For decades, multiple eyewitness accounts of a mysterious beast have persisted. People have claimed to spot signs of the elusive Bigfoot in remote wilderness areas.
From dark, looming shadows and giant footprints to unearthly howls that echo through the trees, these features have all been chalked up to Bigfoot.
But is the Bigfoot legend actually real, or is there a logical explanation for the sightings?
Earlier this year, a study published in the Journal of Zoology suggested that humans are wrongly identifying American black bears as Bigfoot.
The study found a link between black bear populations in the Pacific Northwest and reports of Bigfoot or Sasquatch sightings.
For every 5,000 black bears, there is an average of one Bigfoot encounter. So, the more black bears there are in an area, the more likely it is that Bigfoot sightings will increase in number.
It turns out that Bigfoot might actually be a bear.
Previous research has tied bears to Bigfoot in the Pacific Northwest, which is believed to be the creature’s natural habitat, but the most recent study took a look at the phenomenon across several other states and provinces.
The study’s author, Floe Foxon, a data scientist at the University of Leeds in England, evaluated bear populations in 37 U.S. states and seven Canadian provinces to establish a correlation using data from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization. Human population sizes and forest cover were adjusted to model the correlation.
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The analysis found that Sasquatch reports experienced a four percent increase for every 1,000 bears in the area.
Based on the findings, it is likely that people are misidentifying regular bears. In North America, black bears are the most common bear. They live across 32 U.S. states and in almost every Canadian province.
When a black bear stands upright on its hind legs, it can reach up to seven feet tall, which is about the height that Bigfoot is said to be.
Bigfoot is also described as having dark, shaggy hair that covers its whole body and lives in temperate forests, just like black bears. So, it makes sense that the Sasquatch is frequently mistaken for a bear.
