Yowie is a humanlike creature said to live in the wild regions of Australia. The creature is also called Joogabina, Gubba, Yahoo, and Quinkin. Yowie is described as a large, hairy ape that walks on two legs. In appearance and behavior, Yowie is said to resemble Bigfoot of North America, also called Sasquatch. As with Bigfoot, searches have provided little evidence that Yowie exists as anything more than a legend.
There are many legends of Yowie within the folklore of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia. But the origins of Yowie are unknown. Some tales describe Yowie as having supernatural powers, such as the ability to fly. Normally shy, retiring, and passive, Yowie is said to occasionally engage in violent behavior.
Encounters with Yowie are said to have occurred before Europeans settlers arrived in Australia. Recorded sightings date as far back as the 1790’s, not long after the arrival of European colonists. Most Yowie sightings have been reported from the states of New South Wales and Queensland. Investigators have produced a number of plaster casts of reputed Yowie footprints. However, many people doubt that the footprints were made by Yowie.
Some people consider Yowie to be a cryptid, a living thing whose existence has been suggested but not demonstrated. Yowie enthusiasts have searched for proof that the creature exists. Some of them think that Yowie is part of a population of Homo erectus, a prehistoric human ancestor, that somehow migrated to and survived in the Australian wilderness. There is little scientific evidence to support these ideas.
