Huge, hairy hominid reportedly sighted throughout the North American continent. Some believe it to be a relative of the yeti, the almas, and other wild, fur- coated, humanlike creatures found in folklore and sightings around the world. Others think it is a creature of “monster envy,” either consciously or unconsciously created by those who want America to have its own abominable snowman. Although Bigfoot is most often thought of as inhabiting the Pacific Northwest, reports have come from all over the United States, Canada, and even Mexico. Some Pacific Northwest Native American tribes held a traditional belief in a Sasquatch, or “hairy man,” and Bigfoot is often connected to this traditional being.
Those who have evaluated the several hundred Bigfoot reports that are made virtually every year say that the species clearly has two genders (at least one witness claims to have been abducted and held captive by a Big-foot family, with two parents and two children); that the males may be more than 8 feet tall and weigh up to 600 pounds; and that their feet are proportionally larger than humans’ feet. The creatures also are said to have medium- to-long hair, usually described as reddish-brown and covering most of the body, to make unique sounds, and to have an unpleasant odor. They are considered shy and generally herbivorous and nonviolent, although a few attacks by Bigfoots have been reported.