Skunk ape
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Skunk Ape | |
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| One of the two Myakka Skunk Ape photographs taken in 2000 |
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| Creature | |
| Name: | Skunk Ape |
| Classification | |
| Grouping: | cryptid |
| Sub grouping: | hominid |
| Data | |
| Country: | United States |
| Region: | Southeastern States |
| Habitat: | Everglades |
| Status: | Unconfirmed |
The Skunk Ape or Florida Skunk Ape or Stink Ape is a hominid cryptid said to inhabit the Southeastern United States,[1] from places such as Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Arkansas, although reports from the Florida Everglades are particularly common. It is named for its appearance and for the unpleasant odor that is said to accompany it. According to the United States National Park Service, the skunk ape exists only as a local myth.[2] Reports of the Skunk ape were particularly common in the 1960s and 1970s. Particular cases of sightings of skunk apes include "Knobby" and the "Fouke Monster".
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[edit] Description
The Skunk Ape is said to be a large hairy, bipedal mammal that inhabits swampy areas in the southern United States, including the Florida Everglades. It is said that the blood line of this hominid can be traced to that of its very close relative, the North American Sasquatch.[citation needed] In Florida, they have (allegedly) been spotted as far north as Tallahassee and as far south as Lostman's River. Numerous sightings have also been reported in Louisiana, including the Cotton Island area. Large adult males are said to weigh in excess of 450 lbs and stand 6 to 7 feet tall with reddish or dark brown hair similar in appearance to an orangutan or gorilla. Some believe that this biped is part of the same species as the famed Bigfoot.[citation needed] A handful of sightings have also happened in the Western US, including Simi Valley, CA. In recent months[clarify], several sightings have been reported near the Withlacoochee River in Brooks County, GA, between Quitman and Valdosta. The smell of a Skunk Ape has been reported to be similar to rotten eggs or Hydrogen Sulfide.
[edit] Myakka photographs
In 2000, two photographs of an ape, said to be the Skunk Ape, were taken anonymously and mailed to the Sarasota Sheriff's Department in Florida. They were accompanied by a letter [3] from a woman claiming to have photographed the creature in the palmettos at the edge of her backyard. The photographer claimed that for three nights the ape had entered her yard to take apples from a bushel basket on her porch. She was convinced it was an escaped orangutan. The police were called to the house continuous times but when they arrived the 'Ape' was gone. The pictures have become known to Bigfoot enthusiasts as the "Myakka skunk ape photos".[4]
Loren Coleman is the primary researcher on the Myakka photographs, having tracked down the two photographs to an "Eckerd photo lab at the intersection of Fruitville and Tuttle Roads" in Sarasota County, Florida. [5]
A later investigation led by the TV series Monster Quest shows that the photographs were most likely not of a real animal.
[edit] Further reading
- Newton, Michael (2005). "Skunk Ape". Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology: A Global Guide. McFarland & Company, Inc.. ISBN 0-7864-2036-7.
- Bigfoot!: The True Story of Apes in America (NY: Paraview Pocket-Simon and Schuster, 2003, ISBN 0-7434-6975-5), which contains primary historical material on Apes, Skunk Apes, and the Myakka photographs.
- The song "Skookum Skunk Ape" by Willard's Canteen, on the album Judy Garland of Freshly Severed Heads (Bum's Ass Records, 2006).
- The show " Rammy VS the Skunk Ape" features a skunk ape facing Rammy the Raptor.
- The Field Guide to Bigfoot, Yeti, and Other Mystery Primates Worldwide, Loren Coleman and Patrick Huyghe, Illust. Harry Trumbore, ISBN 0-380-80263-5
[edit] References
- ^ Lennon, Vince. "Is a Skunk Ape Loose in Campbell County?", WATE 6 News, WorldNow, 2003-10-22. Retrieved on 2006-12-23.
- ^ "The abominable swampman", BBC News, 1998-03-06. Retrieved on 2006-12-23.
- ^ Coleman, Loren. Myakka Skunk Ape "Letter".
- ^ Newton, Michael (2005). "Skunk Ape". Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology: A Global Guide. McFarland & Company, Inc.. 430-431. ISBN 0-7864-2036-7.
- ^ Coleman, Loren. The Myakka "Skunk Ape" photographs.
[edit] External links
- The "Florida Skunk Ape" Web Site
- The Myakka "Skunk Ape" Photographs
- Smelly Bigfoot: The Skunk Ape at About.com
- Skunk Ape, Cousin of Bigfoot? (photos include one taken by Skunk-Ape expert David Shealy)
- uVu Award-winning student film on the skunk ape; Keyword Search: Footprints
- Video describing research on skunk ape (Parody)
- The Cryptid Zoo: Skunk-Apes
