The Florida Bigfoot /AKA/ Abominable Swamp Slob
The Bigfoot sightings listed at this website do not list the exact location of the sightings, in the interest of protecting this creature from Great white hunters and modern day PT Barnums out there who would attempt to capture or kill the creature. All of the sighting listed here have taken place in different areas of Pasco and Pinellas county, but no more information regarding specific location will be listed here. While we study and want to learn about this creature ,we have no desire to exploit, harass, or harm him. We also have no intention of leading people to him that would see fit to harm, capture, or harass him in any way.The above picture caption pretty much states how we feel about the Florida Bigfoot.
Pinellas Pasco Paranormal 's Laurie Champion has participated in an ongoing Bigfoot investigation here in Florida from 1992 through 2000 with a colleague who is a Bigfoot Investigator and Ufologist, a former MUFON leader. This case was actually going on since 1967, but Laurie became drawn into it in 1992. Below is her commentary on the subject.
The Florida Bigfoot, or what some call the "skunk ape", is not a myth. This shy and elusive creature ,whom I jokingly refer to as the Abominable Swamp Slob, is not an aggressive or intrusive creature at all. It is however territorial and will behave according'ly, if it is harassed. It usually prefers to keep it's distance from people in general. The Florida bigfoot seems to have a habit of getting angry when his habitat is disturbed or destroyed by progress and will take revenge by killing cattle, destroying equipment and putting in the occasional appearance that sends people fleeing in fear.
This creature's color ranges from black to dark brown and even silver, in the case of an aging creature. Their eyes show red at night as they are very reflective, as these creatures have become mostly nocturnal. They range in height from three to eight feet and can weigh up to 800 pounds according to the depth of footprint casts. They are omnivorous but prefer fruit and plant life. They will kill and consume prey when other food sources are not available or plentiful. They make sounds ranging from loud, gutteral growls, to a sound that resembles that of a woman screaming. They can whistle effectively and imitate a whistle pattern very well. They lived in the Anclote area for many years until recently when construction and development forced them out. They traveled through the Anclote river,wading their way north and disappeared from there. They are extremely intelligent creatures and their senses are far more superior to ours.
A bigfoot can smell gun oil on a person's gun from a very far distance and easily avoids hunters in this manner. they are curious and will follow someone through the woods while keeping in the safe cover of the treeline. They detest bright lights and fire, and will not hesitate to kill a dog sent to pursue them. Most dogs instinctually will not even step outside when this creature is around but others, like the more agressive pit bulls will approach it if ordered to do so. A Florida Bigfoot killed two pit bull dogs by smacking one of them into a tree and breaking his spine and breaking the jaw of the other by pulling it apart at the hinge, after a rancher sic'ed the dogs on it. The Florida Bigfoot does kill livestock, mostly cows and usually breaks their backs, we do not kow whether he uses a large branch or his fist but there had been fourteen cow kilings in the area we investigated in one summer in 1992, which is odd since the Florida Bigfoot is more active in the wintertime. The cows were partially dismembered and eaten, with other parts carried away and missing from the scene. This was not the work of coyotes or wolves or wild dogs as parts of the carcasses had been carried a far distance from the scene and discovered later in other locations, parts that were far too large to be carried that far by such animals. I would like to mention that the cow killing did not start until the deforestation started on this particular ranch, leading me to believe that it was a possible retaliation for the destruction of the bigfoots habitat and home base. In this same time frame a large tractor, weighing over a ton was pushed through the sand and deposited about twenty feet into a shallow lake on the same ranch. A message perhaps, to the rancher? Other equipment was also being destroyed in a strange fashion that would require a lot of strength, well beyond that of a man or known forest creature.
From 1987 to 1993 this creature was sighted in the area we investigated 37 times. By 31 different people, from children to adults, who lived in the area along the woodline, on a five mile track near the Anclote river. This case was first documented in 1967, when a man named Bud Chambers encountered the creature in his orange grove several times and did shoot at it on one occasion. Another man in the Anclote area shot at the creature in 1991, claiming that the bullet hit the creature square in the chest from a range of about 20 feet and the creature walked away, bleeding but not seeming to be very mortally wounded at all by the bullet. Does the bigfoot have a solid breastplate like some primitive apes and men? We don't know but the bullet seemed to have a minimal effect on him. This was the same man who sent his pit bulls after the creature, and found them later brutally destroyed as I mentioned earlier. I can only assume that this a a strong, creature that can take a bulet and not go down easily. Even more interesting to me is the fact, that on the following night after the incident someone or something threw large rocks at this man's trailor, at 3 am smashing out four windows in the process. The rocks were coming from the woods with a tremendous amount of force, considering their size and the distance they were hurled with pretty good accuracy. Retalliation perhaps? Maybe.
The creature in the area we investigated seems to have slight differences from the Everglades Skunk Ape, but it smells just as bad. The smell of this creature is a mixture,{ if you can imagine} of cat urine, old sweat socks, mildew,and sulfur. It is a smell that once you smell it, you will recogize it from there on. These creatures carry alot of dead algae in their coats from wading through stagnant waterways and rivers which produces the mildew like part of their offensive aroma.
People who live along the woodline have discovered that the Bigfoot is an accomplished theif. The creature will take off with whatever strikes his fancy from your yard or shed, and will pilfer your fruit from your fruit trees as well. While the bigfoot loves oranges, he seems to have no use for tomatoes, as one homeowner saw the creature taking the oranges and ignoring the tomatoe plants nearby completely. I found this amusing, so I included it here just for trivial fun. Overall the Florida Bigfoot while he may have scared the pants off some folks, has never actually hurt anyone. They seem to be more comfortable in rural areas that are heavily forested, have a fresh water source, and have low human traffic. We have obtained footprint casts from the Anclote area that are currently in the possession of IPPO. These were taken back in 1994. They were found in the wet mud at a river crossing that cattle used to use and obviously so did Bigfoot.
The Florida bigfoot has been sighted and investigated in the the Anclote Area, Hudson, Brooksville, Elfers, Spring Hill, and areas north of Pasco county such as Homosassa, and Crystal river. There are other locations where only a rare sighting took place so I am not listing these towns here. With more and more development of Florida woodlands the creature sightings are becoming few and far between now in these areas. The bigfoot seems to be alive and well in Ocala Florida from reports we have heard but we have not investigated this to say for sure. The Everglades has it's own apelike creature called the "Skunk Ape". This animal is in Ochopee Florida. I have seen the supposed pics and video of the Everglades, Ochopee skunk ape. To me it is not the same species as the Florida bigfoot here on the west coast. The creature we have seen and studied in Pasco county is bigger, broader, and does not in any way resemble an Orangutan or aging chimp as the Myakka ape photos seem to.
The Pasco county bigfoot is from 6 to 9 feet in height, comes in four colors, ranging from reddish brown, brown, black and occasionally silverish grey. We believe the silver ones to be old timers who have gone grey, much like human beings do in their senior years. Sightings of the silver bigfoot also described eyes that were milky blue, which could represent cataracts, which are also a result of old age in humans and other hominids. Most times his eys are described as red at night, when reflecting light, and brown in the daytim. The silver bigfoot reports in Pasco county Florida were said to have been of an aggressive nature, which is out of character for the Florida bigfoot. Could this also indicate an aging rogue creature with a touch of senility? The silver creature was also reported to have chased two young men out into the road and stood under a street light, which is also not the usual behavior of a creature who likes to stay out of the open and mostly stays in the cover of the woods, and underbrush. This could be another indication of a less than mentally competent creature of advanced age. We have so many questions.
Footprints of the Pasco county bigfoot have measured 17 inches in length and their depth implied a creature of tremendous weight , perhaps in excess of 600 pounds. They are human like but display no arch, and the first three toes seem to be a similar length.
Stats on the Florida bigfoot:
The Florida Bigfoot is sighted all over Florida, not just in the everglades. He can be found in heavily forested areas where there is abundant foliage and a fresh water source. He does not live just in the swamp, but in other areas as well.
The Florida Bigfoot ranges from 4 to 9 feet tall, and can weigh up to seven hundred
pounds, judging from footprint cast depth.
The creature is an omnivore, just like we humans are. He eats meat as well as fruit, vegetables, roots, whatever he can find. He also eats fish and some other marine life.
He ranges in color from reddish brown to black, gray,silver, and a sable brown. People have reported green hair on a Bigfoot but this is the result of phosphorescent green algae on his coat, and he does not have green hair. He wades through the rivers and picks up this algae that way. This species of glowing algae, will show up as a green glow in the dark.
I would like to address a question that I hear all the time regarding the sightings of this creature. Many people ask..."Why is that that it seems that Native Americans and teenage campers seem to be the ones who see bigfoot all the time, and yet the investgators can't seem to find him?"
I have the following theories which you may consider;
Bigfoot like all animals has an ancestral memory. This consists of things passed down through the generations that make up a large portion of an animals instincts and perceptions of the world and what is necessary for it's survival. Just as we pass on warnings and information to our children for their welfare, so does this creature. For centuries the Native Americans lived in harmony and respect with these creatures . They did not harass them or consider them to be a threat to them, and most of the names such as Sasquatch came from Native American names for these creatures. Every race has pheremones that are particular to that race and a smell that an animal can detect and remember. The creature learns over the centuries who is dangerous and who is not. So it only makes sense that Native Americans might get to see this creature more often as it does not feel threatened by them. Add to the mix that most of the time Native Americans still live in the rural areas of the country where the bigfoot also resides.
As for the teenagers camping, like I said before, this creature has an amazingly highly developped sense of smell as well as hearing etc. The bigfoot hunter or even a group of deer hunters have guns. Guns give off the smell of gun powder and gun oil, and of course make a distinctive sound that spells danger to the wise bigfoot. The teenage camper usually does not carry a gun and while posing curiousity on the part of the creature does not impose danger. It all comes down to the creatures common sense and his uncommon sensory abilities. It is not rocket science here folks!
If you have seen A Florida bigfoot recently, please send us an email and let us know where you saw it. We are hoping to keep track of where the creature stills lives and how well he is faring with so little habitat left in our nearby counties. It is my personal feeling that this creature has a right to live on the earth as much as we do and should not be harrassed for science or killed for science or sport. The expression in the eyes of one of these creatures is more human than apelike, and from information that we have gathered I believe that this creature lives in a Matriarchal society in small groups. They are neither dangerous or agressive unless provoked. To me killing one of these creatures would be like shooting a person, who has a family, that will suffer tremendously from that loss. There are hunters all over the country whose agenda is to bring back a bigfoot ,dead or alive. I do not worry much about this as this creature is so smart and has such a sensory advantage over us that I think this will not be an easy task. Atleast I hope so, because I do not want to see that happen. I have stood twelve feet from one of these creatures who froze and tried to blend in with the trees, as he stared with curiousity at my friend and I who also froze in awe and amazement for a full minute or more. There was no altercation or agression and the creature was still standing there as our fight or flight impulse kicked in and we left the scene. You face more danger from your neighbor's vicious dog than you do from a bigfoot, from what I have seen, so why shoot such a magnificent creature who has survived for centuries against almost impossible odds?
Date: Nov 8, 2009
| The Great Elder Brother... In Native culture the Bigfoot is seen as our elder brother. He also is thought to be a messenger, that shows up and puts in his appearances to warn us of something. I often wonder if this is true. What do you think?Read more about it below.From : Traditional Attitudes Toward Bigfoot in Many North American Cultures, By Gayle Highpine)Originally printed in the Western Bigfoot Society Newsletter "The Track Record". Excerpted from "Legends Beyond Psychology", by Henry James Franzoni III. Reprinted with permission from all parties. "Here in the Northwest, and west of the Rockies generally, Indian people regard Bigfoot with great respect. He is seen as a special kind of being, because of his obvious close relationship with humans. Some elders regard him as standing on the "border" between animal-style consciousness and human-style consciousness, which gives him a special kind of power. (It is not that Bigfoot's relationship to make him "superior" to other animals; in Indian culture, unlike western culture, animals are not regarded as "inferior" to humans but rather as "elder brothers" and "teachers" of humans. But tribal cultures everywhere are based on relationship and kinship; the closer the kinship, the stronger the bond. Man Indian elders in the Northwest refuse to eat bear meat because of the bear's similarity to humans, and Bigfoot is obviously much more similar to humans than is the bear. As beings who blend the "natural knowledge" of animals with something of the distinctive type of consciousness called "intelligence" that humans have, Bigfoot is regarded as a special type of being." "But, special being as he is, I have never heard anyone from a Northwestern tribe suggest that Bigfoot is anything other than a physical being, living in the same physical dimensions as humans and other animals. He eats, he sleeps, he poops, he cares for his family members. However, among many Indians elsewhere in North America... as widely separated at the Hopi, the Sioux, the Iroquois, and the Northern Athabascan -- Bigfoot is seen more as a sort of supernatural or spirit being, whose appearance to humans is always meant to convey some kind of message."Peter Mathiessen recorded some comments about Bigfoot made by traditional Sioux people and some members of other Indian nations. Joe Flying By, a Hunkpapa Lakota, told Mathiessen, "I think the Big Man is a kind of husband of Unk-ksa, the earth, who is wise in the way of anything with its own natural wisdom. "There is your Big man standing there, ever waiting, ever present, like the coming of a new day," Oglala Lakota Medicine Man Pete Catches km told Mathiessen. "He is both spirit and real being, but he can also glide through the forest, like a moose with big antlers, as though the trees weren't there... I know him as my brother... I want him to touch me, just a touch, a blessing, something I could bring home to my sons and grandchildren, that I was there, that I approached him, and he touched me." The Big Man comes from God. He's our big brother, kind of looks out for us. Two years ago, we were going downhill, really self-destructive. We needed a sign to put us back on track, and that's why the Big Man appeared". Ralph Gray Wolf, a visiting Athapaskan Indian from Alaska, told the reporter, "In our way of beliefs, they make appearances at troubled times", to help troubled Indian communities "get more in tune with Mother Earth". Bigfoot brings "signs or messages that there is a need to change, a need to cleanse," (Minn. news article, "Giant Footprint Signals a Time to Seek Change," July 23,1988). The Hopi elders say that the increasing appearances of Bigfoot are not only a message or warning to the individuals or communities to whom he appears, but to humankind at large. As Mathiessen puts it, they see Bigfoot as "a messenger who appears in evil times as a warning from the Creator that man's disrespect for His sacred instructions has upset the harmony and balance of existence." To the Hopi, the "big hairy man" is just one form that the messenger can take. The Iroquois (Six Nations Confederacy) of the Northeast -- although they live in close proximity to the eastern Algonkian tribes with their Windigo legends -- view Bigfoot much in the same way the Hopi do, as a messenger from the Creator trying to warn humans to change their ways or face disaster throughout Native North America, Bigfoot is seen as a kind of "brother" to humans. Even among those eastern Algonkian tribes to whom Bigfoot represents the incarnation of the Windigo -- the human who is transformed into a cannibalistic monster by tasting human flesh in time of starvation -- his fearsomeness comes from his very closeness to humans. The Windigo is the embodiment of the hidden, terrifying temptation within them to turn to eating other humans when no other food is to be had. he was still their "elder brother", but a brother who represented a human potential they feared. As such, the Windigo's appearance was sort of a constant warning to them, a reminder that a community whose members turn to eating each other is doomed much more surely than a community that simply has no food. So the figure of the Windigo is not so far removed from the figure of the "messenger" coming to warn humankind of impending disaster if it doesn't cease its destruction of nature. The existence of Bigfoot is taken for granted throughout Native North America, and so are his powerful psychic abilities. I can't count the number of times that I have heard elder Indian people say that Bigfoot knows when humans are searching for him and that he chooses when and to whom to make an appearance, and that his psychic powers account for his ability to elude the white man's efforts to capture him or hunt him down. In Indian culture, the entire natural world -- the animals, the plants, the rivers, the stars -- is seen as a family. And Bigfoot is seen as one of our close relatives, the "great elder brother" |
If you have seen the Florida bigfoot. Send us your story and the location of the sighting as we intend to keep a record of sightings and post them here. Just click on the "Contact us" prompt and title you email Florida bigfoot.
UPDATE:SEPT. 13th, 2008 After receiving a report which is posted on the home page, we fear that Bigfoot may be alive and well in Pasco county. IF not something else is running amok, and we plan to investigate to find out.
