SOME DATA TO BE COLLECTED: BIGFOOT RESEARCH

 A lot of the data online about Bigfoot or Sasquatch remains extremely basic: place, date, and narrative account of brief sightings of the illusive creature.  This dearth of real and intentional data allows the topic to remain at the sidelines. 

In my research for my books on UFOs, I also found that there is a strong emphasis on "Look, up in the sky!" Less emphasis on teaching people to be observant and record specific and crucial elements (where the sighting took place, the direction witness was looking, comparing sizes with known objects in the area, weather conditions, etc.)

That in mind, let me offer the following as a checklist of valuable details to collect, when a person sees something strange.  The items are tied to specific factors that will help determine if the person saw a bear or other normal forest dweller or something truly unique.                                                                         

Things to Observe	Y or N	Notes (add details here)
Shape of skull: Rounded top
Shape of skull: Crested top
Standing upright on two legs
Forehead: Visible
Forehead: Hairy
Forehead: Heavy brow or ridge
Nose: Wide and flat
Nose: Narrow and protruding
Mouth: Wide and thin lipped
Mouth: Wide and thick lipped
Teeth: Large, human-like teeth
Teeth: Prominent fangs
Jaw: Heavy, squared, hairy
Jaw: Narrow, pointed, flesh showing
Shoulders: Wide and hairy
Shoulders: Narrow and muscled
Shoulders: Hunched/Stooped
Arms: Hairy and falling closer to the knee level area
Arms: Hairy and falling to groin area
Chest: Hairy with no flesh showing
Chest: Hairy but with flesh showing
Hands: Human-like (5 fingers +thumb)
Hands: Large, prominent thumbs
Legs: Long and hairy (giving ht.)
Legs: Short and hairy (decreasing ht.)
Feet: Large and hair covered
Feet: Human-sized with flesh
Side view of head: Flat face (human-like)
Side view of head: Protruding nose/snout
Ears: Visible and set on sides of head
Ears: Visible and set toward top of head
Ears: Not visible
Eyes: Deep-set, below brow, and dark in color. Space about width of the nose or mouth.
Eyes: Farther apart (toward sides of nose line) placing them more to the sides of the head. Color dark.

                               

                               

Screams in the Night!: Bigfoot and similar mysteries

 Imagine the total darkness of deep night, the silence of slumber is shattered by the sound of a horrific moaning or screaming. The sound is shrill, high pitched, and sounds like a woman crying out or jabbering in excited terror.

Ghosts, bloodsucking creature of the doomed, monsters, Bigfoot or the ill-defined but prevalent "Skinwalkers" of Native American lore. and beliefs.

Video and audio collections online are filled with captures of bizarre sounds. Many, however, do have a basis in something real, breathing and physical. 

Cougars, bobcats, panthers, and coyotes can all create howls and cries that fill that bill. Coyotes are often depicted with their mournful yipping cry.  Sounds and their purposes vary. A call out to see "is anyone there?" to "want to hook up?" and to other communication purposes. Sometimes, it is a basic statement that the creature is out, and others beware. 

A common feature of all these animals, and the cries of racoons, foxes, and others, is shrillness.  Even the cougar starts out with a low rough growl, but the pitch rises, and the shrillness of the hissing housecat comes through. 

In comparison, however, many of the available audio samples of alleged Bigfoot calls or cries seem to fall within a lower range.  A search for studies of the audio qualities of Bigfoot calls compared to other animals came up empty. They may have been done but were not easily available but here is one...

It is clear some significant research is needed to expand this aspect of studies into this cryptid. Right now a lot of focus is on merely mapping reports and revealing grainy photos of a "something" (real, mistaken identity or hoax). 

For other examples - check out this link Catalog of Recorded Audio - North American Wood Ape Conservancy

BIGFOOT

One of the ongoing mysteries is the concept of the Bigfoot (or similar names) that might exist in remote regions, use waterways to migrate, and plays a mean game of hide-and-seek.

I am intrigued by the way perceptions of this creature have changed and continue to change. Peaceful beast of the forests and hills, ill-tempered monster, and peeping tom with a bad attitude. His descriptions fluctuate as well. If one went by the illustrations and AI images the creature is part werewolf, part lion and part giant monster.

This array of details also paints a picture of an animal ranging from a hairy man to an upright gorilla like creature.   Depictions come seldom from a study of eye witness accounts but more from an active imagination. 

A random survey of eyewitnesses who were willing to share details with me resulted in some characteristics of note.

First, let's look at the skull of a gorilla and see its markers. The gorilla has a "crest" created by the bone formation of the upper skull. It has broad, defined brow ridge, high check bones, a wide nasal cavity and two outer downward protruding "fangs" and two small upward fangs and central broad teeth. All of these features will determine how the muscles, fat and flesh will look once added. 

Now look at a human skull. The more rounded skull cap, the smaller nasal cavity, the smaller check bones and the smaller and more numerous teeth. Again, all of these factors will influence the end result once muscle, fat, flesh are added. 

So, what have been seen most in eyewitness encounters? Most of the people who responded to my questions agreed that the 

• EYES - were more almond shaped, large, and deep set.
• NOSE- bridge was narrow, with wide, squatty type nostrils, and a scooped inward appearance.  
• CHEEK- bones were defined. 
• SKULL- was rounded with less of a crest. The brow line and forehead were covered in hair - not fur. No hair under eyes, around nose but forehead was hairy. MOUTH - There was NO simian look to the mouth (protruding teeth and jaw such as in a chimpanzee). The mouth was wide, with thin lips.

IIn humans there is diversity and adaptation of form - this probably exists in this mammalian cousin (if it exists).  Since environment often influence adaptations, the diversity would be most likely be in hair color for camouflage, nasal size due to altitude or other factors, the teeth and size. Experience has shown that the emptier an environment the larger wildlife can grow, and cramped environments can see a reduction in the size of the members of a population.

A sketch of an eyewitness sighting based on witness descriptions of facial features. Art done in 2023 by MAH from witness 23-15.