I’m a Bigfoot enthusiast (obviously). So when a spate of Bigfoot sightings was reported in Ohio over the course of about a week earlier this spring, I was particularly excited. Witnesses described the figures as ranging from six to ten feet tall, “stilted” gaits, and ranging in color from “brown” to “black” (!!). The Bigfoot Society Podcast mapped the reported sightings and it appears the creatures were migrating someplace, following a specific “ecological corridor”, similar to other animals (like birds or butterflies, even humans actually). What struck me most was the fact that most of these sightings were reportedly in broad daylight, which seems unusual for what we generally know about whatever the hell these creatures are (I still haven’t really decided myself) and their “typical” behaviors. Why did this particular group move so freely, risking potential exposure? Were they in a rush? Were they late for something? The sightings seemed to taper off in that particular area as spring marched on, although the podcast has reported sightings elsewhere around the country since.
With ever increasing surveillance and cameras being placed literally everywhere, I wonder if there is now photographic/videographic evidence available, better than the Patterson-Gimlin film that I previously recreated and discussed on this blog, that has not been shared with the public.
For the record, if I ever see one I’m not telling.
Also in the spring, scientists at Hokkaido University announced the discovery of an ancient cephalopod, Nanaimoteuthis haggarti, that lived during the Cretaceous period and were as big as 61 feet long. The scientists describe the beasts as “apex predators” of the oceans of the past; studies of their fossilized beaks showing “intense wear” indicative of a predator that hunted large, shelled prey. The researchers also found that the wear on the fossils was “asymmetric”, suggesting that the animals favored chewing on one side over the other- a sign of advanced intelligence.
I have not stopped thinking of these creatures since reading the articles announcing their discovery. Octopus are on my shortlist of favorite animals; I refuse to eat calamari, cuttlefish, or squid in solidarity with these bizarre, sentient creatures. If these things could hang with mosasaurs and plesiosaurs they must’ve been pretty badass; and if their modern-day descendants are any indicator of their intelligence they must’ve been equally terrifying. My thalassophobia seems justified when discoveries such as this are announced.
It feels silly to say- or write, rather- but I am constantly amazed at how weird and interesting this planet and the creatures that inhabit it are.