IN SEARCH OF THE YETI By: Ben Smith, Jacob Stokes, and Will Maguire

The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid traditionally covered with a coat of white hair and claws.

The Yeti has been sighted in Nepal, India, and Tibet. Many mountain climbers have reported seeing the Yeti or its footprints at altitudes in excess of 20,000 feet.

The Evidence One of the first pieces of evidence for the Yeti, a footprint found in 1951 by mountain climber Eric Shipton on the slopes of Mount Everest. This is a still from a video of the yeti caught be two mountain climbers in Video

Sir Edmund Hillary lead an expedition to the Himalayas to find physical evidence of the yeti. He brought back the yeti scalp from the village of Khumjung. Tests revealed that the scalp belonged to a serow, a type of Himalayan goat. Some scientists believe that it is from an actual yeti because the hairs look distinctively primate-like, and a it has a different type of mite that would not be on a serow.

Captain d’Auvergue of Calcutta, India encountered the yeti in He was caught in a snowstorm, and he was near death when a 9 foot yeti appeared and sheltered him. When he recovered, the yeti was gone. N.A. Tombazi gave the first reliable report of the yeti in He saw a creature down the mountain that had an outline like a human being. He went to where he saw it and found footprints. They did not look like human footprints. In 1959, actor James Stewart, while visiting India, reportedly smuggled remains of a supposed Yeti, the so-called Pangboche Hand, by concealing it in his luggage when he flew from India to London. Yeti Stories

Gigantopithecus lived in China, India, and Vietnam almost 200,000 years ago. This is the same area where the modern yeti lives. Gigantopithecus skull reconstruction The Gigantopithecus Theory Video

The fossil record suggests that the Gigantopithecus blacki species were the largest apes that ever lived, standing up to 3 meters (9.8 ft), and weighing up to 540 kilograms (1,200 lb). Gigantopithecus lived in China, India, and Vietnam almost 200,000 years ago. This is the same area where the modern yeti lives.

The Ancient Human Theory Homo Heidelbergensis lived as late as 125,000 years ago. Homo Heidelbergensis could reach heights over 7 feet tall and could weight up to 300 lbs., making it the largest hominid ever.

Since Homo Heidelbergensis had minimal body hair, they may use animal hides to keep warm. That could cause them to look like a yeti.

Our Theory The Gigantopithecus is remarkably similar to stories of the Yeti. As this picture shows, the Gigantopithecus may have walked upright.

Abominable Snow monster