BACKGROUND: Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forests of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims of visual observations as well as alleged video and audio recordings, photographs, and casts of large footprints. Some are known or admitted hoaxes. Tales of wild, hairy humanoids exist throughout the world and such creatures appear in the folklore of North America including the mythologies of indigenous people. Bigfoot is an icon within the fringe subculture of cryptozoology, and an enduring element of popular culture.

GEOGRAPHY AND MIGRATION PATTERNS: Using thumb tacks and a map of North America, participants will determine the distribution and migration patterns of Bigfoot based on reported sightings. 

It is thought that Bigfoot spends its winter in the southern US, in areas like southern California, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Georgia etc., and then migrates to the northern US in the summer, to states like Michigan, New York, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Maine etc. It prefers to be in warmer, more open areas during the winter months, and likes shadier forests closer to the north, usually close to a body of water, in the summer. It tries to beat the southern heat by migrating north in the early spring, around March to April, and then makes its way back down south in September and October, before the northern weather becomes too cold and the snow too deep to forage for food.

• In the spring, a large footprint with weird-looking toes is spotted east of San Francisco, California. The prints left a stink that people can smell a mile away
• In the summer, a video of a tall creature with brown hair is taken in Michigan, and then published online. It immediately goes viral on TikTok.
• On New Year’s Day, just as the ball drops, people in southern Florida hear what sounds like a sasquatch’s loud shriek. Maybe he’s just happy about the new year. (they call him “skunk ape” in Florida.
• On the first day of school in September, a group of high schoolers in Colorado see a trail of brown hair that leads south. They theorize that the sasquatch was in need of a haircut.
• In August, a group of backpackers near Seattle, Washington wake up one morning to find that all their food had been taken by someone, and that there are claw marks on a tree next to their tent. Whatever took their food smelled like it hadn’t showered in months.
• In June, a Boy Scout troop in Maine follows a set of humongous footprints, each about two feet long, towards a large cave. They decide not to enter because they forgot their flashlights at the campsite.
• On Thanksgiving, a family in Arkansas sits down at the table for dinner. As they start eating, the youngest child sees an ugly face staring through the window at the turkey. When the tall creature is seen, it runs away.
• On the 4th of July, people in Chicago, Illinois notice a towering figure swimming in Lake Michigan. As he swims, a trail of murky, brown water follows behind him.
• During a college football game at Ohio State University in October, fans spot what looks like a sasquatch walking near the stadium. He seems like he’s trying to blend in with the crowd, as he somehow found and put on a red Ohio State jersey.
• In November, a family in Arizona hears their dog barking at something in the backyard. When they go to investigate, they see footprints and pieces of hair all over their backyard. A nearby cactus has also been scratched up.
• On Christmas Eve, children in Texas hear something walking on their rooftop. They think that it’s Santa Claus, but quickly realize that it isn’t when they hear it screech very loudly. This fake Santa also smells like mud and dead leaves instead of cookies and milk.
• As kids in New Jersey get out of school for the summer, they see muddy tracks walking down the sidewalk, and they become confused. One of them yells “This thing has ugly toes!”
• In April, a farmer in Virginia notices that some of her crops are missing. When she goes to see who did it, she sees piles of brown hair all across the ground, aiming north.  They are known as “Wood Buggers” in Virginia.. 
• In May, a Canadian caught a blurry image on a trail camera and it was thought to be a bigfoot aka “Sasquatch” in Canada.

David Alexander is a internationally renowned Bigfoot expert, author of the Buzz Into Action & Hop Into Action Science Curricula.  He specializes in making nature accessible to people and wildlife.  You can follow him at www.natureintoaction.com