National Geographic judges have named the 2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year!
An orangutan peers from behind a tree in the grand prize winning image from Nature Photographer of the Year Jayaprakash Joghee Bojan. See All the National Geographic Nature Photography Winners Here.
"While looking for wild orang-utans in Tanjung putting national park, Indonesia, we witnessed this amazing sight of this huge male crossing a river despite the fact there were crocodiles in the river. Rapid palm oil farming has depleted their habitat and when pushed to the edge these intelligent creatures have learnt to adapt to the changing landscape, This is proof considering orang-utans hate water and never venture into a river. I got into the 5 feet deep river to get this perspective." -Jayaprakash Joghee Bojan
Here are more photos from Bojan's Orangutan photo shoot:
I, personally as a researcher, have always tried to mix in various other unconventional, yet scientific techniques with my research. I use things like Plasma Paper in front of Camcorders when in a fixed position to see if any heat signatures from any unseen prints appear on the paper before the camera. As with anything in this field of research, I can't say for certain if Cloaking is real or not, but I thought it was worth a try to attempt to capture something. I have checked into using other research equipment, such as GPR (ground penetrating radar)/Sonar to test the ground underneath stick structures and markings. I am curious to know if under those structures or markings, there could be tunnels, spring water, or even some sort of unusual energy field. Maybe the answers are much deeper than the surface of what we know and presume in this field of research. Technology is always advancing, and we, as researchers, should explore other opportunities and ideas. I remember once on a trip in KY that had nothing to do with Bigfoot research, we were out in a Civil War area one night discussing it's history. I happened to have a FLIR T640 on me at the time when we started getting howls, tree breaks and rocks thrown. We were down in the trenches when it started, and the sounds were extremely close. I came up out of the trenches and ran around the corner, FLIR in hand. It was my first time to see heat signatures from actual footprints. Everyone was in awe! There was a large track of prints with very vivid toes in view, prints approximately 16' in length, with a trail of them leading to the edge of a cliff, where it appeared to have jumped off the cliff. We couldn't tell how far the drop was in the darkness. My point being, before FLIR, we were working with very little technology, so I am always looking at new ideas for using different technology in my research.
During my animal communications research, I was blown away the first time I heard kulning, the unique Scandinavian herding call that's also a song. You may be asking, "why is she talking about kulning in a Bigfoot Blog?" Bear with me...I'm about to share with you an ancient secret that works rather well in this field of research. Maybe it's my Cherokee heritage coming out in a spiritual sort of form and connecting to the ancient tone, I don't know for sure what draws me in; but I can only imagine that it may have the same effect on other living creatures. Years ago in the midst of my research, it occurred to me that if we were dealing with a highly intelligent creature, we had to find a way to communicate....a way that speaks to them on another level. The usual gifting is great, but it's not really the communication I was looking for. I wanted to reach them on some other level of intelligence....and what one thing speaks to people across all barriers? Music. I have an American Eskimo Spitz that is 14 years old, but when I got him at 4 weeks, there was only one thing that would calm him and make him sleep....yes, music. But not just any music wood do. It took me awhile to find what worked best, but he would sleep through the night to Native American Flute music (another sound I often play when I'm out in the Forest). Not only was this animal completely drawn to music, but he would insist you turn off a song he did not like, by barking continuously. Of course that put the wheels in motion for me and I started researching animals and music, when I stumbled upon Kulning.
This technique seems to put cattle in a trance when done properly. The video footage shows artist and
photographer Jonna Jinton, 26, making full use of an ancient Swedish herding call for her first time trying it, to request the presence of the cows. Grazing off in the distance the herd immediately prick up their ears at the sound of Jonna's voice. She wrote: 'The cows came running and I loved the feeling… although they also brought with them millions of tiny gnats and mosquitoes. 'But the feeling of getting to stand there and share a moment with the cows was unbeatable. Not to mention the finish.'
Kulning is an ancient herding call often used to call livestock (cows, goats, etc.) down from high mountain pastures where they have been grazing during the day. It is believed that the sound may also serve to scare away predators (wolves, bears, etc.), but this is not the main purpose of the call. It's not just a dramatic melody. Kulning developed as a way for (mostly female) herders to call sheep, cows and goats down from the hills where they were grazing. Its use can be traced back to mountainous Swedish and Norwegian areas (where it's called kauking) when animals were domesticated in medieval times. It has some similarities to yodeling, which was also a communication form that echoes against mountains and down into valleys — maintaining as much of the sound as possible over great distances and varied terrain. It's meant to be a loud, strong sound, because the most important purpose is for communication. We often ask "What did people do before modern communications technology?" At least in this case, the answer is they developed incredibly beautiful musical calls that sing through the mountains.
The song has a high-pitched vocal technique, i.e. a loud call using head tones, so that it can be heard
or be used to communicate over long distances. It has a fascinating and haunting tone, often conveying a feeling of sadness, in large part because the lokks often include typical half-tones and quarter-tones (also known as "blue tones") found in the music of the region. Linguist/phonetician Robert Eklund, speech therapist Anita McAllister and kulning singer/speech therapist Fanny Pehrson studied the difference between kulning voice production and head-voice (sometimes also somewhat erroneously referred to as falsetto voice) production in both indoors (normal and anechoic rooms) and in an ecologically valid outdoor setting near Dalarna, Sweden. The song analyzed was the same in all cases, and was performed by the same kulning singer (Pehrson). Comparing kulning to head-voice, they found that partials were visible in far higher registers in kulning than in head-voice (easily observed up to 16 kHz) and that they were also less affected by an increased distance from the source than head-voice, with more or less unaffected partial patterns when comparing a distance of 11 meters from the source, compared to 1 meter from the source. In the outdoor setting, they also found that head-voice production exhibited a 25.2 dB decrease at 11 meters from the source, compared to 1 meter from the source, while the corresponding amplitude decrease in kulning was only 9.4 dB, which is a clear indication that kulning is well-suited to carry over long distances in an outdoor setting. Or, as the authors summarize these findings:
"it was shown that kulning fell off less with distance from an intensity point of view, and also that partials in kulning – but not in head voice – remained more or less unperturbed 11 meters from the singer, as compared to 1 meter from the singer. Both results help explain why kulning as a singing mode was developed for calling cattle that might be at considerable distance from the singer" (Eklund & McAllister, 2015).
When a call is made in a valley, it rings and echoes against the mountains. The animals, a number of whom wear bells tuned so that the livestock's location can be heard, begin to respond to the call, answering back and the sound of the bells indicates that they are moving down the mountain towards their home farm. The kulokks can belong to an individual, but are sometimes family-based and are handed down so that a family's cows know they are being called and thus respond. A number of calls contain names of individual (sometimes the "lead") animals, as herds are not very large.
Although when I am out in the woods by myself, I have my own way of doing this, but not everyone wants to try Kulning. I have downloaded the above track and play it often when I am out in the field conducting research. It is such a beautifully haunting sound that echoes through the forest, and seems to affect all the wildlife around me, including the birds. I have to say that there has not been even one time that I did not get a response from the audio, and I have been using this technique for about 14 years now. But let me warn you...you will need a parabolic and some good earphones.....this sounds travels a long distance, so your responses often come from far, far away and are either barely heard, or not heard by the human ear. With the parabolic, the responses come in loud and clear. I have heard various different responses, ranging from haunting howls, to a sort of Yodeling or song response, grunts and grumbles, whoops, Native American sounding chants, to a sort of ancient Syrian type chatter. Go ahead and give it a try next time you are out in the forest alone...nobody has to know. You can thank me later. 😊
The camera nestled in the branches of a Michigan forest treetop, and 85' off the ground, was meant to give us an intimate look into the domestic life of a newly expanded eagle family. Instead, we caught a glimpse of a dark figure stalking the forest floor, starting rumors of Bigfoot. But the dark, stooped figure could simply be a starving bipedal bear according to some experts. The sighting occurred on the Platte River State Fish Hatchery near Beulah, Michigan and was caught on the “Eagle Cam” streaming on CarbonTV, which broadcasts live streams of cameras in natural areas. The camera that caught the mysterious hulking figure was placed above a bald eagle nest in order to record a family of recently-hatched eaglets.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources runs the hatchery on whose land the sighting occurred. Ed Eisch, manager of Fish Production for Michigan DNR, told the Detroit Free Press that while some are speculating like mad about what the shadowy hulk in the video might be, the footage is ultimately inconclusive. "Like most videos purported to be Bigfoot, it's grainy and out of focus — of course, the camera wasn't set up to be focused on the ground; it was focused on the nest," Ed Eisch, DNR Fish Production manager of Michigan, told USA Today. The footage was not noticed for quite some time after the recording...not until CarbonTV’s editors began reviewing their archives.
I still find this footage very interesting. Assuming that most, if not all of the best videos today happen by accident, this video would fall into that category. The subject doesn't appear to know that the camera is there. It seems to be just passing through. I'm wondering what is going on with the movement in the trees to the left. It doesn't appear to be wind as it is only those trees moving...as if something very large is thrashing about or shaking trees, or a pack of something went barrelling through there in fear running for their lives.
The first thing I noticed about the subject, was the manner of walking...as a human would walk if trying not to leave footsteps in the mud, or get mud on their feet. This would be typical behavior for something not wanting to leave impressions in the open trail, but not likely behavior for a hoaxer. What I find most intriguing is the part where it appears to gather it's composure and steady itself to make a jump up on what appears to be a rather large fallen tree. Considering the distance from the camera to the subject, this appears to be a pretty high jump. Once the subject jumps up, it gathers its balance with the help of a nearby tree, and then jumps down from the fallen log, proceeding down a rather steep embankment at a pretty good rate of speed....an embankment that takes a sharp decline down hill. If it's a hoax, that's a pretty risky move to leap up onto a log on the edge of a steep embankment like that out in the wilderness, and then run down the steep and treacherous slope. I think what has my attention is how it looks even from that distance. The subject uses its arms to maneuver, and I have witnessed this move myself in one of my encounters. Another thing we have to consider with this footage is size of the subject. This
footage was shot 85 feet off the ground, so something that may appear
small on the ground from this viewpoint, could in fact be extremely
large. So keep in mind the distance of the camera, and the slope distance
when determining the size of the subject. I think the truth here is in the little signs...how it appears to think through it's movements, has patience, calculates and plans, and then the movements just make sense. Notice when it jumps onto the fallen tree, it places one hand on the log briefly and comes up with both feet planted at the same time on the tree as it manages to stay balanced and fully extended in a standing position instantly, and appears to do all that with substantial size. A human does not jump upwards onto objects at a substantial height distance, with both feet planting on the log at the same time & maintain balance that way. Especially if they are wearing a bulky fur suit and maneuvering a move like that. Well unless you are a pretty damn good gymnast, that is. And let's face it, a gymnast is usually lean and not bulked up. As with any footage, it could indeed be a hoax, but we owe it to the field to evaluate the footage on a scientific level, based on what we have gathered over the years in research. I know I speak for everyone when I say the number of hoax videos circulating are exhausting, so it makes it a chore to even view and evaluate for validity the number of alleged captures being circulated. I know I myself have even been guilty of automatically assuming "hoax" and not even looking. However, that is not what we are here for...we as researchers, owe it to the field to take an objective and scientific look at footage that at least warrants a second look.
Obviously an Eagle Cam is too far away to pickup much detail, but the footage is interesting to say the least. That doesn't stop all the theories from circulating though. Comments on various outlets covering the sighting have spiraled out of control. Some stand firmly behind their belief that this is a true Bigfoot sighting, while others are not convinced and believe it is a bear or a hoaxer in a suit. I'm not sure how many people would even know that camera was there 85 feet above the terrain below, but anything is possible.
Barring the possibility that it is, indeed, the legendary Bigfoot Creature, could it be … a bear? Well, sure: According to Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources, the state home to roughly 15,000 to 19,000 black bears — 90 percent of which are in the state’s northern reaches — where Platte River State Fish Hatchery is located. Black bears normally walk on all fours, but they have been known to walk upright to get a better look at things. Is this maybe-bear scoping out its next snack? The amount of time it spends on its hind legs seems extraordinarily long, but malnourished bears have been known to go bipedal for longer. So let's take a look at the possibility of a malnourished bear.
In 2015, footage of a black bear that walked like a human went viral, but later shown to be evidence of malnourishment. As The Dodoreported, it’s likely that the bear — which is thought to have been rescued by Laotian wildlife rangers from an illegal, inhumane “bile farm” — was so malnourished (you can tell by its short legs, small body, and large head) that it was easier for it to walk on its hind legs. Indeed, the starved Laos bear walked fairly comfortably, not unlike Michigan’s maybe-bear, although it strode with far less confidence, as we can see below. Notice how short the arms and legs are, and how awkward the movement is....I can't see this malnourished, short limbed bear making that leap up onto that tree, and then jumping down and running down an embankment on two feet. It just my opinion, but malnourished bears look entirely different than what we are seeing in this video footage.
Ok, so now let's address the hoax. I know there is a guy who claims he lives in Michigan, and claims it was him in a suit. I have included a screen shot image below which shows him wearing his alleged hoax suit. Although I find this idea ridiculous, I am laying out the facts for everyone to form their own opinion. I think it is also worthy of mention that this same man has claimed responsibility for several Bigfoot captures that have been released to the public, ranging from Michigan to North Carolina, as I outline in the stories below.
Here is another article where the same man claims he is responsible for a sighting in North Carolina and claims he lives in Minnesota rather than Michigan.
'That was me': Minnesota shaman who was wearing hair-covered animal
skins says he is the SASQUATCH spotted by the Bigfoot 911 team
A group called Bigfoot 911 claimed to have encountered the creature on Friday
Gawain MacGregor, 36, claims that it was him that the group saw in the woods
He was performing a shamanistic ritual in North Carolina when he saw the group
He
wears a special garment made of raccoon skins in an attempt to connect
with an ancient character called Enkidu, which is similar to Bigfoot,
during his rituals
"A Minnesota man says that
cryptozoology enthusiasts have mistaken him for Bigfoot after reports
surfaced about an alleged sighting in North Carolina last week." What, again?? This guy sure does get around the U.S. alot showing up in Bigfoot videos and sightings!
Gawain
MacGregor, 36, claims he was performing a shamanistic ritual in the woods of
Pisgah in western North Carolina on Friday night when people claimed to
encounter Bigfoot in the same area.
As
part of his ritual, MacGregor was wearing a special garment made of
raccoon skins in an attempt to connect with an ancient character called
Enkidu, which is similar to Bigfoot.
He
said he was in the woods performing his ritual while traveling through
North Carolina when researchers from Bigfoot 911 encountered him
believing he was the creature they were looking for.
According to Gawain
MacGregor, 36, he was performing a shamanistic ritual in the woods of
Pisgah in western North Carolina on Friday night when people claimed to
encounter Bigfoot in the same area. As part of his ritual, MacGregor was
wearing a special garment made of raccoon skins.
'That was me,' he told The McDowell News . 'It's not a coincidence.'
The
Charlotte Observer revealed earlier this week that a member of the
Bigfoot-watching group claimed to have had an encounter with a 'large
bipedal animal covered in hair,' on Friday night at about 11pm, in a
wooded area in North Carolina's McDowell County.
John
Bruner, of Bigfoot 911, reported that at the time of the apparent
sighting, he and six others were in the woods, spreading out glow sticks
in hopes of attracting Bigfoot's attention.
Greenville, South Carolina police warned its community against shooting during a close encounter with Bigfoot. In the post, police exhorted: 'If you see
Bigfoot, please do not shoot at him/her, as you'll most likely be
wounding a fun-loving and well-intentioned person, sweating in a gorilla
costume.'
MacGregor said that it wasn't Bigfoot that the group saw on Friday - it was him.
He claimed that he walked away from the group quickly and did not throw rocks at anyone, as Bruner had previously claimed.
He says that he is a Christian who incorporates the ancient Assryo-Bablyonian religions predating Christianity into his faith.
'Shamanistic
traditions are the oldest in the world so to me it's not that out of
the ordinary,' he told The
McDowell News. 'For me, it's no different
than going to church on Sunday.'
He said that wearing the raccoon skins and wandering the forest is part of practicing Enkinduism.
'The
foremost sacrament I practice is the wearing of hair-covered animal
skins and wandering in the forest, the same way Gilgamesh honored him
thousands of years ago,' he said.
I'm just going to go ahead and throw this out there...this guy appears to be a hoaxer himself...not to mention, he is obviously not what we are looking at in this Eaglecam footage. What are your thoughts on the video footage?
NORTH NEW MEXICO – Quoted from KOB News: "It looks like something out of a horror movie, and officials say it's illegal and dangerous." Seriously? This should be an interesting story to follow...
Mysterious stick structures have been popping up in the Santa Fe National Forest, and people are stumbling upon them. Jake Matthews, who mountain bikes in the area, said he's always noticed them all over the area.
"I've seen them as long as I've probably been riding these trails, for 10 or 12 years now. I've seen them that whole time," Matthew said.
But forest officials say they've become more common, especially around Tesuque Peak Road at Aspen Vista.
"I don't think they're necessarily a nuisance, but I understand the rules are definitely the rules here," Matthew said.
And the rules say the mysterious structures are being illegally constructed. In fact, a fine of as much as $5,000 could await the person building them. A group of people would be looking at even bigger consequences.
Forest Service officials say the structures pose a health and safety hazard; one of them could collapse or could even spark a big fire, especially as some of the structures are built around fire rings.
"I guess if it's something they're trying to do and they're being proactive about it, that's a good thing," said Robert Matthews, Jake's brother. "As far as trail work and stuff like that, I think it's also a good thing. The more everyone works together (the more) it's going to be a better experience for everybody."
One stick structure that KOB crews were able to find on Sunday was relatively small compared to some that Forest Service officials say they've seen in the area. Some stand two stories tall, measuring 20 feet in diameter.
Now they're working to dismantle them.
"They're typically removed from the trails, so you kind of see them through the trees," Jake Matthews said. "But they don't really impact anything I do up here, personally."
For now, officials are asking people who come upon the structures to report them to any nearby Ranger District office, so that the forest can continue to be explored without risk.
"It's great that we have access to all these trails," Jake Matthews said. "Anything we can do to continue promoting that access (and) continue building trails out here I think is great for our economy, and for the city as a whole."
Source: KOB News, December 03, 2017 10:39 PM, See Story Here
Another Source: SFNF News
Stick Structures Pose Hazards On Santa Fe National Forest ... So Who’s Building Them And Why?
SANTA FE – The number of human-built conical stick structures – some as tall as two stories and 20 feet or more in diameter – popping up on the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) seems to be on the rise, and Forest Service officials are wondering why.
They also are concerned about the significant health and safety hazards posed by these structures.
This week, employees from the Española Ranger District went into the field with a volunteer who showed them seven or eight of these stick structures off Tesuque Peak Road at Aspen Vista. At least 10 more have been reported below the Aspen Vista picnic area, and they have also been spotted on the Winsor Trail and in the Big Tesuque drainage.
SFNF staff said the structures are elaborately constructed out of 1,000 or more individual sticks or
Found near Aspen Vista. Courtesy/USDA Forest Service
logs. The wood is seasoned and dry, and the design is similar to a classic kindling pyramid but on a much larger scale. And to exacerbate the obvious fire danger, people appear to be using fire rings inside many of the structures.
Citing the high risk of these structures collapsing or catching on fire, Española District Ranger Sandy Hurlocker said, “We are concerned about the safety of our visitors, and we are extremely worried about the fire danger to forest resources and other values at risk. A high-severity fire in this popular recreation corridor would have catastrophic consequences not only for the Santa Fe National Forest, but for the Pueblo of Tesuque, the Santa Fe Municipal Watershed and residents in nearby neighborhoods.”
The Forest Service is not sure who is building these structures and what their motives may be. “But our response is to dismantle them, and we are asking the responsible individuals not to reconstruct them,” Hurlocker said. The SFNF is also asking members of the public to report these structures and their approximate location to Forest Headquarters at 505.438.5300 or any of the Ranger District offices.
The construction of these structures on National Forest System lands is prohibited under Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations (36 CFR 261.10(a)). Violators are punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations, imprisonment of not more than six months, or both.
I also felt this story in New Mexico a few months backwas at least worthy of mention :
Storm flattens trees in Santa Fe National Forest
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The vantage point from Chopper 4 shows the result of nature's raw power. The Santa Fe National Forest reports a massive tree blow-down on Windsor Trail near Stewart Lake.
According to witness reports, the damage was found shortly after May 5. Still, the forest service says that down trees pose a major hazard. Even standing trees in the area could be damaged and susceptible to collapse.
The damage was most likely not caused by a tornado. From the looks of it, this result could be from a dry microburst.
Exactly how does a dry microburst work? In many cases, dry thunderstorms will actually evaporate the rain before it hits the ground. This causes the air to become cold, dense and heavy and it comes rushing to the ground.
That's a likely culprit for the tree-flattening we saw in the Santa Fe National Forest.
Microbursts happen all the time in New Mexico, during severe weather season and throughout the monsoon. The damage can be devastating, even destroying structures and overturning vehicles.
What is the Difference Between the Yeti, the Abominable Snowman, and Bigfoot, etc.?
Awesome Image Credit: Mattfields
Whether they're said to trod through snow or skulk in swamps, stories of mysterious ape men are a common theme throughout the world. Hairy humanoid cryptids go by dozens of monikers—many have remained local legends (Skunk Ape, Yowie, Moehau aren’t exactly household names) while others have incited curiosity far beyond their supposed territories. A few mythical creatures that should sound familiar to skeptics and believers alike are the Yeti, Bigfoot, and the Abominable Snowman. While these beasts share plenty of similarities, each has a unique origin story.
Let’s start with the Yeti, the oldest legend of the bunch. Lore of a man-like beast in the Himalayas has its roots in pre-Buddhist religion. The Lepcha people recognized a supernatural “Glacier Being” as one of their hunting gods and the ruler of all the forest’s creatures. It wasn’t until later that an early version of the term “Yeti” emerged. Most experts believe it derives from a Sherpa word, possibly yeh-teh meaning “small, man-like animal” or meti meaning “bear.” The Yeti starred as the antagonist of many cautionary folk tales shared by the Sherpa people. In their legends, the creature was depicted as an apelike man who left large tracks in the snow.
The phrase Abominable Snowman appeared relatively recently, and was born out of a messy mistranslation. In 1921, a contributor to an Indian English-language newspaper interviewed explorers returning from the British Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition. They spoke of seeing large footprints on the mountain their guides attributed to Metoh-Kangmi. Kangmi translates to “Snowman” and Metoh to “Man-Bear”— the writer got the half of that equation right but misinterpreted metoh as “filthy.” Instead of writing “Filthy Snowman” he decided he liked the sound of “Abominable” better and the nickname stuck.
“Abominable Snowman” and “Yeti” are basically different names for the same legend, but Bigfoot is a different beast altogether. Like the Yeti, Sasquatch, later dubbed “Bigfoot,” is believed to be a large, shaggy primate that walks upright like a man. The main difference between the two mythical animals is their location. While the Yeti belongs to Asia, Bigfoot is thought to be native to North America, specifically the Pacific Northwest. Tales of ape-like wild men inhabiting that region can be traced back to indigenous communities—“Sasquatch” is derived from sésquac, a Halkomelem word meaning “wild man”—but the name “Bigfoot” is a 20th century original invention.
Once again we have a creative journalist to thank for the popular title. In 1958, a man discovered large, unidentifiable footprints left near his bulldozer in Bluff Creek, California. He made a cast of the prints and got himself featured in the local paper. By this time people in the community were referring to the mysterious owner of the massive tracks as “Big Foot.” The writer of the article spelled it “Bigfoot” and the rest was history.
Despite originating thousands of miles apart, some modern-day believers suspect that the creatures belong to one species. One popular theory is that Bigfoot and the Abominable Snowman/Yeti are both Gigantopithecus, a polar bear-sized ape native to southern Asia believed to have gone extinct 300,000 years ago. While chances are slim that the species migrated to North America with its homo sapiens relatives, that hasn’t stopped many cryptozoology enthusiasts from wanting to believe. Source: mentalfloss.com Canada's Sasquatch
The Canadian Sasquatch is essentially the same creature as the American Bigfoot, though it is claimed to be primarily nocturnal and a fast runner. Some say it steals food and abducts women — and men: A logger named Albert Ostman claimed that in 1924 while camping in British Columbia he was kidnapped by a Bigfoot family and held for nearly a week. Ostman suspected that he had been captured as a potential breeding mate for the young female Sasquatch of the family, but before he could do the dirty deed he escaped when the male elder choked on Ostman's snuff tobacco. Needless to say, Ostman offered no evidence of his experience.
Canada's Windigo/Wendigo
Hailing from the woods of Canada, the Windigo (or Wendigo) is a big, hairy man-like creature from Native American legend. But legends don’t always think of it as an animal; Windigo can be a creature that transforms from a human, and has very bad intentions. Some interesting hypotheses concerning Bigfoot have been borne from the Wendigo legends. On one hand, perhaps the wild stories of the supernatural Wendigo stem from sightings of a real creature like Bigfoot, and maybe Native Americans have expanded on the abilities of the creature, making it into some kind of spirit being. I have to wonder sometimes, why do so many legends of these creatures talk of some sort of supernatural or spiritual qualities to these beings? On the other hand, perhaps the legend of the Wendigo raises the question to some, as to whether or not Bigfoot really only exists in the spirit realm, and not in the real world at all.
North America's Sasquatch / Bigfoot
We all know this one. Maybe viewed by some as more representative of the Pacific Northwest, really it’s pretty much interchangeable with “Bigfoot”. These days the Sasquatch is spotted all over North America, from the thick forests of New England, to the mountains of the Pacific Northwest and everywhere in between. The current Bigfoot craze took off in the 1950s, but Native Americans knew about the Sasquatch long before Europeans arrived. Some tribes saw it as a forest spirit, and others as just another being that shared the land with them.
Nepal's Yeti
Stalking the regions around the Himalayas, and sometimes called the Abominable Snowman, the Yeti is probably the next best-known cousin of Bigfoot. Sightings of this creature have it pegged as a dead-ringer for the North American Sasquatch. Are these two beasts related? Maybe. The Bigfoot-Giganto Theory may explain how both the Sasquatch and the Yeti came into existence in Asia, long ago. It's possible they may trace their lineage back to a massive ape called Gigantopithecus Blacki. It was a 10-foot tall monster, and some researchers believe it may have evolved into what we call today Bigfoot, or the Yeti. It's an interesting idea, but however it happened there seems to be the same creature running around the Himalayas as there is in North America.
The Yeti, formerly known as the Abominable Snowman, is said to live in the forest below the Himalaya Mountains' snow line, though its tracks are occasionally found in snow. It is said to be muscular, covered with dark grayish or reddish-brown hair, and weigh between 200 and 400 pounds (90 to 180 kilograms). The Yeti is relatively short compared with Bigfoot, averaging about 6 feet (1.8 meters) in height. Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to scale Everest, found no evidence of the creature. Mountaineer Reinhold Messner, who spent months in Nepal and Tibet researching the Yeti found that large native bears were mistaken for Yeti sightings and tracks. The Yeti made news in 2007 when Josh Gates, host of the TV series "Destination Truth," claimed that he found large, mysterious footprints that might be from the Yeti. Despite extensive media publicity nothing more was learned about the tracks; they are now on display at Disney World.
Australia's Yowie
From the outback of Australia, by many accounts this guy is yet another version of Bigfoot. In some stories the Yowie is an apelike hominid. In others it is more like a primitive human living in the outback. Aboriginal legend doesn't clear things up much, but like Native Americans in North America they do have a history of the creature dating back hundreds, even thousands of years.
One problem with the Yowie is that Australia has been isolated for thousands of years. This means whatever factor may have driven the Yeti or Sasquatch to evolve and migrate across Europe and North America can't be responsible for the Yowie. So where did this beast come from? It's an interesting question, with some equally intriguing theories.
Yowie, the wildman from Down Under, reportedly stands anywhere from 5 to 11 feet (1.5 to 3.4 meters) tall, and has yellow or red eyes deeply set inside a dome-shaped head. Yowies are said to have tan, black, gray, or white hair covering black skin, with arms so long they nearly reach the ground. According to George Eberhart's encyclopedia "Mysterious Creatures" (ABC-CLIO, 2002), the name Yowie comes from the Aboriginal word "yuwi," which means "dream spirit."
China's Yeren
This creature lives in the forests of China, and is described as something very close to Bigfoot in size and appearance. What’s interesting is that the Yeren hails from the general area of the world where Gigantopithecus, the ancient giant ape, is believed to have gone extinct. Equally interesting is that this beast shares a lot in common with the Mongolian Almas.
Also called the Chinese Wildman, reports of this creature go back for generations. Again, like the Sasquatch in North America and the Yowie in Australia, stories often contain a touch of mysticism, making it tough to discern if the Yeren is a flesh-and-blood creature or some kind of spiritual being dreamed up by local cultures.
Indonesia's Orang Pendek
From Sumatra, and only a few feet tall, so not really similar to Bigfoot in stature. But Orang Pendek is definitely an example of a bizarre Bigfoot-like critter from an unexpected place. And there may be more similarities than we'd think. For one thing, if Orang Pendek is real it raises the question of Bigfoot's origins. Could it be a kind of pygmy version of Bigfoot, or perhaps a related species that went down some different evolutionary path? source: Even more intriguing is the idea that Orang Pendek could actually be some kind of human ancestor, perhaps a relic population of the tiny "Hobbit" humans found on the island of Flores. Whatever it is, Sumatran native are seeing something strange in the jungles, and it appears to be a bipedal ape.
According to "The Field Guide to Bigfoot, Yeti, and Other Mystery Primates Worldwide" (Avon Books, 1999), "The natives of Sumatra have long believed in the orang-pendek, which means 'little man.' The orang-pendek seems to have a large pot belly and may be dark gray, dark black, yellow, or tan in color." It is also said to have very long head hair, and stand anywhere from 2.5 to 5 feet (0.8 to 1.5 m) tall. One of the first alleged sightings of the orang pendek occurred in 1923, when a Dutch settler in Sumatra saw one in a tree; though he was armed he refused to shoot it, because it resembled a human.
Mongolia's Alma
The Almas are known in Mongolia as hairy, bipedal humanoids. Unlike the neighboring Yeti, they are believed to be more human than ape, but they are just as elusive. This is not unlike many tales of wildmen in Asia and Eastern Europe. Theories abound as to the origin of the Almas, but some researchers believe they may be a living population of an earlier human ancestor that may have somehow survived extinction. The story of the Almas opens up an interesting discussion in the Bigfoot debate, as some researchers believe Sasquatch is actually a species of primitive human, not an ape. So, rather than an ancient Asian ape surviving extinction and populating the world, could it be that an unclassified species of human exists out there undetected? South America's Mapinguari
The Mapinguari is one of the most debated of Bigfoot’s cousins from around the world. Hailing from the jungles of South American, many accounts of the Mapinguari describe it as something similar to a Sasquatch. It would make sense, as any Bigfoot population in North American certainly could matriculate down to South America. However, other versions of the Mapinguari tale paint it as a far stranger creature with massive claws, backward facing feet, a repugnant stench and a mouth on its stomach. Some researchers who have dared to attempt to wade through the folklore say this is an odd but plausible description of a giant ground sloth. The giant ground sloth is believed to have gone extinct long ago, but is it possible there is still a population deep in the jungle? More interesting still, does these different eyewitness accounts represent two separate creatures?
Florida's Skunk Ape The Bigfoot of Florida and the Southern United States. He’s just as big and scary, but ups the bar with the added benefit of a horrific stench. It’s claimed he gets his illustrious odor by hanging out in methane-packed bogs, but really its anyone's guess. With dense and dangerous swamps, parts of Florida and other southern swamps are ideal habitat for a large creature that doesn't want to be spotted. Bigfoot seems to have made his home here, and who can blame him? There has been some interesting evidence for the Skunk Ape over the years. Perhaps most notably, a decade or so a go a woman claimed a large animal had been stealing apples from her porch. She set up a camera and snapped a few pictures, and the result was the Myakka Skunk Ape photo. Ohio's Grassman
The Ohio Grassman is a believed to be a Bigfoot existing in a specific niche, and surviving in the rich farmland of Ohio. Ohio may not seem like ideal Bigfoot habitat if you are fixated on the idea that the only place Sasquatch can exist in America is the Pacific Northwest or Florida, but in fact the beast has been spotted in every state in the continental US.
Ohio and Western Pennsylvania in particular are excellent Bigfoot habitat, with plenty of farms, water sources, game and easy access to the Appalachian Mountain range. Sightings and stories of the Grassman go back hundreds of years and continue to this day. source: exemplore.com, user: cryptid
So in summary, the term "Bigfoot" is a relatively new term, and the elusive creatures have various names around the world, and in different cultures. There's one thing about it though, this creature has been around for at least as long as there have been campfires.Everywhere there are humans there are stories and legends of Bigfoot. The creature has always been among us it seems, out in the darkened forest, just beyond our line of sight. From the dawn of man, until current modern times, perhaps Bigfoot has always been around, and our ancestors have always known. The creature is known by as many different names as there are cultures. So in addition to those mentioned above, I have included a list of a few of the historical names given to the Bigfoot Creature at the end of this article. You can also check our blog page for the Bigfoot World Map.
So intense is this fascination that some Bigfoot enthusiasts seem to have labeled just about every mythological creature ever known in the western hemisphere as another name for Sasquatch. There are amusing collections of "Native American names for Bigfoot" online that include the names of giants, dwarves, ghosts, gods, underwater monsters, four-legged predators, an enormous bird, and a disembodied flying head. If you'd like to learn more about some of the mythical creatures to be found on those lists, please feel free to look them up on our Native American monsters page or our broader Native American mythological characters website.
If we interpret the English word "Bigfoot" to refer only to creatures like Sasquatch-- wild, hairy men of the forest that are human-sized or slightly taller-- then here is our list of Native American bigfeet. Note that most of these legends are told by tribes of the Pacific Northwest region: Northern California, western Oregon and Washington State, British Columbia, Alaska and the Yukon. There are also many stories involving wild, hairy men of the forest in the Plains and Woodland tribes of the US, but most of those are forest dwarves, no taller than a human toddler. You can find some stories about them on our Native American Little People page. They have many similarities to the Bigfoot creatures, except for their size.
'Bigfoot' Creatures in Various Tribes
The Bigfoot figure is common to the folklore of most Northwest Native American tribes. Native American Bigfoot legends usually describe the creatures as around 6-9 feet tall, very strong, hairy, uncivilized, and often foul-smelling, usually living in the woods and often foraging at night. Native American Bigfoot creatures are almost always said to be unable to speak human languages, using whistles, grunts, and gestures to communicate with each other. In some stories, male Bigfoots are said to be able to mate with human women. In some Native stories, Bigfoot may have minor supernatural powers-- the ability to turn invisible, for example-- but they are always considered physical creatures of the forest, not spirits or ghosts.
That is where the intertribal Bigfoot similarities end, however. In the Bigfoot myths of some tribes, Sasquatch and his relatives are generally shy and benign figures-- they may take things that do not belong to them or even kidnap a human wife, but do not harm people and may even come to their aid. Sometimes Bigfoot is considered a guardian of nature in these tribes. These more benevolent Bigfeet usually appear alone or in a small family unit, and may exchange gifts or use sign language to communicate with Native American communities. But Bigfoot legends from other tribes describe them as malevolent creatures who attack humans, play dangerous tricks on them, or steal children; they may even eat people. These more dangerous Bigfoot monsters, known as Stick Indians or Bush Indians, are sometimes found in large groups or even villages, which engage in warfare with neighboring Indian tribes.
Ba'wis (Tsimshian Indian Bigfoot) Boqs (Bella Coola Bigfoot) Bush Indians (Alaskan Athabaskan Bigfoot) Chiye-Tanka (Sioux Indian Bigfoot) Choanito/Night People (Wenatchi Indian Bigfoot) Hairy Man (Yokuts Indian Bigfoot) Kohuneje (Maidu Indian Bigfoot) Lariyin (Dogrib Indian Bigfoot) Lofa (Chickasaw Indian Bigfoot) Matah Kagmi (Modoc Indian Bigfoot) Maxemista (Cheyenne Indian Bigfoot) Na'in (Gwich'in Indian Bigfoot) Nakani (Dene Indian Bigfoot) Nant'ina (Tanaina Indian Bigfoot) Nik'inla'eena' (Koyukon Indian Bigfoot) Omah (Hupa Indian Bigfoot) Sasquatch (Coast Salish Indian Bigfoot) Seeahtlk (Clallam Indian Bigfoot) Shampe (Choctaw Indian Bigfoot) Siatco (Chehalis Indian Bigfoot) Skookum (Chinook Indian Bigfoot) Ste-ye-hah'mah (Yakama Indian Bigfoot) Stick Indians (Northwest Coast Bigfeet) The Woodsman (Athabaskan Indian Bigfoot)
One more mythological creature deserves special mention on this page and that is the Bukwus of the Kwakiutl and other Northwest Coast tribes. Bukwus is not truly a Bigfoot figure, but bears enough resemblance to them (man-sized and covered with tangled hair) that he is often identified this way. The big difference, which is often missed by casual folklorists, is that Bukwus is actually an undead monster. They are the ghosts of drowned people; their bodies are depicted as stylized skeletons and they spend their time trying to trick humans into becoming ghosts by offering them the food of the dead to eat. In this regard, they are significantly different than the other "bigfoot" creatures, who are considered to be real creatures of the forest (not ghosts.)
**Thank you to http://www.native-languages.org for this information.
A
Albatwitche, the manlike apple stealers (Susquehannock Native)
Almas
Almasty
American Ape
Anisau
Ape-Man
B
The Bad Smelling Tree Men (USA, ID, Coeur d'Alene, and WA, Spokane)
Barmanu (northwest Pakistan)
B'gwas (Haisla, Canada, BC)
Biabin-Guli
Big Big Hairy Figure With Eyes Sunk Deep In The Head (n.w. USA, Wakashan, Kwakiutl Tribe)
big hairy man, the messenger (USA, Hopi Tribe)
Big Hairy Monster
the Big Man (USA, western SD, Lakota)
Big Ones
Blacki
Boggy Boon
Boggy Bill (USA, east TX)
the Booger
Booger Man
Boogie Man
Boogy Monster
Boqs (s.w. Canada, Bella Coola Tribe)
Brenin Llwyd
Brother Who Comes Back Before The Next Very Big Winter (USA, SD, Ogala, Lakota)
Chinese Wild man
C
Caddo Critter
the Cannibal Giant (USA, Native American)
the Cannibal, who eats dead people (USA, Na-Dene)
Cave Monster
Cave Spirit
Cave Yeller (USA, KY)
Cer Ra Ca Wa "the turkey eater" (northern Mexico)
Chi-Chi
Chinese Wild man
Chiye-tanka, great elder brother (n.w. USA, Lakota)
Chuchuna
Ci-e (USA, SD, Pine Ridge Res.)
Crying Beast(USA, southern Ohio, 1800s)
Devil Monkey
D
Devils
Devil Monkey (USA, s.w. OK)
Destroyer Who Breaks Up Houses (USA, Na-Dene)
Doolagahi
Doolagahl (Aboriginal Australia)
Doolagarl (Aboriginal Australia)
E
Engeco
The Fouke Monster is named after
the town of Fouke, Arkansas
Hairy Bill (USA, TX)
Hairy Giants
Hairy Ones
Hairy Man, Hairy Woman, or Hairy People
"the hairy man (men) who appears as a symptom of disruption" (USA, SD, Lakota)
The Hairy People (USA, KY, Leslie County)
the Hairy Stinka Boo (USA, southern OH)
Hill Monkeys (OK)
Hokou
Holla Yella (USA, WV)
Holayela (USA, WV and east OH)
Hoodoo
Hoohoo
Honey Island Monster
I
Indin Hair Man (USA, WV)
Jacko
J
Jacko (Canada, BC)
Jimbra (Aboriginal Australia)
Jingera (Aboriginal Australia)
Jinka
The Jungle Man (India)
Kikomba
K
Kakundak (Africa)
Kaptat
Kecleh-Kudleh
Kikomba
King Kong
Kushtaka
Loup-garou
L
Loup-garou (French for wolf-man)
Long eared Ape
Mande Burung
M
Matlose (w.Canada, Nootkas Tribe)
The Man-Beast
Mande Burung (India)
Man-Monkey
Mannimal
Mapinguari
Mirygdy
Monkey Man (USA, OK)
Momo, Mo Mo (USA, short for 'Missouri Monster')
Ngoloko
N
Nant'ina
Narcoonah
Living Neanderthal
Nibagon
Ngoloko
Nguoi rung (Asia)
Ngui Rung (Vietnamese)
Nolem or Dog Eaters (USA, Nadene)
Noocoonah (Aboriginal Australia)
Nuk-Luk (North America)
Nu'numic (Aztec)
Nun Yunu Wi
Nyalmo (Asia)
P
Pongo
Orang Pendek
O
Oh-mah (USA, NE)
Old Hairy Bill (TX)
Old Yellow
Old Yellow Top (Canada, Ontario)
Old Ones Who Cry
Old Ones Who Run At Night
Old Skunky Bill (USA, east TX)
Opie (USA, TN and NC)
Orang Pendek (Oceania, Sumatran)
Ot-ne-yar-hed, the giants (north eastern USA, Iroquoian)
P
Pecos Bill (in the original TX legend he was huge and hairy!)
Quinken
Q
Quinken (Aboriginal Australia)
R
Red Eyes (Aboriginal Australia)
Rugaru (USA, ND, Ojibway)
Skunk Ape
S
Sasquatch, or sε´sq'əč (Halkomelem, A Salishan language, southwest British Columbia)
Seatco, the Wicked Giant (n.w. USA, native Nusqually)
S _ _ _ Man, or Men (USA, WV)
Skunk Ape
Skunk Demon
Skunky Bill
Stinkaboo
Stink Man
St' Iyahama (USA, OR, Umatilla)
T
Tah-tah-kle'-ah or Owl-Woman Monster (n.w. USA, Yakama and Shasta Indians)
Tsek Etinu's (USA, Na-Dene)
Tsiatko Giants (n.w.USA, native)
Stsomu'lamux (USA, Na Dene)
Taku he (native American, Lakota )
Tano Giant (Africa)
Teh-Ima (Asia)
Tch-lma
Tree Men (USA, ID, Coeur d'Alene, and WA, Spokane)
Tjandara (Aboriginal Australia)
Tha-tha Kla-yah-ma (n.w. USA, Yakama )
Thoolagal (Aboriginal Australia)
Tomy Knocker
Tobi Juan In The Wood (USA, Ark., Tenn.)
Tsawane'it Emux (USA, Nadene)
Tse'nahaha (USA, Paiute)
Tso'apittse (USA, Nevada)
Ucumar
U
Urayuli
Ucumar (Latin America)
Witiko
W
Weendego (USA, central to north-eastern, Ojibwa)
Wendigo (Algonquian, central to north-eastern USA)
Windego (northern USA)
Wetiko (central to north-eastern USA)
Wihalaid, the Cannibal Beast (USA, Na-Dene)
Windago (central to north-eastern USA)
Windikouk (central to north-eastern USA)
Who-Who
the Wigidokowok People(n.w. USA, Native)
Wildman
Wild Man Uncle (n.w. USA, Nehalem)
Wild Man Of Borneo
Witiko
Woods Child (USA, Ohio, 1800s)
Woods Booger (southeastern USA)
Woods Devils (USA, NH, Coos county)
Wooly Booger
