The Legend of Bigfoot

Leaving His Mark on the World

T. S. Mart, Mel Cabre

• Publisher: Red Lightning Books
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781684351398
• eBook ISBN: 9781684350605
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Folklore & Mythology
• Index: Social Sciences

An accessible, entertaining guide that brings the infamous cryptid to life with legends, culture, and history from across the globe. Bigfoot. Sasquatch. Skunk Ape. He's everywhere. The most well-known cryptid in American history, Bigfoot is as feared as he is loved. The subject of thousands of stories, this creature has been pegged as a monster terrorizing the woods, a supernatural entity stealthily living among us with an otherworldly agenda, or simply an animal trying to live a life of seclusion. With various theories and beliefs abounding, research and discussion have become a hobby for many, and even an occupation for some. In The Legend of Bigfoot: Leaving His Mark on the World, T. S. Mart and Mel Cabre reveal the myths, personal stories, and pop culture surrounding the legendary icon. Featuring more than 80 images recreating the Bigfoot's appearance from firsthand accounts and folktales, The Legend of Bigfoot showcases the many faces of the creature. Included are the Boston Bahumagosh, which is said to weigh up to 400 pounds, stand up to 10 feet tall, and terrorize the Boston area; the Honey Island Swamp Monster?also known as the Louisiana Wookie?who roams the Louisiana swamps with yellow or red eyes; and the Wendigo, placed between 7 and 15 feet tall with long, yellow fangs and yellow-tinted skin. Half phantom, half beast, the Wendigo lives in the forest and dates back to the earliest Native American legends. "This book will keep the mystery and fun of Bigfoot alive and leave readers wondering, "Maybe?" —Laura Krantz, host of the Wild Thing podcast

1

WHAT IS BIGFOOT?

Bigfoot has captured America’s attention, seeping into the cultural veins of our society. Over the years, the creature has morphed into a phenomenon because he is many things at once: a vulnerable animal, a supernatural wonder, a paranormal entity, a monster, a toy, a superhero, an intriguing creation.

He is a cultural icon.

But what is he really?

Is Bigfoot an animal, having originated in the same way as other animals, driven by an instinctual need for survival? A warm-blooded creature who perhaps migrated across the Bering Strait and then across North America? Or is Bigfoot a supernatural force, created with abilities far superior to humans’? Perhaps he exists as a paranormal entity, sent from another place by means that humans haven’t fully come to understand.

Maybe the beast is a figment in our minds, a monster born out of a fear living deep within our psyches—a product of our imaginations we hold onto for various reasons.

As we explore each possibility with an open mind and a sense of wonder, our goal is not to prove or disprove Bigfoot’s existence or to discredit one belief or another. Instead, we aim to enjoy the experience as we examine evidence and apply critical thinking, allowing every reader to ask questions and draw conclusions. Everything that is not a fact is an interpretation grounded in biased opinion. And that’s okay, too, as long as we understand our biases and the purpose they serve.

We’ll be referring to Bigfoot as “he” throughout the text. Except where obvious, the pronoun is not meant to imply certain characteristics or traits exclusive to that gender. Frankly, no one knows the distinctions between a male and female Bigfoot.

BIGFOOT AS AN ANIMAL

There is a certain amount of documentation—yet no definitive proof—suggesting Bigfoot is a bipedal primate that lives in the remote areas across North America and other parts of the world. Some call this the undiscovered ape theory.

But people also confuse him with bears and other wildlife. Most of the observational evidence belongs to footprints and other cast body parts. Hair and scat samples that have been tested point to a creature that has not been scientifically identified. Do these belong to a Bigfoot? No one knows, but we can speculate.

While referring to Bigfoot as an animal, we’ll keep in mind the major differences between humans and other animals.

Humans are capable of complex reasoning with a limitless variety of thoughts and words used in language. We can solve difficult problems using abstract thought, and we have the ability to self-reflect and analyze data that helps in decision-making.

If Bigfoot is an animal, we can assume he has some characteristics and behavioral patterns possessed by all other animals.

Animals Serve a Purpose within the Ecosystem

Animals depend on an ecosystem to survive. Since we find reports of Bigfoot all over the world, like humans, he would possess the ability to adapt within different biomes or habitats. The most prominent would be the boreal forests and mountains of the Pacific Northwest and the temperate forest and grasslands of the Northeast, the Midwest, Southern Appalachia, and the Deep South, since these are the locations one might most likely see a Bigfoot in North America.

With no available data defining Bigfoot’s behavioral patterns within a habitat, we can only speculate at his role in the ecological community based on scattered evidence. If scat (feces) found by researchers belongs to a Bigfoot and not some other animal or human, then evidence suggests he eats plants and berries. Other detailed encounters show that Bigfoot eats fish and livestock (see the Ruby Creek incident in chapter 4). Based on these and other findings, we can assume that like a grizzly bear or cougar, Bigfoot is an apex predator who helps control the population of deer, elk, and other small mammals while also helping to propagate nature by dropping seeds in his scat and embedding them in the ground with his large feet.

Animals Act on Instinct

Animal instinct is a fixed, unlearned pattern of behavior that occurs in response to a stimulus or motivational need. If Bigfoot is an animal possessing instinct, then his fight-or-flight intuition might account for his adeptness at hiding and running from potential danger.

Instinct also drives communication. Animals use four methods to communicate: visual, auditory, chemical, and physical contact.¹

Visual pertains to an animal’s physical appearance. The dilation of a cat’s eyes, the quirky dance of flamingos, and the grand display of antlers on a moose all send messages to those nearby. While no one has seen a Bigfoot dance, he offers a larger-than-life appearance to those who have seen him.

Some researchers feel the stick structures and ground glyphs found within the regions of Bigfoot sightings represent a form of communication. These structures are an arrangement of trees and sticks that nature could not have produced. Common structures include broken trees, twist ed until they expose wood fibers on the inside; asterisks made up of multiple sticks of equal size or length arranged in a pattern; arches and loops of all sizes; and walking sticks where several sticks are strategically placed or propped against a tree. The scientists also believe ground glyphs—sticks made into symbols—could be intended to impress a mate or offer clues to their location, a territorial marker.

Cougar and Bigfoot, apex predators of the Pacific Northwest.

Sounds associated with Bigfoot include whistles, grunts, howls, screams, whoops, and terrifying noises that aren’t typical of known wildlife. Researchers believe these noises might represent communication between the creatures. Others have heard stick breaks, thumps, vibrations, and knocks, which they theorize is a Bigfoot banging a stick against a tree or another object. They have also recorded softer cooing sounds, perhaps an affectionate exchange that provides social bonding.

“X” structure. Photograph taken by Rick Reles, North Carolina BFRO investigator. Used with permission.

Many individuals who experience firsthand encounters with Bigfoot speak of a rank odor. Could this be a chemical communication in which Bigfoot releases pheromones to mark his territory, exert dominance, or offer a warning?

The last method of animal communication occurs through physical contact. Social grooming is an important way to bond among many animal species, primates in particular. Hitting, slapping, and kicking are also effective ways to send a message, but no one has gotten close enough to observe the social dynamics of Bigfoot. However, people in the vicinity of Bigfoot report having had rocks lobbed or thrown in their direction. As these come from an unknown source, researchers believe this might be the animal’s attempt at saying hello, offering a warning, or expressing their curiosity.

Animals Adapt to Their Environments

Let’s take bears as an example. There are several varieties, most able to interbreed. Because of location, environmental influence, and adaptation through natural selection, bears vary by region. Perhaps it’s the same with Bigfoot. Cast footprints show three-, four-, and five-toed footprints. People report seeing different colors and lengths of fur. If Bigfoot is an animal, then he possesses the ability to adapt within different environments.

Animals Form Hunting Patterns Based on Diet

All animals eat to live. While design, technique, and diet vary, carnivores typically hunt meat. These animals are classified by either how much meat they eat or what type of meat they prey on. Their bodies are not as well equipped to digest plant matter and require the nutrition found in large animals like deer and elk and smaller insects, like grubs and ants.

Possessing keen eyesight and smell, carnivores hunt by ambushing or trapping prey. Typically strong and fast, they are designed with claws, strong jaws, and long, sharp teeth that help them grab and rip apart their prey.

Herbivores are animals that eat plants. They spend much of their life grazing or browsing for food. Designed with wide molars and strong jaws, these animals chew and grind fibrous plant material. They also have a more complex digestive system. Some herbivores, like gorillas and the Japanese macaque, also have strong, sharp teeth designed for fighting, not feeding. This might account for why some individuals have seen fangs on the Bigfoot they encountered.

Omnivores eat plants and meat. It’s thought Bigfoot may fall into this category. Because of his size and muscle mass, he likely requires large amounts of protein. But during the Six Rivers National Forest Expedition of 1997 and the BFRO Expedition of 2000, researchers think Bigfoot took fruit from bait stations and oatmeal packets from a researcher’s backpack (see chapter 4 for more details). Beyond this, no one has observed Bigfoot hunting or catching food.

Animals Live to Procreate

As animals mature, they instinctually seek a mate. If we presume Bigfoot is an animal, then he would do the same, potentially leaving the forested hills or the confinements of his territory. What if he mistook a human for another Bigfoot because of the similarities in size and movement? Would he wander in close for a better look? Occasionally, hunters and investigators find multiple sets of footprints, which leads to the speculation of family groups. In most cases, however, they find only one set of footprints.

The macaque’s diet consists of fruit, plants, insects, and small rodents. His intimidating canines are for fighting not eating. ©Susan Flashman/ Shutterstock Photo.

Animals Use Their Habitats to Create a Home

Within habitats animals build homes that accommodate their design and purpose. A bird builds a nest carefully designed to hold her fragile eggs; a bear finds a den to serve as a safe place to hide her vulnerable cubs. A spider builds a web that allows it to hunt without leaving its home. Cougars use an outcropping of rocks or a dense thicket to hunt. This is the same habitat in which a deer will live in to eat, hide its young, and prepare for a quick escape through tangled brush.

If Bigfoot, like most animals, live to protect their young, then they would stay in habitats that offer shelter, food, and protection—caves, thickly forested areas, and rock outcroppings near a fresh water source.

Bigfoot researchers and cryptozoologists believe Bigfoot is out there, potentially in large numbers, scattered across the country. It’s mentioned within the arena of Bigfoot investigation that not all reports are of the same creature. However, if scat samples, recordings, and cast footprints are valid, then Bigfoot is a large, bipedal creature that is strong and has keen sensory perception. He possesses the ability to hunt and kill but also forage. In rare instances, records show Bigfoot has interacted with humans but otherwise remains hidden, adapting to whatever environment he lives in.

BIGFOOT AND THE SUPERNATURAL

For various reasons, many people disregard the animal theory yet believe Bigfoot is very real. Evidence that prompts this belief centers on the number of eyewitness accounts without the existence of a body. How has this creature been able to avoid captivity for so many years?

Infrasound—The Fear Frequency

Some researchers believe Bigfoot possesses the ability to emit infrasound, a low frequency sound wave beneath the normal limit of human hearing. Infrasound travels over long distances, passing through dense forests, buildings, and even mountains. The lower the frequency, the farther the sound can travel.

Elephants use infrasound to communicate over many miles. This function is necessary for their survival, as the sound waves allow them to locate one another for reproductive purposes and to avoid dangers. Elephants don’t just hear with their ears; they can “hear” or perceive vibrations with their foreheads and their feet. Earthquakes and tsunamis are generators of infrasound. Long before a storm hits their area, elephants will “hear” the infrasound waves. Sensing the oncoming danger, they run for higher ground.

Tigers also possess infrasound capabilities. Bioacousticians are scientists who study the pitch, volume, and duration of animal sounds to learn about their behavior. A study published in a 2000 article by ScienceDaily identified that tigers have an ability to not only intimidate their prey (which includes humans) with their roar but also paralyze them.

FUN FACT: To humans, giraffes appear to be silent animals, but scientists have discovered they communicate with their young using moans and grunts at a frequency humans cannot hear.

Beyond the paralyzing effects of a tiger, infrasound can have a range of negative effects on a person, including nausea, feelings of dread or panic, memory loss, emotional distress, hallucinations, blurred vision, and even loss of consciousness.

According to a 2003 article in the Sydney Morning Herald, British scientists conducted a controlled experiment at a London concert in which they played music containing infrasound produced by an extralow bass. They mixed in pieces without the added infrasound, then asked participants to describe their reactions to the different scores. A variety of abnormal feelings—anxiety, sorrow, and chills—were identified to coincide with the infrasound-infused music.

The US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health published studies in 2003 and 2005 on how low frequency noise affects functionality in humans. Findings showed that moderate levels of low frequency noise could adversely affect vision, concentration, and levels of irritabil...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1 What is Bigfoot?
• 2 Who’s who among Bigfoot
• 3 History and Legends
• 4 Bigfoot Culture
• 5 Facts or Fiction
• 6 Bigfoot around the World
• Appendix: Bigfoot Culture Timeline
• Notes
• References
• Index