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Bigfoot vs Bear
by Christine Bruun
There is much debate and skepticism about false identification of Bigfoot. There are many that hold with the idea that Bigfoot sightings are nothing more than a bear that has been misidentified by a person unfamiliar with wildlife. Because of this I hope to debunk most of these so-called errors.
The following are photos of bears standing in various positions alongside a frame of the Patterson film . As you will no doubt see for yourself, misidentification is not only ludicrous, but unlikely by most people in these sophisticated times.
Note the length of the fur that covers the bear. It is short and cropped close to the face. This allows the distinct features of the face to be very prominent and not likely to be misidentified. The ears are readily seen at the top of the head. The ears stand straight up. In every photo, you see the ears clearly. There has never been a report were the witness mentions ears when identifying a Bigfoot sighting. There is no mention in the hundreds of reports of a protruding snout either. The reports all mention more of a flat face similar to a human's or our simian cousins.
The bear may waddle a short distance on his feet. He would never traverse from one side of the road to the other, let alone across a field on its hind legs. Bears are fast on four feet, not on two. A bear would not run on two legs. He would come charging at your on all fours just like the picture below.
Because of their size and build, it is difficult for bears to get any speed while walking. If you have ever seen a circus bear walking for its trainer, the movement is awkward and slow. It barely lifts its feet above the ground. It uses more of a shuffling motion. It does not run, walk quickly, or walk on its hind legs without great effort nor for any length of time. It certainly does not swing its arms while it walks. The front legs remain held up. He is stiff as he tries to maneuver on its hind legs.
Note the bear's build in the photo of the bear and man standing next to him. Bears have short, stocky legs. Their main trunk sits upon the legs with much of the trunk situated between the upper thighs, making it awkward to walk. Notice the bear's stance. Legs are wide apart for balance. The knees and feet face outward as if in a ballet position. The bear walks in this stance. It cannot bring its legs together and facing frontward as a human does. Therefore, movement is limited to a shuffling motion.
The arms come directly from the shoulder and bend at the elbow, but they are less mobile and do not move freely like a human arm. Their motion is limited like the legs. Their walking gait would cause the left arm, from the shoulder, to move in tandem with the left leg. Using the shoulder weight and muscle to move the whole left side of the body while the Bigfoot is reported to stride like a human using the opposite leg and arm movement in its gait. The leg of a bear is too short and it carries its body directly over the legs preventing it from being able to stride. Note the way the bear is holding its arms. They do not extent the arms regularly though they can. They do not freely swing the arms as seen on the Patterson film. They may reach up but they will not swing them while walking.
Though large, the foot print of the bear is short and round and the claws emerge from the top of the foot. There is a large padded area on what we would call the ball of the foot, under the claws. The claws are carried above the ground level. The pad of the bear's paw is divided into 5 distinct and separate segments. The bear paw looks nothing like a giant human foot as reported by those who have discovered these Bigfoot prints.
Note: In most of the eye witness accounts as well as the Patterson film, the forearm from the elbow moves freely. Though the body turns when the head turns, it walks like a human in that the leg extends and its gait is human-like. It does not shuffle—it strides. Bears are bulky and clumsy while the Bigfoot is reported to be quite agile and fast on its feet, covering long distances in a very short time-frame. Bigfoot has been reported to be able to climb steep embankments with ease. The word here is “climb” not walk up as a bear would do. A bear could not climb up anything in human-like fashion. Also, bears do not hide behind trees and peer out at humans-- displaying curiosity as it did in Dr. Matthew Johnson's report from the Oregon Caves sighting. In that report the Sasquatch was seen peering from behind a large tree and was watching his family who was on the hiking trail below Dr. Johnson. And, as with other reports, prior to the sighting they had smelled a strong odor that made them uneasy. A bear is more likely to rise straight up on its legs instead of peering around a tree. I do not recall the report of a bear encounter being associated with a strong odor. In fact, most bear encounters happen without any warning. No bear can do what a Bigfoot is reported to be able to do! Notice the Bigfoot in the Patterson film as its arm swings back. A bear cannot do that. Notice the breasts that are visible. You would not find that in a female bear. Bears have multiple mammary glands for nursing, not two distinct mammary glands as we humans have.
Looking at the bear along side the Patterson film, it is easy for most people to tell the difference. Therefore I feel that misidentification is not a valid theory and is used to discredit the witnesses.
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