Bigfoot Myth or Monster? Written by Mrs. Bollegraf Room 100

Facts About Bigfoot Bigfoot is a large, bi-pedal, humanoid creature. It is said to be between 6-10 feet tall and weigh over 500 pounds. It is covered in hair, which is usually dark brown. Bigfoot is said to have enormous feet, up to a foot and a half long.

Facts About Bigfoot Bigfoot lives in North America, mostly in the North-western states and provinces, like California, Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alberta.

Facts About Bigfoot Many different Aboriginal groups have creatures in their myths and legends that sound like a Bigfoot. In the 1920s, a Canadian historian named JW Burns was researching Aboriginal myths of the Northwest and was amazed by how many different tribes had similar stories of a “hairy giant” in them. In his research, he called the hairy giant “Sasquatch”. The name Bigfoot became popular after a newspaper article in 1958 describing footprints that were found.

Stories About Bigfoot The first recorded sighting of a Bigfoot came in 1811 near what now is the town of Jasper, Alberta Canada. A trader named David Thompson found some strange footprints, fourteen inches long and eight inches wide, with four toes, in the snow. In 1924, gold miner Albert Ostman claimed he was kidnapped by a Bigfoot family and lived with them for a week until he escaped. In 1967, two friends Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin took a short film that clearly shows a Bigfoot.

Evidence Supporting Bigfoot The most famous piece of evidence supporting Bigfoot’s existence is the Patterson-Gimlin film taken in This film clearly shows a large, hairy creature, distinctly different from any known animal. yer_embedded yer_embedded

Evidence Supporting Bigfoot Footprints are another common piece of evidence. Since 1958, thousands of large bipedal footprints have been found throughout North America. A plaster cast or photograph of the prints are often taken.

Evidence Against Bigfoot The sightings of Bigfoot may just be hoaxes; people dressed up in ape suits. Also, although there have been tens of thousands of sightings, no one has ever found bones or remains of a Bigfoot or captured a Bigfoot.

Theories About Bigfoot One of the Bigfoot theories is that Bigfoot is an ancient ape called Gigantopithecus (a giant cousin of the orangutan) that has been presumed extinct. Another theory is that Bigfoot is just an unknown species of bear. One of the most unusual theories taken from Aboriginal myths is that Bigfoot is a shape-shifter, capable of turning himself invisible, which is how it hides from people so well.

My Personal Opinion After considering the facts, I believe that Bigfoot does exist. Firstly, there have been too many sightings from too many people for Bigfoot to be a myth. Also, if you compare the footprints found next to a human’s, mountain lion’s or bear’s, they are distinctly different. Finally, the Patterson-Gimlin film has been examined by film makers and scientists and has been found to be authentic.

Works Cited "Bigfoot Sightings." Squidoo : Welcome to Squidoo. Web. 24 Oct "Bigfoot." The Skeptic's Dictionary - Skepdic.com. Web. 25 Oct "A Guide to Bigfoot Hunting - History of Bigfoot." A Guide to Bigfoot Hunting - BigfootHunting.com. Web. 24 Oct "Possible New Bigfoot Print Found | Ghost Theory." GhostTheory.com - Paranormal Reports & Interviews. Ghosts, Hauntings and Everything Paranormal. Web. 25 Oct