The next entry in our series on the suspects to explain the Bigfoot mystery is about the theory that these creatures are relict members of the genus homo. The other articles in the series are here:
The Likely Suspects for Sasquatch
Sasquatch Suspect #2: Undiscovered Primates
Sasquatch Suspect #4: Human Hoaxes
Some people theorize that Sasquatches are a living species of humans. They cite the bipedalism, appearance, and ability to remain hidden as good indicators. The specific species is a subject of speculation, and would probably be a new classification. However we can draw on the things we know about our ancestors and cousins in the genus from epochs past to make comparisons.
Habitat
As we have discussed in this series Sasquatches are mostly sighted in densely forested areas. Humans and our predecessors have inhabited all types of areas. The discovery that there was more than one human species on earth at one time is relatively new and the area of study has grown in recent years. We don’t yet to my knowledge have enough evidence to say if there were ever one particular human group that stayed in a certain environment.
Neanderthals occupied a wide array of habitat. Others such as Denisovans, Homo Naledi, and Homo Floresiensis have only been found in certain areas but it is not clear whether they were more widespread.
NOT A MATCH
Diet
Omnivores. No need to go too deep here, we’ve already covered Bigfoot diet and it is well known what humans eat. Humans from the past hunted for meat and foraged for vegetables and fruit.
All members of the genus homo except Homo Sapiens Sapiens were thought to be hunter-gatherers. They went where the food was. Modern humans learned to farm and this began to settle areas and move around less.
The one thing to note here is that while the diet is roughly the same makeup, humans have used fire for close to one million years or more. They cooked food. There aren’t a lot, if any, reports of Saquatches using fire.
SIMILAR
Behavior
We know that several species of human used tools. Sasquatches are reported to throw rocks and build simple stick and nest structures, but nothing that could be considered tool use.
When it comes to communication modern humans have developed spoken and written languages. We don’t know if older species had language. Some of our ancestors painted in caves. As for Bigfoots, they are said to communicate in grunts, screams, and howls. There are also some reports of them speaking a proto-language. Ron Morehead’s “Sierra Sounds” purport to be recordings of Sasquatch communications. They have been analyzed and some experts think it is a real language represented on the track.
The main similarity in behavior is of course bipedalism. The only known mammals to have developed this trait are humans. So with Sasquatches reported almost always as bipedal this could indicate a closer relationship to humans.
PARTIAL MATCH
Appearance
By now we all know what a Bigfoot is supposed to look like. But a closer inspection of reports show that sometimes the nose is described as more human than an ape’s flat nose. We also know that Sasquatches are said to have conical heads, with a low brow. Some early humans had smaller brain capacities and sloping foreheads as well.
Sasquatches are reported as hair covered. Of course evolutionary scientists believe that the human lineage was once hair covered, but it’s been a long time since it was mostly shed. It is thought humans began losing their hair over one million years ago.
Finally, Sasquatches are tall. Like, really tall. Anywhere from six and a half to eleven feet tall. Some reports have them even taller. Large human fossils have been found, one estimated to be over eleven feet. There is an entire internet rabbit hole you can go down on giants, too, and a conspiracy theory that the information about them has been suppressed.
The thing is, though, no physical evidence of an entire species of human being giants has ever been found.
PARTIAL MATCH
Conclusion
The idea that Sasquatches are a species of human is an interesting one. There are some stories of very human behavior, and some native Americans refer to them as a “tribe”.
However, the majority of reports show more animal-like behavior and appearance. Than again, how would a human cousin that never developed civilization appear to us? There are definitely humans that have remained isolated and live primitively. But their appearance is no different than other modern humans.
Perhaps one day soon we will get the DNA to tell us for certain.
