Could reports of Bigfoot, Yeti, orang pendek, and other humanlike creatures represent something more than folklore?
In this episode of Beyond the Human, we begin a multi-part investigation into cryptohominids: reported humanlike beings that may represent undiscovered primates, relict populations of ancient hominids, or something stranger. We start with the flesh-and-blood hypothesis and ask whether these creatures could realistically exist within what we know about human evolution, primate biology, and ecology.
Drawing on the fossil record and discoveries of Neanderthals, Denisovans, Homo floresiensis, and Homo naledi, we explore the surprisingly diverse world of our extinct relatives and why the idea of another surviving hominid isn't quite as straightforward as it might seem. We then examine the evidence researchers have collected for cryptohominids, including footprints, hair and DNA, photographs and video, vocalizations, and eyewitness testimony.
From orang pendek in Sumatra and otang in South Africa to Sasquatch in North America, we look at several of the cases that flesh-and-blood researchers consider particularly intriguing. Along the way, we examine the work of researchers who have attempted to investigate these reports more systematically and ask what the current evidence can (and cannot) tell us.
This is only the beginning. In the episodes that follow, we'll hear directly from researchers in the field, including NAWAC members James Waldo and Michael Mayes, before turning to supernatural and high-strangeness explanations for the phenomenon. Finally, we'll speak with anthropologist Dr. Gregory Forth about the intersection of cryptohominids, ethnography, and human evolution.
Are cryptohominids undiscovered animals, surviving relatives of our evolutionary past, or something that doesn't fit neatly into either category? We're starting with the evidence—and letting the investigation take us from there.
Topics discussed in this episode:
(3:49) - The Series and Defining Cryptohominids
(12:51) - Human Evolution for Cryptozoologists
(46:16) - Researchers in the Field
(1:17:52) - Evidence for Biological Bigfoot
(1:29:00) - Best Cryptohominid Cases
Show Notes
Zhang Y and Harrison T. Gigantopithecus blacki: a giant ape from the Pleistocene of Asia revisited. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 2017; 162:153–177. doi:10.1002/ajpa.23150.
Smithsonian Institution - What Does it Mean to Be Human? Species
Becoming Human - Journey Through the Timeline
On the trail of the orang pendek, Sumatra's mystery ape
