Top 5 Facts About Catching Bigfoot CONFIRMED
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VOICE OVER: Ashley Bowman
Written by Michael Wynands
If only it was as simple as hitting him with your car, bringing him home, and having him feel like one of the family.
Today, we're putting Bigfoot under the microscope - examining the evidence, discussing the challenges of proving or disproving its existence, and exploring the culture that surrounds this elusive cryptid.
Watch on Our YouTube Channel.
Special thanks to our user coolfun11 for submitting the idea on our interactive suggestion tool: WatchMojo.comsuggest
If only it was as simple as hitting him with your car, bringing him home, and having him feel like one of the family.
Today, we're putting Bigfoot under the microscope - examining the evidence, discussing the challenges of proving or disproving its existence, and exploring the culture that surrounds this elusive cryptid.
Watch on Our YouTube Channel.
Special thanks to our user coolfun11 for submitting the idea on our interactive suggestion tool: WatchMojo.comsuggest
Top 5 Facts About Catching Bigfoot
If only it was as simple as hitting him with your car, bringing him home, and having him feel like one of the family. Welcome to WatchMojo’s Top 5 Facts.
In this installment, we’re counting down the top five facts about catching Bigfoot. Whether you believe in Bigfoot or not… there’s no denying that this legendary creature has made quite the name for itself. Today, we’re putting Bigfoot under the microscope - examining the evidence, discussing the challenges of proving or disproving its existence, and exploring the culture that surrounds this elusive cryptid.
#5: Believing In Bigfoot Is A Matter of Intuition (or Modern Faith)
Bigfoot Believers generally fit into two categories - those who insist Bigfoot DOES exist, and those who believe Bigfoot COULD exist. According to a study from the University of Toulouse, “cognitive styles” may explain the first group. They found that “reflective thinkers” are naturally skeptical, which makes them unlikely Bigfoot fans, but “intuitive thinkers”, who are quick to form mental associations, are more likely to believe in the supernatural, conspiracy theories or cryptozoological creatures. As Bigfoot believer and Ph.D. Philosopher William Irwin explains however, for others, Bigfoot represents possibility - the chance to believe in something that, scientifically speaking, could exist. It's about willful suspension of disbelief - embracing the possibility that something wonderful and mysterious could survive in this world where everything else has been fact-checked or debunked.
#4: Bigfoot is Hard to Catch, Yet Hard to Disprove
You’d think that after decades of searching, we’d have finally come up with incontrovertible proof one way another. But the more technology we have, the easier it is to fake evidence - and we’ve been forced into becoming an increasingly skeptical society. At this point, no amount of sightings, footprints, or footage seems likely to cut it - we need to CATCH Bigfoot. “Finding Bigfoot” stars Cliff Barackman and Matt Moneymaker, discussed dealing with skeptics in an interview with io9. They feel that naysayers should review the strong evidence that has already been documented, because based on their nomadic lifestyle, intelligence, and incredibly isolated habitat, Bigfoot will be incredibly difficult to capture. Given that science can’t objectively DISPROVE its existence, the hunt continues... and so does the debate.
#3: Don’t Look For Remains - You Won’t Find A Corpse
When it comes to Bigfoot, there’s no shortage of arguments to be made, by both skeptics and believers. But this stands out as one of the more legitimate criticisms and compelling explanations to fit into the Bigfoot debate. Cliff Barackman estimates that there are roughly 10,000 Bigfoot. Surely a population that large would result in a discovered corpse or two? Well, finding animal remains in the wilderness is actually much less common than one might think. Scavengers and the naturally fast rate of decomposition on the forest floor make quick work of the dead. Some believers claim that Bigfoot bury their own. Now, before you scoff... it’s worth noting both chimpanzees and elephants have been observed burying their dead under branches and leaves... so who knows?
#2: “You Can Break His Toe, But Not His Legend”
Throughout history, cultures around the world have told stories of Bigfoot-like creatures. Australian aboriginal lore told of “the Yowie,” while in China they have “the Yeren.” Despite subtle differences, they all share the same basic description: a massive, hairy, intelligent hominid. In Pre-Columbian North America, Bigfoot (under various names) factored into the oral traditions of many indigenous tribes. The legend only grew when European settlers began spotting them. Nowadays, science has largely replaced myth, but fringe scientists like Dr. Grover Krantz are using science as the new religion to keep the Bigfoot legend alive. Studying footprints, he’s found anatomical features that suggest broken feet or toes that healed improperly. According to him, only someone with expert knowledge of primate feet could possibly fake such footprints… giving Bigfoot believers a solid leg to stand on.
#1: There’s a Brave New World of Bigfoot Hair Samples
Lately, scientists have been testing alleged Bigfoot hair for DNA, and most samples have yielded disappointingly ordinary results. However, in 2014, geneticist Bryan Sykes announced that two Himalayan samples came back bearing genetic markers of a 40,000-year-old species of bear. Some believers were disappointed, while others, like Yeti-hunter Reinhold Messner (who had long suspected a bear), were thrilled. Since then, other researchers have contested his findings, reviewing his work and stating that the hairs simply came from an unremarkable Himalayan Brown Bear. A separate research team, lead by Dr. Melba Ketchum, claimed to have sequenced the genome of Bigfoot, but her research has been met with heavy criticism as well. So far, science has fallen short of providing proof... but genetic research certainly is changing the way we approach the hunt.
If only it was as simple as hitting him with your car, bringing him home, and having him feel like one of the family. Welcome to WatchMojo’s Top 5 Facts.
In this installment, we’re counting down the top five facts about catching Bigfoot. Whether you believe in Bigfoot or not… there’s no denying that this legendary creature has made quite the name for itself. Today, we’re putting Bigfoot under the microscope - examining the evidence, discussing the challenges of proving or disproving its existence, and exploring the culture that surrounds this elusive cryptid.
#5: Believing In Bigfoot Is A Matter of Intuition (or Modern Faith)
Bigfoot Believers generally fit into two categories - those who insist Bigfoot DOES exist, and those who believe Bigfoot COULD exist. According to a study from the University of Toulouse, “cognitive styles” may explain the first group. They found that “reflective thinkers” are naturally skeptical, which makes them unlikely Bigfoot fans, but “intuitive thinkers”, who are quick to form mental associations, are more likely to believe in the supernatural, conspiracy theories or cryptozoological creatures. As Bigfoot believer and Ph.D. Philosopher William Irwin explains however, for others, Bigfoot represents possibility - the chance to believe in something that, scientifically speaking, could exist. It's about willful suspension of disbelief - embracing the possibility that something wonderful and mysterious could survive in this world where everything else has been fact-checked or debunked.
#4: Bigfoot is Hard to Catch, Yet Hard to Disprove
You’d think that after decades of searching, we’d have finally come up with incontrovertible proof one way another. But the more technology we have, the easier it is to fake evidence - and we’ve been forced into becoming an increasingly skeptical society. At this point, no amount of sightings, footprints, or footage seems likely to cut it - we need to CATCH Bigfoot. “Finding Bigfoot” stars Cliff Barackman and Matt Moneymaker, discussed dealing with skeptics in an interview with io9. They feel that naysayers should review the strong evidence that has already been documented, because based on their nomadic lifestyle, intelligence, and incredibly isolated habitat, Bigfoot will be incredibly difficult to capture. Given that science can’t objectively DISPROVE its existence, the hunt continues... and so does the debate.
#3: Don’t Look For Remains - You Won’t Find A Corpse
When it comes to Bigfoot, there’s no shortage of arguments to be made, by both skeptics and believers. But this stands out as one of the more legitimate criticisms and compelling explanations to fit into the Bigfoot debate. Cliff Barackman estimates that there are roughly 10,000 Bigfoot. Surely a population that large would result in a discovered corpse or two? Well, finding animal remains in the wilderness is actually much less common than one might think. Scavengers and the naturally fast rate of decomposition on the forest floor make quick work of the dead. Some believers claim that Bigfoot bury their own. Now, before you scoff... it’s worth noting both chimpanzees and elephants have been observed burying their dead under branches and leaves... so who knows?
#2: “You Can Break His Toe, But Not His Legend”
Throughout history, cultures around the world have told stories of Bigfoot-like creatures. Australian aboriginal lore told of “the Yowie,” while in China they have “the Yeren.” Despite subtle differences, they all share the same basic description: a massive, hairy, intelligent hominid. In Pre-Columbian North America, Bigfoot (under various names) factored into the oral traditions of many indigenous tribes. The legend only grew when European settlers began spotting them. Nowadays, science has largely replaced myth, but fringe scientists like Dr. Grover Krantz are using science as the new religion to keep the Bigfoot legend alive. Studying footprints, he’s found anatomical features that suggest broken feet or toes that healed improperly. According to him, only someone with expert knowledge of primate feet could possibly fake such footprints… giving Bigfoot believers a solid leg to stand on.
#1: There’s a Brave New World of Bigfoot Hair Samples
Lately, scientists have been testing alleged Bigfoot hair for DNA, and most samples have yielded disappointingly ordinary results. However, in 2014, geneticist Bryan Sykes announced that two Himalayan samples came back bearing genetic markers of a 40,000-year-old species of bear. Some believers were disappointed, while others, like Yeti-hunter Reinhold Messner (who had long suspected a bear), were thrilled. Since then, other researchers have contested his findings, reviewing his work and stating that the hairs simply came from an unremarkable Himalayan Brown Bear. A separate research team, lead by Dr. Melba Ketchum, claimed to have sequenced the genome of Bigfoot, but her research has been met with heavy criticism as well. So far, science has fallen short of providing proof... but genetic research certainly is changing the way we approach the hunt.
