Bigfoot

Other posters have pointed out the reasons why they don't think there is any 'bigfoot' due to lack of evidence.To summarize the objections are:1. No live specimens.
2. No dead specimens, not even one tooth.
3. No hair, no scat, no other remains that one could get DNA from.
4. No plausible mechanism by which a viable breeding population (around at least 50 individuals) could exist without any trace of the above.
5. No believers among trained researchers who are spending most their waking hours in the ecosystem.However, there is historic evidence that people can be mistaken about the existence of large animals in the past. Think dragons, unicorns, ogres, titans, trolls, giants (over 9 feet). Or we could go for small like poltergeists, faeries, leprechauns, elves, gremlins, and so on.The history of belief without a shred of evidence is huge. Look at Loch Ness, UFOs as metal spaceships, crystal healing, astrology, numerology, Feng Sui, divination, tarot, palm reading, and so on.And so on, and so on.Considering the history of extraordinary claims, extreme skepticism is the most rational response. Number me among the skeptics.

True, but there is much more evidence concerning dead squid, either within or without the belly of a sperm whale. evidently you have not spent enough time in the wilderness of the American West to see all kinds of things, including cadavers and bones. I have personally seen black bears dozens of times, along with every bigger than squirrel mammal I know of that hangs out round these parts, except a bobcat.I can provide a list, if you believe there may be something I may have missed. Only the wilderness of Colorado, and California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico as a mineral hunter. I'd love to go to Alaska, give me a ticket.Sorry, never saw bigfoot, but seen lots of tracks and scat of animals that actually exist, in addition to actually making my acquaintance on a more direct level.

I have seen the various limb and once a hip bone which by process of elimination I took to be from black bears. Have not seen a skull, complete skeleton, or cadaver of a bear as I have with several herbivore species such as pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, and of course deer.The point I was trying to make was that TAZ must have been looking in the wrong place or just had some bad luck in spotting black bears in the West. I have seen many in CA, NM, and one in AZ usually far off but did surprise one taking a dump from about 30 feet away while taking geology field camp. Now that was fresh scat and prints. Interestingly we also damn near ran over a large mountain lion on the way back from the bar one night during the same course in a department van.In the late 60s you could hardly miss seeing black bears from the comfort of your car in Yosemite Valley, surprised they didn't try to wash the windshield for spare change. Yes, only saw that one mountain lion alive and just black bear individual bones, not a complete skeleton. However, if one downsizes to your namesake, they are often roadkill around here. Almost nailed a few myself. Perhaps, but in my experience tracks and turds are not. Don't these purported critters ever take a crap or do they bury it like a housecat?

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Read not to contradict and confute, not to believe and take for granted, not to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider - Francis BaconThe more we understand particular things, the more we understand God - Spinoza

One usually smells them before seeing them. Just follow the vultures, they know where to look. Also creeks and bodies of water seem to be a favorite for half-rotten cadavers. My coworker has evidently seen a cougar that includes his property 10 miles south of town here in his rounds. Also have encountered a few dead rattlesnakes, but it's not the dead ones that worry me that much. It seems these purported creatures favor areas with lots of undergrowth and cover such as the Pacific Northwest to foil those park rangers and spy satellites. Perhaps those great white hunters and explorers should have asked the natives. Then they would have either found the creatures fairly quickly or not at all (as in the case of some alleged creatures and various other things of interest like 'cities of gold') No, one of my degrees is in geological engineering but I did give up hunting animals for hunting rare minerals as a hobby. Also, as I was explaining to Coyote, I have not found any complete skeletons or cadavers or black bears as I have with some herbivores. My experiences with wild black bears have been mainly limited to the living.I hope this clears up any confusion as to my experiences, sorry if I somehow accidentally mislead you or Coyote.Edited by anglagard, : clarity

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Read not to contradict and confute, not to believe and take for granted, not to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider - Francis BaconThe more we understand particular things, the more we understand God - Spinoza