Bigfoot
The continent's most-reported hominid cryptid.
- Region
- Pacific Northwest, Appalachia, and forested regions across the United States and Canada
- Documented sightings
- 80 on map →
Overview
Bigfoot — also called Sasquatch — is a large, hair-covered bipedal primate reported across the wooded regions of North America for over a century. Modern interest crystallized after the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film at Bluff Creek, California, but eyewitness accounts predate the term itself by generations. The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) maintains the largest standing database of investigated reports, with thousands of Class A direct-visual encounters logged.
Identification
Adults stand 6 to 9 feet tall with broad shoulders, no perceptible neck, and disproportionately long arms that swing past the knee. Hair color ranges from auburn and reddish-brown to black, with paler facial skin visible around the eyes. Footprints typically measure 14 to 18 inches with five toes and a flat midfoot. Witnesses consistently report a powerful musky odor and, occasionally, vocalizations described as wood-knocking, whistles, or guttural calls.
Lore & Origin
The Sasquatch tradition is rooted in Indigenous oral traditions across dozens of First Nations and tribal communities, including the Salish "sasq'ets" from which the modern name derives. Logging crews, hunters, and rural residents have driven the record into the modern era. Notable researchers include René Dahinden, Grover Krantz, and Jeff Meldrum, whose 2006 book "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science" advanced the case for serious anatomical study.