Biped Or All Fours?

[Guest]

Darkwing,

My point wasn't that I didn't think bigfoot goes 4x4. I am very familiar with the southern variety of bigfoot. My point to Bart was that reading his encounter and his description of the creature he was viewing certainly made me think of the southern variety of this creature instead of what most people commonly think of, especially if they use Patty as their bigfoot icon.

I guess I wasn't clear.

Bart, good stuff, buddy. I knew Bluff Creek and your sighting was close to 500 miles apart. I was just making a comparison of creatures 1500 miles apart.

Splash

[Guest]

No problem Splash, when I brought forth the idea of 4X4 mode into the general Bigfoot Community a few years back, I took a lot of heat for it, and maybe I'm still a little gun shy about the subject.

[Guest]

Bartlojays,

I remember reading your magnificent narrative about your thermal image encounter and seeing your "cruder" drawing, but that poster is top-notch!

One thing though, on the smaller drawing where the Sas is on all fours, "he" appears to be crawling, that is, his knees seem to be on the ground. I know if I tried to go around like that I'd be slow as molasses in January and probably wind up with skinned knees. Do you think, in order to go quad and do so quickly, the Sas straightens his arms, lifts his hips higher, and then using the mid-tarsel break lifts his heels off the ground thus actually using only his toes, the balls of his feet and the knuckles and thumbs of the hands to touch the ground? As someone said upthread, like a runner in the starting blocks but with longer arms and a foot that "bends"?

[indiefoot]

These illustrations show the difference between man and gorilla. The Sasquatch is described as having longer arms than man but normal length legs. The legs could remain bent with a mid t break. That would leave the thigh muscles in a position to propel them forward with some power. It might appear like moving in a crouched position and using your longer arms to keep you from falling forward and to help change directions and stop. I'm suggesting that a large portion of the body weight is still carried on the feet, and the compliant gate has strengthened the muscles and tendons to carry the load. Just a little "what if" on my part.

[Drew]

Bartlojays-

I just looked at your poster.

You could see hairs through the thermal imager?

That is pretty awesome.

[Guest BartloJays]

Yes, you're absolutely right Drew, thermal imagers are awesome and fun.

When I saw the subject you absolutely could see minor shadow shading of hair (like any "naked," hirsute animal w that unit from that distance), not "hairs." Here's a few examples of what animals and people look like from various distances using the X200xp and Raytheon 250D (very similar, if not identical picture): (www.bfro.net/thermal/default.asp)

I would estimate my distance (which started at about 50 and decreased to about 30 yards) to be closer to the distance to the group of people in the bottom pic to give you an idea.

As you can see in the poster, I instructed the artist to re-create the subject in "closer profile" then how I originally saw it for obvious reasons....hence the main pic looks like you're looking at it from much closer in front of you. The bottom pics (which was the artist's idea, as was the layout) are more representative of size/ distance and how much fur shadow I could discern from the distance I was from the subject with the naked eye....meaning eye looking through therm.

Indiefoot and Pithecus,

Although it's all speculation for now, those are interesting locomotion possibilities and theories. What I can tell you is that the one I saw was very fast and comfortable on the ground and although I could recognize and described very distinct positioning I clearly recall and will never forget, there's so much I admittedly missed because of how fast some of the movements were on the ground and likely trying to focus in on other anatomical aspects of the subject. Not to mention the surreal feeling of seeing it through a thermal (like a B&W silent movie), seeing something many people don't believe exists and seeing something, at the time, that you didn't even fully accept is real.....let alone seeing it "hit the deck" for half of the encounter as well.

[Guest]

I think its a strong possibility. What makes it even more interesting, if they do, the tracks could very well even be similar to bear tacks, because I don't think the heel portion would press into the ground as they are using the mid-tarsal to quad around.

[Guest Vincent]

I believe in tbe possibility of bigfoot, but i think if someone sees a bigfoot walking on all 4s from

a distance, especially if the "tracks" resemble bear tracks, i would go with the "bear" theory. given the descriptions of bigfoot it seems higgly unlikely they would walk on all 4s, being that they resemble ape/humans, but walk upright therefore seem anatomically closer to human. I believe you all saw bears in my opinion.

[Sunflower]

Vincent,

Maybe some saw bears but not everyone. Lots of witnesses have had them in their yards and pastures. One friend saw a rather large one doing a bellycrawl. Another friend nearly got run over by one that was traveling on all fours. She described it as almost a gallop. She was close to it and there was no mistake.

[Guest]

I do think they go on all fours on occasion because you hear reports of it and that was what my Dad said happened when he had his encounter 70 years ago. Depending on how stiff I am, going up my stairs on all fours is easier. I imagine traveling up a steep slope would be easier on all fours, especially with arms that are proportionately longer than their legs.

[Guest]

I do think they go on all fours on occasion because you hear reports of it and that was what my Dad said happened when he had his encounter 70 years ago. Depending on how stiff I am, going up my stairs on all fours is easier. I imagine traveling up a steep slope would be easier on all fours, especially with arms that are proportionately longer than their legs.

I can attest to the fact. Having spent several years working fire crew bushwhacking in high aspect terraine, going uphill is much easier when on all fours, or at the very least using one's arms to grasp and assist in climbing. Being 8' tall, and having long arms would have made it all the more efficient and all but alleviate the need for trails.

[Guest FuriousGeorge]

Yes it can run like a cheetah. Sure why not. I'm learning here that BF can do anything that any animal on the planet can do..... and then some. I saw some footprints next to a hydrothermal vent on the bottom of the sea. Do you think this where it gets the bacteria for his bioluminescent urine? Hmmm makes me wonder.

[Drew]

What Quadruped has a foot like this?

@ Bartlojays:

Re: The Thermal image poster

Are you sure a couple of Bigfooters from the bon-fire gathering, didn't sneak down into the woods for a little game of Hide-the-Salami?

Both of those poses in the poster look like something like that could have been occuring.

Also, if it was a clandestine rendezvous, noone is going to admit being out there...

Bart's Poster

[Guest]

With the number of reports of Sasquatch in '4X4 mode' I would have to assume they are capable of moving on all fours. This would account for their longer arms and a 'tightrope' type gate when walking upright. Imagine the speed of an animal moving on all fours with the leg and arm power needed to support 500-1000lbs through the woods, up cliffs, and down slopes.

[Guest tirademan]

...A feature described in a creature that modern science does not accept as reality is now being described in fossils of confirmed similar animals. If the feature did allow for the fossil specimens to drop to all fours, then it is reasonable to assume that it would aid a sasquatch in this manner as well.

Biggjimm makes an important point.

John Bindernagel mentions this too in his new book. Specific behaviors reported in detailed sasquatch sightings were only later corroborated by science in documented apes. Branch breaking, rock throwing, chest beating, etc. were all described in sasquatch sightings in the 1800's.

Here are several reports that specifically mention locomotion. I'd say they're nimble!

tirademan