Skunk Ape Pictures (bigfoot)

[Nineteen]

Ok, there was a couple in Myakka florida.

they noticed apples on their trees were being eaten, so one night they sat on their porch with their camera at the ready, the attached pictures are what they saw: "The Florida Skunk Ape".

heres one i couldnt attatch http://www2.potsdam.edu/schneief/ICT623/sk...e/evidence1.jpg

ive been on the look for it ever since i saw those pictures

[CryptoRay]

I actually think that these are the real deal. It looks real because it looks like a living animal and the photos are clear and not blurry. Some people say that it is just an orangutan, but I've never heard of orangutans in Florida, expecially black ones. Others say that it is actually a model in a museum, but I've never heard of a model that can move. So I believe that this is a real picture of an unidentified ape.

[Rykster]

Looks like an orangutan to me. Florida is a port of entry. Perhaps someone was trying to smuggle one in and it escaped or was released to avoid customs.

[CryptoRay]

Looks like an orangutan to me. Florida is a port of entry. Perhaps someone was trying to smuggle one in and it escaped or was released to avoid customs.

Reasons why I don't believe it is an orangutan..

1- it is black, while orangutans are orange in color.

2- orangutans don't have shiny blue beards.

3- orangutans can't stand up as upright as that animal is standing.

[Carajbu]

And do orangutans have big fangs like that ones?

[RamboIII]

Could easily be fake...I think the Bigfoot theory has a long way to go to be proven...possibly a video would help a lot more...?

[Nineteen]

yes it must be real, the eyes glow like a deers or a dogs.

no, it cant be an orangutan.

too big

too dark

[Captain Cinquo]

Here's a fully-grown male Orang-utan. Doesn't look a whole lot like our friend, eh?

I'm not sure how to classify this creature. If it isn't faked, this is a really REALLY impressive picture! I'm currently studying biology at the moment as part of my degree, but the skunk-ape pic looks nothing quite like any hominid I have ever seen.

The shining eyes make it look creepy, but then again, all animals have shining eyes. I mean, even OUR eyes reflect in a traditional camera flash (which is why my ex-gf looks like she is posessed in our photos... okay, maybe she was) so that's not here nor there.

The animal seems to be hunched over, not quite like it's hiding behind the fronds of the plant, but enough so that it may have been a deliberate move. Same as baring the teeth in a defensive snarl, which is common amongst gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans.

The legs appear quite massive for the rest of the body, and the arms quite spindly in comparison, or is that just me? It's hard to see where the feet would be, or where the legs go to the ground. Same as the hands cannot be seen (unfortunately)

I'd say 'not a fake'. It looks quite interesting, but I wouldn't want to go out looking for something like that by myself!

[Rykster]

Reasons why I don't believe it is an orangutan..

1- it is black, while orangutans are orange in color.

[attachmentid=24295]

2- orangutans don't have shiny blue beards.

The flash of the camera makes the dark fur give a bluish sheen.

3- orangutans can't stand up as upright as that animal is standing.

[attachmentid=24296]

And do orangutans have big fangs like that ones?

[attachmentid=24297][attachmentid=24298] Nuff said...

[RamboIII]

Oh my GOD!!!!

Ive seen HALLOWEEN masks that do that!!

People are trying desperately to prove bigfoot...theyre not gonna unless they have PERFECT proof- Thats just fake

[Carajbu]

Oranguatans may be able to stand up but I doubt they would choose to walk bipedally. And I don't see any tints of orange on that ape.

If the flash gives the oranguatan a bluish sheen why isn't the rest of the body blue like its 'beard'?

And Rambo, whats perfect proof? The specimen? Very unlikely. Lolz yeah I'm sure a guy dressed up in a suit did that.

Why do you think it is fake?

Edited March 26, 2006 by Qarrah

[Rykster]

I'm not going to argue the point with you Quarrah. Pictures of dark objects taken at night with a flash are simply not something you can use as proof of much.

If you choose to be naive and believe this is something other than an orangutan, then by all means, be my guest.

[Carajbu]

Lolz who said I thought it wasn't an oranguatan?

There are two pictures with the same blue sheen on the same spot.

Doubting it's an oranguatan isn't being naive.

[Nineteen]

[attachmentid=24299]

Here's a fully-grown male Orang-utan. Doesn't look a whole lot like our friend, eh?

I'm not sure how to classify this creature. If it isn't faked, this is a really REALLY impressive picture! I'm currently studying biology at the moment as part of my degree, but the skunk-ape pic looks nothing quite like any hominid I have ever seen.

The shining eyes make it look creepy, but then again, all animals have shining eyes. I mean, even OUR eyes reflect in a traditional camera flash (which is why my ex-gf looks like she is posessed in our photos... okay, maybe she was) so that's not here nor there.

The animal seems to be hunched over, not quite like it's hiding behind the fronds of the plant, but enough so that it may have been a deliberate move. Same as baring the teeth in a defensive snarl, which is common amongst gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans.

The legs appear quite massive for the rest of the body, and the arms quite spindly in comparison, or is that just me? It's hard to see where the feet would be, or where the legs go to the ground. Same as the hands cannot be seen (unfortunately)

I'd say 'not a fake'. It looks quite interesting, but I wouldn't want to go out looking for something like that by myself!

thank you for the info!

here is a pic of the feet

[Carajbu]

Oh I thought that first picture was its hand.

[Nineteen]

[attachmentid=24301]

here is a comparison

note each animals features

[frogfish]

The animal is clearly hunched over on its forearms...I personally think it resembles an orangutan. The body features all match...The only thing between them is the location...an escaped black market animal? Was the photo really taken in FL?

[BigDaddy_GFS]

There ARE similarities in the features of the alleged skunk ape, and the orang. Aside from color, they could be cousins. I've studied the photos, and note a lot of detail suggesting that it's a real creature.

Others have noted some changes in the positioning of the foliage that might indicate photoshop fakery. But I'm not so sure.

I'm not a firm believer in Bigfoot, but these photos are pretty good indicators of SOMETHING in them thar woods

Edited March 26, 2006 by BigDaddy_GFS

[ImOne]

I can't think of any mammal that is assumed to exist without having examples of bones at the very least. Why would big foot be worthy of an exception.

[Nineteen]

The pictures were taken in Myakka florida.

There was a police report on the creature because it was first suspected it was an escaped black market animal. i havent found it yet but im searching.

photoshop had crossed my mind, but these were the most clear and concise pictures of the animal and some of the most compelling video of a bipedal hominid in america since the first video of it in the 50's

[frogfish]

suspected it was an escaped black market animal

Probably

It probably fell prey to an alligator or somehting

[speaker of the house]

South Florida’s Skunk Ape

During the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s the State of Florida was the setting for a series of encounters between people and a Bigfoot like creature that soon came to be known as the Skunk Ape. The name arose due to the animals supposed ape-like appearance and its odor which was described as being similar to that of a skunk.

The first of these sightings occurred in Marion County in 1977. Thereafter, sightings occurred in Lake County in 1980, in Broward County in 1980, in Citrus County in 1983, in Volusia County in 1989, and in Collier County in 1993 and 1997. Some of these sightings were only of footprint evidence although several of the witnesses claimed to have seen the animal itself.

The most recent, and interesting, of these sightings took place in Collier County in the Big Cypress National Preserve on July 16th, 18th, 21st, and 24th. Witnesses included the local fire-chief, two tour guides and their tour buses filled with tourists, a local realtor, and a young couple.

The town of Ochopee is located 60 miles West of Miami and 30 miles east of Naples in the Big Cypress National Preserve, a portion of the Everglades which is considered a Wildlife Management Area. (Hunting and fishing are allowed in Big Cypress.) The tiny town is home to only a handful of residents.

The first sighting occurred on July 16th when a tour guide and his clients observed a large, reddish-brown animal standing near a burned out bride on the west side of Turner River Road behind some cypress trees. The animal reportedly looked agitated as it was shaking the branches as if to drive the people off. The tour guide drove off after a while to get his camera. When he returned the animal was gone and no signs of it could be found. (None of the tourists could be persuaded to disembark the bus to photograph the creature.)

Subsequent sightings included another group of tourists, the fire-chief (who took the only photograph of the animal at a distance of approximately 100 yards with a camera he keeps in his car to photograph accident scenes), a local realtor who believes in the existence of the Skunk Ape, and a young couple who had been observing wildlife in the area.

The Arguments

Without getting too detailed about the credentials of the witnesses I would like to examine the evidence for and against the validity of these sightings.

Evidence which exists to validate the sightings includes: The photograph taken by the chief; the number of the witnesses and their varied backgrounds; the track castings which were taken by David Shealy, the owner of the Panther Gift Shop; and one pile of unidentified feces. Some, including myself, have raised questions as to the sanity of anyone who would be foolish enough to don a fur costume and stomp around in Big Cypress so close to hunting season waiting to be shot by a frightened local.

One possible explanation of the animals movement from East to West is that it was fleeing the wet areas of Big Cypress in favor of higher, and drier, ground.

Arguments against the validity of the sightings include: The fact that two (2) tour-buses observed the creature two days apart, eliciting claims that it was a hoax specifically targeted towards the tourism industry; the fact that the track casts are of two left feet; and the fact that the feces could conceivably be from a black bear. (Fecal analysis yielded berries, plants, and small animal bones.)

The "Experts"

The local CBS affiliate did an "investigative report" on the sightings which aired in two parts on Halloween and the day after in South Florida. Two "experts" were recruited for the investigation. These experts were The Amazing Randi, well known skeptic, and Ron Magill, spokesperson for Miami’s Metrozoo. Both of them discounted the footprint casts as fakes since there were two left foot casts. Each also expressed a great deal of skepticism when asked about the possibility of a large undescribed animal living in the swamp of southwest Florida.

No anthropologists or zoologists were consulted for this report, Mr. Magill being a spokesperson rather than an academician and having no educational background to speak of in zoology. Thus the objectivity of the investigation is questionable.

Dr. Grover Krantz has seen photographs of the casts and of the sighting locations taken by this investigator and has indicated that the environment surrounding the sighting areas looked good. He reserved judgment on the casts, wanting to see copies first-hand, but indicating that reports of four-toed prints were quite common in the Eastern United States.

Personal Questions

Several nagging questions have followed me throughout my contact with the locals and my investigation of the incidents. Most of these revolve around the statements made by David Shealy.

The first inconsistency has to do with two crossed sticks forming an "X" on the side of the road where the fire-chief took his photograph. When questioned by the reporter, the fire-chief indicated that he had not placed the sticks there. However, when Mr. Shealy was asked by this investigator "who put the sticks there?", he said that it was the fire-chief.

The second inconsistency is in regards to the footprint casts. When interviewed by the reporter Mr. Shealy indicated that the tracks were found "side by side". When questioned by the investigator Mr. Shealy indicated that the tracks were found several yards apart.

Finally, Mr. Shealy has been unwilling to relinquish copies of the footprint casts up to this point, but has promised this investigator that, during my next visit to Ochopee casts may be made and forwarded to whatever experts I choose.

Conclusions

No one in Ochopee is really willing to say that what they saw was the Skunk Ape, although the realtor indicated that she does believe in the animal, but does not fear it. In fact, she indicated that when her children were young they would often describe such an animal to her and say that they had seen it around the family property.

After speaking to the investigative reporter from the television station for some time I learned several interesting things, none of which I feel compelled to divulge at this time, which further indicate to me that the whole affair may have been an elaborate hoax designed to attract tourists to the area. I will, however, reserve judgment at this time, preferring to continue the investigation in the hopes of turning up more concrete evidence.

For now, let it suffice to say that no one is sure whether or not the Skunk Ape exists in South Florida, and if it does, whether or not it was what the witnesses saw on those hot and humid days in July.

[Conspiracy]

I can't think of any mammal that is assumed to exist without having examples of bones at the very least. Why would big foot be worthy of an exception.

because bigfoot lives mostly in deep forests, and cause of that lots of scavengers could take parts and run off, scattering the bones and such, also if bigfoot is as hominoid as some people believe then it can quite frankly bury its own dead

[frogfish]

You can still find buried bones...Its called paleontology.

[00000000000000000000000000]

You can still find buried bones...Its called paleontology.

Surely you can't expect them to dig up entire forests?