Current Event:

A new search for the legendary creatures known as Bigfoot and the Yeti is being mounted by several researchers from Oxford University in the United Kingdom and the Lausanne Museum of Zoology in Switzerland. The researchers are asking wildlife scientists, museums, and Bigfoot enthusiasts to send them written descriptions and photos of any evidence they might have of the creatures. If the descriptions look promising, the researchers will request the physical samples and then test their DNA to determine which species the samples came from.

Objective:

Finding DNA from an unknown primate–the group of mammals that includes monkeys, apes, and human beings–could be evidence that Bigfoot lives and would rank as one of the greatest zoological discoveries in history. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles takes a look at why this would be such an important finding.

Bigfoot, shown here in an artist’s depiction, is a humanlike creature said to live in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada. The creature is said to resemble a large ape--with thick fur, long arms, powerful shoulders, and a short neck--but to walk upright like a human being. Copyright Ted Lewin.

Words to Know:

• apes
• Asia
• Bigfoot
• DNA
• Gigantopithecus
• Oxford University
• monkeys
• Neandertals
• North America
• prehistoric humans
• primate
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• Yeti
• Zoology

Discussion Topics:

1. The legendary creature known as Bigfoot also goes by names including the Yeti, Sasquatch, and the Abominable Snowman. Ask your students if they’re familiar with these creatures and their perceptions regarding what it looks like. (It is said to be a hairy beast with a large, apelike body and a face that resembles that of a human being. It has long arms that reach to its knees, and it walks erect on its thick legs.)

2. A few scientists think it is possible that such a large primate could have survived undiscovered in the dense and remote forests of North America and Asia. One theory suggests Bigfoot and the Yeti are small relic populations of primate though to have gone extinct. What do your students think?