Desert Diary
June 26, 2003

Culture/Bigfoot

 

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Many parts of the world have stories of giant, primitive man-like creatures. You've all heard some of the names: Bigfoot, Yeti, Abominable Snowman. In almost any group of a few dozen people you'll find one or more persons convinced of their reality. Bigfoot, for example, has been around since before the Europeans came to North America, and numerous accounts of encounters can be found in print and on the internet. Yet, the quality of evidence for the existence of this creature hardly inspires confidence. There is an utter lack of fossil or modern remains submitted for scientific examination. Instead, the case rests on a few blurry pictures and a large number of footprints. Unfortunately for fans of Bigfoot, at least some of the footprints commonly accepted as evidence have turned out to be hoaxes--kind of a fun thing to see how gullible some people can be.

l don't know, though, of any Chihuahuan Desert version of the Bigfoot story. If you know of one, drop us a line or an e-mail to the Centennial Museum with the details.

Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.

Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.

References

Web Resources

Cryptzoology: Bigfoot, Nessie and Other Friends