1 00:00:04,125 --> 00:00:09,333 Tonight, the most elusive beast in North America. 2 00:00:09,458 --> 00:00:11,958 Bigfoot might be the most widely spotted cryptid in history. 3 00:00:13,458 --> 00:00:15,292 LYNNE MCNEILL: This is not something that's limited 4 00:00:15,375 --> 00:00:18,958 to just one region, or even just one continent. 5 00:00:19,083 --> 00:00:23,042 This is something that is reported all over the world. 6 00:00:23,167 --> 00:00:26,833 Despite thousands of sightings, this mysterious animal 7 00:00:26,958 --> 00:00:29,417 remains unidentified. 8 00:00:29,542 --> 00:00:31,917 FORREST BURGESS: Top scientists are at a loss. 9 00:00:32,042 --> 00:00:34,167 They can't find any match to any known species. 10 00:00:34,292 --> 00:00:37,167 Now, we explore the top theories 11 00:00:37,333 --> 00:00:39,542 surrounding this cryptic creature. 12 00:00:39,667 --> 00:00:43,167 RYAN GOLEMBESKE: How did these two cowboys 13 00:00:43,292 --> 00:00:47,250 pull off the greatest thing in creature feature history? 14 00:00:47,375 --> 00:00:49,292 CHRISTOPHER BADER: It is possible 15 00:00:49,375 --> 00:00:51,792 that some of these could be wild humans. 16 00:00:51,917 --> 00:00:55,167 LYNNE: There was a creature that was thought to have gone extinct 17 00:00:55,333 --> 00:00:58,583 that did match this description. 18 00:00:58,708 --> 00:01:00,000 LAURENCE: Does Bigfoot exist? 19 00:01:00,125 --> 00:01:04,292 And if so, what is it, and where is it? 20 00:01:04,375 --> 00:01:06,542 [music] 21 00:01:20,125 --> 00:01:24,042 September 1958, Humboldt County, California, 22 00:01:24,167 --> 00:01:28,000 lumber worker Jerry Crew is operating a bulldozer 23 00:01:28,083 --> 00:01:30,750 when he spots something strange in the woods. 24 00:01:30,875 --> 00:01:32,167 Maybe 20 feet away from where 25 00:01:32,333 --> 00:01:34,375 he's working, he sees these 26 00:01:34,500 --> 00:01:37,583 large human-like footprints pressed deep into the mud. 27 00:01:37,708 --> 00:01:39,417 And he mentions it to his supervisor, 28 00:01:39,542 --> 00:01:41,208 a man named Wilbur Shorty Wallace. 29 00:01:42,375 --> 00:01:44,000 LAURENCE: Upon closer examination, 30 00:01:44,125 --> 00:01:48,083 the prints are 16 inches across, 31 00:01:48,208 --> 00:01:50,458 much too big to be human. 32 00:01:50,542 --> 00:01:52,833 It's unlike anything he's ever seen before. 33 00:01:52,917 --> 00:01:54,917 Could it be an animal print? Sure. 34 00:01:55,042 --> 00:01:57,542 But if it is, it's strangely human, 35 00:01:57,667 --> 00:01:59,333 but much larger. 36 00:02:00,833 --> 00:02:03,667 LAURENCE: Initially, Jerry suspects a coworker 37 00:02:03,792 --> 00:02:05,792 is playing a prank on him. 38 00:02:05,875 --> 00:02:08,167 RYAN: Let's be real, you're working in a remote area 39 00:02:08,292 --> 00:02:10,625 with a bunch of guys, it's a brotherhood. 40 00:02:10,750 --> 00:02:12,833 We play pranks on each other, it's just what we do. 41 00:02:12,917 --> 00:02:15,000 Shorty Wallace's brother Ray Wallace 42 00:02:15,125 --> 00:02:17,000 is a complete prankster. 43 00:02:17,125 --> 00:02:18,792 So, when Jerry sees these prints, 44 00:02:18,875 --> 00:02:21,500 he's assuming that the guys are pulling his leg. 45 00:02:21,625 --> 00:02:25,375 LAURENCE: But soon, other strange accounts surface. 46 00:02:26,708 --> 00:02:29,208 LYNNE: At a job site the year before, 47 00:02:29,333 --> 00:02:32,667 a 450-pound fuel drum 48 00:02:32,833 --> 00:02:34,083 went missing. 49 00:02:34,208 --> 00:02:36,500 It was found nearby in a gully, 50 00:02:36,625 --> 00:02:41,708 but it had these giant human-like footprints nearby. 51 00:02:41,833 --> 00:02:45,500 This is not something that an average-sized human being 52 00:02:45,625 --> 00:02:47,250 could move on their own at all. 53 00:02:49,042 --> 00:02:52,208 People also see a 700-pound tire 54 00:02:52,375 --> 00:02:55,333 is magically moved over to a ditch. 55 00:02:55,417 --> 00:02:57,417 And what is around it? Tracks. 56 00:02:58,708 --> 00:03:00,833 LAURENCE: Given the size of the footprints, 57 00:03:00,917 --> 00:03:04,458 the loggers come up with a nickname for the creature-- 58 00:03:04,542 --> 00:03:06,292 Bigfoot. 59 00:03:07,542 --> 00:03:09,500 FORREST: There are lots of logging operations in the area, 60 00:03:09,667 --> 00:03:12,917 and workers on other sites catch wind of this Bigfoot. 61 00:03:13,042 --> 00:03:15,083 For many of them, this strikes a chord. 62 00:03:15,208 --> 00:03:18,083 LYNNE: A number of them who have been working 63 00:03:18,208 --> 00:03:21,000 out in these woods have reported the sensation 64 00:03:21,125 --> 00:03:23,292 of feeling like they've been watched, 65 00:03:23,375 --> 00:03:27,208 that there is some sort of intelligence 66 00:03:27,375 --> 00:03:30,167 that is observing them as they work. 67 00:03:30,292 --> 00:03:32,417 LAURENCE: It's not long before these accounts 68 00:03:32,542 --> 00:03:34,792 attract local media attention. 69 00:03:34,917 --> 00:03:36,833 FORREST: The story of Bigfoot makes its way 70 00:03:36,917 --> 00:03:39,667 to the Humboldt Times newspaper in the form of a letter 71 00:03:39,833 --> 00:03:42,500 that lands on the desk of writer Andrew Genzoli. 72 00:03:42,583 --> 00:03:45,583 Like Jerry Crew, Genzoli assumes at first 73 00:03:45,708 --> 00:03:48,333 that the letter is from some crackpot. 74 00:03:48,458 --> 00:03:52,625 But on September 21st, 1958, he has a column to finish, 75 00:03:52,750 --> 00:03:54,833 so he mentions it towards the end 76 00:03:54,917 --> 00:03:57,417 just as a bit of a joke, like, "Hey, guess what, 77 00:03:57,542 --> 00:04:00,750 "Humboldt County has its very own abominable snowman. 78 00:04:00,875 --> 00:04:02,708 They call it Bigfoot." 79 00:04:02,875 --> 00:04:08,333 Once people see this story, it catches on like wildfire. 80 00:04:08,417 --> 00:04:11,000 People are intrigued by this. 81 00:04:11,125 --> 00:04:13,250 It ties in with their own experiences. 82 00:04:13,375 --> 00:04:16,125 They've heard rumors that fall right into line 83 00:04:16,250 --> 00:04:18,000 with what's being reported. 84 00:04:18,125 --> 00:04:20,000 It only makes sense at this point 85 00:04:20,125 --> 00:04:22,083 that Genzoli is going to follow up. 86 00:04:22,208 --> 00:04:25,042 So, he sets out to follow up with Crew 87 00:04:25,167 --> 00:04:26,958 to talk to the other lumberjacks 88 00:04:27,042 --> 00:04:29,250 to find out what's going on here. 89 00:04:29,375 --> 00:04:30,833 What Genzoli ultimately found out 90 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:32,167 when he did some more research 91 00:04:32,292 --> 00:04:34,208 is that the idea of Bigfoot itself, 92 00:04:34,375 --> 00:04:36,167 of a large creature with large footprints, 93 00:04:36,333 --> 00:04:38,542 was not new, and in fact, was part of the folklore 94 00:04:38,667 --> 00:04:40,667 of Native American tribes for some time. 95 00:04:40,792 --> 00:04:42,792 There are reports of unusual footprints 96 00:04:42,917 --> 00:04:46,083 and sightings here dating back throughout the 1800s. 97 00:04:46,208 --> 00:04:49,417 RYAN: In 1850, a prospector was mining 98 00:04:49,542 --> 00:04:51,542 on the side of Mount Shasta, 99 00:04:51,667 --> 00:04:55,625 and he had what could be said as one of the first interactions 100 00:04:55,708 --> 00:04:59,000 with Bigfoot, when a large hairy hominid 101 00:04:59,083 --> 00:05:02,917 came out of the woods and smashed his sluice, 102 00:05:03,042 --> 00:05:05,042 and then went back in the woods, as if to say, 103 00:05:05,167 --> 00:05:06,625 "Get the hell off my mountain." 104 00:05:06,708 --> 00:05:09,000 Because of all of the stories coming in, 105 00:05:09,125 --> 00:05:10,792 all of the engagement from readership, 106 00:05:10,917 --> 00:05:14,333 the Humboldt Times ends up publishing an entire series 107 00:05:14,417 --> 00:05:17,375 of stories about this creature called Bigfoot. 108 00:05:17,542 --> 00:05:21,750 This causes a huge stir, and this story goes national. 109 00:05:22,792 --> 00:05:25,250 LAURENCE: Within weeks, the name "Bigfoot" 110 00:05:25,375 --> 00:05:28,000 is known across America. 111 00:05:28,083 --> 00:05:29,333 RYAN: With all this attention, 112 00:05:29,500 --> 00:05:31,625 there is a mad rush to investigate. 113 00:05:31,750 --> 00:05:33,583 And so, the L.A. Times, the New York Times, 114 00:05:33,708 --> 00:05:37,333 they all show up because they want a piece of Bigfoot. 115 00:05:37,458 --> 00:05:40,417 The whole country is buzzing about this. 116 00:05:40,542 --> 00:05:43,333 We see an immediate divide between believers 117 00:05:43,458 --> 00:05:45,875 and non-believers, and skeptics and die-hards. 118 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:48,458 Everyone has an opinion. 119 00:05:48,542 --> 00:05:51,167 A popular TV show offers a $1,000 prize 120 00:05:51,292 --> 00:05:52,667 to anyone who will come forward 121 00:05:52,792 --> 00:05:55,125 and admit to perpetrating this hoax. 122 00:05:55,208 --> 00:05:57,333 And no one steps up to claim the money. 123 00:05:58,750 --> 00:06:01,583 LAURENCE: In fact, new evidence emerges. 124 00:06:01,708 --> 00:06:04,333 RYAN: So, on October 17th, 1958, 125 00:06:04,500 --> 00:06:06,125 a gentleman named George Smith 126 00:06:06,250 --> 00:06:08,583 is driving through Humboldt County, 127 00:06:08,708 --> 00:06:13,500 and he has to slam on his brakes as this large hairy beast 128 00:06:13,625 --> 00:06:15,500 crosses the road in front of him. 129 00:06:15,583 --> 00:06:17,042 JEFF MELDRUM: He described it as being 130 00:06:17,167 --> 00:06:18,667 at least eight feet in height. 131 00:06:18,792 --> 00:06:20,917 It stood upright and walked, 132 00:06:21,042 --> 00:06:23,042 and it appeared shaggy 133 00:06:23,167 --> 00:06:25,667 like it was wearing a bearskin coat. 134 00:06:25,792 --> 00:06:27,083 FORREST: Could this be the same beast 135 00:06:27,208 --> 00:06:29,583 that's been leaving behind all these footprints? 136 00:06:29,708 --> 00:06:31,333 Or is Smith just making this story up 137 00:06:31,458 --> 00:06:32,667 to get his 15 minutes of fame? 138 00:06:34,625 --> 00:06:37,167 Despite the fact that we don't end up with any proof 139 00:06:37,250 --> 00:06:40,250 either way, Bigfoot becomes engrained 140 00:06:40,375 --> 00:06:43,167 in our nation's collective psyche. 141 00:06:43,292 --> 00:06:45,292 People are actually making trips, 142 00:06:45,417 --> 00:06:47,333 making pilgrimages-- what folklorists 143 00:06:47,458 --> 00:06:50,083 would call legend trips to Humboldt County 144 00:06:50,208 --> 00:06:52,500 to look for Bigfoot themselves. 145 00:06:52,625 --> 00:06:55,500 For years, unsubstantiated reports of sightings 146 00:06:55,625 --> 00:06:56,875 continue pretty regularly. 147 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:59,917 More oversized Bigfoot tracks are found, 148 00:07:00,042 --> 00:07:02,667 some trails stretching on for several miles. 149 00:07:02,750 --> 00:07:05,000 LYNNE: This is not something that's limited 150 00:07:05,083 --> 00:07:07,708 to just one region or even just one continent. 151 00:07:07,833 --> 00:07:10,708 This is something that is reported 152 00:07:10,875 --> 00:07:12,833 in firsthand and secondhand accounts 153 00:07:12,917 --> 00:07:14,667 all over the world. 154 00:07:14,750 --> 00:07:18,292 But as time goes on, the mystery begins to take on 155 00:07:18,375 --> 00:07:20,667 a slightly different tone. 156 00:07:21,917 --> 00:07:23,875 LAURENCE: Tales of Bigfoot encounters 157 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:28,125 grow more outlandish and increasingly suspicious. 158 00:07:28,208 --> 00:07:29,667 CHRISTOPHER: People started to claim everything 159 00:07:29,750 --> 00:07:32,000 from Bigfoot kidnapped them, 160 00:07:32,167 --> 00:07:34,000 to they've seen Bigfoot reading a newspaper 161 00:07:34,083 --> 00:07:35,417 on a flying saucer. 162 00:07:35,542 --> 00:07:37,750 They saw Bigfoot at 7-Eleven. 163 00:07:37,875 --> 00:07:40,083 FORREST: The vast majority of these later Bigfoot stories 164 00:07:40,208 --> 00:07:41,750 are clearly made up. 165 00:07:41,875 --> 00:07:44,458 Bigfoot almost becomes a joke. 166 00:07:44,583 --> 00:07:46,833 People do not take this seriously. 167 00:07:46,917 --> 00:07:49,667 This is not treated as a scientific finding. 168 00:07:49,792 --> 00:07:54,708 It's something that's largely considered to be untrue. 169 00:07:54,833 --> 00:07:57,583 It's a shame, really, because there are people 170 00:07:57,708 --> 00:08:00,667 who really saw something, and they really want answers. 171 00:08:00,750 --> 00:08:02,333 There are proven scientific methods 172 00:08:02,500 --> 00:08:04,500 that could possibly find those answers. 173 00:08:04,625 --> 00:08:06,792 Once everybody thinks Bigfoot is made up though, 174 00:08:06,917 --> 00:08:09,125 they stop taking the search seriously. 175 00:08:09,250 --> 00:08:12,667 Still, it's worth pointing out, as silly as things get, 176 00:08:12,833 --> 00:08:15,500 that original Humboldt Times story from 1958 177 00:08:15,625 --> 00:08:17,542 is never officially debunked. 178 00:08:17,667 --> 00:08:21,417 LAURENCE: That is, until 2002. 179 00:08:21,542 --> 00:08:23,667 In November of 2002, 180 00:08:23,833 --> 00:08:27,292 Jerry Crew's coworker Ray Wallace passed away. 181 00:08:27,417 --> 00:08:30,417 Soon after his death, Wallace's children come forward 182 00:08:30,542 --> 00:08:32,708 to reveal their father orchestrated the whole thing 183 00:08:32,833 --> 00:08:35,208 back in the 1950s and kept quiet about it 184 00:08:35,333 --> 00:08:36,625 all these years. 185 00:08:40,333 --> 00:08:43,208 LAURENCE: On his deathbed, Wallace has told his children 186 00:08:43,333 --> 00:08:44,958 the whole story. 187 00:08:45,083 --> 00:08:46,875 Ray Wallace comes up with the idea, 188 00:08:47,042 --> 00:08:49,667 and he enlists the help of his brother Shorty, obviously. 189 00:08:49,833 --> 00:08:52,542 And then they also get their nephew 190 00:08:52,667 --> 00:08:54,500 Mack McKinley in on it as well. 191 00:08:54,625 --> 00:08:57,125 CHRISTOPHER: He and his brother and his nephew 192 00:08:57,208 --> 00:08:59,292 would strap essentially wooden flip flops 193 00:08:59,375 --> 00:09:01,667 onto their feet and walk around, 194 00:09:01,792 --> 00:09:03,625 creating these large footprints. 195 00:09:03,708 --> 00:09:05,958 Wallace's kids even have a pair of the shoes 196 00:09:06,042 --> 00:09:08,458 their dad used to make the famous footprints. 197 00:09:08,583 --> 00:09:10,542 CHRISTOPHER: Wallace was a prankster, 198 00:09:10,667 --> 00:09:12,542 and according to his children, his original goal 199 00:09:12,708 --> 00:09:14,500 was simply to scare his friend Jerry. 200 00:09:14,625 --> 00:09:16,500 FORREST: But when the story blows up, 201 00:09:16,583 --> 00:09:19,000 rather than enjoying his "gotcha" moment, 202 00:09:19,083 --> 00:09:20,500 he decides to double down 203 00:09:20,625 --> 00:09:23,458 and keep the ruse going for decades. 204 00:09:23,583 --> 00:09:26,083 LAURENCE: Wallace's efforts aren't limited 205 00:09:26,208 --> 00:09:28,208 to fake footprints. 206 00:09:28,333 --> 00:09:31,417 On his property, Ray Wallace keeps a number of bison, 207 00:09:31,542 --> 00:09:33,792 and he uses their fur and their droppings 208 00:09:33,875 --> 00:09:36,375 to custom craft hair and stool samples 209 00:09:36,500 --> 00:09:39,500 that he leaves in the woods for Bigfoot hunters to find. 210 00:09:39,625 --> 00:09:42,250 Based on Wallace's hoax confirmation, 211 00:09:42,375 --> 00:09:43,792 for a lot of people, that's it. 212 00:09:43,917 --> 00:09:45,792 It should be case closed, we figured it out, 213 00:09:45,875 --> 00:09:47,792 this guy made something up. 214 00:09:47,875 --> 00:09:50,792 LAURENCE: But what about the other sightings? 215 00:09:50,917 --> 00:09:55,417 It is impossible for Ray, and Shorty, and Mack 216 00:09:55,542 --> 00:09:59,000 to be responsible for all Bigfoot sightings, 217 00:09:59,167 --> 00:10:02,333 experiences, interactions in the entire world. 218 00:10:02,458 --> 00:10:05,167 And Wallace never dressed up as an eight-foot-tall creature 219 00:10:05,333 --> 00:10:07,125 and walked around at night. 220 00:10:07,250 --> 00:10:10,333 What does that say for people who actually spotted an animal, 221 00:10:10,417 --> 00:10:12,625 and not just footprints or hair? 222 00:10:12,708 --> 00:10:14,167 And what about the many sightings 223 00:10:14,333 --> 00:10:17,042 that take place before Wallace is ever born? 224 00:10:17,167 --> 00:10:19,625 Has there been a century-long series of hoaxers, 225 00:10:19,708 --> 00:10:22,792 or are people really seeing something out there? 226 00:10:24,875 --> 00:10:26,625 CHRISTOPHER: While Wallace clearly played an important role 227 00:10:26,750 --> 00:10:29,042 in the gestation of the Bigfoot myth, 228 00:10:29,208 --> 00:10:31,000 he is certainly not the cause of it 229 00:10:31,083 --> 00:10:32,833 or the entire explanation for it. 230 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:35,333 RYAN: There have been over 5,000 documented sightings. 231 00:10:35,458 --> 00:10:37,417 There's no way one guy 232 00:10:37,542 --> 00:10:39,333 could be responsible for all of that. 233 00:10:39,500 --> 00:10:42,000 FORREST: I believe Ray Wallace accidentally shined a light 234 00:10:42,125 --> 00:10:45,125 onto a legend of a very real creature. 235 00:10:45,250 --> 00:10:48,000 The irony is that Ray Wallace's fake footprints 236 00:10:48,125 --> 00:10:50,000 may ultimately lead us to the truth. 237 00:10:54,208 --> 00:10:58,667 LAURENCE: 1967, Bluff Creek, California, 238 00:10:58,792 --> 00:11:01,792 11 years after news spreads nationwide 239 00:11:01,917 --> 00:11:04,042 of a creature called Bigfoot, 240 00:11:04,208 --> 00:11:07,542 two outdoorsmen head off to hunt the beast 241 00:11:07,667 --> 00:11:09,917 along the Klamath River. 242 00:11:10,042 --> 00:11:11,875 FORREST: In the summer of 1967, 243 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:14,542 Roger Patterson, who's become fascinated 244 00:11:14,667 --> 00:11:16,667 with the legend of Bigfoot, is filming 245 00:11:16,750 --> 00:11:18,333 a sort of pseudo-documentary 246 00:11:18,458 --> 00:11:19,667 on the subject, when he bumps 247 00:11:19,792 --> 00:11:21,417 into his old friend Bob Gimlin 248 00:11:21,542 --> 00:11:22,958 at a gas station. 249 00:11:23,083 --> 00:11:24,667 He tells Gimlin about his film, 250 00:11:24,792 --> 00:11:26,375 and that he's heading to check out 251 00:11:26,500 --> 00:11:28,042 some unidentified footprints 252 00:11:28,167 --> 00:11:29,792 found in the Northern California area. 253 00:11:29,917 --> 00:11:31,792 Gimlin agrees to go with him. 254 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:34,458 LYNNE: So, Patterson and Gimlin 255 00:11:34,542 --> 00:11:36,333 are about halfway through their journey 256 00:11:36,458 --> 00:11:37,667 when they're approaching a river, 257 00:11:37,792 --> 00:11:39,708 and something spooks 258 00:11:39,833 --> 00:11:41,333 Patterson's horse. 259 00:11:43,042 --> 00:11:45,083 He ends up falling off the horse, 260 00:11:45,208 --> 00:11:49,208 but when he sees what it was that his horse saw, 261 00:11:49,333 --> 00:11:53,083 he pulls out his camera and begins filming. 262 00:11:54,208 --> 00:11:57,792 The filmed encounter lasts 59 1/2 seconds. 263 00:11:57,875 --> 00:12:00,083 To Patterson and Gimlin, it feels like an hour. 264 00:12:01,542 --> 00:12:02,833 Something emerges from the brush-- 265 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:05,583 an enormous animal Patterson and Gimlin 266 00:12:05,708 --> 00:12:07,375 have never seen before. 267 00:12:07,500 --> 00:12:09,208 They think it might be Bigfoot. 268 00:12:09,333 --> 00:12:11,208 CHRISTOPHER: Once they surprise the creature, it starts walking 269 00:12:11,333 --> 00:12:12,708 quickly away from them, 270 00:12:12,833 --> 00:12:14,583 and they manage to follow it for quite some time 271 00:12:14,708 --> 00:12:16,833 before they lost sight of it in the woods. 272 00:12:16,958 --> 00:12:19,208 Patterson and Gimlin then hurry back to their campsite 273 00:12:19,333 --> 00:12:20,875 to grab some plaster. 274 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:23,500 They know they're going to need as much proof as possible, 275 00:12:23,625 --> 00:12:26,958 so they take casts of the prints left behind by the beast. 276 00:12:28,083 --> 00:12:29,625 LAURENCE: That night, the 16-millimeter film 277 00:12:29,708 --> 00:12:30,833 is developed. 278 00:12:32,167 --> 00:12:34,708 LYNNE: What the film shows us 279 00:12:34,833 --> 00:12:38,625 is a massive bipedal creature. 280 00:12:38,750 --> 00:12:41,417 It's maybe six and a half, seven feet tall. 281 00:12:41,542 --> 00:12:42,875 It's covered head to toe 282 00:12:43,042 --> 00:12:46,583 in this sort of silvery brown fur 283 00:12:46,708 --> 00:12:49,417 that reflects the sunlight, and it's walking 284 00:12:49,542 --> 00:12:53,125 with this loping sort of gait through the landscape. 285 00:12:53,250 --> 00:12:55,542 FORREST: Compared to previous descriptions, 286 00:12:55,667 --> 00:12:57,583 it's slightly smaller, with wider hips 287 00:12:57,708 --> 00:12:59,542 and a rounder silhouette. 288 00:12:59,708 --> 00:13:01,292 It also appears to have mammary glands. 289 00:13:02,667 --> 00:13:04,125 Gimlin and Patterson theorize 290 00:13:04,208 --> 00:13:05,833 that they're looking at a female Bigfoot. 291 00:13:05,958 --> 00:13:08,750 They nickname her Patty, after Roger Patterson. 292 00:13:10,500 --> 00:13:13,000 LAURENCE: Though the pair are convinced by what they saw, 293 00:13:13,083 --> 00:13:15,500 many dismiss the film as a hoax. 294 00:13:15,583 --> 00:13:17,333 RYAN: The Patterson-Gimlin footage has been scrutinized 295 00:13:17,458 --> 00:13:18,833 since it came out. 296 00:13:18,958 --> 00:13:20,833 Everyone's had a chance to look at it, 297 00:13:20,917 --> 00:13:22,542 try to break it down, try to explain 298 00:13:22,667 --> 00:13:25,500 why it would be fake or not, and to this day, you know, 299 00:13:25,667 --> 00:13:26,875 you have people on both sides, 300 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:28,292 real or fake, but nobody 301 00:13:28,375 --> 00:13:29,750 can disprove it. Nobody. 302 00:13:30,958 --> 00:13:33,125 FORREST: 1967 is the same year 303 00:13:33,208 --> 00:13:34,458 that the movie "Planet of the Apes" 304 00:13:34,542 --> 00:13:35,708 is released. 305 00:13:35,833 --> 00:13:37,667 This is the height of big-budget 306 00:13:37,833 --> 00:13:39,250 Hollywood special effects back then. 307 00:13:39,375 --> 00:13:41,667 If anything, the Patterson-Gimlin footage 308 00:13:41,792 --> 00:13:43,292 looks more realistic 309 00:13:43,375 --> 00:13:45,125 than the ape suits we see in that movie. 310 00:13:45,250 --> 00:13:46,833 RYAN: You're talking about, you know, 311 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:48,583 two guys in the backwoods of Humboldt. 312 00:13:48,708 --> 00:13:50,917 They didn't have deep pockets to build something like this. 313 00:13:51,042 --> 00:13:54,167 So, how did these two cowboys 314 00:13:54,333 --> 00:13:57,583 pull off the greatest thing in creature feature history? 315 00:13:57,708 --> 00:13:59,667 And the thing is, is they didn't. 316 00:13:59,792 --> 00:14:01,375 FORREST: There are no visible seams, 317 00:14:01,542 --> 00:14:02,833 no zippers, no buttons. 318 00:14:02,917 --> 00:14:04,333 It's not baggy. 319 00:14:04,458 --> 00:14:06,458 You can actually see the creature's musculature 320 00:14:06,542 --> 00:14:08,375 moving under its skin. 321 00:14:08,500 --> 00:14:10,583 Even special effects experts can't explain that. 322 00:14:11,833 --> 00:14:14,958 LAURENCE: But if this film of Bigfoot is real, 323 00:14:15,042 --> 00:14:17,833 what type of creature might it be? 324 00:14:17,958 --> 00:14:20,167 There have been several attempts to classify the animal 325 00:14:20,250 --> 00:14:22,125 seen in Patterson and Gimlin's film. 326 00:14:22,208 --> 00:14:25,542 It's analyzed by Stanford scientists Jessica Rose 327 00:14:25,708 --> 00:14:27,875 and James Gamble in 1994, 328 00:14:28,042 --> 00:14:30,583 and they're experts in physiology and movement. 329 00:14:30,708 --> 00:14:32,292 They analyze the creature's gait, 330 00:14:32,375 --> 00:14:35,500 and can't find any match to known species. 331 00:14:35,625 --> 00:14:39,667 LYNNE: They concluded that this is not a gait 332 00:14:39,792 --> 00:14:42,708 or a movement that could be replicated 333 00:14:42,875 --> 00:14:44,833 by a person in a costume. 334 00:14:44,917 --> 00:14:47,167 The relationship of bones, to musculature, 335 00:14:47,292 --> 00:14:50,708 to skin and hair, is a unique thing 336 00:14:50,833 --> 00:14:54,042 for different animals, and it really wouldn't be possible 337 00:14:54,208 --> 00:14:59,000 for a human being to fake this type of difference 338 00:14:59,125 --> 00:15:01,000 in gait and movement. 339 00:15:02,292 --> 00:15:05,000 RYAN: In 1999, a pair of professors 340 00:15:05,083 --> 00:15:07,375 from the University of Florida's anthropology department 341 00:15:07,500 --> 00:15:09,833 also analyzed the film. 342 00:15:09,958 --> 00:15:11,958 And in 2009, the film is broken down 343 00:15:12,042 --> 00:15:14,000 frame by frame by an anthropologist 344 00:15:14,083 --> 00:15:16,833 from the New York Museum of Natural History. 345 00:15:16,958 --> 00:15:19,000 FORREST: As for what type of animal this is, 346 00:15:19,125 --> 00:15:20,958 they have no idea. 347 00:15:21,042 --> 00:15:23,292 These top scientists are at a loss. 348 00:15:23,375 --> 00:15:26,042 It's possible that Patterson and Gimlin 349 00:15:26,208 --> 00:15:29,125 have discovered an entirely new species. 350 00:15:34,542 --> 00:15:36,167 CHRISTOPHER: There are many examples of creatures 351 00:15:36,250 --> 00:15:38,125 that at first seemed mythical, 352 00:15:38,208 --> 00:15:40,125 or their description seemed hard to believe, 353 00:15:40,208 --> 00:15:42,000 such as the Komodo dragon, 354 00:15:42,125 --> 00:15:44,958 a giant lizard that would eat sheep whole. 355 00:15:45,042 --> 00:15:47,667 The narwhal, a whale with a horn on its head 356 00:15:47,750 --> 00:15:49,333 like a unicorn. 357 00:15:49,458 --> 00:15:52,667 LYNNE: The pelican-- an incredibly common bird 358 00:15:52,833 --> 00:15:55,292 in contemporary life, was at one time 359 00:15:55,375 --> 00:15:57,917 thought to be a mythological creature 360 00:15:58,042 --> 00:16:00,083 back in the Middle Ages. 361 00:16:00,208 --> 00:16:03,167 How about this? The giant squid. 362 00:16:03,292 --> 00:16:06,083 For millennia, since at least the days of Aristotle 363 00:16:06,208 --> 00:16:09,250 in the fourth century B.C., sailors would swear up and down 364 00:16:09,375 --> 00:16:11,667 that they saw these massive 20-foot-long-plus squid 365 00:16:11,792 --> 00:16:13,458 while out at sea. 366 00:16:13,542 --> 00:16:17,542 There are thousands of depictions and stories 367 00:16:17,667 --> 00:16:20,958 of people who claim to have seen the giant squid, 368 00:16:21,042 --> 00:16:25,458 and yet still, it was considered a mythological creature. 369 00:16:25,583 --> 00:16:27,958 It's another in a long line of fanciful tales 370 00:16:28,042 --> 00:16:30,167 of make-believe sea monsters like the Kraken. 371 00:16:30,292 --> 00:16:33,208 Squids just don't get that big. There's no evidence. 372 00:16:34,417 --> 00:16:38,000 LAURENCE: Until one day, there is. 373 00:16:38,125 --> 00:16:39,292 FORREST: Throughout the 19th century, 374 00:16:39,417 --> 00:16:41,625 small pieces and remains of giant squid 375 00:16:41,708 --> 00:16:44,292 would periodically wash up on the world's beaches. 376 00:16:44,375 --> 00:16:46,250 And these would convince some scientists 377 00:16:46,375 --> 00:16:49,958 of the giant squid's existence, but others kept on denying it. 378 00:16:50,083 --> 00:16:52,000 They'd say that until we find a living one, 379 00:16:52,083 --> 00:16:54,000 it's simply not proven. 380 00:16:54,083 --> 00:16:56,458 It wasn't until a fishing trawler caught one 381 00:16:56,583 --> 00:16:58,708 in 2004 that we realize that squids 382 00:16:58,833 --> 00:17:01,042 of this size actually exist. 383 00:17:01,167 --> 00:17:03,500 FORREST: They catch a nearly 30-foot-long giant squid 384 00:17:03,625 --> 00:17:05,667 that's later named Archie. 385 00:17:05,792 --> 00:17:09,167 It's been preserved by London's Natural History Museum, 386 00:17:09,292 --> 00:17:13,417 and can still be viewed today-- proof positive of a giant squid. 387 00:17:13,542 --> 00:17:16,833 So, hopefully one day Bigfoot can join the giant squid 388 00:17:16,958 --> 00:17:19,875 as a proven animal, but it could be tough. 389 00:17:20,042 --> 00:17:21,167 RYAN: A lot of people like to believe 390 00:17:21,292 --> 00:17:23,208 that all of life has been discovered, 391 00:17:23,333 --> 00:17:25,333 when it's quite the opposite. 392 00:17:25,500 --> 00:17:29,833 Over 80% of life on this planet is undiscovered. 393 00:17:29,917 --> 00:17:32,000 So, absolutely, a Bigfoot species 394 00:17:32,167 --> 00:17:33,292 could be out there. 395 00:17:37,292 --> 00:17:39,333 LAURENCE: Ever since large mysterious footprints 396 00:17:39,417 --> 00:17:42,208 were first reported in Oregon in the 1950s, 397 00:17:42,333 --> 00:17:45,250 there has been no shortage of Bigfoot sightings. 398 00:17:45,375 --> 00:17:47,167 Institutions like the Bigfoot 399 00:17:47,333 --> 00:17:49,167 Field Researchers Organization 400 00:17:49,250 --> 00:17:50,708 have been cataloging accounts 401 00:17:50,875 --> 00:17:52,542 since the 1990s. 402 00:17:52,667 --> 00:17:54,250 Even today, they're reporting sightings 403 00:17:54,375 --> 00:17:56,083 at a rate of four or more per month 404 00:17:56,208 --> 00:17:58,042 across the U.S. and Canada. 405 00:17:58,208 --> 00:18:01,583 LAURENCE: But in 2007, one in particular 406 00:18:01,708 --> 00:18:03,500 makes headlines. 407 00:18:03,625 --> 00:18:06,000 RYAN: In the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, 408 00:18:06,167 --> 00:18:08,167 there is a new piece 409 00:18:08,292 --> 00:18:09,750 of information that comes out 410 00:18:09,875 --> 00:18:11,667 that's very intriguing. 411 00:18:11,833 --> 00:18:13,875 FORREST: We get what could be the most compelling set 412 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:16,167 of Bigfoot images we've seen in 40 years. 413 00:18:17,542 --> 00:18:19,333 CHRISTOPHER: One evening at about 10:02 p.m. 414 00:18:19,458 --> 00:18:20,833 a motion-activated trail camera 415 00:18:20,958 --> 00:18:22,083 captured several bear cubs 416 00:18:22,208 --> 00:18:24,167 foraging for food. 417 00:18:24,292 --> 00:18:27,042 RYAN: After that, you have another picture 418 00:18:27,167 --> 00:18:29,042 that really, like, catch your attention. 419 00:18:29,167 --> 00:18:31,208 Something else comes into frame 420 00:18:31,375 --> 00:18:32,667 and is actually standing-- 421 00:18:32,792 --> 00:18:35,083 I like to call it downward-facing dog position. 422 00:18:35,208 --> 00:18:37,667 And the way that it is smelling the ground 423 00:18:37,833 --> 00:18:40,250 is exactly how primates do it. 424 00:18:40,375 --> 00:18:42,667 And this comes to be known as the Jacobs Bigfoot, 425 00:18:42,792 --> 00:18:45,167 after the camera's owner who set it up in the woods 426 00:18:45,250 --> 00:18:46,958 to help him track deer. 427 00:18:47,042 --> 00:18:50,333 It seems that the situation provides a pretty stark contrast 428 00:18:50,458 --> 00:18:54,083 between what are clearly bears and what is clearly not. 429 00:18:54,208 --> 00:18:57,042 It's fairly obvious when you compare the first photo 430 00:18:57,208 --> 00:18:59,667 of the Jacobs Bigfoot with one of the bear cubs 431 00:18:59,750 --> 00:19:01,125 taken in the same spot. 432 00:19:01,208 --> 00:19:02,792 They're in the same pose, but their anatomy 433 00:19:02,875 --> 00:19:04,167 is completely different. 434 00:19:04,292 --> 00:19:06,167 LAURENCE: The following week, 435 00:19:06,333 --> 00:19:08,917 the state of Pennsylvania's Game Commission 436 00:19:09,042 --> 00:19:11,458 offers an explanation. 437 00:19:11,583 --> 00:19:13,625 Sorry for all the Bigfooters out there, believers, 438 00:19:13,750 --> 00:19:16,750 but the Game Commission come out to check out the area, 439 00:19:16,875 --> 00:19:20,125 and their response is that it is simply a bear with mange. 440 00:19:23,375 --> 00:19:25,958 Scientists love to cite Occam's Razor-- 441 00:19:26,083 --> 00:19:27,500 the concept that the simplest solution 442 00:19:27,583 --> 00:19:30,375 to a problem is often the best and most likely. 443 00:19:30,542 --> 00:19:33,208 If you're in Texas and you hear hoofbeats, 444 00:19:33,375 --> 00:19:35,333 you should probably think horses and not zebras, 445 00:19:35,458 --> 00:19:37,792 because horses are the more common animal. 446 00:19:37,917 --> 00:19:39,708 Well, bears are super common. 447 00:19:39,833 --> 00:19:43,083 LYNNE: Let's consider Ursus Americanus-- 448 00:19:43,208 --> 00:19:45,667 the American black bear. 449 00:19:45,792 --> 00:19:47,792 What we know about this bear 450 00:19:47,917 --> 00:19:52,792 lines up really well with the reported characteristics 451 00:19:52,917 --> 00:19:57,667 of Bigfoot-- its size, its shape, its coloring. 452 00:19:57,750 --> 00:20:01,625 It seems like a very likely explanation 453 00:20:01,750 --> 00:20:03,208 for the Bigfoot legend. 454 00:20:05,292 --> 00:20:06,917 CHRISTOPHER: When they stand on their hind legs, 455 00:20:07,042 --> 00:20:10,083 black bears can reach up to six or seven feet in height, 456 00:20:10,208 --> 00:20:12,875 which is similar in height to many reported Bigfoot sightings. 457 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:16,125 LYNNE: Seen from far away, from the right angle, 458 00:20:16,250 --> 00:20:18,833 at the right moment, when it's standing up, 459 00:20:18,958 --> 00:20:21,542 when it's moving bipedally, 460 00:20:21,708 --> 00:20:26,708 it would be easy to mistake a black bear for Bigfoot. 461 00:20:28,208 --> 00:20:30,167 LAURENCE: The vast range of black bears 462 00:20:30,292 --> 00:20:32,500 could also support this. 463 00:20:32,625 --> 00:20:34,833 FORREST: Black bears live in the Pacific Northwest, 464 00:20:34,958 --> 00:20:37,667 the Northern Midwest, and the Rocky Mountain region, 465 00:20:37,792 --> 00:20:40,000 Alaska, and the northeast from Maine 466 00:20:40,125 --> 00:20:41,500 all the way down to Georgia. 467 00:20:41,625 --> 00:20:44,208 All of these places have had Bigfoot sightings. 468 00:20:45,542 --> 00:20:48,833 LYNNE: If we add in other species of bears 469 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:53,333 besides Ursus Americanus, we have the potential 470 00:20:53,458 --> 00:20:59,000 for Bigfoot or bear sightings all over the United States. 471 00:20:59,167 --> 00:21:02,542 LAURENCE: In 2014, Oxford University 472 00:21:02,667 --> 00:21:07,417 genetics professor Bryan Sykes further tests this theory. 473 00:21:07,542 --> 00:21:09,917 What Dr. Sykes did which was unique, 474 00:21:10,042 --> 00:21:12,292 was instead of simply looking at sightings reports, 475 00:21:12,375 --> 00:21:16,375 or photos, or tapes of Bigfoot, of vocalizations, 476 00:21:16,542 --> 00:21:18,333 Sykes actually as a genetics professor 477 00:21:18,458 --> 00:21:20,083 wanted to look at DNA samples, 478 00:21:20,208 --> 00:21:22,708 and he requested Bigfoot investigators 479 00:21:22,833 --> 00:21:25,958 from all across the world to send him their best examples 480 00:21:26,083 --> 00:21:27,667 of Bigfoot DNA. 481 00:21:27,833 --> 00:21:30,000 FORREST: Sykes collects 30 samples 482 00:21:30,125 --> 00:21:31,750 of purported Bigfoot hair, 483 00:21:31,875 --> 00:21:33,917 sent in from a wide variety of sources, 484 00:21:34,042 --> 00:21:37,333 from hardcore cryptozoologists, to amateur Bigfoot hunters, 485 00:21:37,500 --> 00:21:39,583 to roadside oddity museums. 486 00:21:39,708 --> 00:21:42,417 And what he finds is really telling. 487 00:21:42,542 --> 00:21:47,167 Almost all of them come from known animals. 488 00:21:47,333 --> 00:21:49,500 They come from bears, they come from horses, 489 00:21:49,625 --> 00:21:51,667 some of them even come from humans. 490 00:21:51,792 --> 00:21:57,792 But there's one sample that isn't accounted for. 491 00:21:57,875 --> 00:21:59,708 FORREST: Remember the theory that Bigfoot 492 00:21:59,875 --> 00:22:01,167 is an unknown species? 493 00:22:01,250 --> 00:22:03,875 Well, incredibly, Sykes' DNA analysis 494 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:06,875 of one sample actually does reveal the existence 495 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:09,375 of a previously unknown species. 496 00:22:09,542 --> 00:22:12,625 But it's not an unknown ape, it's an unknown bear. 497 00:22:14,375 --> 00:22:18,667 LYNNE: What we see is a hybrid between a brown bear 498 00:22:18,792 --> 00:22:21,667 and a distant cousin of the polar bear 499 00:22:21,792 --> 00:22:24,708 that was thought to have gone extinct a long time ago. 500 00:22:26,333 --> 00:22:28,292 LAURENCE: While Sykes believes this bear species 501 00:22:28,417 --> 00:22:30,708 may have given rise to the Bigfoot legend, 502 00:22:30,833 --> 00:22:33,708 some other scientists aren't convinced. 503 00:22:33,833 --> 00:22:37,000 Remember, Sykes' sample pool is just 30 specimens. 504 00:22:37,125 --> 00:22:39,167 Are all the Bigfoots out there 505 00:22:39,250 --> 00:22:41,417 just ordinary run-of-the-mill creatures? 506 00:22:41,542 --> 00:22:43,417 We've still got a long way to go to figure that out. 507 00:22:47,292 --> 00:22:50,500 Despite many long years of searching for proof it exists, 508 00:22:50,583 --> 00:22:52,500 the legendary creature known as Bigfoot 509 00:22:52,625 --> 00:22:55,125 remains more myth than fact. 510 00:22:55,208 --> 00:22:59,333 Then, a chance encounter in 1974 511 00:22:59,458 --> 00:23:03,667 convinces one man that he's finally solved the mystery. 512 00:23:05,542 --> 00:23:07,958 LYNNE: It is undeniable that the real heart 513 00:23:08,083 --> 00:23:12,167 of Bigfoot sightings have been in the Pacific Northwest 514 00:23:12,292 --> 00:23:13,417 of the United States. 515 00:23:13,542 --> 00:23:16,042 So, that's California, Oregon, 516 00:23:16,167 --> 00:23:17,333 Washington-- that's where 517 00:23:17,458 --> 00:23:18,708 the highest percentage 518 00:23:18,875 --> 00:23:20,542 of sightings have been reported. 519 00:23:21,667 --> 00:23:23,375 LAURENCE: But there have been alleged sightings 520 00:23:23,500 --> 00:23:26,583 of a creature like Bigfoot in other places, 521 00:23:26,708 --> 00:23:28,500 most notably Southern Florida. 522 00:23:30,542 --> 00:23:33,333 RYAN: In 1974, Dave Shealy is 10 years old, 523 00:23:33,458 --> 00:23:34,583 and him and his brother are walking 524 00:23:34,708 --> 00:23:36,500 across the Everglades, 525 00:23:36,625 --> 00:23:38,708 and they have an encounter. 526 00:23:38,833 --> 00:23:40,667 FORREST: Dave is too short to see over the grass, 527 00:23:40,792 --> 00:23:42,208 so his brother picks him up, 528 00:23:42,333 --> 00:23:43,583 lifts him over his head, 529 00:23:43,708 --> 00:23:44,958 and there he sees it 530 00:23:45,083 --> 00:23:46,333 100 yards away. 531 00:23:46,417 --> 00:23:48,625 LYNNE: And what he ends up seeing 532 00:23:48,750 --> 00:23:52,708 is a creature that he describes as large, hulking, 533 00:23:52,875 --> 00:23:56,500 walking on two legs, and hairy-- 534 00:23:56,625 --> 00:24:01,583 exactly how we see Bigfoot being described in other regions. 535 00:24:01,708 --> 00:24:05,458 LAURENCE: But Shealy knows it by a different name. 536 00:24:05,542 --> 00:24:08,000 This is something that he's heard stories about 537 00:24:08,083 --> 00:24:09,583 his entire life. 538 00:24:09,708 --> 00:24:12,583 He knows that what he's seeing in front of him 539 00:24:12,708 --> 00:24:14,125 is the Florida skunk ape. 540 00:24:17,792 --> 00:24:19,833 We already know that Bigfoot has been given 541 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:21,667 multiple names in multiple places. 542 00:24:21,833 --> 00:24:24,500 Sasquatch is probably its second most famous moniker. 543 00:24:24,583 --> 00:24:26,333 Some call it a yeti. 544 00:24:26,458 --> 00:24:27,833 In regions prone to winter weather, 545 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:30,500 it's been called the abominable snowman. 546 00:24:30,667 --> 00:24:32,958 But fewer people have heard of the skunk ape, 547 00:24:33,083 --> 00:24:36,125 which is particular to this one unique swampy area. 548 00:24:36,208 --> 00:24:38,500 CHRISTOPHER: The skunk ape is described in a way very similar 549 00:24:38,625 --> 00:24:40,250 to your common Bigfoot sighting. 550 00:24:40,375 --> 00:24:41,958 It's supposed to be about seven 551 00:24:42,083 --> 00:24:43,792 to eight feet tall, although it's more common 552 00:24:43,875 --> 00:24:46,208 for the skunk ape to be slightly smaller. 553 00:24:46,333 --> 00:24:49,208 DANIEL PEREZ: Perhaps it might be a subspecies of Bigfoot. 554 00:24:49,333 --> 00:24:52,083 The coloring of the hair is different. 555 00:24:52,208 --> 00:24:55,417 Some of the behavioral characteristics are different. 556 00:24:55,542 --> 00:24:57,375 LAURENCE: But there is one key difference 557 00:24:57,542 --> 00:24:59,542 that gives the creature its name. 558 00:25:00,750 --> 00:25:02,917 FORREST: The skunk ape has a distinct unpleasant odor. 559 00:25:03,042 --> 00:25:05,958 It's been compared to a wide array of foul smells-- 560 00:25:06,083 --> 00:25:09,583 wet dog, hot garbage, boiled cabbage, rotten eggs-- 561 00:25:09,708 --> 00:25:11,333 hence the name skunk ape. 562 00:25:11,417 --> 00:25:12,958 Maybe it's the heat, 563 00:25:13,083 --> 00:25:14,708 maybe it's the muggy wet conditions, 564 00:25:14,833 --> 00:25:17,292 or maybe nobody anywhere else 565 00:25:17,417 --> 00:25:19,833 has gotten close enough to Bigfoot to actually smell it. 566 00:25:19,958 --> 00:25:21,542 Maybe they all smell this way. 567 00:25:22,542 --> 00:25:25,042 LAURENCE: Stories of a human-like beast 568 00:25:25,167 --> 00:25:26,958 with an unmistakable stench 569 00:25:27,083 --> 00:25:29,333 have long been part of local lore. 570 00:25:29,458 --> 00:25:31,500 LYNNE: The native peoples of Florida, 571 00:25:31,583 --> 00:25:34,208 the Seminole, the Miccosukee people 572 00:25:34,333 --> 00:25:39,000 have stories of a creature described very similar 573 00:25:39,125 --> 00:25:41,458 to what is now called the skunk ape. 574 00:25:41,583 --> 00:25:43,333 RYAN: These legends of the skunk ape 575 00:25:43,458 --> 00:25:45,750 go back to the times of Spanish colonization. 576 00:25:45,875 --> 00:25:47,667 You know, we're talking 16th century. 577 00:25:47,792 --> 00:25:49,833 FORREST: Then, throughout the early 20th century, 578 00:25:49,958 --> 00:25:52,458 we get isolated reports from hunters and hikers 579 00:25:52,542 --> 00:25:54,667 about strange hairy two-legged creatures 580 00:25:54,750 --> 00:25:56,667 spotted in the Everglades. 581 00:25:56,792 --> 00:25:59,500 Surprisingly, not much research is done at that time. 582 00:25:59,667 --> 00:26:02,292 LYNNE: And the story really takes off 583 00:26:02,375 --> 00:26:04,500 in the 1970s in Florida, 584 00:26:04,625 --> 00:26:07,792 and we start to see many more encounters. 585 00:26:09,042 --> 00:26:11,500 LAURENCE: More intriguing, these alleged sightings 586 00:26:11,625 --> 00:26:14,250 increasingly come from larger groups 587 00:26:14,375 --> 00:26:16,042 sharing the same story. 588 00:26:16,167 --> 00:26:20,667 FORREST: In fact, in 1997, an entire tour bus of 40 people 589 00:26:20,750 --> 00:26:23,625 all see the strange creature simultaneously 590 00:26:23,750 --> 00:26:25,667 on the side of the road in broad daylight. 591 00:26:25,750 --> 00:26:29,000 LYNNE: Before long, we start hearing reports 592 00:26:29,167 --> 00:26:32,833 of encounters in the highly populated Broward County-- 593 00:26:32,958 --> 00:26:36,667 things like skunk apes breaking into people's homes, 594 00:26:36,792 --> 00:26:39,167 or even stalking pedestrians on the street. 595 00:26:40,625 --> 00:26:42,292 LAURENCE: Accounts become so frequent, 596 00:26:42,375 --> 00:26:45,542 the state government takes action. 597 00:26:45,667 --> 00:26:48,542 FORREST: In 1977, the Florida legislature 598 00:26:48,667 --> 00:26:49,917 introduces a bill to try and protect 599 00:26:50,042 --> 00:26:51,792 the skunk ape and the public. 600 00:26:51,875 --> 00:26:55,417 LYNNE: The bill includes specific language, 601 00:26:55,542 --> 00:26:59,333 making it illegal to take, possess, harm, 602 00:26:59,500 --> 00:27:04,708 or molest any sort of humanoid or anthropoid creature. 603 00:27:04,833 --> 00:27:06,583 FORREST: The bill doesn't pass, 604 00:27:06,708 --> 00:27:09,333 but it does add a certain legitimacy to the idea 605 00:27:09,417 --> 00:27:11,167 that skunk apes are real. 606 00:27:11,292 --> 00:27:14,333 LAURENCE: One man who doesn't need convincing-- 607 00:27:14,458 --> 00:27:16,333 Dave Shealy. 608 00:27:16,500 --> 00:27:18,833 FORREST: In 1994, Shealy opens 609 00:27:18,958 --> 00:27:20,500 the Skunk Ape Research Headquarters 610 00:27:20,625 --> 00:27:22,208 in Ochopee, Florida. 611 00:27:22,333 --> 00:27:23,875 CHRISTOPHER: The Skunk Ape Research Headquarters 612 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:25,708 might at first appear like a tourist attraction. 613 00:27:25,875 --> 00:27:27,083 It has a gift shop. 614 00:27:27,208 --> 00:27:30,292 But in fact, Shealy claims that those sales 615 00:27:30,375 --> 00:27:32,708 help subsidize serious research into the creature. 616 00:27:32,833 --> 00:27:34,708 FORREST: Primarily, it's a hub 617 00:27:34,833 --> 00:27:36,708 for legitimate paranormal investigators 618 00:27:36,875 --> 00:27:38,917 to share information and gather resources, 619 00:27:39,042 --> 00:27:41,500 and it's helped spawn some major breakthroughs, 620 00:27:41,625 --> 00:27:43,708 including by Shealy himself. 621 00:27:43,833 --> 00:27:46,667 LAURENCE: After a lengthy stakeout in 2000, 622 00:27:46,792 --> 00:27:49,125 Shealy manages to capture video 623 00:27:49,250 --> 00:27:53,875 of what he claims is a skunk ape in the wild. 624 00:27:54,042 --> 00:27:57,667 LYNNE: We can see the creature moving through tall grass, 625 00:27:57,750 --> 00:28:00,833 walking in what seems to be maybe ankle-deep water, 626 00:28:00,958 --> 00:28:03,625 until it notices that it's being filmed, 627 00:28:03,750 --> 00:28:05,542 and suddenly takes off. 628 00:28:05,708 --> 00:28:07,458 RYAN: The thing with David's video, 629 00:28:07,542 --> 00:28:09,583 is you take the still-frame shot of it, 630 00:28:09,708 --> 00:28:10,833 people think, yeah, you're looking 631 00:28:10,958 --> 00:28:12,958 at maybe a teenager Bigfoot, 632 00:28:13,042 --> 00:28:15,000 or what we call in Florida a skunk ape. 633 00:28:15,125 --> 00:28:18,000 But then, you watch the actual live video, 634 00:28:18,125 --> 00:28:20,500 and for some of us, it kinda looks 635 00:28:20,625 --> 00:28:21,958 like you could have thrown someone in a suit 636 00:28:22,042 --> 00:28:23,792 and just had them run through the grass. 637 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:28,458 LAURENCE: In 2014, a Smithsonian Magazine journalist 638 00:28:28,542 --> 00:28:30,042 named Joseph Stromberg 639 00:28:30,167 --> 00:28:32,833 decides to get to the bottom of this. 640 00:28:32,917 --> 00:28:34,917 CHRISTOPHER: Shealy told the journalist 641 00:28:35,042 --> 00:28:36,917 that he believes skunk apes are drawn 642 00:28:37,042 --> 00:28:38,917 to the particular area that they were investigating 643 00:28:39,042 --> 00:28:40,917 because of the calls of other primates. 644 00:28:41,042 --> 00:28:45,250 LYNNE: He had been following two skunk ape tracks, 645 00:28:45,375 --> 00:28:49,792 and they led him straight to this barbed-wire fence 646 00:28:49,875 --> 00:28:52,792 in the middle of nowhere that he described 647 00:28:52,917 --> 00:28:56,917 as being some sort of secretive or mysterious 648 00:28:57,042 --> 00:28:59,000 primate breeding ground 649 00:28:59,083 --> 00:29:01,792 right there in the middle of Florida. 650 00:29:01,875 --> 00:29:03,833 CHRISTOPHER: Stromberg was skeptical about this story, 651 00:29:03,917 --> 00:29:06,833 but in fact confirmed that such a company did exist. 652 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:09,000 LYNNE: Is in fact a company 653 00:29:09,167 --> 00:29:10,833 called Primate Products Incorporated 654 00:29:10,958 --> 00:29:13,792 located in Immokalee, Florida, 655 00:29:13,875 --> 00:29:16,833 where primates are bred. 656 00:29:17,917 --> 00:29:20,125 LAURENCE: This leads Stromberg to speculate 657 00:29:20,208 --> 00:29:22,833 that perhaps some of these animals got loose. 658 00:29:27,167 --> 00:29:30,000 CHRISTOPHER: When Hurricane Andrew hit Florida in 1992, 659 00:29:30,125 --> 00:29:33,000 there was extensive damage to Primate Products, 660 00:29:33,167 --> 00:29:35,583 and they believe over 6,000 primates 661 00:29:35,708 --> 00:29:37,833 may have escaped into the wild. 662 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:40,875 LYNNE: In addition, Stromberg turns up other reports 663 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:43,875 of people acquiring exotic pets 664 00:29:44,042 --> 00:29:46,000 and then releasing them into the wild 665 00:29:46,125 --> 00:29:48,333 once they are too strong or too powerful 666 00:29:48,417 --> 00:29:49,875 to be cute anymore. 667 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:53,583 So, chimpanzees as pets are a common animal 668 00:29:53,708 --> 00:29:55,500 that gets released in this way 669 00:29:55,625 --> 00:30:00,833 and adds to that population of very unexpected primates 670 00:30:00,917 --> 00:30:02,792 living in Florida. 671 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:06,333 LAURENCE: A report from the Sarasota Sheriff's Department 672 00:30:06,458 --> 00:30:08,250 may offer further proof. 673 00:30:08,375 --> 00:30:11,375 DANIEL: In 2000, a person who had claimed 674 00:30:11,542 --> 00:30:14,000 that there was disturbances around their property 675 00:30:14,125 --> 00:30:16,625 by an unknown critter 676 00:30:16,708 --> 00:30:18,417 eventually get a picture of it, 677 00:30:18,542 --> 00:30:21,792 and they wrote a letter as to what happened. 678 00:30:21,875 --> 00:30:24,083 And they send it to law enforcement. 679 00:30:24,208 --> 00:30:25,833 LAURENCE: Two experts examine the photo 680 00:30:25,958 --> 00:30:28,125 and make a surprising discovery. 681 00:30:28,208 --> 00:30:31,542 They determine that based on the creature's appearance, 682 00:30:31,708 --> 00:30:34,000 the scale of its features, 683 00:30:34,125 --> 00:30:36,667 the distance between different parts of its body, 684 00:30:36,833 --> 00:30:39,750 that it is, in fact, an orangutan. 685 00:30:39,875 --> 00:30:42,458 Not a creature that we would expect to see 686 00:30:42,542 --> 00:30:45,958 in a Florida backyard, but not a skunk ape. 687 00:30:46,042 --> 00:30:47,833 CHRISTOPHER: Stromberg concluded that people 688 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:50,792 who report the skunk ape are sincere, 689 00:30:50,875 --> 00:30:53,833 but may not be seeing what Shealy claims they are. 690 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:56,208 Certainly, some people who see Bigfoot 691 00:30:56,333 --> 00:30:58,667 are in fact misidentifying a monkey 692 00:30:58,792 --> 00:31:00,208 that someone has released. 693 00:31:08,333 --> 00:31:11,875 LAURENCE: Since the 1950s, most Bigfoot eyewitnesses 694 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:14,042 describe the creature as a hybrid 695 00:31:14,167 --> 00:31:17,292 between an ape and a human. 696 00:31:17,375 --> 00:31:18,875 CHRISTOPHER: There's a debate in the Bigfoot community 697 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:22,167 about what Bigfoot actually is. 698 00:31:22,250 --> 00:31:26,208 Some believe that Bigfoot is more of a stray animal. 699 00:31:26,333 --> 00:31:28,042 I think the ideal answer would be 700 00:31:28,208 --> 00:31:30,542 that there's probably an unknown primate there. 701 00:31:30,667 --> 00:31:32,500 CHRISTOPHER: But scientists are very skeptical 702 00:31:32,583 --> 00:31:35,042 about the possibility that the United States 703 00:31:35,208 --> 00:31:37,792 could support an undiscovered species of ape. 704 00:31:37,917 --> 00:31:40,333 But it is possible that some of these 705 00:31:40,458 --> 00:31:41,375 could be wild humans. 706 00:31:46,042 --> 00:31:47,500 LYNNE: There have been reports 707 00:31:47,625 --> 00:31:52,042 throughout history of wild men, 708 00:31:52,167 --> 00:31:56,958 human beings, but who are living in a feral state-- 709 00:31:57,042 --> 00:32:00,667 not in cities, not in any sort of civilized way-- 710 00:32:00,792 --> 00:32:02,417 living like an animal. 711 00:32:03,958 --> 00:32:06,500 RYAN: So, in South Central Texas in the 1830s 712 00:32:06,667 --> 00:32:09,292 we have the story of the Wild Man of Navidad. 713 00:32:09,375 --> 00:32:11,833 People were seeing what they were describing 714 00:32:11,917 --> 00:32:13,917 as something that was Bigfoot-like, 715 00:32:14,042 --> 00:32:15,958 covered in fur head to toe, 716 00:32:16,042 --> 00:32:17,500 acting like an animal, 717 00:32:17,667 --> 00:32:19,208 but with human qualities, 718 00:32:19,333 --> 00:32:21,167 and that sparked everyone's interest. 719 00:32:22,208 --> 00:32:24,875 LAURENCE: The descriptions line up perfectly 720 00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:27,167 with later sightings of Bigfoot. 721 00:32:27,292 --> 00:32:30,833 In some ways, this is almost the first Bigfoot legend, 722 00:32:30,917 --> 00:32:33,333 but just going by a different name. 723 00:32:33,458 --> 00:32:35,667 CHRISTOPHER: The Wild Man of Navidad was stealing piglets 724 00:32:35,750 --> 00:32:38,333 and chickens, was leaving footprints all over the area, 725 00:32:38,458 --> 00:32:40,875 was breaking into homes but only stealing food, 726 00:32:41,042 --> 00:32:42,667 never valuables. 727 00:32:42,792 --> 00:32:46,292 LAURENCE: For over a decade, the Wild Man of the Navidad 728 00:32:46,375 --> 00:32:48,167 remains at large. 729 00:32:48,292 --> 00:32:50,625 At one point, people looking for the wild man 730 00:32:50,708 --> 00:32:52,083 even found a shelter in the woods 731 00:32:52,208 --> 00:32:53,917 and conducted a stakeout. 732 00:32:54,042 --> 00:32:55,625 But if that was where the creature lived, 733 00:32:55,708 --> 00:32:57,333 it never returned. 734 00:32:57,417 --> 00:33:00,167 RYAN: It was something nobody could get near, 735 00:33:00,250 --> 00:33:03,000 and it had people interested and also worried. 736 00:33:03,167 --> 00:33:06,417 So, in 1850, they ended up getting a posse together 737 00:33:06,542 --> 00:33:10,167 to try and round up this wild man. 738 00:33:10,292 --> 00:33:11,500 CHRISTOPHER: And upon investigating, 739 00:33:11,583 --> 00:33:13,708 they found out that it wasn't a creature, 740 00:33:13,833 --> 00:33:15,625 but it was in fact a person. 741 00:33:16,708 --> 00:33:19,833 This particular wild man was an African slave 742 00:33:19,917 --> 00:33:23,208 brought over that escaped immediately 743 00:33:23,333 --> 00:33:25,333 and ran into the woods, 744 00:33:25,417 --> 00:33:28,167 and was able on his wit and abilities alone 745 00:33:28,250 --> 00:33:30,667 to survive for like 15 years before being captured. 746 00:33:30,792 --> 00:33:33,958 LAURENCE: Could such wild humans 747 00:33:34,042 --> 00:33:37,417 account for more supposed Bigfoot encounters? 748 00:33:37,542 --> 00:33:39,708 One story about a purported feral human 749 00:33:39,833 --> 00:33:42,000 came out of Arkansas in 1892, 750 00:33:42,083 --> 00:33:45,208 when there were stories of what appeared to be a boy 751 00:33:45,333 --> 00:33:48,250 running with a pack of wolves. 752 00:33:48,375 --> 00:33:50,958 RYAN: I mean, this is Mowgli from "The Jungle Book," 753 00:33:51,042 --> 00:33:53,125 taken in by wolves and then raised, 754 00:33:53,250 --> 00:33:57,125 and survived long enough in the wild as a wolf cub 755 00:33:57,208 --> 00:33:59,958 before finally being captured by humans 756 00:34:00,042 --> 00:34:02,417 and brought back to be rehabilitated. 757 00:34:02,542 --> 00:34:04,667 Stories of feral humans have a lot of similarities 758 00:34:04,792 --> 00:34:06,125 to stories of Bigfoot. 759 00:34:06,208 --> 00:34:08,042 The creatures are usually reported as hairy, 760 00:34:08,208 --> 00:34:10,000 living in the woods, leaving footprints, 761 00:34:10,125 --> 00:34:11,750 stealing items. 762 00:34:11,875 --> 00:34:15,333 LYNNE: The main difference is that in these cases, 763 00:34:15,417 --> 00:34:19,375 the culprit, the wild person, is discovered. 764 00:34:20,542 --> 00:34:23,167 LAURENCE: Is it possible that modern Bigfoot sightings 765 00:34:23,292 --> 00:34:27,042 could also be of humans rather than of animals? 766 00:34:27,167 --> 00:34:29,375 In the 1970s and 1980s, 767 00:34:29,500 --> 00:34:31,500 there's a dramatic rise in homelessness 768 00:34:31,667 --> 00:34:33,042 in the Pacific Northwest, 769 00:34:33,208 --> 00:34:34,833 especially among veterans. 770 00:34:34,917 --> 00:34:37,833 And around this time, there's also a noticeable uptick 771 00:34:37,917 --> 00:34:40,833 of possible Bigfoot sightings around Washington state, 772 00:34:40,958 --> 00:34:43,458 and a theory begins to emerge. 773 00:34:43,542 --> 00:34:46,833 We have returning veterans from the Vietnam War, 774 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:49,625 many of whom were struggling with PTSD 775 00:34:49,708 --> 00:34:54,000 and other societal issues, choosing to isolate themselves, 776 00:34:54,125 --> 00:34:56,792 or being forced into homelessness, 777 00:34:56,875 --> 00:34:59,375 living on the edges of society, 778 00:34:59,542 --> 00:35:04,167 and perhaps appearing as these wild men. 779 00:35:04,292 --> 00:35:07,625 To me, the story that epitomizes humans mistaken for Bigfoot 780 00:35:07,708 --> 00:35:10,792 happens in Western North Carolina in 2017. 781 00:35:10,875 --> 00:35:12,500 A self-identified shaman 782 00:35:12,667 --> 00:35:14,292 is conducting some rituals in the woods 783 00:35:14,417 --> 00:35:16,292 while wearing his ceremonial garb, 784 00:35:16,417 --> 00:35:18,833 which is made of fur covering his entire body 785 00:35:18,958 --> 00:35:20,792 from head to toe, including his face. 786 00:35:20,875 --> 00:35:22,875 LYNNE: As a result of this, 787 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:25,000 the Greenville Police Department 788 00:35:25,167 --> 00:35:28,083 started getting report after report 789 00:35:28,208 --> 00:35:30,833 of people saying that they saw a creature 790 00:35:30,958 --> 00:35:35,417 covered head to toe in fur moving about in the woods. 791 00:35:35,542 --> 00:35:39,208 The police had to take this seriously. 792 00:35:39,333 --> 00:35:40,583 CHRISTOPHER: One concern that law enforcement has had 793 00:35:40,708 --> 00:35:43,167 across the country, is if people are out 794 00:35:43,250 --> 00:35:45,417 hunting for Bigfoot, it is possible 795 00:35:45,542 --> 00:35:49,625 they will mistake a human for a Bigfoot, and take a shot. 796 00:35:49,708 --> 00:35:54,833 This brings us back to that idea of Occam's Razor. 797 00:35:54,958 --> 00:35:58,542 What is the simplest explanation for all of these sightings? 798 00:35:58,667 --> 00:36:03,333 We do have an incredibly common bipedal hominid 799 00:36:03,417 --> 00:36:05,708 walking around all over the place, 800 00:36:05,833 --> 00:36:07,792 and that's us-- people. 801 00:36:12,042 --> 00:36:13,375 LAURENCE: Bigfoot has been compared 802 00:36:13,500 --> 00:36:15,625 with many modern animals over the years, 803 00:36:15,708 --> 00:36:19,375 most notably various species of primates. 804 00:36:19,500 --> 00:36:22,000 It looks very much like an orangutan 805 00:36:22,167 --> 00:36:23,917 or something of that nature. 806 00:36:24,042 --> 00:36:25,542 RYAN: Some of the things these people are seeing in the woods 807 00:36:25,667 --> 00:36:27,333 are legitimately 808 00:36:27,458 --> 00:36:29,333 a silverback gorilla or a chimpanzee. 809 00:36:29,417 --> 00:36:31,000 Then on top of that, you have wealthy people 810 00:36:31,167 --> 00:36:32,708 that buy these pets, 811 00:36:32,833 --> 00:36:34,958 and they just kinda lackadaisically keep 'em, 812 00:36:35,042 --> 00:36:36,292 and they escape. 813 00:36:36,417 --> 00:36:38,250 LAURENCE: But many experts believe 814 00:36:38,375 --> 00:36:40,542 this doesn't fully explain Bigfoot. 815 00:36:41,708 --> 00:36:43,250 Escaped monkeys typically don't grow 816 00:36:43,375 --> 00:36:44,625 as large as Bigfoot 817 00:36:44,750 --> 00:36:45,917 is purported to be. 818 00:36:46,042 --> 00:36:49,125 LYNNE: There is no modern-day species 819 00:36:49,250 --> 00:36:53,875 that really matches with the description of Bigfoot. 820 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:55,917 But scientists are quick 821 00:36:56,042 --> 00:36:57,833 to point out that 822 00:36:57,958 --> 00:36:59,833 in the not-so-distant past, 823 00:36:59,958 --> 00:37:01,625 there was a creature 824 00:37:01,708 --> 00:37:06,167 thought to be extinct that did match this description. 825 00:37:10,625 --> 00:37:12,792 RYAN: Remains have been discovered of a creature 826 00:37:12,875 --> 00:37:14,500 that most resembles Bigfoot, 827 00:37:14,667 --> 00:37:17,417 and that is the species called Gigantopithecus. 828 00:37:17,542 --> 00:37:19,958 LYNNE: Gigantopithecus is a primate 829 00:37:20,042 --> 00:37:22,000 from the Pleistocene Era. 830 00:37:22,125 --> 00:37:24,125 It was believed to have gone extinct 831 00:37:24,208 --> 00:37:27,458 about 300,000 years ago. 832 00:37:27,583 --> 00:37:30,458 LAURENCE: An ancestor of modern-day orangutans, 833 00:37:30,542 --> 00:37:33,667 Gigantopithecus is thought to be the largest primate 834 00:37:33,792 --> 00:37:36,292 to ever live on Earth. 835 00:37:36,417 --> 00:37:38,667 JEFF: Gigantopithecus was enormous. 836 00:37:38,792 --> 00:37:42,000 Its teeth were of such proportion 837 00:37:42,125 --> 00:37:44,333 that we estimate its body mass 838 00:37:44,458 --> 00:37:48,333 to be on the order of, oh, 800 to 1,200 pounds. 839 00:37:48,417 --> 00:37:50,500 RYAN: We're talking about a 10-foot animal. 840 00:37:50,625 --> 00:37:53,167 And when people describe seeing Bigfoot, 841 00:37:53,333 --> 00:37:56,333 the sheer mass and size of it leads some people 842 00:37:56,458 --> 00:37:58,208 to believe that Gigantopithecus, 843 00:37:58,333 --> 00:38:02,167 or a relic version of it is Bigfoot. 844 00:38:02,292 --> 00:38:04,083 Maybe it's evolved to be a little bit smaller, 845 00:38:04,208 --> 00:38:05,375 a little bit more nimble, 846 00:38:05,500 --> 00:38:07,667 or we're just not seeing the big boys, 847 00:38:07,750 --> 00:38:09,625 and all we're seeing are the females. 848 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:12,458 FORREST: In the early 1980s, 849 00:38:12,542 --> 00:38:14,333 American anthropologist Grover Krantz 850 00:38:14,458 --> 00:38:16,042 becomes one of the biggest proponents 851 00:38:16,167 --> 00:38:18,000 of the theory that Gigantopithecus 852 00:38:18,125 --> 00:38:18,917 could perhaps be a candidate 853 00:38:19,042 --> 00:38:20,083 for Bigfoot. 854 00:38:20,208 --> 00:38:22,042 LYNNE: Considering this theory, 855 00:38:22,167 --> 00:38:24,500 two problems stand out immediately. 856 00:38:24,583 --> 00:38:27,708 One is that Gigantopithecus was thought 857 00:38:27,833 --> 00:38:30,958 to be almost entirely exclusive to Asia. 858 00:38:31,083 --> 00:38:34,333 And the second problem, of course, is that it's extinct. 859 00:38:34,458 --> 00:38:36,625 RYAN: As far as where Gigantopithecus lives, 860 00:38:36,708 --> 00:38:38,792 Krantz believes that a land bridge 861 00:38:38,875 --> 00:38:42,500 formed across the Bering Strait that allowed Gigantopithecus 862 00:38:42,667 --> 00:38:45,083 to cross over to the North American continent 863 00:38:45,208 --> 00:38:47,250 during the Ice Age in search of better food 864 00:38:47,375 --> 00:38:48,917 and warmer climates. 865 00:38:49,042 --> 00:38:50,875 LAURENCE: As for their extinction, 866 00:38:51,042 --> 00:38:53,583 he believes it never happened. 867 00:38:53,708 --> 00:38:56,333 Scientists believe that given the vastness 868 00:38:56,458 --> 00:38:58,083 of the ocean and the wilderness, 869 00:38:58,208 --> 00:39:01,333 that there are numerous other seemingly extinct species 870 00:39:01,458 --> 00:39:03,917 that we may find in fact still exist. 871 00:39:04,042 --> 00:39:05,500 RYAN: Let's take the pygmy tarsier 872 00:39:05,583 --> 00:39:06,958 and the Kashmir musk deer. 873 00:39:07,042 --> 00:39:10,167 These are two animals that were supposedly extinct 874 00:39:10,250 --> 00:39:12,833 that we have found are not. 875 00:39:12,958 --> 00:39:17,292 LYNNE: What's amazing is that there was a giant fish, 876 00:39:17,375 --> 00:39:22,333 a coelacanth that existed 60 million years ago 877 00:39:22,458 --> 00:39:24,917 and was thought to be long extinct, 878 00:39:25,042 --> 00:39:29,167 until we caught one in 1938 off the coast of South Africa. 879 00:39:29,250 --> 00:39:30,875 And there's not just one of them. 880 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:35,500 A whole community of them was found to still exist. 881 00:39:35,625 --> 00:39:38,625 So, clearly, our best understandings 882 00:39:38,708 --> 00:39:42,042 of just how extinct an extinct creature might be 883 00:39:42,208 --> 00:39:44,167 can be wrong. 884 00:39:44,250 --> 00:39:47,417 LAURENCE: Gigantopithecus may not be the only extinct primate 885 00:39:47,542 --> 00:39:49,500 that could fit the bill. 886 00:39:49,625 --> 00:39:51,708 CHRISTOPHER: Bigfoot researcher John Napier 887 00:39:51,833 --> 00:39:53,250 actually believed that Bigfoot 888 00:39:53,375 --> 00:39:56,958 might be a different form of seemingly extinct ape 889 00:39:57,083 --> 00:39:58,833 called Paranthropus. 890 00:39:58,917 --> 00:40:02,083 RYAN: They're large, really big heads, big frames, 891 00:40:02,208 --> 00:40:04,167 and really fit the look 892 00:40:04,292 --> 00:40:06,417 of when people describe their experiences with Bigfoot, 893 00:40:06,542 --> 00:40:08,083 what Bigfoot looks like. 894 00:40:08,208 --> 00:40:10,500 See, with Gigantopithecus, 895 00:40:10,583 --> 00:40:12,625 it was so massive, we really can't be sure 896 00:40:12,708 --> 00:40:14,292 that it even walked on two legs. 897 00:40:14,417 --> 00:40:17,500 But Paranthropus did strut its stuff. 898 00:40:18,583 --> 00:40:21,625 LYNNE: This theory, the idea that a species 899 00:40:21,708 --> 00:40:25,208 assumed to be extinct is not in fact extinct 900 00:40:25,333 --> 00:40:28,417 is now the favorite explanation 901 00:40:28,542 --> 00:40:31,500 of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization. 902 00:40:31,625 --> 00:40:35,667 It is possible perhaps that at some point, 903 00:40:35,792 --> 00:40:38,458 one or more of these species 904 00:40:38,542 --> 00:40:42,000 came over the land bridge to North America 905 00:40:42,167 --> 00:40:46,417 where their descendants have remained undetected, 906 00:40:46,542 --> 00:40:48,750 but occasionally sighted. 907 00:40:48,875 --> 00:40:50,917 FORREST: Bigfoot might be the most widely spotted cryptid 908 00:40:51,042 --> 00:40:52,708 in history. 909 00:40:52,833 --> 00:40:55,458 Hopefully, someday we'll finally get close enough to identify it. 910 00:40:55,542 --> 00:40:58,208 And when we do, the scientific community 911 00:40:58,333 --> 00:40:59,958 may be in for quite a shock. 912 00:41:03,375 --> 00:41:04,542 Currently, there are more than 913 00:41:04,667 --> 00:41:06,583 20 Bigfoot research associations 914 00:41:06,708 --> 00:41:08,500 in the U.S. alone, 915 00:41:08,583 --> 00:41:10,875 and dozens more worldwide. 916 00:41:11,042 --> 00:41:13,708 Perhaps one day, we'll finally be able 917 00:41:13,833 --> 00:41:16,917 to identify this elusive creature. 918 00:41:17,042 --> 00:41:22,042 Until then, many Bigfoot hunters are only too willing to search. 919 00:41:22,208 --> 00:41:24,250 I'm Laurence Fishburne. 920 00:41:24,375 --> 00:41:25,667 Thank you for watching 921 00:41:25,792 --> 00:41:27,958 "History's Greatest Mysteries."