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
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 ​The oldest documentation of Bigfoot was thought to have occurred in 986 AD by Leaf Erikson and his men. During their first landing in America, they wrote of a monster that was ugly, hairy and with great black eyes. Stories of Bigfoot were abundant during the 1800’s by White pioneers heading west. In 1840, E. Walker, a missionary to the Spokane Indians, wrote a fascinating letter after his journey to the America’s. He described a race of giants that lived in the mountains. He reported that they hunt, do all their work at night, and have a strong smell that is most intolerable. Even President Teddy Roosevelt, an avid hunter, reported seeing such a creature in the woods that walked on two feet and uttered “sinister sounds”. In 1884, in the town of Yale, British Columbia, a strange creature was captured that some believed was a young Bigfoot. It stood about 4’7” in height, and slightly resembled a gorilla in appearance. Mysteriously, the creature disappeared while being transported by train. Despite such early stories, Bigfoot’s worldwide recognition and name did not appear until 1958. That summer, a road crew working in Northwestern California, discovered huge, human-like tracks and 300lb fuel drums tossed around several feet from where they were placed. One of the workers casted tracks of the creature, and made the newspaper. The workers nick-named the creature, “Bigfoot”.
 
Bigfoot’s new worldwide popularity after the worker’s discovery attracted many researchers and inspired many expeditions, including the famous Patterson-Gimlin sighting. However, sightings of the creature actually date back hundreds of years, and have reported by Native tribes all across the world. The Pacific Northwest has been home to Native Americans for thousands of years, even before the European settlers arrived. A large, hairy beast known to many natives as, “Hairy Man” is described as being covered in coarse, dark hair, is massive in size, is similar in proportion to humans, and has immense strength. They have often been seen throwing large, heavy rocks at anyone posing a threat. Many native tribe members tell stories handed down through many generations. David Severns, a member of the Yurok tribe, describes a time when animals and humans lived in harmony, until humans began feeling superior and became destructive. David’s elders refer to the Hairy Man as the “ancient people”, and describe them as ancestors rather than inferior animals. Native Americans from the Yurok tribe tell of somewhat peaceful beings that inhabit the forest. Tribe members are told not to stare the creature in the eyes, as it will kill if truly threatened. This advice carries through many tribes, and the description of Bigfoot remains the same: a bipedal, hairy, ape-like creature.
 
While tribal stories of Bigfoot carry from generation to generation, archeological proof has possibly validated them. Kathy Moskowitz Strain, an archeologist and anthropologist who works closely with artifacts from different tribes, has examined such artifacts. One of the earliest record of Bigfoot comes from the Tuley River tribe, who drew the Hairy Man in a family-like group. A father, a mother, and a child are seen clear as day in their most striking 500-year-old pictograph located near the Tuley River in California. These pictographs also include drawings of known animals next to the hairy man, indicating that perhaps such a creature was not made up, but something they actually saw. The images are life-sized and range from 4 feet to 8 feet tall. Stick man, Basket woman, and Sasquatch are just some of the many names assigned to the creature by different tribes- whose distances are so great, that information about such a creature could not have possibly been exchanged. The Zelus Indian tribe in Northern California call the creature, Sasquatch, meaning “wild man of the woods”. The Hoopa Valley Indians call it, “Oma”, meaning, “boss of the woods”. Jimmy Jackson, a Hoopa elder, speaks of a creature that protects the mountains, similar to the Sasquatch of the Zelus tribe. A common physical description and behavior is reported by many tribes, but, how could these reports be so similar with no contact to each other? Similarly, the Columbia River in Oregon has offered artifacts that have baffled scientists. Native American carvings were uncovered near the river’s edge, representing an ape-like face. These Oregon Natives had to have had an understanding of the way an Ape’s face appears, which remains a mystery in modern science, as there are no apes existing in Oregon...or so we think. Dr. Roderick Sprague reflects on the mystery: “Why would people be interested in making a carving of something they’ve never seen?” He continues to explain that many beliefs and artwork from natives is inspired by things they actually saw.  How is it that this creature shares the same ape-like characteristics throughout every tribe, without having any known apes discovered in these regions?