A term for a hairy hominid allegedly found in the mountains of Mongolia and Russia and similar in appearance to the Himalayan creature called the Yeti or Abominable Snowman. The word “Almas” comes from the Mongolian language and means “wild-man.” The first recorded sighting was described in the journal of a 15th- century Bavarian nobleman, Johann (Hans) Schiltberger, while he was a Mongolian captive. Schiltberger wrote that a wild people, entirely covered with hair, except for face and hands, lived in the mountains. Many other sightings have been reported in the centuries since, and the Almas was formally studied by Russian scientists in the early part of the 20th century. Reported sightings dramatically decreased in the latter part of the century, although as late as 1974 a Mongolian shepherd reported seeing in the Asgat Mountains a half-human, half-beastly creature covered with reddish black hair. Unfortunately, no strong physical evidence photographs, a living or dead specimen, or casts of tracks exists to prove the Almas’s existence.
Some cryptozoologists and anthropologists consider the Almas an element of Mongolian folklore; others suggest that the creature might be a leftover from the Neanderthals; still others believe it is a relative of the many similar creatures reported in Asia and North America. However, most scientists do not believe sufficient evidence exists to prove the existence of these creatures.