Hi, welcome to Enchiridion.
And welcome to this new series: Crypto Case,
where we will look at cryptids from a scientific
perspective and weigh evidence to find the
truth.
It’s mysterious…
It’s intriguing…
It’s convincing…
It’s The Skunk Ape.
In terms of convincing, the Skunk Ape has
one great piece of evidence: high-quality,
yet dark photos of the beast.
The photos are by a woman who claimed to have
taken photos of the creature that she discovered
in her backyard.
She then mailed these photos to the Sheriff’s
department in Sarasota, Florida.
What she claimed would later become the source
of mystery.
She said that the beast stole apples from
a basket in her back porch for three days.
Originally, she believed that the creature
was an escaped orangutan.
A less compelling piece of evidence was the
fact that the creature left her porch by the
time police arrived.
Like Bigfoot, a Skunk Ape hasn’t been caught
yet and most sightings have certainly been
regarded with skepticism.
Sightings are from the Florida Everglades
and Florida in general.
Dave Shealy, the person behind Skunk Ape Research
Headquarters & Trail Lakes Campground in Ochopee,
Florida claims that Okefenokee Swamp sustains
a small population of Skunk Ape.
Shealy reports that he saw the Skunk Ape when
he was 10, around 1974 in the Big Cypress
National Preserve and the impression impacted
him.
In July 2000, he caught the Skunk Ape on tape.
The footage is grainy to say the least, but
at the end of the tape, we can see it in greater
detail.
This film is hard to replicate because of
the fact that it’s a swamp, and someone
with a suit would have a hard time moving
so swiftly in such terrain.
Yet it isn’t as compelling as the Myakka
photos because it’s jittery.
Ask any biologist, and they will tell you
that the Skunk Ape doesn’t exist.
They do have compelling evidence--despite
many research projects in the Everglades using
motion-activated trail cameras, no one has
yet captured indisputable Skunk Ape proof
or has stumbled upon its remains.
The other evidence we have--eyewitness accounts--aren’t
as reliable.
Shealy responds by mentioning that life decomposes
quickly in the swamp and that at over 2 million
acres that are mostly not visited, it’s
hard to find proof of the Skunk Ape, which
is also slightly correct.
Another slightly compelling piece of evidence
is that the local Native American groups--the
Seminoles and Miccosukee tribes--have told
stories about the Skunk Ape for centuries.
Over the past 60 years, Floridians have been
reporting the legendary beast.
Shealy reportedly found evidence of the creature
in the form of huge, four-toed footprints
near his hunting camp in Big Cypress.
Multiple cases of sightings have continued
and another famous one was when passengers
on a tour bus traveling through the preserve
claimed that they saw the beast.
Shealy mentions that it was 30-40 people all
saying the same thing.
Jan Brock, a real estate agent, and Vince
Doerr, chief of the Ochopee Fire Control District--saw
the beast and snapped a quick photo.
Remember that this was July 1997, and the
photos weren’t of the best quality.
In 1998, Shealy caught a second sighting of
the Skunk Ape and took a photo.
Many question Shealy’s authenticity and
the fact that cryptid sightings are hard to
prove.
Nonetheless, the Skunk Ape has also found
notoriety in South Georgia, with two primary
sightings and stories.
First, Rebecca Leinberg, a Valdosta resident
reportedly went outside one night due to hearing
her dogs barking intensely.
What awaited her was intriguing to say the
least: a bipedal hairy man.
Her husband shot it and ran off.
On another night, Rebecca’s stepfather shot
at what he believed was a naked man.
The morning after that, they found 20-inch
footprints and deduced that the creature was
at least 7 feet tall.
The Skunk Ape is a hominid and reportedly
also lives in trees similar to a monkey.
Its smell reportedly is very intense and may
smell of rotten eggs.
That is why it’s called the Skunk Ape.
Some researchers attribute the animal’s
odor to its natural habitat of alligator dens.
All Skunk Ape sightings have been characterized
by a strong smell.
Reaching up to 6.5 to 8 feet tall, the Skunk
Ape is considered a smaller version of the
famous Bigfoot.
At some point, creatures such as Gigantopithecus
existed that could be a possible Skunk Ape
or Bigfoot, which is the typical evidence
of Bigfoot believers.
According to Dave Shealy, an average male
Skunk Ape stands 8 feet tall and weighs around
450 pounds.
Females are smaller.
Both are covered in long, reddish or black
hair, like an Orangutan or Gorilla.
Their supposedly omnivorous diet is made by
bird nestlings, wild hogs, and native berries.
Weighing all the evidence we have, we can
say that the Skunk Ape is a cool mystery but
lacks a foundation necessary to prove its
existence.
Because of the Myakka photos, which are very
compelling, we can only wonder about its authenticity.
They are of high quality and extremely hard
to replicate with a Gorilla Suit.
A reason we may continue to believe the Skunk
Ape might be real is the fact that many new
species are continuing to be uncovered.
Supposed cryptids have turned out to be real.
We can observe this in examples such as the
Giant Squid or the Komodo Dragon.
All of the stories told over the decades add
up to some sort of large, bipedal mammal in
the Everglades.
Nonetheless, the fact that a population of
Skunk Apes hasn’t ever been caught in any
form, means that we have to be skeptical of
such a creature’s existence.
In Conclusion, the Skunk Ape is an intriguing
mystery and urban legend, lacks crucial evidence
though the Myakka photos are compelling, so
the Skunk Ape can’t yet be fully disproven
or proven to exist.
It might be an escaped orangutan, but only
empirical evidence will be the proof of its
existence.
And guess what, we do have a little empirical
evidence.
By analyzing the photos’ features with those
of an orangutan, we can see a striking resemblance.
By also analyzing the fangs of the beast,
we can also see great resemblance.
So weighing this piece of evidence, we can
deduce that the Skunk Ape most probably is
a case of misidentification of an escaped
orangutan--which may fit into the picture
of the time frame in which this photo appears.
Judging from the behavior of the supposed
Skunk Ape; stealing apples, we can say that
this is normal orangutan or hominid behavior,
which also fits into the picture.
Personally, I believe that there is more proof
suggesting that the creature is an escaped
orangutan than any other possibility.
Though at the same time I hope I’m wrong
about this and that some cryptozoologist proves
me wrong with indisputable evidence.
That would be interesting and may prove this
legend once and for all.
Thank you for watching, and if you would like
to continue seeing short documentaries about
cryptids, animals, or prehistoric creatures,
comment below what you would like to see next.
This is Enchiridion, see you next time.
