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Overview and Evidence[]
The Yeti, also known as Meh-Teh, is a large ape-like creature that is often compared to the sasquatch of the American Pacific Northwest. This is an apt comparison, as the creatures share many similarities, not the least of which is their impact on popular culture. Like the sasquatch, the yeti is often considered a member of the Cryptozoological Big 5, a group of well-known entities that also includes the Loch Ness monster, the chupacabra, and the mothman.
The creature's physical description is very similar to that of the sasquatch, although there are certainly differences. A tall bipedal creature with a muscular build, the yeti is said to be covered in a coat of thick hair that varies in color. While yetis are commonly depicted as white in popular culture to fit with their snowy environment, most reports actually describe them as having dark brown fur. Like sasquatch, the yeti is reported to have a conical scalp, one of which allegedly rests in a monastery. Unlike the sasquatch, however, yetis are commonly described as alternating between standing upright and walking on all fours, similar to many known great apes like chimpanzees and gorillas.
Due to the Himalayas' remote location, photographic and video evidence is much harder to come by with most yeti reports consisting solely of witness testimony. Alleged photographs and casts of yeti footprints are much more common, but the most interesting piece of alleged evidence is the aforementioned scalp of a yeti. The alleged scalp was contained for many years in a monastery in the Nepalese village of Khumjung. In 1960, New Zealand explorer Sir Edmund Hillary brought the scalp to London for analysis. The hair on the scalp was later determined to be from a ungulate species, likely the Himalayan serow.
While alleged footprints of the sasquatch are often considered dubious by skeptics, those of the yeti are held in even lower regard due to the higher number of variables involved. Skeptics often contend that the prints are more likely those of another animal, such as a snow leopard or bear, that have been distorted by the melting and refreezing of snow, a common problem for animal trackers during the winter season.[1] In fact, a bear of some sort, particularly the Himalayan brown bear, Tibetan blue bear, or Asiatic black bear, is the leading suspect for potential cases of mistaken identity. These bears are very large and are known to occasionally walk on their hind legs in certain situations, explaining the reports of yetis alternating between walking upright and walking on all fours.
Alleged Sightings[]
Third-Person Accounts[]
In 1974, a 19-year-old Sherpa girl named Lakhpa Dolma was tending to her cattle as they grazed in a small field. Without warning, she allegedly found herself launched several feet away by a powerful force. As she landed on the ground, she could only helplessly watch as the tall ape-like creature began to brutally kill her yaks by smashing their heads in. Unable to stop the creature, she fell unconscious due to her injuries. When she awoke, the creature was gone and she fled to alert the authorities.[2]
Popular Culture[]
Film[]
- A yeti named Everest is the focus character of the 2019 DreamWorks animated film Abominable.
- The 2019 stop-motion film Missing Link features a secret society of yetis inhabiting Shangri La.
- The 2003 Pixar film Monsters, Inc. features the abominable snowman, voiced by John Ratzenberger. He had apparently been banished from the monster world for unspecified reasons, although the film's prequel Monsters University implies it was due to tampering with company mail. He reappears as a recurring character in the film's Disney+ spin-off series, Monsters at Work.
- A carnivorous yeti appears in the Rankin-Bass stop-motion film Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Dubbed "Bumble" by Yukon Cornelius, the creature is eventually redeemed and befriends the protagonists and later reappears in its sequel Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys.
- The 2018 Warner Bros. animated film Smallfoot focuses on a group of yetis who are ostracized from their society for their belief in the mythical 'smallfoot' (i.e. mankind).
Television[]
- A yeti named Skips, voiced by Mark Hamill, is a prominent character on the Cartoon Network animated series Regular Show.
- The yeti, named Abom, appears in an episode of the Cartoon Network animated series The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. He is depicted as having cheated death for thousands of years by hiding from Grim in the Himalayas.
Video Games[]
- A Grass/Ice-type Pokémon named Abomasnow was introduced in the fourth generation games Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl, based on the abominable snowman combined with a fir tree.
- A similarly themed Pokémon, the Fighting/Ice-type Crabominable, is later introduced in the seventh generation games Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon. It is a literal interpretation of the yeti crab, a deep sea crustacean that lives near thermal vents, combined with an actual yeti.
- One of the Water element Skylanders in the Skylanders action game franchise is a four-armed yeti named Wham Bam.
- An intelligent yeti named Bentley appears as a playable character in the 3D platform game Spyro: Year of the Dragon. The game also features another unnamed, antagonistic yeti, which also appeared in the game's prequel, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage/Spyro 2: Gateway to Glimmer. Bentley's younger brother reappears in Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly and Bentley himself makes another appearance in Spyro: A Hero's Tail, although his personality is very different.
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