All language subtitles for In.Search.of.Monsters.S01E01.1080p.WEB-DL.Bigfoot-GooglePlay

[ Howling ]

NARRATOR: He has roamed
the earth for centuries...

...a giant, hairy creature
who hides in the shadows,

protected by dark forests
and darker caves.

But is Bigfoot merely a myth,
or does he actually exist?

Bigfoot is the king
of cryptids.

GERHARD: They've adapted
behavior patterns

specifically to avoid us --
humans.

Could it be that Bigfoot
is actually

just as intelligent as we are?

There could be something
extraterrestrial going on here.

NARRATOR:
There are those who believe
that not only is Bigfoot real,

but that he's hiding
in plain sight,

a creature far older
and more incredible

than previously imagined.

And that DNA evidence along with
modern scientific techniques

will help to capture him
once and for all.

[ Heartbeat ]

♪♪

[ Owl hooting ]

Midnight, December 2015 --
Sierraville, California.

♪♪

29-year-old Amber Brooks
is driving home from her job.

She heads north on Highway 70,

which cuts through
Plumas National Forest.

Suddenly, something catches
her eye.

[ Gasps ]

I had saw something standing off
the right-hand side of the road.

I turn on my brights,

and it took off running
to the right,

off the side of the road,

and it was running
full-pace like a man.

It was very tall.

The hair was long and scraggly.

You could almost see the muscles
in its legs as it ran away.

I was terrified --
shaking, crying.

When I got home,
I was in full-blown panic.

I didn't believe in Bigfoot

until I had
my own personal experience.

♪♪

NARRATOR:
Although thousands of people
claim to have seen Bigfoot,

science has yet to prove

the existence
of the legendary man-beast.

But real or not,
Bigfoot has become

one of the world's most famous
infamous creatures.

People that have
witnessed Bigfoot

describe the creature as 7 to 8,
sometimes 9 to 10 feet tall.

The creature gets its moniker
from its gigantic feet.

On the one hand,
you have something

that looks very humanlike.

It walks upright like us,

but it also displays
some very brutish

and bestial characteristics,

being hair-covered,
being very powerful.

Bigfoot is really the rock star
of cryptozoology.

NARRATOR:
To many, Bigfoot is more than a
cryptid and more than a mystery.

Bigfoot is a phenomenon.

Bigfoot has really captured
our imagination as a society,

but there's also
this pop-culture level

where Bigfoot has simply
taken over the airwaves.

REDFERN:
Whether it's movies, TV shows,
commercials, you name it,

people will sell it
if it's Bigfoot.

GERHARD: As an iconic figure
in pop culture,

Bigfoot has also become
big business.

There are a number of toys,
products.

There's a pizza named after him.

There's beef jerky.

We're literally inundated with
Bigfoot in our everyday lives.

NARRATOR:
Although Bigfoot can be found
everywhere in pop culture,

it is virtually impossible
to find in the wild.

But why?

REDFERN: While there
are reports of Bigfoots

all across the United States,

there's absolutely no doubt that
the vast majority of the reports

come from the Pacific Northwest.

If you look at the terrain,
it's filled with mountains,

vast forests that just go on
for thousands of square miles.

Now, if Bigfoot exists,
which I believe it does,

then the best places
for these creatures to exist

in a fashion that would not
see them killed by us

would be in the deep forests
and in the mountains.

We tend to assume that
we have explored

all the places on our planet,

that between satellites
and Google Earth

and all of our modern technology

that we've seen every square
inch of our planet,

and the reality is
that we absolutely haven't.

♪♪

NARRATOR: As far as Bigfoot
experts are concerned,

if the elusive creature
does not want to be found,

the nearly impenetrable forest
of the Pacific Northwest

would offer the perfect place
for it to hide.

GERHARD: I think they have
heightened senses,

that they're actually able
to sense, to hear,

to see on a level above us,

and so therefore,
they are essentially able

to move out of an area quickly
when we enter it.

They've adapted
behavior patterns

specifically to avoid us --
humans.

HAYES: Some cryptozoologists
claim that Bigfoot,

in order to evade
capture or detection,

will bury its scat,
hide its tracks,

or even bury its dead.

These attributes,
if they're true,

could make it nearly impossible
to detect a creature.

♪♪

NARRATOR:
But could Bigfoot now be running
out of places to hide?

For decades,
man has been encroaching

on suspected
Bigfoot territory,

building new housing,
industry, and infrastructure.

And these incursions
could be the reason

why Bigfoot sightings
are on the rise.

According to the Bigfoot
Field Researchers Organization,

there have been approximately
3,500 Bigfoot sightings

and footprint discoveries
in North America since 1960.

And more frequent sightings

can also lead
to greater opportunities

for humans to encounter
not only Bigfoot,

but also physical evidence
of the creature's existence.

♪♪

Bluff Creek, California -- 1958.

Jerry Crew, a tractor operator
for the Granite Logging Company,

parks his truck
on Bluff Creek Road.

When he steps out
of the vehicle,

he is startled to see footprints
that appear to be human in shape

but are roughly twice the size
of a normal human foot.

♪♪

Giant humanlike footprints were
being found on logging roads

that were being built
by the construction workers.

One gentleman named Jerry Crew

actually had the wherewithal
to pour plaster

into one of these footprints
and make a cast.

NARRATOR:
By making the cast, Jerry Crew
also made newspaper headlines.

These tracks like this one
were found in 1958.

Jerry Crew,
he was a tractor driver,

brought them down
to the newspaper --

The Humboldt Times.

And when he took that

to the Humboldt Times
newspaper offices,

a newspaper editor
named Andrew Genzoli

published a photo of him holding
this giant humanlike footprint

and also coined
the name "Bigfoot."

So in essence, that's where
the name Bigfoot came from.

NARRATOR: In the decades after
Jerry Crew's discovery,

the nearby town of Willow Creek
and the surrounding wilderness

has become known
as Bigfoot Country.

Many Bigfoot enthusiasts
consider this area

to be ground zero
for anyone hoping

to encounter
the creature face-to-face.

STREUFERT: One of the things
that's most convincing,

being out here in Willow Creek,

is the people who come by
and report Bigfoot.

When you speak with someone who
has actually had an experience,

I mean, they believe
they've seen this thing.

They're not all liars.

They're not all crazy people.

NARRATOR:
Although the name Bigfoot was
given to the creature in 1958,

various legends
and reported encounters

date back much earlier.

In fact, Native American tribes
in the Pacific Northwest

have known of the beast
for centuries.

Many Native American legends

reference these giant, hairy
savages that live in the woods,

and they go by
a variety of names --

Oh Mah, Bukwas,
Arulataq, Skookum, Sasquatch.

LEBLANC: Bigfoot and Sasquatch
are essentially the same beings.

Sesqua was the original name,
which became Sasquatch,

and Bigfoot is the name
that we all kind of know

and we all recognize,
but they are one and the same.

♪♪

As a folklorist,
I go back to the idea

that legends do not exist
for no reason.

Bigfoot speaks
to a lot of truths,

and it is worthwhile to consider
what those truths are.

NARRATOR:
As far as scientists and
anthropologists are concerned,

myths and legends
are no substitute

for cold, hard evidence.

And they believe
that footprints...

[ Camera shutter clicking ]

...like the one found
near Willow Creek

may offer some of the strongest
scientific evidence we have

that Bigfoot really exists.

That first footprint
has become an iconic image.

Since then, the practice
has proliferated,

and now I have over 300
footprint casts in my laboratory

in probably one of
the most extensive collections

of that type of data.

And from that
has emerged a remarkable

and compelling body of evidence

that there really is
a species of creature

as yet unrecognized by science
living here in North America.

NARRATOR: But how does one tell
the difference

between a real footprint

and one that could be
faked or fabricated?

MELDRUM:
There's an art and a science

to the identification
and evaluation of footprints.

It's really a reliable approach.

With experience, you gain a feel
for what looks natural,

what looks animate or living,

and real footprints
have that quality.

I'm looking at the way in which
the foot articulates and moves

and responds to irregularities
in the surface of the soil.

I'm looking for interaction
of the toes.

And when we've eliminated
the possibility of a hoax,

it attests to the existence

of something
that's leaving these footprints.

♪♪

NARRATOR: But plaster casts
of massive footprints,

while compelling,
are by no means conclusive.

For proof, physical evidence
will need to be found.

And there are those who believe

that not only does
that evidence exist,

it has been right
under our feet for centuries.

Coming up...

As I screamed,
it got up and turned around.

There are stories
where, allegedly,

Bigfoot have attacked people
and possibly even eaten them.

♪♪

NARRATOR: Because sightings
of Bigfoot are rare,

having an actual encounter
leaves eyewitnesses

with a memory
that would last a lifetime.

Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation,
Northern California --

Summer 2012.

Sadie McCovey, a member of
the Hoopa Indian Tribe,

[ Owl hooting ]

is on an evening hike
of the reservation

when she has
a disturbing experience.

I felt just, like,
a really eerie feeling.

I could feel something
was behind me, watching me.

It's like it wanted
to capture me.

And I had turned around
with the flashlight,

and there is this thing
crouching down

with piercing, like, green,
bright eyes looking at me.

You could see the hair spiking
around its face and the body.

As I screamed,
it got up and turned around

and just walked off.

♪♪

I knew for sure it was Bigfoot.

NARRATOR: According
to their oral histories,

Native American tribes
have reported

seeing Bigfoot-like creatures
for centuries,

and the sightings
continue to this day.

But unlike the reports of hikers

and others who describe him
as a shy, lumbering giant,

some Native tribes
describe Bigfoot

as aggressive, violent,
something to be feared.

There are a number of stories,
thankfully they're scarce,

where, allegedly,
Bigfoot have attacked people,

killed them, and possibly
even eaten them.

NARRATOR: In 1912, after
archaeologists unearthed

the mummified remains
of ancient humans

from a cave
in Churchill County, Nevada,

they came to
a shocking realization --

scientific analysis of mummified
bones revealed that at one time,

the cave may have been
occupied by cannibals.

Bones were found
in Lovelock Cave

that had the marrow
kind of sucked out of them,

and these were human bones...

suggesting whoever killed
these people were eating them.

NARRATOR: The oral history
of the Paiute tribe

tells of the cave being occupied
by a race of red-haired giants

called the Si-Te-Cah,

savage cannibals who preyed
on tribal members in the area.

But just who or what

were these giant red-haired
man-eating beings,

and could they have
any connection

to tribal legends
concerning Bigfoot?

There seems to be
a completely different

kind of ancient
giant culture here

who would terrorize
the Native Americans.

What is the real story here?

Were they misidentified?
Was it Bigfoot?

When we look at Bigfoot today
in terms of its color,

it either has black hair
or reddish hair.

This is intriguing
because the Si-Te-Cah

were also described
as having reddish hair,

and I think that's
an important point.

We can make a good case

that these weren't just
sort of primitive humans.

They were, in my view at least,
Bigfoot, but without the name.

♪♪

NARRATOR:
In 1924, archaeologists found
another intriguing piece

of ancient evidence
in Lovelock Cave --

a pair of primitive sandals
measuring some 15 inches long.

NEWMAN: In Carson City Museum,

there's numerous artifacts
on display

that came from Lovelock Cave,
including some giant sandals.

What they've done is
they've actually taken

a cast of a Bigfoot footprint,

placed it inside the sandals,

and it fits.

The sandals that were found
at Lovelock Cave

are made of tule reed.

Now, this is a reed that was
all over Humboldt Lake,

all over the region,

and all in the Pyramid Lake
and different areas,

and it was the reed they used
to really make sandals.

Because of that, we've got
evidence of giants in this area.

NARRATOR: If the Si-Te-Cah, or
what we know today as Bigfoot,

were capable of making sandals,

could Bigfoot be
far more intelligent

than previously believed?

And if so, could it have
much more in common

with humans than with apes?

REDFERN: There have been
a number of cases

where hunters have been out
in the woods and seen a Bigfoot,

and they've actually got
the Bigfoot creature

in their sights of their gun.

But the more and more
that they looked

at the face of the Bigfoot,

they felt this sort of eerie
feeling come over them

that what they were seeing
was a primitive type of human.

And they actually felt
that killing the animal

would essentially
be a case of murder.

I think there is
a distinct possibility

that Bigfoot may not
just be the unknown ape

that a lot of people
think it to be.

It could actually be something
indirectly, shall we say,

related to us.

NARRATOR: Could Bigfoot be some
kind of unevolved giant,

a creature that skipped
a key evolutionary process,

but still became
intelligent enough to seek

and maybe even build
a sophisticated form of shelter?

♪♪

If these creatures
were simply eating,

sleeping, hunting in the woods,

I think we would've
found them by now.

I think we could make
a good speculation

that possibly the reason
we haven't found them

is because they're
living underground.

NEWMAN: There are underground
caverns, caves in the Southwest.

These are often related to those
legends of giant human beings

that we talk about
in our research.

But another idea
is that the actual giants

they're talking about
could be Bigfoot.

WHITEHEAD: Could it be
that we have yet to find

an underground cave system
or dwelling place

that Bigfoot may have fled to
in ancient times?

[ Crickets chirping ]

And could he be living amongst
us without our knowledge?

NARRATOR: Today we think of
Bigfoot as a solitary creature,

but could there have been

a much larger population
of Bigfoot beings,

possibly even living as an
entire underground civilization?

And if so,
what happened to them?

FOERSTER: It is possible
that in ancient times,

Bigfoot was a global phenomenon,

except we,
as Homo-sapien sapiens,

decided that we didn't want
to share space with them,

and we got rid of them.

♪♪

NARRATOR:
If early humans wiped out nearly
all of the Bigfoot species,

why haven't we found
more evidence of their remains,

like fossils or skeletons?

Or is it possible,
as some researchers believe,

that their race
was simply driven

deeper and deeper underground,

and that they might
still dwell there

in surprisingly large numbers?

According to some
Bigfoot researchers

and cryptozoologists,

that is exactly what happened.

Coming up...

There was a Bigfoot right there.

SCHUMER: Maybe the Bigfoot
crossed by

and left traces of DNA
in the environment.

The government
has a live Bigfoot

that it is keeping secret
from all of us.

[ Growling ]

♪♪

NARRATOR:
When Bigfoot is finally found,

just what kind of creature
will it turn out to be?

♪♪

Is Bigfoot a humanlike animal,

or is Bigfoot
an animal-like human?

And either way we look at it,

we can see the fact
that he toes the line

between these two different
realms of the world

as being a big part
of his mystery.

NARRATOR: As far as Bigfoot
researchers are concerned,

getting a sample
of the creature's DNA

should reveal where it falls
on the human-animal spectrum.

It could also prove whether
the elusive cryptid

is even from our planet.

But to get Bigfoot's DNA,
you have to find Bigfoot.

Or do you?

[ Computer beeping ]

RYDER:
One of the newest technologies

that scientists are using
to locate Bigfoot

is eDNA -- environmental DNA.

When creatures go through
an environment,

they're actually
leaving DNA behind

through skin, scales,
feathers, hair.

And what we do is
you actually collect that

through water, dirt,
and you get those samples

and you can actually
tell the presence of animals

without actually needing
the animal itself.

This could tell us if Bigfoot
is known in that area

just through DNA.

♪♪

NARRATOR:
Plumas National Forest,
Northern California --

September 23, 2018.

How close are we?

Another 5 or 10 minutes,
we'll be there.

NARRATOR:
Geneticists Gregg Schumer
and Scott Blankenship

are being driven to the site
of a Bigfoot encounter

that was reported in 2014

by researchers Stacy Brown
and Justin Smeja.

Gregg and Scott are
from a company called Genidaqs,

which collects
and evaluates DNA evidence

from wilderness environments.

This is done
in order to determine

not only what kind of
animal life exists in an area

and in what numbers,

but also to assist scientists
and natural resource managers

in solving complex
environmental problems.

BLANKENSHIP:
In our line of work,

we do look for cryptic species,
rare species.

We do it as a part
of our job.

SCHUMER:
I grew up in this area,
and I've always heard

about Bigfoot
since I was a little kid,

so being a part of actually
trying to find

if there is a Bigfoot up here

or if there is not a Bigfoot up
here is very exciting for me.

How long has it been
since you've been back?

I think, what,
three years.

NARRATOR:
Gregg and Scott have come here,

hoping to retrace
Stacy and Justin's steps

during their reported encounter
three years ago.

If the creature
still inhabits the area,

its DNA should turn up
in everything from fresh water

to animal waste.

This is where it happened at,
right up the road from here.

We had been camping
for four days.

We had heard about all these
Bigfoot sightings in the area.

We were here to find
evidence of Bigfoot.

So, you guys saw Bigfoot
right up here on this ridge?

Yeah, right over top
of that hill right there.

Let's get up there.

Let's go check
it out, man.

♪♪

SMEJA:
So, we're walking up here,
trying to get a better look

at this hillside right here.

♪♪

NARRATOR:
On the day of the sighting,

Justin and Stacy were walking
back to their campsite at dusk

when they suddenly heard
a strange sound.

♪♪

What'd you hear?

Just something rustling
in the brush.

And we stopped about right here,
trying to get a better look.

Right over by those trees,
we saw some movement...

...and it looked big.

Couldn't tell for sure
what it was.

BROWN:
We had to get closer,

and we decided to kind of
sneak up on it,

so we went right around
this corner here.

And I'll show y'all
where we were at.

We could still kind of see it,
so we cut in here.

So, this is where
it went down.

We got to right here,
and we're looking at

where we think
this animal is over here.

Our attention's completely
focused in this direction,

and we look over and we just see
a Sasquatch getting up.

[ Growling ]

And he looks right at us.

So, for sure, you thought
you saw Bigfoot right there?

No, no thought.

I mean, there was a Bigfoot
right there.

BROWN: Yeah,
there's no doubt.

This is 6-foot-high brush,
so if you were looking at it,

it had to be
pretty darn tall.

Yeah.

So, what'd you think
at first?

Run.

Yeah.

We were running parallel
with the creature.

♪♪

I looked over at it,
and I'm seeing shoulder.

I'm seeing the back of the head
and its really massive hands.

He's out of sight
so quick.

I mean, we could hear it
running away,

but there wasn't no way
we were gonna catch it.

[ Bigfoot growls ]

I just remember thinking,

"That is the fastest animal
I've ever seen in my life."

Man.

Next morning
when we come back,

we were able to uncover
this track.

I mean, there were
several tracks,

but this was kind of
the best picture that we got.

You can see here the toes
all up in the top.

All I had was a lighter
on me for scale,

but I figured
it was better than nothing.

That's the heel
down there,

and it was just track
after track after track.

That's a good print.

NARRATOR:
Although the Bigfoot tracks
Stacy and Justin photographed

three years ago
are long gone,

Gregg and Scott are hoping
they can retrieve eDNA,

or environmental DNA evidence

from the ground
or even nearby water.

♪♪

What we need to do is find
a place to take samples,

and usually, the way we do
that is to go to a water source,

like a creek or a pond
or a little lake

where the local creatures
would come and take a drink.

Maybe the Bigfoot crossed by
and left a trace in the water,

and then
we can filter the water

and look for traces of DNA
in the environment.

Justin and Stacy guide Gregg
and Scott to a nearby creek.

Even though the Bigfoot sighting
was three years ago,

if one or more of the creatures
still inhabits the area,

this water source might
contain traces of Bigfoot DNA.

So, this is the best spot
I can think of to test from.

It's fed
from the lake basin.

Has over eight lakes
above it.

SCHUMER: Great, man.

Scott, let's go
take some samples.

NARRATOR: Scott and Gregg will
extract eDNA from the water.

So, we collect environmental DNA
using a simple setup, really.

BLANKENSHIP:
Do you have the adapter?

Yeah.

It's a peristaltic pump
and a cordless drill,

and that's how we get
the water to the filter.

You guys wait here.
We'll be right back.

Good luck.

Aquatic eDNA is traces
of organisms that are left

in the aquatic environment.

So if a creature like Bigfoot
walks through a creek or a lake,

it'll leave a trace of itself --
hair, a tissue sample.

And then we can filter
that trace material out

in the form of cells,
tissues, feces.

Anything that animal leaves
in the aquatic environment,

we can extract the organic
molecules off of that filter,

and then we can look
at the DNA that comes

from within those molecules

and compare it
to known DNA sequences.

NARRATOR: If this
is Bigfoot's watering spot,

Gregg and Scott are hoping
traces of the creature's DNA

can still be found
in the water.

SCHUMER:
In order to get evidence that
there is a Bigfoot out here,

what we would need to see is
an unknown primate DNA strand --

something that doesn't
line up with anything

that's known to mankind.

NARRATOR:
If Gregg and Scott can find
scientific evidence,

not only that Bigfoot exists
but what kind of creature it is,

[ Growls ]

could its capture
really be imminent?

Could we soon find ourselves
face-to-face

with one of the most
elusive creatures of all time?

[ Growls ]

Coming up...

In Gigantopithecus, we have
something that's the right size

to be a potential ancestor
for Bigfoot.

Bigfoot could also not just be
an animal, but an alien itself.

♪♪

NARRATOR: Three weeks after
geneticists Gregg Schumer

and Scott Blankenship
collected eDNA samples

from an area believed
to be Bigfoot's habitat,

the pair have returned
to the Genidaqs laboratory

in Northern California
to begin their analysis.

SCHUMER:
After we collect the samples,

we transport them
back to the lab,

at which point we extract total
DNA off the filters themselves.

NARRATOR:
Based on their findings,
the filters contain DNA

from fish, birds, deer,
dogs, and humans,

but there was also something
less easy to identify --

something humanlike,
but strangely not human.

The part of the information

that's of most interest
in this search

is the portions
of humanlike DNA

that we don't quite know
what it is.

When we analyze
that material,

we have representatives
of known humans,

but we also have fragments

that we're not quite sure
what they are.

They're not 100% identical
to reference material.

They were mostly 99% to 98%
identical to references,

and a 2% difference
doesn't sound like a lot,

but that's the difference
between humans and chimpanzees.

♪♪

NARRATOR:
Humanlike but not human?

Could this eDNA test
have turned up trace evidence

that Bigfoot actually exists?

BLANKENSHIP:
There's ambiguity there.

If you sample repeatedly
over time at this location,

you should observe those
fragments over and over again

to then begin to build
this reference

of 100% identity
for this unknown species.

NARRATOR:
Until more research is done,

the evidence that
an unknown creature

is lurking near the waters
of Plumas National Forest

is strangely compelling.

But is Bigfoot really
an unknown creature?

Or is it simply another name
for a creature

we have known about
for centuries?

♪♪

Hong Kong -- 1935.

While searching for
unusual objects

in a Chinese medicine shop,

paleontologist
Ralph von Koenigswald

finds an abnormally large molar
labeled "Dragon tooth."

Further investigation reveals
that the ancient molar

actually came
from an extinct ape,

which von Koenigswald
names Gigantopithecus.

According to paleontologists,

the ape stood
nearly 10 feet tall,

weighed four times as much
as a modern gorilla,

and existed as recently
as 100,000 years ago.

MELDRUM:
In Gigantopithecus, we have
something that's the right size

in the right place
at the right time

to be a potential ancestor

for not only Sasquatch,
Bigfoot in North America,

but the corollaries of this
creature throughout Asia.

If Gigantopithecus is
a reasonable proposition,

then we're talking about
an early offshoot

of the hominin family tree.

NARRATOR:
Could Bigfoot really be
a descendant of Gigantopithecus,

a giant ape that evolved
to walk on two feet like man?

It's very possible
that these animals,

you know, maybe evolved
over the 1.5 million years

that it's existed,
thought to have gone extinct

maybe 200,000
to 300,000 years ago,

but, you know [Snaps fingers]
in geologic time,

that's a snap of the fingers.

♪♪

NARRATOR: Although it seems
unlikely that a giant creature

like Bigfoot could
successfully elude capture,

remarkably, similar cases
have proven that such a notion

is not as far-fetched
as it seems.

♪♪

In 2013, in the southwest region
of the Amazon forest,

a team of scientists discovered

a previously
unknown species of tapir,

a mammal that resembles
a giant pig.

Astoundingly,
the creatures managed

to remain undetected
by science for centuries

even though they can grow
close to 4 feet high

and weigh 240 pounds.

In 2017, a creature known
as the Tapanuli orangutan

was recently discovered in
the Sumatra forest of Indonesia.

RYDER:
These are creatures that have
eluded us for hundreds of years

and have now
recently been found.

The same could be said
for Bigfoot.

NARRATOR:
Although the dense woods
of the Pacific Northwest

offer Bigfoot the perfect cover
to help it evade capture,

a group
of Willow Creek residents

known as the Bluff Creek Project
are determined to expose

and capture the elusive creature
once and for all.

This could be a Bigfoot
digging at that...

Yeah.

...trying to get
some protein.

But instead of hunting
Bigfoot with guns,

the Bluff Creek Project's
members

are seeking to capture Bigfoot
nonviolently with cameras.

[ Drone whirring ]

WAYNE: The trail camera project
was originally formed

to look for Bigfoot and to look
for Bigfoot activity.

We have anywhere between
10 and 20 cameras installed

at any given time.

We go through
and note all the creatures

that show up on the cameras.

Oh, wow.
That's a nice shot.

LEITERMAN: So, if a camera
was hidden pretty well,

a creature, a Sasquatch
is walking by it

and happens to trigger
the camera,

then that would be great.

NARRATOR:
Although the team has yet
to capture photographic

evidence of Bigfoot,

it has been successful
at capturing a very different

but similarly elusive
forest creature --

the Humboldt marten,
a weasel-type animal

that was thought to be extinct.

WAYNE:
Right around 2012,

we started getting
a little creature on camera.

We didn't really know
what it was at first.

Through some research, we found
out there's a similar critter

that was thought
to be extinct.

One of the highlights for us
is actually finding this animal

that no one had really seen
for many years.

If we could find a cryptic
animal like that,

then maybe Bigfoot's
out there, too.

♪♪

NARRATOR:
But is it possible that the
Bluff Creek Project's cameras,

like most Bigfoot researchers,

are looking for the giant
creature in the wrong place?

What if, instead of stalking the
woods or searching behind trees,

evidence of Bigfoot
is hiding elsewhere?

Perhaps in the least
likely of places.

[ Growling ]

Coming up...

There were many accounts
of people witnessing Bigfoot

with very long skulls.

That leaves the possibility that
these could be Sasquatch skulls.

♪♪

♪♪

NARRATOR:
Although most mainstream
scientists and anthropologists

believe no solid
physical evidence of Bigfoot

has ever been found,

what if the remains of Bigfoot
have already been discovered

only to be misidentified
as evidence of something else?

NEWMAN: There were many
first-hand accounts

of people witnessing Bigfoot
with very long skulls.

Now, this is very interesting
because this fits in

with research that I and others
have been doing.

We have evidence
of receding foreheads,

unusually large jaws,
very large, deep brow ridges.

One of the particular points,
if you like,

of Bigfoot's anatomy
and its appearance

is the sort of conical head
that these creatures have.

It's not sort of round
like ours.

It is distinctly conical.

NARRATOR:
A large elongated head?

And covered with shaggy,
reddish-brown hair?

♪♪

Paracas, Peru -- 1928.

Archaeologists make
an astonishing discovery.

They have located a massive
ancient graveyard

containing an estimated
300 mostly elongated skulls.

Some of the skulls still have
traces of flesh on them,

along with clumps
of reddish-brown hair.

Although the strangely-shaped
skulls are often dismissed

as the product
of tribal head binding,

a process whereby infant skulls
are deliberately reshaped

by means of wrapping them

with tighter and tighter strips
of cloth or twine,

recent scientific testing
has revealed

something even more bizarre.

The sagittal suture, found
in all normal human skulls,

is missing.

FOERSTER:
We've had many come to Paracas
and look at the skulls,

and they have no explanation
as to why the sagittal suture

is 100% missing.

The sagittal suture,
which is this one,

and then the coronal suture,

which is that one,
are normal in a human being

because it allows easiness
of passage

through the mother's
birth canal.

So, the natural Paracas skulls
are about 25% larger

in terms of brain volume
than a normal human being.

So, whether they were
more intelligent

or had improved motor skills
or sensory awareness

or psychic power
has to be entertained.

NARRATOR:
But possibly the most intriguing

of all the skulls'
unique characteristics

is that like
the eDNA specimens collected

in the Plumas National Forest,

many contain genetic elements

that DNA testing
has not been able to identify.

So that suggests
an independent hominid species

that's just completely unknown
to science and history.

If these aren't human skulls,
then that leaves the possibility

that these could be
Sasquatch skulls.

A Sasquatch has been described
as having a protruded brow

like the elongated skulls do,
and the long conical shape

with tufts
of reddish-brown hair.

NARRATOR: Could the Paracas
skulls and Bigfoot skulls

really be one and the same?

There are many Bigfoot
researchers who think so,

and to prove it,

they have recently employed
a combination

of computer modeling
and forensic reconstruction.

By adding hair
to what already appears to be

a giant, pre-humanoid face,

resemblance to Bigfoot
is astounding.

♪♪

But then, what is Bigfoot --

[ Growling ]

the primitive survivor of a lost
pre-human civilization,

a cannibalistic monster
who dwells underground

and only comes above ground
to stalk its prey?

Or is it something else --

something out of this world?

There are those who believe
that Bigfoot is exactly that

and much, much more.

♪♪

NARRATOR:
Battle Mountain, Nevada -- 1999.

♪♪

A devastating
forest fire ravages

thousands of acres
of wilderness.

In the aftermath,
an anonymous eyewitness claims

he saw firefighters
rescuing a large creature,

one that was seriously injured

and covered
with long, reddish-brown hair.

RYDER: The eyewitness says
that a body was recovered.

It was about 7 1/2 feet tall,

burns covering its arms,
legs, and torso,

but that its face was not a man
or a primate, but a mix.

NARRATOR: The eyewitness also
reported that the firefighters

treated the creature's injuries
until government officials

arrived on the scene
and took it away.

RYDER: The eyewitness said that
the government took possession

of whatever this creature was.

The implications of this,
for Bigfoot hunters,

is that the government now
has a live Bigfoot

that it is keeping secret
from all of us.

NARRATOR: If the U.S. government
captured Bigfoot,

why would they conceal
the creature's existence

rather than share
such a monumental discovery

with the public?

Or could the reason
for a Bigfoot cover-up

be something out of this world?

It's possible that if government
personnel have studied

the bodies or live equivalents
of Bigfoot,

then it may simply be the case
that the government

just doesn't want
to reveal to us

that there's yet another
humanlike intelligent animal

on the planet.

There are a lot
of theories out there

that the government
has been covering up

the existence of aliens
and extraterrestrials.

And there has been the same kind
of sentiment toward Bigfoot

and that they're hiding
this entity, as well.

Bigfoot could also not just be
an animal, but an alien itself.

♪♪

HAYES:
There are some Bigfoot witnesses
that claim they saw a UFO

either before or after
their Bigfoot sighting.

In addition,
there are several accounts

of glowing orbs
throughout the forest

where these creatures
have been sighted, as well.

WHITEHEAD:
Could it be that Bigfoot is
the original humanoid creature

of this planet

and that we are the remnants
of an extraterrestrial race?

NARRATOR: Although the notion
that Bigfoot's origins

are extraterrestrial
may seem far-fetched,

some theorists believe
that the UFO connection

needs to be taken seriously.

If anything, they believe
it could be us, the human race,

that are the alien species

and that Bigfoot represents

the last vestige
of a hominid civilization

that thrived here on Earth
centuries ago.

WHITEHEAD: When we're looking
at these elongated skulls,

are they extraterrestrial,

or could they be
more terrestrial

than we maybe first realized?

NEWMAN: Is it the case
that we are the aliens

and we came to Earth and Bigfoot
were the local population,

and we're now pushing them

to the boundaries
of their own planet?

NARRATOR: Is Bigfoot a monster,
a man-eating cannibal

who roams the forest
in search of human prey,

or is it a peace-loving ancestor
who fears man

and stays hidden
deep underground?

One thing is certain --
if Bigfoot has been sharing

our planet for centuries,

he has probably been watching us

longer than we've been
looking for him.

[ Creature snarls ]