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Overview and Evidence[]
The Sasquatch, also known as Bigfoot, is arguably the most well known of all cryptozoological subjects. Reported to dwell in the dense coniferous and deciduous forests of southern Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the United States, this large bipedal creature has made an undeniable mark on pop culture since the Sasquatch sighting boom of the 1970s. Even before this period, numerous Native American tribes have reported similar "wild men" for hundreds of years.
The creature is usually described as an enormous ape-like animal of varying heights and weights, usually upwards of eight feet and 500 pounds, respectively. Typical facial features include a flattened nose like those of gorillas, conical scalps, and low brow ridges. Their coats of hair, which cover their entire bodies aside from their palms and soles, vary in color, though brown is the most commonly reported color. In terms of behavior, they are often described by eyewitnesses as timid and wary of humans, although reports of aggressive individuals are not unheard of. Many reports taking place at night mention the creatures possessing glowing or reflective eyes, an anatomical feature not present in any other great ape.[1]
Evidence commonly presented for the existence of the beast consists mainly of eyewitness testimony, photographic and video evidence, the occasionally bit of fur, and most famously, plaster casts of the enormous footprints the beast is said to leave in its wake. The name "Bigfoot" comes from the size of these alleged footprints, which often stretch two feet in length and nearly ten inches across. Alleged photographs and video are fairly common, although they are rather infamous for often featuring shaky camera movement and poor picture quality.
Like with most cryptids, the scientific community currently doesn't recognized sasquatches as a legitimate species, with most critics dismissing sightings as hoaxes or cases of mistaken identity. Commonly suggested suspects for mistaken identity cases include the grizzly bear, the American black bear, or the moose. Many sightings, meanwhile, are likely hoaxes perpetrated by pranksters utilizing Halloween store-grade gorilla costumes or stilts equipped with large fake feet for creating footprints. Nearly every alleged fur or scat sample, when subjected to DNA tests, has turned out to be from a domestic dog, a deer, or a bear.
Alleged Sightings[]
Third-Person Accounts[]
In 1924, a Canadian lumberjack named Albert Ostman was on vacation, camping in the forests of Toba Inlet on the coast of British Columbia. Every morning for three consecutive days, Ostman would awaken to find his campsite in disarray, having seemingly been ransacked in the night while he slept. The night after the third incident, he pretended to fall asleep and stayed silent so he could catch the vandal, be it human or animal, in the act. However, he eventually dozed off.
He awoke sometime later, jostled awake by the sensation that he was being carried. He had allegedly been scooped up in his sleeping bag. When his abductor put him down on the ground, Ostman exited the sleeping bag to find himself face to face with four large humanoids covered in hair: a mother, a father, and two offspring.
According to his testimony, Ostman remained their prisoner for nearly a week, rationing what little food he had and constantly watching for an opening in which to escape. This opening eventually came, fortunately, when the presumed patriarch of the family ingested some of Ostman's tobacco and became very ill. In the ensuing panic, Ostman fled for his life.[2]
On the afternoon of October 20, 1967, two men named Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin were horseback-riding alongside Bluff Creek in the northwest region of California when they spotted a large bipedal creature crouching by the bank on the opposite side of the river. The creature, described by both men as a 6-7 hairy ape-like animal with pendulous breasts, began to walk away from them downstream. Patterson calmed his spooked horse and grabbed his camera from the saddlebag and shot a 59.5 second film of the creature striding away from them.
The video, dubbed the "Patterson-Gimlin film" or simply the "Patterson film", quickly became the most famous and iconic piece of alleged sasquatch footage in history. Over the decades, experts have debated endlessly over the film's authenticity. Proponents claim that the sasquatch doesn't appear to have any obvious zippers or seams to indicate a costume of any kind and state that the stride possessed by the creature would be incredibly difficult for a human to pull off. Critics, including many renowned special effects artists such as Chris Walas and Rick Baker, have described the creature as resembling a poorly constructed gorilla suit. Some individuals have come forth claiming to have helped the two men perpetrate the hoax[3], but both Patterson and Gimlin have denied any involvement in a hoax, the former taking it to his grave.Popular Culture[]
Advertising[]
- The Jack Link's beef jerky company has produced an series of commercials called "Messin' with Sasquatch" wherein various characters play pranks on the titular hominid, usually drawing his ire.
Film[]
- The comedy film Harry and the Hendersons involves a suburban family who accidentally hits a sasquatch with their car and takes him home. The film then spun off into a television series of the same name.
- The creature appears in Sony Pictures Animation's Hotel Transylvania franchise. This depiction is much larger than most, standing at least 30 feet in height.
- The 2019 stop-motion film Missing Link focuses on a sasquatch named Susan/Mr. Link who enlists the help of a cryptozoologist to take him to his Himalayan relatives, the yetis.
Television[]
- An episode of the Cartoon Network animated series Courage the Cowardly Dog involves the titular Courage befriending a young sasquatch named Theodore and protecting him from an angry mob of monster hunters led by Eustace.
Video Games[]
- For many years, there was a popular urban legend regarding the 2004 Rockstar game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas that sasquatches could be found in the Mount Chiliad region of the game. While the rumors proved untrue, they were ultimately fulfilled in the game's later sequel, Grand Theft Auto V, which allows players to find and eventually play as sasquatch.
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