Bigfoot is a legendary apelike creature said to live in forested regions of North America. People report sightings or evidence of Bigfoot most often in the mountains of California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Bigfoot stories also appear in Native American traditions, where the creature is known as Sasquatch. Among some Pacific Coast tribes, the creature is represented in ceremonial masks and totem poles.
Thousands of people have reported seeing Bigfoot or finding its footprints. Witnesses describe a creature covered with brown or black hair that walks and stands upright. It measures about 7 to 10 feet (2 to 3 meters) tall with a thickly built body, weighing between 600 and 1,000 pounds (270 and 450 kilograms). The creature leaves footprints that measure about 16 inches (41 centimeters) long and about 7 inches (18 centimeters) wide. The prints suggest its foot has five toes, lacks a distinct arch, and has greater flexibility than a human foot.
Bigfoot is one of the most famous examples of a cryptid. A cryptid is a living thing whose existence has been suggested but not demonstrated. Scientists have collected small amounts of hair from sites where Bigfoot tracks are found. Tests show that some of the hair samples come from common animals, such as bear or bison. But other samples have proved difficult to match with any known animal. See Cryptozoology.
Most scientists have rejected the existence of Bigfoot. They think that reports of Bigfoot encounters and other evidence are more likely the result of imagination, misidentification of other animals, or a deliberate hoax. However, a few scientists think it is possible for a large animal to survive undiscovered in the dense and remote forests of North America. Some prominent scientists have called for more serious scientific research to determine if Bigfoot really exists.
