Personal opinion regarding hominid cryptids

[MysteryMike]

A personal opinion I felt like sharing.

I know cryptozoologists theorize on bigfoot/sasquatch being a descendant of gigantopitheus, but it'd be impossible for a species to suddenly evolve bipealism in just the span of tens of thousands of years (That'd take millions at most). More likely if Bigfoot existed, I would see it as a hominid, a member of the Australopithecine family. At some before modern homo sapiens evolved (We first appeared 200,000 years ago), a genus of that family (Australopithecines) migrated out of Africa and spread across the world as our prehistoric ancestors had during the last Ice Age overtime evolving to becoming bigger (7-8 feet, 600-800 pounds on average), eventually becoming what we would know of many hominid cryptids such as bigfoot/sasquatch, yeti and yowie.

In all honestly, kinda surprised amongst the cryptozoology community, this theory ain't brought up more often...

Edited February 3, 2023 by MysteryMike

[Ell]

Bigfoot has no feet.

[Piney]

43 minutes ago, MysteryMike said:

A personal opinion I felt like sharing.

I know cryptozoologists theorize on bigfoot/sasquatch being a descendant of gigantopitheus, but it'd be impossible for a species to suddenly evolve bipealism in just the span of tens of thousands of years (That'd take millions at most). More likely if Bigfoot existed, I would see it as a hominid, a member of the Australopithecine family. At some before modern homo sapiens evolved (We first appeared 200,000 years ago), a genus of that family (Australopithecines) migrated out of Africa and spread across the world as our prehistoric ancestors had during the last Ice Age overtime evolving to becoming bigger (7-8 feet, 600-800 pounds on average), eventually becoming what we would know of many hominid cryptids such as bigfoot/sasquatch, yeti and yowie.

In all honestly, kinda surprised amongst the cryptozoology community, this theory ain't brought up more often...

I thought that was the case before I realized Bigfoot was everything but Bigfoot in the Pine Barrens.

I was guessing Australopithecine Robust running a parallel path to A. Gracile who evolved into us. But A. Robust ate plants. Not meat. 

[papageorge1]

Well, I am one that has come to believe in alien involvement in the ascent of our human DNA. Channeled/psychic sources I respect say Bigfoot was created many thousands of years ago as a human/ape hybrid created to be a strong slave laborer, but the plan collapsed, and they are now feral creatures.

 

As believable as any other theory I've heard.

[Carnoferox]

Australopithecine bigfoot is definitely the minority opinion, but it has been proposed before. Gordon Strasenburgh believed that it was Paranthropus as far back as the 1970's and I think Loren Coleman is still a supporter of this idea.

http://cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/giganto-plus/

Of course, there are huge problems that make australopithecines even less likely candidates than Gigantopithecus. First, no australopithecines have been found outside of Africa. Second, even if they had reached Asia, they went extinct long before a land bridge to North America formed. Third, australopithecines were much shorter than the heights reported for bigfoot.

Frankly, there are no good candidates for bigfoot in the fossil record. If it did exist, it would be a completely novel form not closely related to any extinct ones.

[Grim Reaper 6]

25 minutes ago, Carnoferox said:

Australopithecine bigfoot is definitely the minority opinion, but it has been proposed before. Gordon Strasenburgh believed that it was Paranthropus as far back as the 1970's and I think Loren Coleman is still a supporter of this idea.

http://cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/giganto-plus/

Of course, there are huge problems that make australopithecines even less likely candidates than Gigantopithecus. First, no australopithecines have been found outside of Africa. Second, even if they had reached Asia, they went extinct long before a land bridge to North America formed. Third, australopithecines were much shorter than the heights reported for bigfoot.

Frankly, there are no good candidates for bigfoot in the fossil record. If it did exist, it would be a completely novel form not closely related to any extinct ones.

Paranthropus, would be a great fit based upon size and vegetarian diet.   Australopithecines, would have been too small. I remember in 1960s when Dr. Leaky and his wife were carrying out excavations at Olduvai. I always want to visit that site, 

[Carnoferox]

4 minutes ago, Grim Reaper 6 said:

Paranthropus, would be a great fit based upon size and vegetarian diet.   Australopithecines, would have been too small. I remember in 1960s when Dr. Leaky and his wife were carrying out excavations at Olduvai. I always want to visit that site, 

Paranthropus were about 4 to 4.5 feet tall on average, with a maximum height of 5 feet, so only slightly taller than other australopithecines. Most bigfoot sightings are in the 7 to 8 feet range.

[Grim Reaper 6]

3 hours ago, Carnoferox said:

Paranthropus were about 4 to 4.5 feet tall on average, with a maximum height of 5 feet, so only slightly taller than other australopithecines. Most bigfoot sightings are in the 7 to 8 feet range.

I never considered the height, so the only species that fits all the requirements for what people claim to have seen is Gigantopithecus.  Because it is the only one that meets the height requirement since Gigantopithecus reaches a height of 9 feet. However, since no Great Ape fossils have ever been discovered in the Americas and since Gigantopithecus never came even remotely close to a crossing or entry point. As far as the Americas are concerned there is no way Bigfoot could be a relative of Gigantopithecus. 

Thanks very much for sharing the information in this thread!

[Hankenhunter]

[MysteryMike]

7 hours ago, Carnoferox said:

Australopithecine bigfoot is definitely the minority opinion, but it has been proposed before. Gordon Strasenburgh believed that it was Paranthropus as far back as the 1970's and I think Loren Coleman is still a supporter of this idea.

http://cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/giganto-plus/

Of course, there are huge problems that make australopithecines even less likely candidates than Gigantopithecus. First, no australopithecines have been found outside of Africa. Second, even if they had reached Asia, they went extinct long before a land bridge to North America formed. Third, australopithecines were much shorter than the heights reported for bigfoot.

Frankly, there are no good candidates for bigfoot in the fossil record. If it did exist, it would be a completely novel form not closely related to any extinct ones.

I mean hypothetically speaking in a world where if such a species existed. Millions of years would be enough time for such a species to overtime evolve to become bigger (Likely as a evolutionary response to better compete against larger predators like bears or lions) and also be in the area where the land bridge eventually would have came to be allowing them to cross over. Regarding the idea of hominid cryptids being australopithecines.

[Trelane]

With that dispersal over time and amassing what would be needed for a viable breeding population, there would be some evidence of such a creature's existence.

[Dejarma]

10 hours ago, MysteryMike said:

More likely if Bigfoot existed,

it does not exist.. if anything like it did we would know of it by now- to me it's bleeding obvious

[MysteryMike]

25 minutes ago, Dejarma said:

it does not exist.. if anything like it did we would know of it by now- to me it's bleeding obvious

That's why I said If.

Honestly I don't even believe in its existence or 99.9% of cryptids for that matter at this point. This thread was just talking about the possibility what bigfoot and other hominid cryptids might be if they existed in such a hypothetical world.

Edited February 4, 2023 by MysteryMike

[Dejarma]

1 minute ago, MysteryMike said:

That's why I said If.

fair enough- but to even consider 'IF' is ridiculous to me. To say: 'Honestly, I don't even believe in its existence' baffles me as to why you would feel a need to start this thread topic in the first place!? All due respect 

[Carnoferox]

55 minutes ago, MysteryMike said:

I mean hypothetically speaking in a world where if such a species existed. Millions of years would be enough time for such a species to overtime evolve to become bigger (Likely as a evolutionary response to better compete against larger predators like bears or lions) and also be in the area where the land bridge eventually would have came to be allowing them to cross over. Regarding the idea of hominid cryptids being australopithecines.

Sure, but if we're dealing with all hypotheticals then bigfoot could be descended from any ape or even a non-ape.

Edited February 4, 2023 by Carnoferox

[Occupational Hubris]

2 hours ago, Carnoferox said:

Sure, but if we're dealing with all hypotheticals then bigfoot could be descended from any ape or even a non-ape.

Glowbird or hyrax, for sure

[Ell]

If Bigfoot exists, it ultimately must have evolved from a fish, like for example the Loch Ness monster, which might be a giant sturgeon.

The sturgeon's gills might have evolved into Bigfoot's shaggy hair, allowing it to breathe air and to live on land.

This hypothesis predicts that Bigfoot must be afraid of cats.

This is a hypothesis we have the means to test, because we have cats. All we need otherwise to test the hypothesis is a Bigfoot. One will be sufficient.

 

In all honesty, I am kinda surprised that amongst the cryptozoology community this hypothesis ain't brought up more often.

Edited February 4, 2023 by Ell

[Alchopwn]

I strongly suspect we are dealing with an as-yet unidentified issue to do with dimensional crossovers.  I think it is a rare effect in the natural world, but is present, and some other species with better sensory loadouts than Homo Sapiens Sapiens are able to detect it better than we do.  I also think it will be explicable thru science once we are able to localize where the phenomenon is occurring and study it.  PhDs, patents, and pay days all round!

[Abramelin]

On 2/3/2023 at 4:38 PM, MysteryMike said:

I know cryptozoologists theorize on bigfoot/sasquatch being a descendant of gigantopitheus, but it'd be impossible for a species to suddenly evolve bipealism in just the span of tens of thousands of years

The only remains found of Gigantopithecus is molars and a jawbone. They now say it was some kind of giant orang utan, but nothing is sure.

It could have been a giant bipedal ape.

[Abramelin]

15 hours ago, Abramelin said:

It could have been a giant bipedal ape.

[Carnoferox]

15 hours ago, Abramelin said:

The only remains found of Gigantopithecus is molars and a jawbone. They now say it was some kind of giant orang utan, but nothing is sure.

It could have been a giant bipedal ape.

No, Gigantopithecus was not bipedal. We have much more complete remains of its close relative Sivapithecus, including the skull, arms/hands, hips, and legs/feet, which show that it was a quadruped. Gigantopithecus was even heavier than Sivapithecus so it was no doubt still quadrupedal to support its mass.

[Abramelin]

5 minutes ago, Carnoferox said:

We have much more complete remains of its close relative Sivapithecus, including the skull, arms/hands, hips, and legs/feet, which show that it was a quadruped. 

So, these are remains of a supposed relative, Sivapithecus.

What is this relation between Gigantopithecus and Sivapithecus based on?

[Carnoferox]

5 minutes ago, Abramelin said:

So, these are remains of a supposed relative, Sivapithecus.

What is this relation between Gigantopithecus and Sivapithecus based on?

The teeth and mandibles of Gigantopithecus are more similar to Sivapithecus (and another relative Indopithecus) than to any other apes. Additionally, analysis of preserved proteins in Gigantopithecus teeth has shown their closest living relatives to be orangutans. Sivapithecus is likewise related to orangutans and has a very orangutan-like skull.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1728-8

[Abramelin]

I'll tell you what I think.

Gigantopithicus was a giant bipedal ape.

The Siberian ancestors of the Native Americans encountered that beast, and transmitted their stories about this beast to every next generation.

This story became legend, myth, whatever, and it became part of Native American lore.

 

[Abramelin]

4 minutes ago, Carnoferox said:

The teeth and mandibles of Gigantopithecus are more similar to Sivapithecus (and another relative Indopithecus) than to any other apes. Additionally, analysis of preserved proteins in Gigantopithecus teeth has shown their closest living relatives to be orangutans. Sivapithecus is likewise related to orangutans and has a very orangutan-like skull.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1728-8

But does it rule out Gigantopithecus was bipedal?

Orangutans walk on their hindlegs quite frequently.

Some of their cousins, like Gigantopithecus, might have walked bipedal more often.