The Cryptid Catalogs I

Bigfoot, a Thorn in Cryptozoologist's sides

One of the most well known names in cryptozoology, Bigfoot is something that most people are familiar with to some degree. This familiarity can reach a point where it can overshadow other cryptids, causing sightings to be falsely filed as a Bigfoot encounter.
But what is Bigfoot? Put simply, Bigfoot (as well as his many aliases) is a tall and furry humanoid, often seen in woods, marshy areas, and other places where nature runs rampant. His colors range from black all the way up to a brown-orange hue fitting of cinnamon, and even gray-streaked on occasion.

He has an impressive tally of aliases: Sasquatch, Yeti, Yowie, Bushman, and even the Virginia-specific Woodbooger, to name a few. Unfortunately, this variety of names, in addition to how well-known he is, can cause other cryptids to be misidentified as him, which is quite the source of anguish within the cryptozoologist community.

Right to the East of Mount St. Helens is a gorge that has been dubbed Ape Canyon, where one of the most well-known Bigfoot sightings occurred. In the summer of 1924, a group of gold prospectors emerged from the wooded area with quite the tale in tow: The men had been traversing the forest when they encountered a group of seven-foot-tall ape-like creatures. One of the men shot at one of the creatures three times, and watched it fall off the cliff. They returned to the cabin at which they had been staying, and claim to have later been attacked by the ape creatures, who threw boulders at them and their cabin. Their proof came in the form of 14-inch-long footprints, and one decimated cabin.

The origin of the name Bigfoot is certainly no mystery, as it was named for the sizable footprints it left in its wake. The beast was named in the 50s by a collective of people writing articles around the time of its original popularization, and the name they bestowed upon it was certainly no misnomer. Now, Bigfoot isn’t the only moniker given to large ape-like creatures; there are several regional variations with differences ranging from strictly the name, to colors, to ‘moral alignment’ (for lack of a better term), to climate. The most well known of those are most likely the Yeti and Sasquatch, the former being the wintry version and the latter being virtually the same as Bigfoot.

Bigfoot can be seen in every state in the US, but sightings are more concentrated in Washington, California, Ohio, Florida, and the Texas-Oklahoma border. Ranging from 6-10 feet in height (and sometimes taller), it’s hard to miss one traipsing through a campsite or backyard, but the earthy colorations make him a bit harder to spot in a heavily-wooded area.

One of the most well-known and widely-recognizable images captured of Bigfoot is from the Patterson-Gimlin film, captured in Northern California in 1967. The authenticity of this film has been tested time and time again from both sides of the argument - real or fake - with naught in terms of conclusive results either way. Filmed by Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin, the two men had almost inverse thoughts on the footage. Patterson held to the end that it was real, while Gimlin denied all involvement and avoided talking about it at all. Reportedly, Gimlin even suspected that Patterson had fabricated it and had used Gimlin as a witness to prove its authenticity. Nearly thirty-seven years later, a man by the name of Bob Heironimus claimed to be the one in the film, having donned a lifelike suit to resemble the monster of (now) legend. The jury is still out on whether or not the film is authentic, as far as I can tell.

In addition to videos and photographs, organic material has been found that was claimed to originate from Bigfoot. Fur, skin bits, toenails, and things of a similar nature. A man by the name of Peter Byrne found one such thing, strands of unidentified hair connected to a small patch of skin. He later sent it to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, requesting that they test the sample for its origins. After years of inactivity on the sample, results were finally returned. The fur sample came from a species of deer, but Byrne still continues to search.

Bigfoot’s effect on popular media has not gone unnoticed. Many shows are dedicated to the finding of this elusive cryptid, with titles such as Expedition Bigfoot, and Finding Bigfoot. Some of these, like anything paranormal, are highly suspected to be hoaxes and scripted. However, some shows, Small Town Mysteries, for example, have gained glowing reviews for their extremely organic layout that doesn’t seem hoax-like. In addition to television shows,Bigfoot has featured in many other things, ranging from Red Robin advertisements to a secret easter egg in the video game The Sims four.

I hope you enjoyed the first entry in a (hopefully) long-continuing series of articles on cryptids and cryptozoology.

+ Open Cryptid Catalogs II, Nessie

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Wanderers' Sandbox 2

A Collection of Home-Brewed Proverbs, Sayings, and Words to Ponder Over Your Morning Tea

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Day 1; The Wilds

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The Cryptid Catalogs I

Bigfoot, a Thorn in Cryptozoologist's sides

The Cryptid Catalogs II

Nessie, the Lake Serpent Club's Most Well Known Member

Fake Plants for a Story I'll Add Here Later

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Intellegeranium (work on name)

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