The legendary, large, hairy, bipedal creature dubbed "Bigfoot" (or "Yeti"), often talked about around campfires, might actually be something far less mysterious: a bear!
Proceedings of the Royal Society B , genetic analysis of eight samples of remains—fur, bones, and teeth—allegedly left behind by Bigfoot, believed to live in the mountains, revealed that they actually came from different species of bears living in the Himalayas. [1] Another set of remains belonged to a dog.
Previous analyses based on smaller fragments of “Bigfoot” DNA had also sparked controversy. [2] In this study, however, the DNA collected from remains claimed to belong to a “Bigfoot” consisted of much larger fragments than those used in previous studies. In the study, mitochondrial genomes supposedly taken from “Bigfoots” were analyzed and compared to the mitochondrial genomes of various bear species, including polar bears and Tibetan brown bears.
The results also provided a new perspective on the genetic relationships between different bear species living in the Tibetan Plateau, guiding us in the conservation of these rare subspecies. According to the data, Himalayan brown bears were among the first groups to separate from other brown bears and become a distinct species during an ice age 660,000 years ago.
On the other hand, Tibetan brown bears share a closer common ancestor with their relatives in Eurasia and North America. Although they migrated to the region approximately 340,000 years ago, they remained separate from Himalayan brown bears due to the rugged terrain and mountains.
Adapted by: A. Ege Palaz
Editor: Ögetay Kayalı
2017
Resources and Further Reading
• Source of Derivative Content: Science News | Archive Link
• ^ T. Lan, et al . (2017). Evolutionary History Of Enigmatic Bears In The Tibetan Plateau–Himalayan Region And The Identity Of The Yeti. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences , pp: 20171804. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1804. | Archive Link
• ^ BC Sykes, et al . (2014). Genetic Analysis Of Hair Samples Attributed To Yeti, Bigfoot And Other Anomalous Primates. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences , pp: 20140161. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2014.0161. | Archive Link
Originally published on Medium on October 31, 2022. English translation of “Kocaayak Efsanesinin Kökeni, Aslında Sıradan Bir Kahverengi Ayıya Dayanıyor Olabilir!”.