For many years, Bigfoot has been known as one of the greatest mysteries known to mankind. Throughout history there have been stories and legends about a hairy, ape-like being that roamed some of the deepest parts of the woods around the world. Bigfoot is described as a large beast with ape-like features that is believed to be significantly larger than the average human. For centuries there have been myriad theories about the origins of Bigfoot and whether the creature exists. To evaluate the mystery behind Bigfoot one must look at the depth of the evidence provided, the credibility of the source, and the logic behind the theory. While numerous theories exist about the Bigfoot mystery, the most intriguing describe it as an extraterrestrial being, a mythical forest creature, or even a primate species, while others equate the Bigfoot legend to nothing more than an elaborate hoax. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay One of the implausible theories is that Bigfoot is an extraterrestrial being. The connection between UFOs and Bigfoot stems from a 1988 meeting between cattle ranchers and a group of Native Americans in Humboldt County, California. The Native Americans led the rancher to a “cave where he saw a creature that had long, dark hair” (Ruehl). Native Americans claimed that there were three “Crazy Bears” that came down from the sky into a small moon, and once they landed “the moon went back up into the air” (Ruehl). One hundred years later another UFO case was reported in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1973 a woman named Reafa Heifield woke up in the middle of the night and noticed a beam of light that "was in the shape of a huge bubble umbrella" shining downward. In the distance, Reafa reports seeing an ape-like creature wandering towards the beam of light, and within minutes both the creature and the UFO had disappeared into the night. A year later, on December 9, 1974, William Bosak of Wisconsin nearly encountered a UFO while walking home late at night. William claims to have seen an ape-like creature standing “within the visible transparent dome,” and as it passed, the UFO rose rapidly and then vanished (Ruehl). While one could argue that perhaps there could be a connection between Bigfoot and UFOs due to the aforementioned ape-like creature being present one second and then gone and then the next, evidence is lacking which degrades the credibility of this theory. Looking back at UFO reports from the 1970s, neither Reafa nor William mention anything about seeing unusual footprints near their location. While it is clear that both sources present similar details in describing both the ape-like creature and the UFOs, it is possible that those descriptions could be the same based on the stories and legends that have been passed down over time. Throughout history there have been numerous stories and claims about Bigfoot and UFOs, however, neither have ever been captured and examined for authenticity. The elusive nature of both factors contributes significantly to the credibility of this theory. One would think that in the history of humanity there is at least one documented case study of both or one in which proof of existence has been validated beyond a reasonable doubt. As a result of the factors mentioned above, this theory is one of the most unlikely theories related to the existence of Bigfoot based solely on the lack of empirical evidence and scientific research available to support the theory's claim. Another less likely theory behind the Bigfoot mystery is that it is a mythical creatureof the forest whose roots lie in ancient and indigenous folklore. Native American legend describes Bigfoot as a tall, hairy, smelly creature that lives in the woods. Bigfoot creatures are also said to communicate with each other apparently using their own language of grunting or whistling, and there have also been stories of male creatures being "capable of mating with human women" ("Native American Bigfoot Figures of Myth and Legend"). In some legends, Bigfoot is said to have supernatural powers such as turning invisible. Although Bigfoot is the most commonly used and widely accepted name by people in today's society, there have been several names describing this human-like creature in Native American tribes and indigenous societies throughout history. For example, the Coast Salish and Halkomelem tribes refer to this human-like creature as Sasquatch. Sasquatch is described as a powerful supernatural creature that resembles a "large, wild, hairy man" ("Legendary Native American Figures"). Another example of a human-like creature is the Wooden Man, known from the Koyukon and Ahtna tribes. They describe the Woodman as "a bigfoot-like hairy forest man", and is said to be silent and "rarely reveals himself to humans". Like Bigfoot, Woodmen are said to sometimes try to mate with humans. The theory that Bigfoot is a mythical forest creature is based solely on stories and legends that have been passed down throughout history. While these creatures are said to be capable of mating with humans, this is highly unlikely. This is because there is no real evidence or genetic testing to support these claims. In all of recorded history, there has never been a single verifiable claim of a Bigfoot primate mating with a human. One problem with Native American folklore is that much of it is based on mysticism and the passing of stories from generation to generation. This poses a problem because details and events described can be excessively added or subtracted from each sharing of a story. A more plausible theory is that Bigfoot is some kind of primate. This idea comes from an extinct primate called Gigantopithecus blacki (“Beyond Bigfoot”). This species existed and was found primarily in Southeast Asia and was said to be "closely related to modern orangutans" (Wayman). Gigantopithecus is described as being about ten feet tall and weighing more than a thousand pounds. To further support this theory, in a documentary film titled Discovering Bigfoot, Todd Standing states that he believes there is a primate species that exists in North America, known as Bigfoot. The first evidence to support this theory is when Todd Standing saw a creature that appeared to be about nine or ten feet tall standing behind a tree in the distance. The second piece of evidence is a video image of the species captured by the camera. The species was dark and hairy and closely resembled some kind of primate. The third piece of evidence presented was coniferous trees taken in the area where Todd Standing claims Bigfoot activity is prevalent. Trees are snapped at a height of eight to ten feet and in some cases such structures are laid out, making it highly doubtful that it was staged or caused by any other known mammal. The latest evidence is footprints found from displaced tree structures. The footprints were much larger than Todd Standing's foot and as he looked at the footprints his shoe sunk further into the ground. This is likely the result of a footprint from a large species like Bigfoot (Discovering.