Bigfoot or Yeti. Legends and real stories about Bigfoot Bigfoot or

Since prehistoric times, human fear of the unknown has given rise to legends about bloodthirsty monsters living in places untouched by civilization. It is still unknown, for example, whether it exists only in fairy tales or whether there is real scientific evidence.

Myths and testimonies of ancient peoples

The legendary animal has many names, depending on the region where it was seen:

• Nepalese Yeti;
• American Sasquatch or Bigfoot;
• Australian Yowie;
• Chinese Yeren.

Titles minche And tzu-tech in the Tibetan language, the unknown beast is classified as a bear.

The Lepcha people of India, who live in the Sikkim Himalaya region, revere a "creature from the glacier" described as resembling a prehistoric one. hominid, considered the deity of hunting and appearance compares him to a bear.

In the Bon religion, the blood of the mi-rgod or “wild man” was used for special ceremonies.

Scientists study the yeti phenomenon

When eyewitness accounts were fragmentary and no records, bones or other physical evidence were found, anthropologists hypothesized that Bigfoot was a hominid, a descendant of Neanderthals who survived to this day. Carl Linnaeus came up with the name Homo troglodytes(cave man).

• The first documented tracks were described by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Howard-Bury in the book “Mount Everest. Intelligence" in 1921. A guide from the local Sherpa people told the climber that he had seen what the Tibetans call metoh-kangmi or “wild man of the snows.”
• In 1925 photographer Tombazi on the slope of Zemu noticed a tall creature with red fur at an altitude of 4600m. above sea level, and also discovered footprints belonging to a bipedal, five-toed hominid with a foot length of 33 cm.
• In the territory former USSR in Abkhazia lives a family whose ancestor, according to stories local residents is the wild ape-like Zana. At the end of the 19th century, Prince Achba caught her and gave her to his vassal, who brought the savage to Tkhina. Rural centenarians say that Zana’s body was covered with long gray hair, her height reached two meters, she ran faster than horses and carried weights without much effort.
• Since 1975 Candidate of Historical Sciences Igor Burtsev began studying the descendants of Zana. He managed to get permission to dig up his son’s skull and send it for examination. unusual woman Tahina. The results showed that these people originated from West Africa. It is also believed that Zana was simply a mentally retarded runaway.

What does Bigfoot look like?

In popular culture, the image of Bigfoot as an ape-like creature has formed gigantic size with white skin and elongated forelimbs. People fear him as a monster that can drag away and eat people. This idea differs from the one that cryptozoologists form based on eyewitness accounts.

If we summarize the impressions of the lucky ones who saw the tracks of the animal and himself, the yeti really looks like a huge upright orangutan, whose height reaches 3 m. The body of the animal is covered with brown, gray or red hair, the head is approximately twice the size of a human and has a pointed shape.

He deftly moves through mountains and climbs trees, surpassing people in strength and speed. Scientists suggest that Bigfoot is an omnivore, feeding on small animals, insects and berries.

Where does the legendary Bigfoot live?

Judging by the legends, the descendant of ancient primates likes to hide in the mountains. Yeti is known in more than dozens of regions on three continents:

1. They talk about encounters with an unknown “wild man” in the Himalayas, Dagestan, Abkhazia, Bhutan, Pamir, the Caucasus, the Urals, Chukotka;
2. More than 300 evidence was recorded in China;
3. Arriving on the Australian continent, the Europeans encountered wild ape-like aborigines and even fought with them;
4. North America and Canada also have their own legend about the Sasquatch.

Since Bigfoot was encountered most often in the territory of the former USSR, in 1957. A Commission was created at the Academy of Sciences, which brought together scientists from related specialties (geologist, mountaineer, doctor, anthropologist) to study the phenomenon. However, this work did not produce serious results.

Does Bigfoot really exist?

At the end of the 20th century, only cryptozoologists and fanatics believed in the reality of the Yeti. Science community considered all information concerning the hominid to be erroneous or fabricated. However, in 2013 Oxford University professor Brian Sykes and his team carried out a genetic analysis of the hair of a mummified Bigfoot from Ladakh, northern India, and wool found by one of the inhabitants of Bhutan. These samples were between 20 and 40 years old. The result showed that the DNA of the samples matched 100% with the genetic material of the ancestor of polar bears, who lived during the Pleistocene era, that is, from 40,000 to 120,000 years ago.

After publishing this news, Brian Sykes continued to collect genetic material from everyone who claimed to have encountered the monster. The remaining samples obtained belonged to different types predators, domestic dogs, some turned out to be plant and even synthetic fibers.

In 2016, a paper was presented at the 69th Annual Anthropological Research Conference in the USA. It dealt with the study of teeth marks discovered in 2013-2014. in the Mount St. Helens area of ​​Washington State. Mitchell Townsend argued that impressions on deer rib bones indicate a hominid with a jaw twice the size of a human. The scientist concluded that the animal that gnawed the ribs held them with one hand, as primates do.

IN beginning of XXI century, the approach to the issue of searching for information about ancient monsters has changed. If previously a big role was played by the subjective ideas of scientists about the findings and stories of witnesses, now there are tools that give accurate answers. Based on new data, debates continue in the pseudo-scientific community about whether Bigfoot exists or not. We can only wait for the next discoveries to put an end to this issue.

5 most reliable video facts of the existence of the Yeti

In this video, anthropologist Vladimir Perevalov will show real-life footage in which he managed to capture Bigfoot:

Yeti is the well-known Bigfoot, living in the mountains and forest areas. On the one hand, this is a mythological creature whose secret thousands of scientists around the world are trying to unravel. On the other hand, this a real man, which, due to its disgusting appearance, hides away from human eyes.

Today, a new theory has emerged that may prove that Sasquatch lives in the Himalayas (the mountains of Asia). This is evidenced by strange marks on the snow cover. Scientists suggest that the Yeti lives below the Himalayan snow line. To find irrefutable evidence, dozens of expeditions were assembled to the mountains of China, Nepal and Russia, but no one was able to prove the existence of the famous “monster”.

Features

Yeti are easy to spot and recognize. If you suddenly travel around the East, keep this reminder for yourself.

"Bigfoot reaches almost 2 meters in height, and his weight varies from 90 to 200 kilograms. Presumably, everything depends on the habitat (and, accordingly, on nutrition). This is a muscular big guy who has a thick hairline all over the body. The color of the coat can be either dark gray or brown. In fact, this is just a general portrait of the famous Yeti, because in different countries it is presented in different ways."

History of the Bigfoot

Yeti is a character in ancient legends and folklore. The Himalayas welcome its guests with old stories, where the key figure is the formidable and dangerous Snow Man. As a rule, such legends are needed not to scare travelers, but to warn against wild animals that can easily harm and even kill. The legends about the famous creature are so old that even Alexander the Great, after conquering the Indus Valley, demanded from local residents proof of the existence of the Yeti, but they only said that Bigfoot lives at high altitudes.

What evidence is there

Since the end of the 19th century, scientists have assembled expeditions to find evidence of the existence of the Yeti. For example, in 1960, Sir Edmund Hillary visited Everest and discovered the scalp of an unknown beast. Several years later, research confirmed that it was not a scalp, but a warm helmet made from a Himalayan goat, which, after a long stay in the cold, could appear to be part of the head of Bigfoot.

Other evidence:

Russian expedition

In 2011, a conference was held, attended by biologists and researchers from all over Russia. This event was organized with the support of the government of the Russian Federation. During the conference, an expedition was assembled that was supposed to study all the data about Bigfoot and collect irrefutable evidence of his existence.

A few months later, a group of scientists announced that they had found White hair in a cave that belongs to Yeti. However, the scientist Bindernagel proved that all the facts were compromised. This is evidenced by the work of Jeff Meldrum, an Idaho professor of anatomy and anthropology. The scientist said that the twisted tree branches, photographs and collected materials were crafts, and the Russian expedition was needed only to attract the attention of tourists from all over the world.

DNA samples

In 2013, geneticist Brian Sykes, who teaches at Oxford, announced to the whole world that he had materials for research, which were teeth, hair and skin. The study examined more than 57 samples and carefully compared them to the genomes of every animal in the world. The results were not long in coming: most of the material belonged to already known living creatures, such as a horse, a cow, a bear. Even the teeth of a polar-brown bear hybrid that lived more than 100,000 years ago were discovered.

In 2017, another series of studies was carried out, which proved that all the materials belonged to Himalayan and Tibetan bears, as well as a dog.

Proponents of the theory

Despite the fact that there is still no evidence of the existence of the Yeti, entire communities dedicated to Bigfoot have been organized around the world. Their representatives believe that the mysterious creature is simply impossible to catch. This proves that the Yeti is an intelligent, cunning and educated creature that is carefully hidden from human eyes. The absence of irrefutable facts does not mean that such creatures do not exist. According to the theory of adherents, Bigfoot prefers a reclusive lifestyle.

Neanderthal mystery

Researcher Myra Shackley, in her book about Sasquatch, described the experiences of two tourists. In 1942, two travelers were in the Himalayas, where they saw black spots moving hundreds of meters from their camp. Thanks to the fact that tourists were located on the ridge, they could clearly distinguish the height, color and habits of unknown creatures.

“The height of the “black spots” reached almost two meters. Their heads were not oval, but square. It was difficult to determine the presence of ears from the silhouette, so perhaps they were not there, or they were adjacent too close to the skull. The broad shoulders were covered with a reddish color -brown hair that hung down. Despite the fact that the head was covered with hair, the face and chest were completely naked, making flesh-colored skin visible. The two creatures uttered a loud cry that scattered throughout the entire mountain range."

Scientists are still debating whether these sightings were real or just the imagination of inexperienced tourists. Mountaineer Reinhold Messner concluded that large bears and their tracks were often mistaken for Yetis. He wrote about this in his book "My Quest for the Yeti: Confronting the Deepest Secret of the Himalayas."

Does Bigfoot really exist?

In 1986, tourist Anthony Woodridge visited the Himalayas, where he also discovered the Yeti. According to him, the creature stood only 150 meters from the traveler, while Bigfoot did not make any sounds or move. Anthony Woodridge spent a long time tracking the unnaturally huge footprints, which later led him to the creature. Finally, the tourist took two photographs, which he presented to the researchers upon his return. Scientists studied the pictures for a long time and carefully, and then came to the conclusion that they are genuine and not a fake.

John Napira - anatomist, anthropologist, director of the Smithsonian Institution, biologist who studies primates. He also studied Woodridge's photographs and said that the tourist was too experienced to confuse the image of the Yeti with a large Tibetan bear. However, more recently, the images were re-examined, and then a team of researchers came to the conclusion that Anthony Woodridge took a photograph of the darkened side of the rock, which stood upright. Despite the indignation of true believers, the photographs were recognized, although real, but not proving the existence of Bigfoot.

Many myths and legends of the world closely resonate with real events and encounters that defy explanation. Big Foot is one of the most controversial figures in history. Although its existence has not been proven, there are eyewitnesses who claim to have encountered a real Yeti.

Origin of the Yeti Image

The first mention of the existence of a huge, hairy humanoid creature living in the mountains is found in. There is a record that this territory is inhabited by a humanoid creature of incredible size, possessing the instinct of survival and self-preservation.

The term “Bigfoot” first appeared thanks to people who went on expeditions and conquered the snow-capped peaks of the Tibetan mountains. They claimed to have seen huge footprints in the snow belonging to. Now this term is considered obsolete, because it has become known that yetis prefer mountain forests rather than snow.

While there is an active discussion among scientists around the world about who Bigfoot is - myth or reality, the inhabitants of the mountainous local eastern countries, and especially Tibet, Nepal and some regions of China, are absolutely confident in his existence and even often come out with Yeti on contact. In the middle of the 20th century. The Nepalese government has even officially recognized the existence of the yeti.

According to the law, anyone who can discover the habitat of Bigfoot will receive a large monetary reward.

Based on this, we can say that the yeti is a mythical or real humanoid animal that lives in the mountain forests of Tibet, Nepal and some other areas.

Description of the yeti's appearance

From Tibetan legends and eyewitness observations, you can learn a lot about what Bigfoot looks like. Characteristic features of his appearance:

• Yetis belong to the family of hominids, which includes the most developed individuals of primates, i.e., humans and apes.
• The peculiarity of such creatures is that they are extremely a big increase. The average adult of this species can reach from 3 to 4.5 m.
• The yeti's arms are disproportionately long and almost reach the feet.
• The entire body of Bigfoot is covered with fur. It can be gray or black.
• It is believed that the females of this hominid species differ so much large size chests, that when moving quickly they have to throw them over their shoulders.

The Yeti family is the American and South American Bigfoot. In some sources it is called Big-footed.

Character and lifestyle of the creature

Despite its appearance, the yeti is far from aggressive and has a relatively balanced and peaceful character. They avoid contact with people and deftly climb trees, like monkeys.

Yeti are omnivores, but prefer fruits. They live in caves, but there are suggestions that some species that live deep in the forest are able to build their homes in trees.

Hominids are capable of reaching unprecedented speeds of up to 80 km/h, which is why they are so difficult to catch. Not a single attempt to catch a yeti has been successful.

Encounters with Yeti in reality

History knows many cases of human encounters with Yeti. Usually the main characters in such stories are hunters and people leading a hermit life in forest or mountainous areas.

The Yeti is one of the main subjects of study for people interested in cryptozoology. This is a pseudoscientific direction that searches for evidence of the existence of mythical and legendary creatures. Often cryptozoologists are simple enthusiasts without a higher scientific education. They still put a lot of effort into catching the mythical creature.

The first traces of Bigfoot were discovered in the Himalayan mountains in 1899. The witness was an Englishman named Weddell. According to the eyewitness, he did not find the animal itself.

One of the official mentions of a meeting with the Yeti dates back to 2014 during a mountain expedition of professional climbers. Forwarders conquered highest point Himalayan mountains - Chomolungma. There, at the very top, they first noticed giant footprints located at a fairly large distance from each other. Later they saw a wide, hairy figure of a humanoid creature, reaching a height of 4 m.

Scientific refutation of the existence of Yeti

In 2017, Dr. biological sciences Pyotr Kamensky gave an interview for the scientific publication “Arguments and Facts”, in which he proved the impossibility of the existence of the Yeti. He used several arguments.

On this moment There are no places left on Earth that have not been explored by man. Last close-up view primates was discovered more than 100 years ago. The discoveries of modern scientists are mainly rare small plants, etc. The Yeti is too large to be able to constantly hide from researchers, zoologists and ordinary residents of mountainous areas. The size of the yeti population plays a big role. It is clear that in order to maintain the existence of a separate species, at least several dozen individuals must live in one area. Hiding such a number of huge hominids is not an easy task.

The overwhelming majority of evidence in favor of the existence of Bigfoot turned out to be falsification.

The image of the Yeti in popular culture

Like many other folklore and mythical creatures, the image of Bigfoot is actively used in art and various manifestations popular culture. Including literature, film industry and computer video games. The character is endowed with both positive and negative traits.

Bigfoot in literature

The Yeti character is actively used in their works by writers all over the world. The image of a huge hairy hominid is found both in fantasy and mystical novels, popular science works, and in children's books.

The yeti plays one of the main roles in the novel by American science fiction writer Frederick Brown “The Terror of the Himalayas.” The events of the book take place in the Himalayan mountains during the filming of a movie. Unexpectedly, the actress who played in the film main role, is kidnapped by a yeti - a huge humanoid monster.

In the science fiction series “Disc World” by the famous British novelist Terry Pratchett, yetis are one of the main ones. They are distant relatives of the giant trolls, living in the permafrost region behind the Ovtsepik Mountains. They have snow-white fur, can bend the passage of time, and their giant feet are considered a powerful aphrodisiac.

In children's fantasy novel Alberto Melis's title "In Search of the Yeti" describes the adventure of a team of researchers who went to the Tibetan mountains in order to save Bigfoot from the ubiquitous hunters.

Character in computer games

Bigfoot can be called one of the most common characters in computer games. They usually live in tundras and other icy areas. For games, there is a standard image of Bigfoot - a creature that resembles something between a gorilla and a human, of gigantic stature with snow-white and thick fur. This color helps them camouflage effectively environment. Lead predatory image life and pose a danger to travelers. In battle they use brute force. The main fear is fire.

Bigfoot and his history

Bigfoot or Sasquatch is a relative of the Tibetan Bigfoot that inhabits the forests and mountains of the American continent. The term first appeared in the late sixties thanks to the American bulldozer driver Roy Wallace, who discovered traces around his house that resembled human ones in shape, but reached enormous sizes. Roy's story quickly gained popularity in the press, and the animal was recognized as a relative of the Tibetan Bigfoot.

Almost 9 years later, Roy presented a short video to the media. In the video you can see a female Bigfoot moving through the forest. This video was examined for a long time by all kinds of scientists and others. Many recognized it as real.

After Roy's death, his friends and relatives admitted that all of Woless's stories were just fiction, and the confirmations were falsifications.

• For the tracks he used ordinary boards, carved in the shape of large feet.
• The video showed the bulldozer driver's wife dressed in a suit.
• The rest of the materials that Roy regularly demonstrated to the public also turned out to be false.

Although Roy's story turned out to be false, this does not mean that there are no anthropoid hominids in America. There are many more stories in which the Sasquatch appears as the main actor. The Indians, the indigenous inhabitants of America, claim that huge hominids lived on the continent long before themselves.

Externally, Bigfoot looks almost the same as its Tibetan relative - Bigfoot. The main differences are that the maximum height adult reaches 3.5 m. The color of the American bigfoot is red or brown.

Albert is captured by Bigfoot

In the seventies, a certain Albert Ostman, who worked all his life as a lumberjack in Vancouver, Canada, told his story of how he lived as a captive of a family of Bigfoots.

At that time, Albert was only 19 years old. After work, he stayed overnight on the outskirts of the forest in a sleeping bag. In the middle of the night, someone huge and strong grabbed the bag along with Albert. As it turned out later, Bigfoot stole him and took him to a cave where a female and two children also lived. The creatures did not behave aggressively towards the lumberjack, but rather treated him like people treat their pets. A week later, the guy managed to escape.

The Bigfoot Story at Michelin Farm

At the beginning of the 20th century. In Canada, unusual events took place on the Micheline family farm for some time. For 2 years they encountered Bigfoot, which eventually simply disappeared. Over time, Micheline's family shared some stories of encounters with this creature.

They came face to face with Bigfoot for the first time when they youngest daughter played near the forest. There she noticed a large, hairy creature that reminded her of a man. When Bigfoot saw the girl, he headed towards her. Then she began to scream and men came running with guns, scaring away the unknown monster.

The next time the girl saw a hominid, she was doing household chores. It was noon. She raised her eyes to the window, then collided with the gaze of that same Bigfoot, who was now closely watching her through the glass. This time the girl screamed again. Her parents came running to her aid with a gun and drove the creature away with shots.

The last time Bigfoot came to the farm was at night. There he encountered dogs that barked loudly, causing him to disappear. After this, the hominid no longer appeared at Michelin's farm.

The History of Frozen Bigfoot

One of the most sensational stories related to the meeting of man and Yeti is the story of the American military pilot Frank Hansen. In 1968, Frank appeared in a famous touring exhibition. He had an unusual exhibit - a huge refrigerator, inside of which there was a block of ice. Inside this block one could see the body of a humanoid creature covered with fur.

A year later, Frank allowed two scientists to study the frozen creature. Over time, the FBI began to show interest in Frank's exhibit. They wanted to get the frozen corpse of Bigfoot, but he mysteriously disappeared for many years.

After Hansen's death in 2012, his family admitted that Frank had kept a refrigerator containing a frozen corpse in his basement for decades. own home. The pilot's relatives sold the exhibit to Steve Basti, the owner of the Museum of Oddities.

Professional examination of the exhibit

In 1969, Frank Hansen allowed zoologists Euvelmans and Sandersen to examine the exhibit. They made up a small scientific work, describing his observations in it.

Hansen refused to say where he got the Bigfoot corpse, so zoologists initially suggested that it was a Neanderthal preserved in a block of ice from the Stone Age. It was then discovered that the creature had died from bullet wound in the head and was in ice for no more than 2-3 years.

1. The individual was male and reached almost 2 m in height. The peculiarity was that the entire body of the hominid was covered with thick, long black hair, which is absolutely not typical for people, even in the presence of diseases of excessive hair.
2. Bigfoot's body proportions are quite close to those of humans, but are more reminiscent of the physique of a Neanderthal. Broad shoulders, too short neck, convex rib cage. The limbs were also distinguished by their prehistoric proportions: the legs were shorter than human ones, curved, and the arms were too long and almost reached the hominid’s heels.
3. Bigfoot's facial features are also more reminiscent of Neanderthals.
4. A small forehead, a large mouth without lips, a large nose with swollen eyebrows that are very visible to the eyes.
5. The feet and palms are much larger and wider than human ones, and the fingers are shorter.

Confession of Frank Hansen

There he wrote that he once went hunting in the mountain forests. He followed the trail of a deer, which he had been tracking for some time, and completely unexpectedly saw a picture that shocked him. Three huge hominids, covered with black hair from head to toe, stood around a dead deer with its belly ripped open and ate its entrails. One of them noticed Frank and headed towards the hunter. Frightened, the man shot him straight in the head. Hearing the sound of the shot, the other two Bigfoots ran away.

Description

Testimonies about encounters with “Bigfoot” most often feature creatures that differ from modern humans in having a denser physique, pointed skull shape, longer arms, short neck length and massive lower jaw, relatively short hips, with thick hair all over. body - black, red, white or gray. Faces are dark in color. The hair on the head is longer than on the body. The mustache and beard are very sparse and short. They climb trees well. It has been suggested that mountain populations of Bigfoot people live in caves, while forest populations build nests on tree branches. Carl Linnaeus designated it as Homo troglodytes(cave man). Very fast. He can overtake a horse, and on two legs, and in the water - a motor boat. Omnivore, but prefers plant foods, loves apples very much. Eyewitnesses described encounters with specimens of varying heights, from average human height to 3 m or more.

Ideas about Bigfoot and its various local analogues are very interesting from the point of view of ethnography. The image of a huge scary man can reflect the innate fears of darkness, the unknown, and relationships with mystical forces among different peoples. It is quite possible that in some cases snow people people with unnatural hair or feral people were accepted.

origin of name

He was named Bigfoot thanks to a group of climbers who conquered Everest. They discovered the loss of food supplies, then heard a heartbreaking scream, and a chain of footprints similar to human ones appeared on one of the snow-covered slopes. The residents explained that it was the Yeti, the abominable snowman, and categorically refused to set up camp in this place. Since then, Europeans have called this creature Bigfoot.

Existence

Most modern scientists are skeptical about the possibility of the existence of Bigfoot.

...about Bigfoot he said: “I really want to believe, but there is no reason.” The words “no basis” mean that the issue has been studied and, as a result of the study, it has been discovered that there is no reason to trust the original statements. This: is the formula of the scientific approach: “I want to believe,” but since “there is no reason,” then we must abandon this belief.
Academician A. B. Migdal From guess to truth.

The attitude of a professional biologist to the question of the possibility of the existence of “Bigfoot” was illustrated by paleontologist Kirill Eskov in a popular article:

At least, I don’t know any laws of nature that would directly prohibit existence in the mountains Central Asia relict hominoid - “ape-man”, or simply large ape. It must be assumed that, contrary to its name, it is not connected in any way with the eternal snows (except for the fact that it sometimes leaves traces there), but should live in the belt of mountain forests, where there is ample food and shelter. It is clear that any reports about North American “bigfoot” can be thrown out with a clear conscience without reading (for there are no primate species on that continent and never have been, and in order to get there from Asia through circumpolar Beringia, as people did, you must at least have fire), but in the Himalayas or the Pamirs - why not? There are even quite plausible candidates for this role, for example, Meganthropus - a very large (about two meters tall) fossil ape from South Asia, which had a number of “human” features that bring it closer to the African Australopithecus, the direct ancestors of hominids […]
So, do I admit (as a professional zoologist) the fundamental possibility of the existence of a relict hominoid? - answer: “Yes.” Do I believe in his existence? - answer: “No.” And since we are talking here not about “I know/don’t know”, but about “I believe/don’t believe”, I will allow myself to express a completely subjective judgment on this matter, based personal experience: […] where a professional has once set foot, not a single animal larger than a rat has a single chance of remaining “unknown to science.” Well, since by the end of the twentieth century there were almost no places left where a professional would not have set foot at all (at least on land) - draw your own conclusions...

- “Cryptukha, sir!”, article. Kirill Eskov, Computerra, 03.13.07, No. 10 (678): pp. 36-39.

Currently, there is not a single representative of the species living in captivity, nor a single skeleton or skin. Nevertheless, there are allegedly hairs, footprints and several dozen photographs and videos ( Bad quality) and audio recordings. The reliability of this evidence is questionable. For a long time One of the most convincing pieces of evidence was a short film made by Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin in 1967 in Northern California. The film allegedly showed a female Bigfoot. However, in 2002, after the death of Ray Wallace, for whom this filming was made, evidence appeared from his relatives and acquaintances, who said (however, without presenting any physical evidence) that the whole story with the “American Yeti” was from beginning to end. the end is rigged; The forty-centimeter “footprints of the Yeti” were made with artificial forms, and the filming was a staged episode with a man in a specially tailored monkey suit.

However, it should be noted that Patterson’s film aroused genuine interest among researchers from the National Geographic Channel. In the section “Reality or Fiction” (broadcast in December 2010), an attempt was made to study and examine Patterson’s film from the point of view of the possibility of its falsification. Experienced make-up artists, a tall actor imitating a gait, special effects specialists and scientists were brought in as experts. The appearance of the creature in the film was assessed, its fur adjacent to the muscles, the proportions of the limbs, the dynamics of movement, the shooting distance was taken into account, etc. As a result, according to the unanimous opinion of the experts involved, even at the current level of development of the media industry and video effects, not to mention already at the level of 1967, it is almost impossible to achieve such a degree of realism in the plot of Bigfoot.

On the other hand, from enthusiasts of this topic one can hear accusations against “official science” that its representatives simply brush aside the available evidence. Here is a typical text of this kind:

In fact, those who say “there is no reason” simply do not even want to get acquainted with what has been “dug up” by enthusiastic researchers. “We hear countless examples of this in history.” I will give only two. When the Canadian Rene Dahinden at the end of 1971 brought us a copy of the film shot by Patterson in 1967, I personally once approached the then director of the Institute of Anthropology of Moscow State University V.P. Yakimov and offered to show the film to him and the staff of the institute, he literally put his hands forward, like would recoil from the proposal and say; "No! No need!" But this did not stop him from declaring that there was no reason...
And when at the international symposium, which he (Yakimov) chaired, Professor Astanin went to the podium to present to those present the materials of an anatomical study of the hand of the Yeti from the Pangboche monastery (Tibet), Yakimov did not allow him to speak and drove him from the podium in violation of the democratic traditions of such forums - to the protests of the participants... As a result, some of them left the symposium meeting.
And a recent example: when I came from the USA after a five-week “investigation” of the events at the Carter farm in the fall of 2004, where, according to the owner, a clan of Bigfoot lived, and I offered to speak and talk about the results in the anthropology department of the Institute of Ethnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, its head. S. Vasiliev declined under the pretext of being busy with other issues.
At the same time, when there was a noise in the press about the existence of a “Bigfoot” in the Shoria mountains (south of the Kemerovo region), the same Vasiliev stated without hesitation: “Alas, we do not have data on the existence of humanoids anywhere in the world"…
Igor Burtsev, Ph.D. ist. Sciences, Director International Center Hominology, Moscow.

The Soviet scientist B.F. Porshnev paid much attention to the topic of Bigfoot.

Commission of the Academy of Sciences to study the issue of “Bigfoot”

Commission members J.-M. I. Kofman and Professor B.F. Porshnev and other enthusiasts continued to actively search for Bigfoot or his traces.

Society of Cryptozoologists

Mentions in history and literature

Abstract drawing of Bigfoot.

There are numerous known depictions of creatures similar to Bigfoot (on art objects from Ancient Greece, Rome, Ancient Armenia, Carthage and Etruscans and medieval Europe) and mentions, including in the Bible (in Russian translation shaggy), Ramayana ( rakshasas), in Nizami Ganjavi’s poem “Iskander-name”, folklore different nations (faun, satyr And strong in Ancient Greece, yeti in Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan, ghoul-baths in Azerbaijan, chuchunny, chuchunaa in Yakutia, Almas in Mongolia, ezhen (野人 ), maoren(毛人) and renxiong(人熊) in China, kiik-adam And albasty In Kazakhstan , goblin, shish And shishiga from the Russians, diva in Persia (and Ancient Rus'), Chugayster in Ukraine , dev And albasty in the Pamirs, shurale And yarymtyk among the Kazan Tatars and Bashkirs, Arsuri among the Chuvash, picenus among the Siberian Tatars, abnauayu in Abkhazia , sasquatch In Canada , teryk, girkychavylin, worldygdy, Kiltanya, market, arysa, Rackem, Julia in Chukotka, trampoline, sedapa And orang pendek in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Agogwe, kakundakari And ki-lomba in Africa, etc.). In folklore they appear in the form of satyrs, demons, devils, goblin, merman, mermaids, etc.

Opponents of the version of the existence of Bigfoot, which includes most professional biologists and anthropologists, point to the lack of unambiguous evidence (living individuals or their remains, high-quality photographs and videos) and the possibility of arbitrary interpretation of the available evidence. There are frequent references to a well-known biological fact: the long-term existence of a population requires a minimum size of the order of hundreds of individuals, the vital activity of which, according to critics, simply cannot be invisible and not leave numerous traces. The explanations put forward for the evidence generally boil down to the following set of versions:

Links

see also

Notes

1. K. Eskov. “Cryptuh, sir!”
2. Patterson's film
3. B. F. Porshnev Current state of the issue of relict hominoids Viniti, Moscow, 1963
4. Soviet "Bigfoot" Itogi magazine
5. Zhanna-Marie Kofman
6. see, for example, “Popular Biological Dictionary”, 1991, Ed. USSR Academy of Sciences, edited by corresponding member A. V. Yablokov
7. V. B. Sapunov, Doctor of Biology. Sciences Bigfoot in two dimensions, or an alternative to the noosphere
8. J. Kofman At the origins of a new science (To the 40th anniversary of the publication of Professor B. F. Porshnev’s monograph “ Current state the question of relict hominoids" VINITI 412 since 1963) magazine "Mediana" No. 6 2004
9. KAZAKHSTAN CHRONICLE “P” Year 1988
10. Trakhtengerts M. S. Habitat of primates of the Alamas species, journal “Natural and Technical Sciences” ISSN 1684-2626, 2003, No. 2, pp. 71-76
11. Dmitri Bayanov, Igor Bourtsev In The Footsteps of the Russian Snowman 240 pages “Pyramid Publications” 1996 ISBN 5-900229-18-1 ISBN 978-5-900229-18-8 (English)
12. B. A. Shurinov 20th century paradox « International relationships» 315 pages 1990 ISBN 5-7133-0408-6
13. A Russian biologist considers Sasquatch and other yetis to be feral oligophrenics.
14. Beiko V. B., Berezina M. F., Bogatyreva E. L. et al. Great encyclopedia animal world: Scientific-pop. edition for children. - M.: ZAO ROSMEN-PRESS, 2007. - 303 p. UDC 087.5, BBK 28.6, p. 285.

There is a lot of unknown and unexplored things in the world. One of the controversial topics for scientists is Bigfoot; there are debates about who he is and where he came from. Various opinions and versions are expressed, and each of them has its own justification.

Does Bigfoot exist?

Yes and no, depends on who and by what characteristics are classified as this category of living organisms:

1. There are several names for it, for example, Sasquatch, Yeti, Almasty, Bigfoot and a number of others. It lives high in the mountains in central and northeast Asia, as well as in the Himalayas, but there is no reliable evidence of its existence;
2. There is an opinion of Professor B.F. Porshnev that it is the so-called relict (preserved from ancient times) hominid, that is, it belongs to the order of primates, which includes humans as a biological genus and species;
3. Academician A. B. Migdal in one of his articles cited the opinion of an oceanologist regarding the reality of the Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot. Its essence was that there is no reason to believe in it, despite the fact that I would very much like to: the basis of the scientific approach lies in its proof;
4. According to paleontologist K. Eskov, this subject, in principle, can live in certain natural habitats. At the same time, according to the zoologist, the location of the creature in this case should be known and studied by professionals.

There is also a point of view that snow man is a representative of an alternative branch of the evolution of the human race.

What does Bigfoot look like?

Descriptions of the Yeti are not very diverse:

• The creature has a human-like face with dark skin, quite Long hands, with a short neck and hips, a heavy lower jaw, a pointed head shape. The muscular and dense body is covered with thick hair, which is shorter in length than the hair on the head. Body length varies from the usual average human height to approximately 3 meters in height;
• Greater dexterity is noted when climbing trees;
• The length of the foot is reported to be up to 40 cm in length and 17-18 and even up to 35 cm in width;
• In the descriptions there is information that the yeti’s palm is also covered with hair, and they themselves look like monkeys;
• In one of the regions of Abkhazia in the second half of the 19th century, there lived a wild, hairy woman named Zana, who had children from men from the local population.

Stories about encounters with Bigfoot are accompanied by descriptions of huge, fur-covered creatures that instill fear and horror, which can even cause people to lose consciousness or get a mental disorder.

Who are cryptozoologists and what do they do?

The term is derived from the words “cryptos”, which is translated from Greek as hidden, secret, and “zoology” - to everyone famous science about the animal world, which includes humans:

• At the end of the 80s of the last century in our country, enthusiasts created a society of cryptozoologists, engaged in the search and study of Bigfoot as a special branch of humanoid creatures that have survived from ancient times and exist in parallel with “homo sapiens”;
• It is not part of academic science, although at one time it was “assigned” to the Ministry of Culture Soviet Union. One of the most active founders of the society was the doctor M.-J. Kofman, a participant in the expedition to the Pamirs to search for Bigfoot, organized through the Academy of Sciences in 1958, and a member of a special commission, which included famous scientists in the field of geology, botany, anthropology, physics;
• A huge role in developing the issue of relict hominids was played by Professor B.F. Porshnev, who considered this problem not only from the point of view of paleontology, but also included a worldview approach based on social role modern man, in contrast to his purely biological functions.

This society still exists today, and its members publish their works.

What is the correct name for hominids?

The name “Bigfoot” appeared in the 20s of the last century, and according to one version, it is due to inaccuracy of translation:

• It does not at all indicate that the creature constantly lives in the snows of the highlands, although it can appear there during its movements and transitions. At the same time, it finds food below this zone, in forests and meadows;
• Boris Fedorovich Porshnev believed that these creatures, classified as hominids, not only cannot be associated with snow, but, by and large, there is no reason to call him a man in the sense as we understand it. Residents of the areas in which the research was conducted do not use this name. The scientist generally considered this term random and not corresponding to the essence of the subject of study;
• Professor-geographer E.M. Murzaev mentioned in one of his works that the name “Bigfoot” was a literal translation of the word “bear” from some languages ​​of the peoples of Central Asia. Many people understood it in the literal sense, which introduced a certain confusion of concepts. This is quoted by L. N. Gumilyov in his work on Tibet.

It has many local “names” in different regions of the country and the world.

Bigfoot theme in art

He is present in various traditions and legends, and is the “hero” of feature films and animated films:

• As Bigfoot in folklore northern peoples Siberia performed the semi-fantastic “Wandering Chukchi”. The indigenous and Russian population believed in its existence;
• ABOUT wild people called chuchunami And mulens, says Yakut and Evenki folklore. These characters wore animal skins and had long hair, tall stature and slurred speech. They were very strong, ran fast, and carried bows and arrows. They could steal food or deer, or attack a person.
• Russian scientist and writer Peter Dravert in the 30s, based on local stories, published an article about these, as he called, primitive people. At the same time, his reviewer Ksenofontov believed that this information relates to the ancient beliefs of the Yakuts, who believed in spirits;
• Several films have been made on the theme of Bigfoot, ranging from horror to comedy. These include Eldar Ryazanov’s film “The Man from Nowhere,” a number of American films, and the German cartoon “Trouble in the Himalayas.”

In the state of Bhutan it is laid through the mountains a tourist route, called the Bigfoot Trail.

Just like in Marshak’s poems about an unknown hero whom everyone is looking for but cannot find. They even know his name - Bigfoot. Who he is - it’s just not possible to determine for sure, and whether he exists in principle.

6 rare videos about Yeti

In this video, Andrei Voloshin will show rare footage proving the existence of Bigfoot: