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Photo By: Wikimedia Commons

North America is home to many native animals, including the eastern cottontail that hop around campus, the American bison that were almost hunted into extinction, and, of course, magnificent opossums that play dead in the street. These mammals and other animals have survived in the diminishing forest reserves of the United States and in Canadian territories. 

In the forests, parks, and lakes, there are tales of animals, or creatures, who do not appear to look like or act like the native animals of the American terrain. These creatures have become common talk in folklore for many cities across the nation. 

The monstrous creations lie between fiction and reality, and they have grown so popular that names have been selected for each creature. These names have spread across the country and others across the world. The Chupacabra, Loch Ness Monster, and Mothman are just a few of these well-known beings. 

However, the most famous of the cryptids is said to be covered with hair, stand up to nine feet tall, and have feet that are about fourteen inches long. 

Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, has had sightings in northern United States, Canada, and Alaska. The first reported sighting of the yeti was in 1884 by the “Daily Colonist.” They told a tale of the train crew capturing the yeti and testing its abilities. 

The crew claimed to enjoy the Sasquatch enough to name him Jacko. However, after studying its abilities and adding in the probability of the story being fake, the possibility of Jacko being real was large.  But if Jacko was real, he was more likely an escaped chimpanzee from an import. However, as news grew about a giant, apelike, hairy, biped man roaming through the woods, the popularity of the cryptid skyrocketed. 

In the 1920s, more appearances of Bigfoot were sited near mines or wooden areas. But the 30-year gap appeared to make the yeti more violent, as stories of death, kidnapping, and howls seemed to follow the creature. 

In 1924, a forest ranger at Mount St. Helen, Washington, got complaints of yelling and stones being thrown. When the ranger looked outside, he heard what he recounted as “screaming apes.” He claims to have seen the Sasquatches that night, and he found giant footprints near the same area the following day. 

The most famous argument of Bigfoot’s, and other Sasquatches, existence is video footage caught in 1967 by Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlen. The video is a few seconds long and very blurry, but it contains footage of an unmistakably large hairy creature moving across a clearing. 

Skepticism about the video is to be expected because two other hoax videos were created trying to depict a similar creature stalking through wooded areas. These videos were found to be fake or edited and debunked. However, Patterson and Gimlen’s video has yet to be proven false. Some scientists at the Smithsonian believe the footage to be real. 

There has been more evidence stacked against and for the existence of Bigfoot. When another hoaxes appear attempting to prove his existence, it damages the argument. But, as the years have passed and we learn more about evolution or the existence of new species, the idea of a giant ape may not be as outlandish as we thought. 

At some point in time, Bigfoot walked on this planet. I believe by this time, sadly, he must have moved on, but he lives on through his family and offspring that pass through North America. 

For those who still believe that Bigfoot is fake, I will not argue, but may provide more outlandish creatures that have been proven to exist, such as Mola-Mola, the gulper eel, and the platypus. If creatures such as these can exist, an evolution of ape cannot be that far-fetched.