead in a conical shape.  Their noses are wide and broad, though not ape-like." 
 
5.How many do you think there are?

Cliff: "I guess that there are probably between 8,000 and 10,000 individuals in North America, give or take a few thousand.  This sounds like a lot, but would make them one of the rarest large animals."
 
6.Based on your research of footprints, how does Bigfoot’s anatomy differ from humans or apes?

Cliff: "The footprints indicate that the Sasquatch foot is proportionally wider than a human foot.  It also seems to be flexible in the mid section of the foot, just like the feet of other apes.  In other words, Bigfoots lack the rigid arch that the human foot has.  The ankle is shifted forward on the foot, which is a biomechanical redesign of the human foot in order to accommodate their larger mass."  
 
7.Have you come across many hair samples? What were the results of DNA testing?

Cliff: "I've seen a couple purported hair samples, but the ones I've been directly involved with have not produced testable DNA."
 
8.If one were to come across a Bigfoot, what would your advice be?

Cliff: "Savor the moment.  It might never happen again. Oh, and take a photo if possible."​

The best way to find Bigfoot is to visit a place with a large number of sightings! Take a look below to see if you live in a Squatchy state! Check out BFRO.net for sightings by region of the U.S & Canada. 

Top 10 Squatchiest states according to BFRO.net reported sightings: 

​1.Washington
2.California
3. Florida 
4. Illinois
5. Ohio
6.Oregon
7. Texas
8. Michigan 
9. Georgia
10. Pennsylvania  

​Bigfoot- a 6-10 foot tall bipedal ape-like man, possibly a hominid, dwelling in the rainforests of North America. Many questions arise when discussing the possibility of such a creature, however the biggest skepticism lies in the absence of Bigfoot remains. A body of the creature has never been brought to the attention of science, and undeniably remains the most vital missing piece of evidence we have.
 
However, there may be a clear explanation as to why we haven’t found a body. After all, gorilla remains are few and far between due to the humidity and rainfall that occurs in their habitat.  In Indiana, a body farm serves as a research facility for determining criminal acts. The Blow Fly and its maggots are examined in order to determine the age of the decaying body, and often, the cause of death. Dr.Neil Haskell, one of the world’s leading entomologists recalls a record during the early 80’s indicating a pig of 50 pounds that was reduced to 18 pounds within 96 hours by a species of Blow flies, which inhabit most of the world. By using a mathematical proportion, and basing it off of an estimated 800 pound Bigfoot, this would mean that the entire body of a Bigfoot could decompose in 100 days with just the influence of the Blow fly. This calculation would not include the influence of vultures, who have been known to decompose a human body in just 5 hours. It would also leave out the influence of other insects, bugs, animals, and weather. Bigfoots habitat is the Pacific Northwestern U.S., an area with a large amount of rainfall. In a rainforest, the average time for a leaf to decompose is 6 weeks, as opposed to 7 years in a pine forest.

​ The climate of Bigfoot’s habitat can leave huge clues as to why we haven’t found remains. Another important point to recall, is the possibility of Bigfoot burying their dead, as seen in many hominid groups’ behavior. Bigfoot sightings usually occur deep in the woods, mountains, and rural terrain. If such a creature is roaming the Pacific Northwest, its remains would lie in the deepest parts of the forest. Many animals have an instinct to hide when they are sick, hurt, or dying. If such a creature seeks cover, their remains may lie in a hidden location. The legend of Bigfoot will forever remain a mystery if a body is not discovered. However, because of the creatures’ illusiveness along with the nature of its habitat, scientists may want to consider the other evidence we have of the creature, such as footprints revealing anatomical features, hair samples, and the countless sightings by credible witnesses. Could Bigfoot be intelligent enough to bury their dead? Leave a comment below! 

Bigfoot evidence can be considered credible at times, and a complete hoax at others. But how can one tell the difference? The answer lies in the anatomy of the creature-anatomy that cannot physically be recreated by a human. Through digital analysis of the famous Patterson-Gimlin film, the creature’s size of 7’6.5” was determined. However, one does not need scientific skill to distinguish a Bigfoot from a human hoaxer. In fact, there is a 21 degree difference between Bigfoot’s stride and a human’s, which is often the line that draws the two apart. When a human walks, they lift their foot 52 degrees off of the ground, whereas a Bigfoot lifts theirs 73 degrees. Such an anatomical difference is why the Patterson-Gimlin film has been proven not to be a hoax. In the most credible photography and videography evidence of the creature walking, it represents the same image: a back leg that bends at an extremely abnormal angle, not possible for modern human anatomy to recreate. Such anatomy can be supported in the way the creature steps.
​After close examination of hundreds of credible footprints, scientists have been clued in to why the creature walks the way it does. A human has a longitudinal arch, which means the entire foot is incorporated into the lever which propels it off of the ground, and weight is pushed to the ball of the foot. The bending happens on the toes, providing traction. In a foot with mid-foot flexibility, like the subject in the film, the weight is not concentrated on the ball of the foot, but rather the midfoot. A Mid-tarsal break causes weight to transfer from rear to forefront and is most commonly present in apes. By piecing the evidence together, it can be determined that the way the footprints are formed lies in the way the creatures walks, which can be proven by geometry, to be 21 degrees different than a human.
Many skeptics in the Bigfoot community believe such footprints to be pure hoaxes. However, large, humanlike footprints do not stray far from current scientific discoveries. About 9 miles from the Ol Doinyo Lengai Volcano in Tanzania, Africa, a huge collection of Homo sapien (modern human) footprints were found solidified by a previous lava spill. However, just because the word “modern” is used in our name, one must not draw the conclusion of these prints being recent. The prints date back to up to 12,000 years ago, and imply a lot of jogging that took place by our own kind. Some suggested up to a 12 minute-mile running pace, and others revealed a misshapen big toe. Interestingly enough, protruding big toes are often seen in Bigfoot tracks, and many eye witnesses report seeing the creature running at a shocking speed. As much as many do not wish to admit, this creature is eerily close to us in the sense of anatomy, and even behavior. Our own kind left evidence of running, stepping, and jogging through the natural elements. How could Bigfoot be much different? If this creature is-in-fact, a hominid, it would surely leave tracks just as we once did some 12,000 years ago. The real question becomes: What is the creature leaving these tracks? 
 
What do you think? Leave a comment below & stay tuned for more posts!

​On February 2, 1959, 9 experienced college students on a hiking trip suffered unexplainable deaths in the Northern Ural Mountains of Russia. Their tent was found cut open from the inside, and a trail of large footprints led up to two of the naked hikers. 2 of the 9 bodies were found by the tree line, a mile away from their tent wearing nothing but underwear. 3 more were found between the tent and the tree line. A legal inquest into the deaths of the first 5 bodies found revealed that one had a cracked skull, and the others had minor injuries. However, the final 4 hikers were found two months later, further into the woods than the others, with severe injuries including fatal skull damage and chest fractures. Disturbingly, one woman was found missing her tongue. Doctors revealed that the force needed to create such injuries would have had to be extremely powerful. Odd enough, the bodies did not show many external wounds, and appeared to have been crippled by a large amount of pressure. The bodies were also found with traces of radiation on their clothing and tent, which led many, including the Soviet investigator assigned to the case, to speculate extraterrestrial or military activity. However, there was no evidence of military testing found. Later, scientists theorized that the kerosene lamps used by the hikers may have been the cause of such radiation, as the wicks of the lanterns contain Thorium, known to emit alpha particle radiation. So the question remains…how did these hikers sustain such horrible injuries with no evidence of a homicide or of military activity?
If the radiation did not come from a UFO, then the only evidence left is the internally injured victims and the mysterious large, footprints that trailed from their tent to their bodies. The area that the deaths took place was promptly closed to the public without explanation, and a centuries-old horror legend (from the Natives in the Urals) of a monster called Zolotaya baba meaning, a ‘golden woman’ was examined. Dr. Jeff Meldrum, Professor of Anatomy and Anthropology and Professor of the Department of Anthropology at Idaho State University states the fact that a chimpanzee is 3x stronger than a human. If Bigfoot has DNA resembling such a strong ape, could it be possible that it simply squeezed the hikers to death, causing their unusual internal injuries? Perhaps the young female hiker’s tongue was missing because of Bigfoot’s theorized soft organ diet.
 To this day, scientists are still unaware of what caused the unusual deaths of the 9 hikers. Bigfoot remains a strong possibility, as well as extra-terrestrial beings. Lead investigator Lev Ivanov revealed that he thought there was a connection between local reports of flying spheres at the time of the incident and the group’s death. However, he was ordered by Soviet officials to close the case. In fact, Yuri Yudan, the tenth hiker of the group that left days early due to illness was asked to identify items recovered from the scene. Among them was a cloth item that seemed to have military origin. Was the Soviet government covering up a Bigfoot or Extra-Terrestrial attack? Or perhaps the hikers found the item while on their trek, keeping it as a souvenir. Whatever killed the 9 hikers that freezing night was something powerful. Military testing? Extra-Terrestrials? Bigfoot? Share your theory in the comments below!
 

                                                                       History
A bipedal ape between 6 and 10 feet tall inhabits the dense brush of the Pacific Northwest of the United States. A hominid? A giant ape? Science has yet to fully discover its origin. However, one thing is for sure: Bigfoot evidence is of the abundance. Evidence of the creatures go back to the 1900s. In 1914, a Tsimshen tribe ceremonial mask depicting an ape-like man was collected in Northern British Columbia, where Bigfoot sightings occur daily ( Meldrum 49). Stories of a hairy wild man can be associated with Mongolian tribal documents in the 19th century (Meldrum 37) as well as Linnaeus’s manlike creatures drawn by Hoppius in the 17th century which portray an unknown manlike creature called “Trogodyte” (Meldrum 36). Such ancient recordings of this mysterious creature have existed for hundreds of years and native tribes have been significant in revealing the clues to Bigfoot’s mystery. Moskowitz of the Yocut tribe speaks of a hairy man who comes to the river at night to catch the animals that drink there. He warns, “Do not bring your children to the river at night because Bigfoot may eat them” (Meldrum87). 

                                                     Sightings
Based on evidence, sightings, and native stories, Bigfoot seems to have been assigned a residence in the dense forest of the Pacific Northwest of the United States of America. However, different countries around the world have had sightings very similar to the U.S reports. Below is a list of the U.S. states with the highest sightings of the creature reported to the Bigfoot Field Researching Organization. Researchers believe there is a strong correlation between annual Bigfoot sightings and annual rainfall. 

Top states in the U.S. with sightings                                       
Colorado 121
Florida 308
Georgia 128
Illinois 275
Kentucky 107
Michigan 209
Missouri 131
New York 103
Ohio 266
Oregon 243
Pennsylvania 114
Texas 216
Washington 622