The Importance of Sasquatch in the Ecosytem and Their influence on Humankind

This is a guest post by researcher David Claerr. This essay was published in Christopher Noel's book, "How Sasquatch Matters: Writers Respond to the New Natural Order" (suggested read!) 

In this essay, I will focus first on an important but possibly overlooked aspect of the importance of Sasquatch. Although there are many aspects of potential benefits that humankind will derive from the interaction with, and study of the Sasquatch, currently there is a need to consider and gain a better understanding of the important ecological roles that Sasquatch have played by their active presence in the environment, now and previously for untold generations over millennia.

Although the knowledge and understanding of the Sasquatch in the established scientific community is very limited at present, the experiential understanding from several sources has been rapidly accumulating in the past decade, due to the advances in communication via the internet, social media, and by related technologies, such as mobile phones and digital cameras.

One source of this experiential, understanding can be extrapolated from eyewitness accounts of random sightings and brief interactions by private citizens. Another source are the accounts from Native Americans, both from folk lore and from what are considered by various tribes as factual descriptions of their nature and habits. Another important source is the "habituators" whom are perhaps more accurately described as persons who interact with Sasquatch that occupy their property and the near vicinity for lengthy periods of time. These interactions take place over months and years and involve a type of relationship that typically involves trust and formations of friendships between individual Sasquatch and humans. Another source of information comes from the researchers, which includes a wide range from the adventurers and thrill-seekers to the conscientious "citizen scientists" and amateur naturalists.

I consider myself to be in the last category, an independent researcher, a self-taught naturalist whose efforts are born of a fascination with the environmental ecosystems. Having spent untold hours in the wildernesses across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, often traveling significant distances on foot over mountain, desert, plain and woodland, it was perhaps inevitable that I would begin to encounter the evidence of Sasquatch, and to have random sightings and encounters. An example of one such encounter was the sighting of a juvenile Sasquatch near the carcass of a buffalo on a nature reserve . I had located the carcass by heading to the spot where hundreds of vultures were circling overhead. The young Sasquatch scurried past me with a scrambling gait that started on all four limbs, then quickly transitioned to a two-legged run. On another occasion, I was looking for alligators in an extensive marsh on a lakeside in Texas. I saw a dark, black figure striding through a boggy flat. At a distance it appeared to be a human figure, but as it drew near, I noticed a peculiar motion in the arms, which appeared proportionately longer than that of a human. The arms were swung in wide arcs from side to side in front of the chest, both arms swinging in parallel, each to the same side simultaneously. I watched and held very still. The figure approached, heading towards me for about a quarter-mile before it suddenly stopped. It appeared to stare in my direction, then it suddenly bolted off to the side to a stand of cottonwood trees on an island in the marsh. I was convinced then as I am now that the being was a Sasquatch. (Later I tried the side-to-side arm motion for striding through the bogs, and found that it was very efficient in both maintaining one's balance in mucky terrain and that the motion also lends an increased forward momentum to one's stride. The increase of momentum helps one free one's feet when they get stuck in the muck.) After a few such encounters, as well as finding footprints and other evidence, I decided to pursue a more focused research of their behaviors, based on observation and the accumulation of evidence.

Sasquatch are not only apex predators in the regions that they inhabit, but, like humans, are omnivorous. Due to their typically massive size and bulk, they consume considerable quantities of fruit, vegetables, nuts, berries and roots in addition to deer and other ungulates, fish and aquatic animals, and wildfowl such as turkey, pheasant and quail. Thus, their impact on the environment over centuries is significant—undoubtedly beneficial and perhaps essential in many ecosystems. The main reason that this activity is often overlooked and not understood is that Sasquatch, unlike humans, are primarily nocturnal. The majority of their active life-cycle takes place at night, usually in wilderness areas that are seldom visited by humans.

Sasquatch are highly adaptable, intelligent and resourceful. Evidence of their presence has been found in virtually every type of environment. In my travels, though, I have found that some of the areas that have the highest population of Sasquatch coincide with some of the most biologically diverse habitats in North America. Many of these areas are either geographically remote or have topographic features that are not conducive to human habitation-[this is a hyphen, whereas you want a dash] areas that in the past would not sustain agriculture, such as steep mountainous terrain, marshes and swamps, soils that are excessively rocky and sandy, or areas that have bedrock exposed or that is close to the surface.

Many of the areas that I have researched in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas had specific regions that have optimal micro-climates, due to the insulating effects of the sheltering terrain and vegetation as well as the more southern latitudes. As I began to investigate and observe these environments, though, I found small areas, often in the more isolated valleys and ravines, or on lee mountain slopes (opposite the sun's direct rays), that had an atypically high abundance of native fruiting trees and berries such as wild plums, choke cherries, persimmons, elderberry, crab-apples, raspberries, blueberries, and even some transplanted domesticated varieties of peaches, pears and apples. Certainly, the consumption of these sources of fruits, nuts and berries, combined with the normal process of digestion and elimination by the Sasquatch has had the effect of sowing fertilized seeds throughout these areas. Some Native American sources as well as habituators report that Sasquatch collect seeds, bulbs, and root-stock , then sow them in fertile areas by casting handfuls across the ground.

Sasquatch often travel extensively, typically following along watershed systems—rivers, creeks and streams that run for many hundreds of miles. Overland routes often follow along the ridge-lines of foothills and mountains. There are many pathways that were, in centuries past, routes t shared by both Native Americans and the Sasquatch. It is possible that these pathways were well established by the Sasquatch before the arrival of the ancestors of Native Americans in the far distant past. And here is another intriguing premise—although Native American populations have been devastated and often removed forcibly from their original homelands, I believe that the populations of Sasquatch have either remained within or returned to many of these areas. In several of the regions of Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, areas that were heavily logged for timber in the 1800s have been allowed to reforest. The result is that the population of Sasquatch has gradually risen since perhaps the 1950s in these areas. In several of these reforested areas, there are well-worn trails—some cutting several inches into the soil— that only very large animals could wear through the forest and maintain by constant habitual travel. Many credible researchers as well as myself, have found the tracks of Sasquatch along these trail-ways.

Sasquatch may have a significant impact on forest growth, in a manner analogous to the forest elephants of Africa. Sasquatch will topple trees, strip away branches and bark and break apart decomposing logs to capture game ranging from birds, mammals and reptiles to insects, grubs and other larvae. Often large tree trunks, some still with leaves and branches are placed as blockades over trails and in some cases around the fountainheads of spring-fed streams, much like a corral for entrapment of deer, elk and other herbivores. In fact, from reports by Native Americans as well as my own observations, it appears that there may be a type of intelligently planned "wilderness management" by some clans of Sasquatch. Here are three accounts that may illustrate this point:

One account told by a Native American was a story that his grandfather, from a tribe that dwelt on the Great Plains, sometimes told. The grandfather, as a young man, had awakened in the pre-dawn hours while on a hunt. He was on the banks above a small brook that wound through the tall-grass prairie. He heard a rhythmic splashing in the brook below and was astonished to see a coal-black Sasquatch striding along with a beaver in each hand, held by the scruff of the neck. He followed this Sasquatch discretely for a some distance. About mid-morning they reached a small semi-circular valley that had a mixed tree-grove, mainly of oak and cottonwood, with willows along the bank of the brook. He watched in fascination as the Sasquatch placed the two beaver in a small pond that was formed by the placement of a very large oak trunk lain across the brook. The trunk was far too large for any group of beaver to have moved. Then the Sasquatch rapidly left the grove, jogging upstream at a swift pace. Later, over several months and during following years, there was a beaver colony established there in a deep, wide pond—the log dam having been built upon, and considerably enlarged, by the beaver.

Another Native account, more contemporary and well documented by the Navajo Tribe Rangers, occurred, perhaps, in the 1980s. Over thirty Navajo on the reservation saw Sasquatch in and around a marsh or bog. Some witnesses reported that the Sasquatch were hauling out huge trunks of trees that had fallen into the marsh. The Navajo Rangers investigated, found footprints—which were cast—and retrieved hair samples. It stands to reason that the Sasquatch were engaged in a type of pre-planned collaborative effort, with a specific purpose in mind—perhaps to ensure a supply of fresh water and to create a pond for fish and aquatic life. I have heard other reports that fish were carried some distance cross-country by the Sasquatch in water-filled hollow logs- the ends sealed up with clay and moss- for this purpose.

During one of the recent droughts that severely affected Texas and Oklahoma, there was an incident that showed another way that Sasquatch can impact the environment. In the Kiamichi Mountains of Oklahoma, a friend of mine's family owns property with a vacation cabin. Near the cabin is a perennial spring. During the drought it was the only source of fresh, flowing water for miles around. But that year, the output of the spring was reduced to a mere trickle. Then, one night in late July, my friend heard a lot of sound and commotion down by the spring. The sounds were peculiar, like a dragging or shushing sound that he could not identify. In the morning he went to investigate. The spring normally welled up in a small pool, which had nearly gone dry that year. The bottom of the pool was lined with pea-sized gravel. On that morning the gravel had been dug up and pushed out in a circular mound all round the former edge of the pool. The gravel had been removed down almost eight feet deep at the center, and the water from the spring was gradually filling in the newly excavated, bowl-shaped depression. In the gravel and dirt around the hole were the unmistakable, huge footprints of a Sasquatch.

So if we can imagine many events like those above, the interactions of the Sasquatch with the ecosystems in North America, multiplying the effect over not just decades or centuries, but over hundreds of thousands of years, the beneficial effect on the ecological balance would be tremendous. But there are other factors that may also be needed to be taken into account.

Sasquatch are capable of spoken language—according to reports, communicating with not only contemporary peoples but also with Native Americans across centuries, some of whom maintain that they would trade and barter with the Sasquatch. I have heard reports that a type of sign language— closely related to the AMESLAN system now used by the hearing impaired people worldwide, was also used by Sasquatch in their encounters with certain Native tribes. It is possible that many of the elements in such a sign language were devised and contributed by the Sasquatch. I believe that this may be an important area of research and experimentation, to communicate with habituated Sasquatch in the near future.

In this last segment of this essay, I wish to briefly touch on some of the exciting and important elements that recent sequencing of the DNA from Sasquatch have brought to light. Although there are currently parallel studies being undertaken as of this writing that will further define the genetic makeup of the Sasquatch, it has become sufficiently clear that they are more closely related to modern humans than they are to any of the other higher primates. They may be, at least in some areas of North America, a hybrid of an original progenitor species and humans from eras of the distant past. Some of the genetic data suggest that this hybridizing event occurred during the last major Ice Age.

But the genetic sequencing to date has resulted in some baffling and paradoxical elements that will take some time to decipher. Given the widely differing outward appearance of Sasquatch across North America and perhaps the world, the phenomena we associate with Sasquatch or Bigfoot may be populations that are genetically compatible but highly diverse mixes that include a type of archaic human ancestor. I believe that the genomes of individual Sasquatch may contain a type of "Genetic Rosetta Stone", a vital key to not only the understanding of human origins but also a template that may be used in the remedy or cure of many diseases that have an origin in defective genes. There may be a key also in the understanding of their very robust immune system, and a means to help improve the efficiency of the human immune system.

Another fascinating aspect that will be an area of intensive medical research is the seemingly unlimited growth potential and extended lifespan for some Sasquatch, who may easily live over a century, with bodily growth continuing far beyond maturity. This trait is not usually found in humans and other mammals unless there is an abnormality in the endocrine or pituitary systems. Some Sasquatch, according to both reports and photometric analysis (some of which I personally conducted) may grow as large as twelve feet tall, although estimates of about eight foot tall are most commonly reported. So there may be a genetic component that allows this continued growth without impairment or deformity in the Sasquatch. The key to this growth potential can be identified by full genome sequencing and in-depth research.

The Sasquatch, and possibly closely related subspecies with which they are genetically compatible, also share a trait that has not been much discussed or speculated on to date. As a result of my own field observations and the reports of others, I perceive that the Sasquatch may have a genetic makeup that allows an unusually high compatibility with related species and may incorporate sequences from other mammals as well. One of my earliest encounters with a cryptic primate occurred in Michigan when I was about ten years old. This primate was short, stocky and had a face that was somewhat like a baboon. The hair coat was reddish brown. This fits the description of a being referred to by Native Americans in that area as “the Demon of the Straits” and by French Canadian trappers as the Nain Rouge, or Red Dwarf. In North Texas, I sighted a large male Sasquatch that had a jet-black hair coat and a face with decidedly simian features. In east central Texas, I had a sighting of a being with pointed ears atop the head. This creature was standing on all four limbs, but the fore-limbs were thick and muscular. It had broad shoulders and a barrel chest. The neck seemed oddly elongated, unlike most Sasquatch. It seemed to have features of both primates and canines.

One possible explanation for the mechanism that operates in the widely different appearances of these primates from different regions is the "jumping genes" phenomenon, whereby genetic sequences from unrelated species are transferred by viruses from host to host. As the virus replicates in an animal's cells, it can incorporate some of the DNA from its host, which is then transferred to a newly infected host. This inter-species DNA can become part of the new host's DNA. This phenomenon has been observed and documented in humans. Certain populations of humans have DNA sequences from felines- domestic cats. The jumping genes may explain some of the more exceptional bodily appearances that have been reported, such as the "Dog- Faced Bigfoot," pointed-eared Dogmen, orangutan-like Swamp Apes, and the baboon-like Nain Rouge. (Note that alternate explanations, such as outwardly similar but unrelated species may be described in these anecdotal reports.) The Sasquatch may also have another type of configuration in their DNA that simply allows a wide range of incorporation of divergent DNA. The comprehensive study of Sasquatch DNA will be one of the frontiers of biological science in the 21st century.

**ABOUT THE AUTHOR: David Claerr is an avid researcher of Bigfoot, ancient giants, anthropology and archaeology, as well as a talented artist. You can find his books on Amazon (LINK) and his personal design site with beautiful posters (LINK) in the link locations.