Friday 3 October 2008

10 Reasons why Bigfoot is Stupid


Bigfoot is the common name for the giant humanoid creature that has been reported seen on numerous occasions in places such as the US (particularly the Appalachians and the Rockies) and the Himalayas. Although Bigfoot is the American popular term it is also known there as Sasquatch. In the Himalayas it is often called the Yeti or Abominable Snowman. Nevertheless this giant humanoid is claimed by many to exist.

The study of Bigfoot falls under cryptozoology. Cryptozoology is

  1. the study of animals thought to have long been extinct and
  2. the study of animals that have yet to be proven empirically to exist.

It is known that giant humanoids once existed on the planet. Gigantopithecus, for example, was a 3m (10ft) tall ape that roamed parts of Asia up until a few hundred thousand years ago. Could Bigfoot be a relative or Gigantopithecus? This is certainly suggested by certain cryptozoologists. Species such as the “fossil fish” ceolacanth were thought to have been long extinct until they were discovered as recently as the early 20th century. So perhaps Bigfoot falls into the first group?

It is also possible that Bigfoot could fall into the 2nd group. Creatures such as the Giant Squid (the legendary kraken) were thought to be simply maritime legend until the 19th century when part of a giant squid was discovered. It was only in the 21st century that a live giant squid was photographed. So occasionally mythical creatures are proven to exist.

However what evidence do we have for the existence of Bigfoot and how likely is Bigfoot to exist? The following 10 points should lead to the conclusion that the existence of Bigfoot is…well…rubbish or at least very unlikely.

  1. No body. Until a body is found, scientists have to remain sceptical of the existence of the creature. For there to be a significant population of Bigfoot there has to be a significant number of skeletons and corpses. After much searching and much exploration of the woods and mountainous areas of the US over much time, a body has yet to be found.
  2. No fossil record. No evidence of great apes existing in North America has ever been found. While absence of evidence is not evidence of absence it certainly reduces the probability of existence given the amount of zoological data for other creatures in North America.
  3. No breeding population. If Bigfoot exists and is closely related to humans there would need to be a significant population to ensure genetic diversity. Some estimates are around 5000-10,000 individuals at least. Such a large population would significantly reduce the probability of them not being found. It’s not impossible, but it is highly unlikely.
  4. Similar looking animals exist. Bears and bison abound in the United States and have similar colouring and shape to a Bigfoot. This would explain away many of the credulous reported sightings of a bipedal, brown and furry creature.
  5. Similar habitat theory. Closely related creatures are generally attracted to similar habitats and food sources. This would make the possibility of human contact more likely although of course not certain, certainly more likely.
  6. The Patterson Video. The Patterson Video is arguably the best piece of evidence for the existence of Bigfoot. This video made in 1967 shows an ape like creature walking by a river. The original footage is rather blurry and shaky leaving very little clear evidence that this is not a man in a suit (I’ve left a link to an edited version that has the shaking removed). Pro Bigfoot advocates claim that various aspects of the subject’s walk including muscle-tone, gait, arm proportions and wrist movements are evidence that the subject is not human. This “evidence” anomaly spotting should be considered in context of the film’s quality. There is also a claim that the alleged costume is too realistic to actually be a costume and would have cost too much to produce. Penn and Teller have shown that a convincing costume would not actually cost that much and given the distance from the camera from which the “Bigfoot” was, that this claim is false. The rest of the evidence for its credibility (and for it as a hoax) is really based on character judgments, 2nd hand testimonies, hearsay and legend. Nevertheless there is clear doubt and the burden of providing evidence should be left with the advocates of Bigfoot’s existence. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT-R4Bus5Cs&feature=related
  7. Hoaxes. It is often cited that the shear number of sightings of Bigfoot and footprints suggest that the existence of Bigfoot is credible. However it is also suggested by cryptozoologists that as many as 70-80% of these Bigfoot “events” are hoaxes. Some of the more famous sightings including the Ray Wallace footprints in 1958, his audio recordings and photos have emerged as hoaxes too.
  8. Patterns of sightings. As with alien sightings, crop circles and other apparent paranormal events, Bigfoot sightings often occur in patterns and are thought to be driven by the popular media and the popularising of the creature. While humanoid mythical figures exist in very many cultures around the world (elves, angels, tokkelosh, leprechauns) and there is native American folklore surrounding Bigfoot, the reported sightings of Bigfoot grew significantly subsequent to the Wallace 1958 claim. While this does not negate perhaps the few seemingly credible evidence it does bring into question most of the reporting sightings.
  9. Footprints and dermal ridges. It is reported that many of the Bigfoot prints contain dermal ridges (fingerprints) that would be difficult to fake. It is suggested that these ridges provide significant evidence towards the prints’ authenticity. Fingerprint experts while claiming that the dermal ridges are convincing, they can be faked. Whether these are or are not genuine Bigfoot prints is not really significant enough due to the doubt and possibility of faking.
  10. Ultimately no credible evidence exists. Neither Blood nor DNA evidence exists proving the existence of a hominid. And Bigfoot hunters and sceptics alike will agree that the only credible evidence for the existence of Bigfoot will be DNA or preferably a body (dead or alive). Until then we might as well be trying to prove that pink unicorns don’t exist. The burden of proof therefore lies with the Bigfoot proponents. While it’s not 100% impossible that Bigfoot exists, the lack of significant evidence thus far would suggest that Bigfoot is unfortunately a modern day myth.
References:
www.wikipedia.org
www.skepdic.org
www.youtube.com
...and their associated links

21 comments:

David Ansara said...

Great post - courtesy of Carnival of the Africans.

I liked the point about genetic diversity and the lack of critical mass. 10 000 animals is a hell of a lot for nobody to spot one!

But surely if I believe something to be true I don't really need evidence, do I? Darn it, I suppose I do.

I remember being quite taken by this Bigfoot story in my "Timespan Mysteries" book that I had as a kid and really wanting to believe it but never quite being able to. God I hate growing up...

Keep up the good blog.

David

Maydont said...

Thanks David...

Absence of Evidence isn't Evidence of Absense, as they say. But that is really only true for that which hasn't really been explored. I could certainly admit that there is a very real possibility of aliens out there in the cosmos, since we've done very little exploration ourselves, however Bigfoot is just to big a thing to be true in a such a relatively well-populated area.

Thanks for the comment and the encouragement.
maydont

David Ansara said...

1. Aliens = probable despite lack of evidence.

2. Bigfoot = improbable because of lack of evidence.

Obviously the independent variable of human population density in the alleged areas where BF exists increases the likelihood of no.2 being untrue.

Check

Anonymous said...

NOT REAL

Anonymous said...

hes a stupid theorey

Spear The Almighty said...

Great post.

It is nice folklore though, makes life more interresting for those that whant to believe in bullshit.

Anonymous said...

Having been on one of those BFRO expeditions, I can tell you that bigfoot is...

Religion.

People believe in bigfoot not because there is evidence, but because it intrigues them. When people like the twits in the BFRO call a mangy bear cub in Pennsylvania a sasquatch, it's time to hide the sharp objects.

Bigfoot is pure crap and it survives today because (1) there are millions of people who WANT it to be real, and (2) they support the Bigfoot industry on TV (MonsterQuest, etc.).

It's religion.

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snore stop said...

Thanks for information. I could certainly admit that there is a very real possibility of aliens out there in the cosmos, since we've done very little exploration ourselves, however Bigfoot is just to big a thing to be true in a such a relatively well-populated area.

Anonymous said...

Millions of Hunters, believers, scientists, Forest Treckers and native tribesmen Havent found One dead or alive since 1958 Stories appeared. I think this says it all. How could they have missed the thousands of bigfeet that would be needed to Keep this species alive? A being 9 Feet tall and weighing 800 pounds!?

How likely is that?????

Anonymous said...

"Bigfoot Is Real"
http://bigfootsightings.org/friends-sasquatch-different/#comment-25296

Anonymous said...

Word. Bigfoot you big dumb ass! *waves beef jerky*

Lol you're all morons as far as I'm concerned.

The Truth is In Here said...

“After much searching and much exploration of the woods and mountainous areas of the US over much time!

But, NOT by skeptics!

“This would explain away many of the credulous(?) reported sightings of a bipedal, brown and furry creature.”

“However it is also suggested by cryptozoologists that as many as 70-80% of these Bigfoot “events” are hoaxes”

So ‘Suggestions’ of hoaxes are taken over 20-30% credible?

“The burden of proof therefore lies with the Bigfoot proponents. While it’s not 100% impossible that Bigfoot exists, the lack of significant evidence thus far would suggest that Bigfoot is unfortunately a modern day myth. “

Seasoned hunters don’t get scared by fictional mythical creatures!

Humans usually gather the ‘Evidence’ that supports their prior viewpoint or belief.
Believers and skeptics alike!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

I live in kentucky. A few years back BFRO came to my community and did a show. They portrayed the area as the deep woods of ky. I can on imagine what someone in the city is thinking. (A hillbilly shack in the wilderness) In reality it's an area with that is pretty populated with half million dollar homes. I both hunt and fish and have never seen anything not I have ever talked to anyone that has. Every fall deer hunters swarm the woods. I'm talking about thousands of hunters. They are EVERYWHERE! Nope no bigfoot!

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