Original subtitles

[ 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 ]