Call him ‘Bigfoot’, call him ‘Migoi’ or call him the ‘Abominable Snowman’, Yeti has been fueling folk-lores for ages. The giant ape-like creature, which is said to be living in the high mountainous region of Tibet and Nepal, has not only been a subject of fascination for the monster hunters but has also inspired numerous movies.
But now scientists have finally busted the myth behind this mythical monster.
In a quest to figure out if Yeti really exists, scientists analysed the genetic composition of a total of 24 ‘yeti’ samples including hair, bones and faeces collected from various sources. Nine of these samples came from Reinhold Messner Museum and the Icon Film Company, which has been working on a documentary on the creature.
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What the researchers found in their analysis will blow your mind– literally. Of the 24 ‘yeti’ samples, one came from a dog and rest 23 came from BEARS!
The samples collected by the scientists came from lineages of bears including Continental Eurasian brown bear, Tibetan brown bear, Himalayan brown bear, and Asian black bear. According to their report, which was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the ‘purported yeti samples in this study’ came from local brown and black bears.
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Check out the text from their report:
This study represents the most rigorous analysis to date of samples suspected to derive from anomalous or mythical ‘hominid’-like creatures, strongly suggesting that the biological basis of the yeti legend is local brown and black bears.
Turns out, yetis are just bears. Who knew!
