There are many on this board who have researched the creature and have accumulated a vast amount of knowledge. If you don't mind I would like to know what you think about the following list of things we know, and things we aren't sure of... What have I left out? What is correct? What is incorrect? What do you agree or disagree with? Thanks


1. They exist in North America and in other parts of the world.

2. They can range in color from white to silver to black and all shades of rust, tan, golden, cream, and brown, or in any combination of colors. Although there tends to be more rust colored sightings in the Southern States, Brown to black in other States and Canada, and white in the far north. Whether or not they change color with the seasons is not known.

3. They are much more agile and can move much faster then human beings. There have been reports of vehicles clocking them running at speeds of up to 50 mph or more over long distances.

4. They have great strength

5. They are shy and elusive and tend to avoid humans whenever possible but do not appear to fear humans.

5. They are very curious, especially of human children, and are often sighted observing them at play or while sleeping.

7. They appear to have a higher intelligence then a common gorilla or ape.

8. They appear to be mostly nocturnal.

9. The number of sightings have increased considerably in the past year or so. This could be due to one or more of the following reasons:
a. Their numbers have recently increased significantly
b. Human beings are encroaching into their territory more frequently
c. They are moving into more populated areas in search of food
d. There are more vehicles traveling on the roadways in their territory, especially at night.

10. They appear to be omnivorous and have been observed feeding on fish, fruits, and other vegetation. They have also been known to feed on chickens, goats, deer, pigs, and other animals both wild and domestic.

11. They are excellent swimmers.

12. The adult males range height from about 5' or 6' in the southern States up to more then 10' in Canada. The average height being around 8' tall with the adult females being somewhat smaller.

13. There appears to be more then one species.

14. Most sightings are of a single adult male This could be because the adult bachelor males are solitary (as in Lions or Bears), or that the adult male is the one responsible for finding food while the females and offspring remain secluded.

15. The females continue to care for their offspring well past infancy.

16. They are usually not aggressive toward humans.

17. They are most frequently sighted near a natural water source such as a lake or river.

18. Their facial features appear to be more human then ape like.

19. Their hair turns grayer as they get older, especially around the face.

20. They have hair (not fur) ranging in length from an inch or so up to several inches long covering their bodies, with the exception of their faces, the bottoms of their feet, and their hands. The hair usually is thinner and lighter colored on their chest and longer on the head, shoulders, and on backs of their upper arms.

21. They prefer heavily wooded areas or areas with dense brush or vegetation.

22. They communicate with each other over great distances.

With the usual "Until I see one myself" disclaimer....I'll go with that.



Agreed.



First part yes, second part no, especially when it comes to long distances.



Yup.



To an extent yes. Given the data I've studied, I think there are cocasions when they will deliberately approach, or at the very least observe humans from a safe distance.



See 5.



Given the circumstantial evidence I would tend to agree.



I think they're more brazen under the cover of darkness, but not neccesarily nocturnal. Perhaps just more active. Remember there are a lot of daytime sightings too.



I can't agree simply because the data isn't nearly complete enough to make such an ascertion.



I prefer the word "opportunistic".



I really don't know about "excellent". They certainly don't sink like a rock though.



I've heard too many reports of big ones in the lower states to accept that size range. Plus, there's no definitive evidence to suggest sexual dymorphism.



Maybe, maybe not. I think its just as likely that differences are a result of limited gene pools, resulting in a higher than normal rate of birth defects such as polydactlysm (sic?).



I can't agree with that, although on the surface it might seem to be true. Just because you see one doesn't mean there aren't more seeing you.



I'm guessing you're basing this speculation on witness sightings of smaller and larger bf together? It could be possible, but it would be wild speculation to state it definitavely.



Based on the percentages in reported sightings, this could be true. However, we may just not be hearing back from the witnesses that experienced aggresion.



Water is definately a good place to start looking.



I think that's an opinion thing.



Same as childcare. Too much speculation.



Gotta agree with that one.



They definately like the deep woods, but I also think they like areas bordering rural homes/farms.



I concur.


So, do I get the square?

I'd add that with more and more people accessing the internet, and more and more bigfoot organizations and web sites popping up, more sightings are being reported. Many of those are sightings that happened years ago.

Nice job laying out a lot of generally accepted info. I'm not sure if I could add anything at this time.

I would go with something more like:

-attributes (size, color, disposition) vary considerably, in similar fashion to humans.

Well, from most of the reports I've seen, I believe they also have very big feet. I had to put that in there. Sorry! It seems they also walk with a stooped posture and have very wide shoulders compared to a man. They also like creek beds and roads for that is where alot of tracks have shown up over the years. It also seems that they like to have their picture taken about onece every fourty years or so (Patterson/Gimlin film). It also seems they have a peaked head, some smell very very very bad according to some eyewitness'. When they come into human contact, they escape into the nearby brush, forest ect. very quickly. That may be why very very few pictures have been taken Of Mr. Big over the years. They appear to have no neck to really speak for the head appears to sit on top of the shoulders moreless. They appear to walk with a bent knee kind of a posture.
Thats my two cents worth.
BluffCreek35

Hey califb! The last couple of posts on this topic dissagree with the idea of there being more than one species as you suggested. After thinking about it, I'm going to jump on board with you and say there probably is more than one species. How would anyone explain all the three toed tracks that have showed up over the years. On the BFRO database, there was a report of a three toed track that was discovered at fish lake which is only a stone throws distance from the Patterson film sit a number of years back. So the evidence of there being more than one species does seem to exist in my opinion.
BluffCreek35

I was painting my kitchen late last night (I have my 18 month old Granddaughter during the day) and got to thinking about what is known about the creature, what is likely to be true, and what isn't known, and I wanted to get some "expert" opinions on the subject. Regarding the possibility of different species I was kind of thinking along the lines of the differences between the Sasquatch, the Florida Skunk Ape, the Yowie, and the Yeti. I never thought about the differences in the number of toes.. but that does make sense. I'm not a biologist but maybe they would be considered a sub-species? The reason I said that they seem to be excellent swimmers is due to the several reports of them swimming, like this one: BFRO REPORT

Its called polydactilism.

I was just nitpicking at the use of the word "excellent". Maybe capable would have been a better choice.

- JayleeD

This is a double edge sword for there is a greater chance that some are a "hoax" that someone is looking for attention and some 15 minutes of fame.

However, I have noticed since I "quietly" told some people that I have started back into investigating this again that some people have approached me about a incident they have had in the past.

Some good info califb

Monk, while i would agree with the poly-weirdfoot, how would other "odd" tracks be explained ? The Latrobe track, the Waynesboro track, other "nape" tracks ...

not sure if i agree with these here but the rest sounded good

3. im sure they are a little faster then humans when running in open area because they are larger, but i dont think they could even reach 20 mph in wooded areas

10. not totally sure on this one, although they appear to be apes they seem to eat a lot of meat. but i also think they will take fruit

11. i really dont think they can swim to good, if they are apes they might not be able to swim at all

13. also not sure on this one, its hard enough getting people to accept them at all

18. i think they are more ape like because i really dont think they are human at all

19. nobody really knows because we have not watched one age through its whole life

20. maybe but most animals have fur and not hair, until one is taken in and looked at close we will not know anytime soon

Oh you said the secret word.

Napes have been an interest of mine for quite some time now. The "North American Apes", by their description and supposed tracks, would not appear to be a bigfoot subspecies, but an entirely unique species in and of itself. Rather than simply showing a different number of toes, Nape tracks are unique unto themselves in shape and physiology from the "standard" bf track, showing a seperate "big toe" very similar to orangutans and chimps. Many nape sightings specifically refer to the animals as gorillas, chimps, or orangs. Its also important to note that Nape sightings weren't recorded until well after Colonial times, and in an age where importation of exotic species from around the world was already becoming somewhat common. IMHO Napes represent examples of known exotic species that have either escaped or been released into the wild.

I would have to disagree, NAPE tracks are soooo varied and soooo different from known apes.

Heres a pic of the Latrobe track, to show what i'm talkin about.

Latrobe Penn, Sept 1973

Oops, forgot it was that danged big .... sorry.

Come again?

Chimp

Of course they're varied, we could be talking about numerous known species released into the wild. As far as being different, the pic I posted has the exact same number of toes, with the exact same placement on the foot, as the cast you posted (in grandious size no less ).

Female Gorilla

well really the chimp and gorilla have longer toes and the cast has come kind of out facing ridge on the right side

The toes on the cast are longer than they appear. If you look close, you can see the seperation running well inside the outside frame of the casting material.

yeah your right, i think it could be an orangutan but not a chimp

then again it could be something new

Orangs, chimps and gorillas all have four toes and a "thumb".

but the cast is longer like an orang track, i think this might be a new ape but it could also be an orangutan

The Latrobe track doesnt match the morphology of any known ape.

Good morning everyone!

I whooped out the websters dictionary and I looked up the word polydactylism. The definition of polydactylism is and I quote:

Polydactylism: The condition of being polydactyl.

I said, alwright. So I looked up the word polydactyl. The definition of polydactyl is and I quote from Websters dictionary:

Plolydactyl: Having more than the normal number of toes.

It says it means having more the usual number of toes, not less. So I still stand with my opinion that the high number of three toed tracks found through the years probably represents a sub-species or different species of the Sasquatch all together. Unless what your saying Bitter Monk is the five toed tracks are acually the ones that are polydactyl.

BluffCreek35

Polydactilism is only one of a number of genetic defects that can effect the feet, creating more toes, fewer toes, misshaped toes, etc. These genetic defects are congenital, and like any congenital deformity, are more prevelant in species with limited breeding pairs.

WOW! One of the more intresting threads.

Belle

...and educational too! A couple of things that came to mind when reading the posts about the three toed tracks.. If it is caused by a genetic flaw I wonder if the three toed creatures could all be descended from a common ancestor that carried the mutated gene instead of from a separate species? Are the three toed tracks found Nation wide or in the same general area of the country?

It wouldn't have to be a common ancestor. Any animal carrying the gene could potentialy pass it off to an offspring. If its a recessive gene, both parents would have to have it in order to pass it on. The fewer breeding pairs, the higher the probability of the gene being passed on.