Home » Blog » 2023 » February » Bipedal apes? A cryptozoological meandering

BIPEDAL APES? A CRYPTOZOOLOGICAL MEANDERING

Written by Graham on Sunday 5th February 2023.

This initial blog post is based on some musing I was doing on the subject of the Sasquatch and similar reported cryptids, in particular in combination with attempts to trace the various lineages of our own immediate family tree, the hominids. Please bear in mind this is just me getting some thoughts together after nothing more than a surface-level flick through the cast of relevant characters. There's a whole rabbit warren to send the ferrets down, but, for now, they remain down my trouser legs.

Disclaimer: I'm not a massive afficionado of these entities, and am neither a staunch believer or sceptic (academic or otherwise). I'm not someone who goes out into the wilds hanging around with smelly, hairy bipedal apes who often make strange noises...

... or, indeed, other Bigfoot hunters.

First of all, I will seek to provide a brief description of the various members of what might be termed taxonomically the Tribe. Of particular interest are sizes, fur colours and other details which may be pertinent going forward.

Off I go.

IN WESTERN NORTH AMERICA: SASQUATCH-TYPE

SASQUATCH

  • Name: from Halq̓eméylem sasq'ets (" hairy man").
  • Other names: Bigfoot (of course); Ts'emekwes, stiyaha/kwi-kwiyai (Lummi); skoocoom (Chinook Jargon); vigilantes oscuros (Spanish, Califormia); Big Muddy Monster (southern Illinois).
  • Range: mainly in the Pacific Northwest and down the Rocky Mountains into California, around the Great Lakes and through the Appalachians and Ozarks. Possibly formerly along the Mississippi as far as the domain of the Natchez (reported in 1721).
  • Height: generally 6-9', with some reports suggesting over 10'.
  • Fur colour: ranges from black through brown to dark red.
  • Vocalisations: whistles, grunts, howls, moans, screams, some reports of a proto-language dubbed the "Sierra Sounds" among the Sierra Nevada population.
  • Other notes: described as highly territorial, engaging in "wood knocking" and rock-throwing. Limits of territory perhaps expressed by bending, stacking or forming patterns in lodgepole pine trees, or by hanging animal skeletons. Can become violent (the stiyaha/kwi-kwiyai of the Lummi is differentiated from the Ts'emekwes due to their penchant for violence).
    Likely primarily nocturnal.
    Alleged primate-style nest sites discovered in Washington state by the Olympic Project.
    Said to smell pretty rank. Selon Michael Rugg of Northern California: "[i]magine a skunk that had rolled around in dead animals and had hung around the garbage pits."
    The reported lack of a defined neck may suggest partial quadripedalism due to the location of the Reports of yellow-red eyeshine are problematic due to lack of occurrence in known primates.
  • Fun fact: a matinee idol of a Sasquatch was the star of '80s TV show Bigfoot and the Hendersons, appearing alongside the mighty John Lithgow - one of a select few humans taller than a Sasquatch.

MOGOLLON MONSTER

  • Name: refers to the Mogollon Rim, the alleged territory of the beast.
  • Other names: Arizona Bigfoot.
  • Range: core area along the Mogollon Rin in central/eastern Arizona.
  • Height: above 7'.
  • Fur colour: black or reddish-brown, some reports suggest a grey variant with long white hair and what is described as a beard.
  • Vocalisations: whistles, "blood-curdling" screams. The animal is also reported as being able to mimic other wildlife.
  • Other notes: the animal is said to predate on other creatures, with reports of decapitations and blood drinking. The monster is also known to explore campsites during the night. Rock-throwing, probably territorial.
    In terms of appearance, Don Davis reports that "[t]he face/head was very square; square sides and squared up chin, like a box."
    Nests are fashioned from leaves, pine needles and twigs.
    Stinks, with an odour of "dead fish, a skunk with bad body odor, decaying peat moss and the musk of a snapping turtle."
    Legend suggests a supernatural origin, being a transformed Native or white man.

DEWEY LAKE MONSTER

  • Name: from Dewey Lake, Dowagiac, Michigan.
  • Other names: Sister Lakes Sasquatch (from Sister Lakes, near Dewey Lake).
  • Range: known from sightings in the aforementioned area of Michigan during June 1964. Current status: unknown.
  • Height: around 10'.
  • Fur colour: unstated.
  • Vocalisations: unstated.
  • Other notes: said to have glowing eyes, inconsistent with any known primate. Simply stated to be covered with hair.

OHIO GRASSMAN

  • Name: derived from the entity's use of grass as a material to build elaborate nests.
  • Other names: Kenmore Grassman; Orange Eyes.
  • Range: centres upon wooded areas around Kenmore (a suburb of Akron) and Minerva in northeastern Ohio.
  • Height: normally between 6 and 7', with an overall range from 5 to 10'.
  • Fur colour: blackish-brown.
  • Vocalisations: growls, barks, high-pitched screams, heavy breathing.
  • Other notes: the Cryptid Wiki suggests the creature "[h]as strong odor, like the odor of rot, that lingers in the area even days after it is vacated."
    The Grassman is reported to be among the most aggressive of all American ape-like creatures.

MOMO

  • Name: derived from MO, the traditional and US Postal Service abbreviation of Missouri, and mo, the first two letters of monster.
  • Other names: Missouri Monster (believe it or not).
  • Range: sightings occurred in Louisiana, Missouri in 1971 and 1972. Current status: unknown.
  • Height: around 7'.
  • Fur colour: described as dark.
  • Vocalisations: unstated.
  • Other notes: the head of the Missouri Monster is described as being "pumpkin-shaped."
    Said to emit a "putrid" smell.
    Possible scavenger: on one occasion, was discovered in possession of what was understood to be a dog carcass.
    The creature apparently possesses eyes which glow orange.

IN NORTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA: GUGU-TYPE

GUGU

  • Name: from Mi'kmaq gugu.
  • Other names: the name is also rendered as gougou, gugwe, koakwe and kuhkw. The names chenoo and djenu are also used for a similar entity. Old Men of the Mountain (West Virginia); Wood Booger (Virginia)
  • Range: eastern Canada: alleged photographic evidence was obtained in the Parc régional des Sept-Chutes in Québec. Perhaps related to the wood booger of Virginia (which is said to have a chimpanzee-like appearance).
  • Height: unclear, though larger than an average human.
  • Fur colour: reddy-brown to black.
  • Vocalisations: unstated.
  • Other notes: the gugu is another highly-aggressive species.
    Speculated to possess a saggital crest.
    Notable for possessing a canine-like muzzle.

MONSTER OF WHITEHALL

  • Name: from Whitehall, Washington County, New York.
  • Other names: perhaps identical with the Ot ne yar heh/Genowska of Iroquoian folklore.
  • Range: centred upon Whitehall in the Adirondack foothills.
  • Height: around 8'.
  • Fur colour: unstated.
  • Vocalisations: screams like a woman in extremis.
  • Other notes: Native lore suggests a presence of these creatures for many centuries.

OLD YELLOW TOP

  • Name: on account of the shock of yellow hair on the creature's head.
  • Range: sightings occurred in the area around Cobalt, Ontario.
  • Height: about 8'.
  • Fur colour: dark on the body, yellow on and around the head.
  • Vocalisations: unstated.
  • Other notes: an alleged photograph of the creature shows some resemblance to sloths of the genus Bradypus, perhaps suggesting close links with the supposedly-extinct Megatheroids.

IN SOUTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA: SKUNK APE-TYPE

SKUNK APE

  • Name: derived from its - and many other North American examples' - customary foul odour.
  • Other names: Florida Bigfoot; Swamp ape; Esti capcaki (Seminole & Miccosukee, meaning "hairy giant"); Bardin Booger (one example, which terrorised Bardin, Puttnam County from the 1940s).
  • Range: most closely associated with Florida, this species is also found in Georgia and Alabama.
  • Height: approximately 5 to 7'.
  • Fur colour: reddish-brown, in a mottled pattern; dark red to black.
  • Vocalisations: unstated.
  • Other notes: some reports suggest one animal was hit by bullets, but no evidence was subsequently located.
    The Myakka skunk ape photograph depicts eyeshine and a creature which poorly resembles a hominid.
    In terms of scent, the animal is said to give off skunk-like notes - hence the name.

HONEY ISLAND SWAMP MONSTER

  • Name: from Honey Island Swamp, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana.
  • Other names: Cajun Sasquatch; La Bête Noire (French); Rougarou; Louisiana Wookiee; The Thing - all very ominous...
  • Range: centred upon Honey Island Swamp.
  • Height: around 7'.
  • Fur colour: grey
  • Vocalisations: unstated
  • Other notes: again, the putrid stench of the creature is noted.
    Eyes are said to be yellow or red.
    Casts said to represent the animal's footprints feature four, rather than five, toes.

FOUKE MONSTER

  • Name: from Fouke, Arkansas.
  • Other names: Boggy Creek Monster; Swamp Stalker.
  • Range: encountered between 1971 and 1974 in the area of Fouke, Arkansas. Earlier sightings in Jonesville (around 1946), and back into the 1850s. Current status: unknown.
  • Height: varies from around 7 to as tall as 10'.
  • Fur colour: reddish-brown.
  • Vocalisations: unstated.
  • Other notes: aroma like a mixture of skunk and wet dog.
    Reported to have bright red eyes.
Sir Graham