Bears in the Peripheral

The yeti is yet another creature of intriguing existence. It has invaded the minds of many people and been sighted all over the world; yet it has never been officially documented.

The often fervent, fleeting sightings of yeti are questionable when they're paired with a lack of tangible evidence. In the article The Yeti DNA sequenced, for example, locals in the Himalayas who were supposedly expert yeti trackers found what was absolutely yeti hair. The article's scientists provide a clear counter to the expert’s statement: the DNA matches closely to that of a horse, not a human. This evidence of the yeti has beed disproven through DNA analysis, but there are still a great deal of other explanations that may account for yeti, Bigfoot, and Sasquatch spottings in the modern day.

Perhaps the strongest explanation for the Yeti’s frequent appearance, yet scientific nonexistence, is a case of mistaken identity. In two separate studies, bears were linked to the presence of yeti or Bigfoot. In one paper, a geneticist at the University of Oxford performed mitochondrial DNA analysis on two separate samples of “yeti hair” from the Himalayas. These hairs were analyzed and found to closely resemble a polar bear from at least 40,000 years ago (Jha). While these relic specimens of “yeti hair” are unable to be analyized for further genetic clues, they suggest that an unidentified bear, related to polar bears, could be found in the region. Whether this potential bear could be a hybrid or an entirely separate species remains to be seen. Pictured below are estimated distribution maps for brown bears and Sasquatch (based on sightings) in another study.