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Big claim about bigfoot: bogus or bona fide?

Here’s a story that’s leaving a pretty big footprint on the Web: Two people claim to have bagged bigfoot in northern Georgia (the U.S. state, not the at-war Central Asian country).

The pair that claims to have found the mythical ape-human say in a press release (with photos) that the male creature is seven feet, seven inches tall (2.3 meters), weighs more than 500 pounds (227 kilograms), and has reddish hair and black-grey eyes. As for those legendary feet? Flat, and sporting a 16 and three-quarters inch- (41 centimeter-) long footprint.

The bigfoot hunters and a company called Searching for Bigfoot Inc. have scheduled a press conference at 12 p.m. PST this Friday in Palo Alto, Calif. to present their evidence. To further mollify the credulous, DNA tests on the suspected Sasquatch are also underway.

They apparently won’t cough up the body at this conference though, which is probably making Scientific American columnist Michael Shermer roll his eyes. His mantra is “show me the body.” We’ve also profiled prominent Bigfoot researcher Jeffrey Meldrum.

Maybe the bigfoot folks can have the “Montauk monster” and the chupacabra at their press conference too. We’ll believe them all when we see them.

Image Credit: iStockphoto

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: sasquatch, apes, montauk monster, ape-man, bigfoot found, Bigfoot
More News Blog: Next: Chupacabra strikes Texas town? Previous: The Titan Tornado: After landing on a freeway in a homebuilt plane, don't take off again

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  1. 1. tomhyde2 07:16 PM 8/13/08

    It is not worth commenting about.

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  2. 2. larryfreeman 07:38 PM 8/13/08

    What's up Scientific American? Were you recently purchased by the National Enquirer?

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  3. 3. Bull Jones 07:38 PM 8/13/08

    I spent my youth in the mountains of Georgia, North& South Carolina, and bits of West Tennessee. I saw the occasional strange item and odd animal. However, I'll have to fall on the "show me the body" side of this entire story. DNA would be nice, but I'll want the corpse to match it with...

    Somehow I think there will be a story of a stolen/missing/too decomposed body before the weekend arrives. (But I have to admit that it would be really cool for a large hitherto unknown primate to be cataloged in Appalachia in the 21st. Century!)

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  4. 4. LSchmaltz 08:34 PM 8/13/08

    I would like to point out that Native American rock art ,dated before European colonization, often depicts Bigfootlike creatures. They are next to other animals too, not with spirit creatures. Tribes from across the North American continent tell of the creature.

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  5. 5. schlockaroundtheclock 08:52 PM 8/13/08

    I spoke with Bigfoot promoter Tom Biscardi 18 months ago and, for someone who'd been at it for nearly 35 years, he seemed pretty confident about finding his prey real soon...

    I've posted his comments on my site.

    www.schlockaroundtheclock.com

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  6. 6. Squankum 08:53 PM 8/13/08

    It's an ape. It exists. Not just one. A species of great ape. There's a decent amount of proof. Is there enough proof? Nope. A body would be nice, and I understand Mr. Schermer's exasperation. But there's more to this than he might know.

    I believe this species of ape can be found in northern Georgia. I've got my reasons, let's say.

    Did these guys find one? No. Everything about their behavior in recent months, and then their alliance with Tom Biscardi, screams HOAX!!

    Please don't confuse this hoax with the actual subject.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  7. 7. LSchmaltz 08:57 PM 8/13/08

    There's certainly more to Bigfoot than a hoax.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  8. 8. dhahky 09:17 PM 8/13/08

    If this is the "real deal", it would be a monumental discovery. There are several problems with it though. First is the creditability of the witnesses. The two discoverers apparently put on "Bigfoot expeditions". Their witness is from "Searching for Bigfoot Inc." who has said he had a bigfoot captured before. That didn't prove to be true. So the whole deal is tainted from the get go. The other problem is if there are these creatures, why hasn't someone found/shot/captured one before? This IS North Ga., where many hunters are in the woods for much of the fall/winter. This type creature could easily be mistaken for a bear and shot, not just in N.Ga but anywhere in the US. Granted, and intelligent creature could avoid much contact with the dangerous humans, but not always, everywhere. I very much would like the legend to be true, but show me the creature, anylize it using creditable scientists, then have someone very creditable announce it. Then open up the creature for further study. Unless this is done, the "bigfoot" proponents really look more ridiculous than they already seemed.
    dhahky

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  9. 9. jrvl 09:50 PM 8/13/08

    Dear Fellow Skeptical "Believers",
    Yeah, where in heck is the ?&%$@#*ing BODY?! Levitated through the roof by "Grays"? In a giant meat locker in Atlanta, selling to the highest bidder? Confiscated by the Defense Dept.?
    Right.
    Sure, I also want to believe in these things, but I don't want to make a fool of myself to do so. Fiction/supposition/blind faith/wishful thinking are just NOT reality, never have been, never will be.
    Yes, superficially at least, it makes for a less interesting, somewhat less mysterious world, and that's unfortunate.
    But then, think of all of those terrifying myths/legends which would make the world a much more horrible place, too.
    Maybe it's a wash.
    For me, the universe as revealed by ploddingly incremental, lawfully restricted, "elitist Science is unimaginably vast and miraculously varied enough. Look into it, fellow believers; it's worth the trouble.
    But, sure I too would love to kick the tires of an abandoned UFO or share a pkg. of jerky with bigfoot - just so long as he sits well upwind and minds his manners.
    Joel van Lennep, NH

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  10. 10. MissPrism 10:26 PM 8/13/08

    I agree. Show me the body.

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  11. 11. Linda 11:15 PM 8/13/08

    Ok everybody we've heard this one before. Doesn't anyone remember the Irishmen who first started the prank as a joke for his drinking buddies?
    L Nixon

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  12. 12. Linda 11:19 PM 8/13/08

    Does anyone remember the Irishmen who began the prank about big foot to fool his drinking buddies?

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  13. 13. Linda in reply to LSchmaltz 11:22 PM 8/13/08

    Do you have proof? And do you also believe their were aliens found in Roswell New Mexico?

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  14. 14. jayteodorowycz 11:38 PM 8/13/08

    I must say, Biscardi's body language in the fox interview is obvious. He blinks the whole time, and the fact that he goes into minute detail about the credibility of the people who found it, make me suspicious. I believe there's a Bigfoot, or feet, but this probably isn't it.

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  15. 15. jayteodorowycz 11:40 PM 8/13/08

    Biscardi's body language in the fox interview says it all.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  16. 16. CheeziPhish 12:17 AM 8/14/08

    Would be great! If this is a hoax, bf could still exist. New discoveries are made each year. Just because something hasn't been proven, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. You can't prove that things don't exist, just that things haven't been proven yet.

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  17. 17. drinehart 12:27 AM 8/14/08

    I am from an area where there are large amounts of people that hunt the supposed "Bigfoot", "Sasquatch" what ever you would like to call it. the state that I live in, especially the county that I live in, is very rural and has hundreds of thousands of acreages. Some which has never been explored. I myself think that it is possible that there could be a bigfoot but the chances of someone just stumbling upon it...unlikely. If in fact they are real, then how could they have avoided human contact? With all the technology that we have today, a couple just wonders upon it. Guess we will just have to wait and see.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  18. 18. ChrisJones 09:10 AM 8/14/08

    Meh. Yeah, hardly even worth a one-liner.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  19. 19. Bull Jones 09:16 AM 8/14/08

    "Confiscated by the Defense Dept."

    I didn't think of that one! That very well be the excuse they give this weekend when the body doesn't turn up. Yes, hunting is my very reason for having difficulty with the idea of Bigfoot in Appalachia - especially northern GA. WE hunted for ALL of our meat when I was a kid. I can't imagine that we, (my family, our friend & neighbors, or the Indians from the nearby Res), never found the first sign.

    Again, a cool thought though.

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  20. 20. edac2 10:21 AM 8/14/08

    It's pretty obvious from the one photo that this is a hoax. Don't mess with Sasquatch!

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  21. 21. butlerbrowser 11:12 AM 8/14/08

    What right do they have to shoot this creature? It seems to me that this animal is almost extenct. What if they are more Human than Ape? Could the person that shot it be tried for murder? It has just as much right to live as any other rare creature. Couldn't they have tranqulized it instead?

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  22. 22. butlerbrowser 11:19 AM 8/14/08

    Why kill the animal? They could of used a tranqulizer gun instead. The reason we don't see many of them is because they are almost extinct! If this animal is more Human than Ape can the person that shot it be tried foe murder?

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  23. 23. Agkistrodon 02:43 PM 8/14/08

    Does "bagged" mean shot and killed? Why would they do that? No cameras? Couldn't they just talk go it?

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  24. 24. Agkistrodon 02:45 PM 8/14/08

    Does "bagged" mean shot and killed? Why would anyone do that? What if it's a big hirsute human? Won't that be murder? What will it take for it not to be murder?

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  25. 25. DrFeelwrong 03:28 PM 8/14/08

    Well I do think they're clever. Of course this is a hoax but can you imagine the amount of website hits and merchandise they're gonna sell? This is pure genius. Although people are so gullible that this proves the lack of intelligent design. Oddly enough it seems people are betting on whether the body is a hoax. Here's the link:

    http://www.hubdub.com/m13465/Will_the_Rickmat_Bigfoot_body_be_a_hoax

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  26. 26. drinehart in reply to butlerbrowser 03:11 AM 8/15/08

    It's funny this topic is even being discussed, but on your question on could they be tried for murder for shooting "bigfoot". No they can't. Technically, a bigfoot does not exist, and a bigfoot is not HUMAN. I am good friends with a game warden. I asked the same question joking around before this event even came up. He told me that you could not be charged with a game violation, either. It is not supposed to exist. He even told me to shoot the thing to prove that it does exist.

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  27. 27. henry link 10:27 AM 8/15/08

    Hmm....body of a bear, head from a gorilla suit? At the age of 10 I perpetrated a similar hoax in a friend's basement, so I know a thing or two about how these things are done!

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  28. 28. digitalsmithing 07:03 PM 8/15/08

    could a 7'7" manthingapelike dude fit in the freezer in question

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  29. 29. Livinthegoodlife 10:11 PM 8/15/08

    I'm impressed this story is being reported here. Typically anything strange or unnatural like Bigfoot is not reported on, even though there are legitimate scientists and researchers looking into it. Ridicule is always associated with Bigfoot, as you can see by some of the other comments, which is sad, there is a lot we don't know and understand. Historically, Bigfoot like creatures are known to native americans as animals just like any other, flesh and blood. Though some tribes believe it is a spirit probably due to its elusive nature. Hair samples, audio recordings of calls are typically inconclusive because scientists can't match the sample to any other live specimen even though hair samples and recordings have been labeled primate. Then there are all the footprints which can be easily debunked or proven real. Keep an open mind and research this for yourself before assuming you understand this issue and what is and isn't possible.

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  30. 30. edsparts 10:45 PM 8/15/08

    who knows just how long these cavemen-bigfoot very smelly man like person or cave-bigfoot-like-man thing with the rest of them in some parts of the Florida everglades,who knows just how many of other states they live in too.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  31. 31. edsparts 10:48 PM 8/15/08

    hello every body

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  32. 32. edsparts 11:41 PM 8/15/08

    cave like people, just maybe
    they were having a very bad lost of there race due to a member of cavemen-like people that maybe don't fit in with todays date and time now., like a very,very big smelly pet in your house, or
    someones left there door open on a spacecraft, guess who got out, it was spot ans his friends now running away., from some place else, or out of the sea , the earth is about 75% water, what a great place to hide, make repairs, or set up a store.
    didn't we send out a probe into deep space, with an invite
    to come and see earth or how about spacecraft loosing some pets a long, long, long time ago. or maybe not? who knows for sure, do you????.................ed

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  33. 33. master 02:04 AM 8/16/08

    if they want to keep it let them they just want to be fames in the news.they think they all good.will what if there going to show the body.if they don;t show it to the general public that means the thing is made out of dead bears and crows.

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  34. 34. Sojourner 08:54 AM 8/16/08

    I hope they sale prepacked crow in most convenient stores in this nation to make it easier for many mudd tossing Americans to get their share when the moment of truth comes. Why is it on CNN an anchor can show a story then make personal comments. Is that NEWS? If they show this press conf. then continue to make fun of it after..is THAT NEWS? IF they make fun of it why did they select it as news to begin with. Same with Scientific American. Is it NEWS when the body is PROVEN real? So...at this point treat it as NEWS that there is a claim and leave it at that. But please...i would also like to hear contructive comments on the side of those who say there IS such a creature. To laugh at those men is to laugh at all men who say i believe...the dif. here is...those men have a body!! We cant even say that about Christian believers now can we. As for DNA...haha...we are just now releasing men OUT of life sentences cus we GOT IT WRONG with DNA samples. This happens almost once a month. To think that ALL $15 per hour lab rats do a good job sampling and then testing...haha..I am a twin and when i was born the hospital mixed up my wrist band with my brother..to this day i dont know if im him or he is me. We are human..we make mistakes. Most believe we are not alone in this universe...and i will add a coviat to that...We are not alone in the woods either.

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  35. 35. yourmammyboy 10:47 AM 6/17/09

    I saw a good follow up article about bigfoot www.pattersonfilm.com it deals with the history of bigfoot bigfoots sasquatch yeti etc

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
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