Guest Posted June 3, 2012 Posted June 3, 2012 (edited) All this talk of people probably stumbling across a carcass, fur/hide, etc of a BF and not even knowing it has given me the boot to submit my rug, though this is more than likely nothing so don't get excited. Here is the backstory on the fur rug in these pictures. About ten years ago in Colorado, I crossed paths with this old fellow* who was selling a lot of his stuff in a public auction. As a Bigfoot enthusiast, what caught my eye was a 4' x 5' fur rug that he said was Bigfoot. Now, he said this trying to suppress a chuckle, and I asked why he would claim that it's Bigfoot... He told me that he never believed the story, and his dad never believed it- thus his reason for selling it so inexpensively. According to the claim of his now dead grandfather, as a young man, he shot a Bigfoot while hunting in Michigan?- but the grandson wasn't exactly sure. Anyway, he wanted to keep some 'memento' that would keep to show others- so he preserved a large chunk of fur and hide that eventually became this rug. He claimed his whole life it was Bigfoot, and he hung it on his wall. When he died, the rug and the story got passed down to his disbelieving kin. Anyway, I've collected many Bigfoot-related pieces of evidence my whole life so a claim like this, though most likely false, was still enough for me to purchase it- plus it was dirt cheap and kind of cool. The grandson wasn't sure what animal it really was; however, being an avid hunter, I thought it looked at the very least peculiar, but I couldn't tell either. A physical description of the hair: It is about 4 to 6 inches in length and pretty much straight- NOT curly or wavy; medium to dark in color with mixed patches of both. To say it has the texture of the tail of a horse or thick human hair wouldn't be too far off. The few bear fur I've seen is black and more coarse. I've often thought it looks and feels like what I would think primate hair would be, but since that is not my field, I dismissed it as my own bias. Obviously the rug is patched together with several sections to make its shape, but I have never taken the bottom 'finishing' fabric off to examine further. Also, I can't promise the old fellow wasn't just pulling my leg with this whole story. I'd just met him so it is quite possible, but he did insist that this was the story behind it...even if it is just a story. So sure have I been that I've NOT been sitting on the fur and hide of a Bigfoot that it has been lying on the floor of my study being used as a rug. Over the years, I assumed I've not seen enough bear, etc. fur so I settled on this as the answer. That's it. That's all I know. If anyone if interested, I would happily cut off samples of the hide and fur to send to anyone who cares to take this on for analysis. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't get identified from the pictures alone. * To clarify an earlier post, I really don't know if the grandson was hard up for money, but he was selling a lot of stuff from his family so it seemed odd. However, he might have just been consolidating his life. ** The flash from the camera really brings out the lightness of the brown. But in normal sunlight, it appears darker. Edited June 3, 2012 by Sommersby
georgerm Posted June 3, 2012 Posted June 3, 2012 BF fur can be sent to hair analysis labs so get on the net and send it out. There is a picture on the forum of a BF's back taken by a trail camera. It appears long with no undercoat so you can see skin easily. Don't know if the picture is real but it might be.
Guest poignant Posted June 3, 2012 Posted June 3, 2012 Will the bff trichologists and taxidermists care to chime in?
Guest Posted June 3, 2012 Posted June 3, 2012 BF fur can be sent to hair analysis labs so get on the net and send it out. I've thought about it. I wanted to get some initial thoughts here.
Guest Posted June 3, 2012 Posted June 3, 2012 That's some shiny hair. Get it tested for sure. Good find, even if it's not the big guy.
Guest BFSleuth Posted June 3, 2012 Posted June 3, 2012 In the interests of getting further into this, could you open the seam on the edge so we can see the underside (skin side) as well? Might be some clues in there. Next step on your own, if you have some way to take macro shots or better yet to get hairs under a microscope. The quickest way to get a hair ID would be morphology. You can start here for a quick understanding of what to look for: http://www.bfro.net/news/hair_gallery.asp If you think it is worthwhile you should send the hair to a lab for morphological analysis, if that comes back as possible, then DNA testing. Based on the age I'm not sure whether you still have DNA (depending on tanning or not).
Guest Posted June 3, 2012 Posted June 3, 2012 It would be awesome if the story turned out to be true....in a gruesome and sad kind of way, but still awesome. Does the hide appear to be softened and maybe tanned? THat might mess up DNA....or maybe not? Might be relevant, at any rate. Did the seller tell anything of the story of the incident / shooting? Is he reachable, should you decide to find out more? What are the rug's approx. dimensions?
Guest Posted June 3, 2012 Posted June 3, 2012 4' x 5' approx All other details are above. I could probably dig up the guy's info if something came of it. When I have a moment, I'll open the seam to take pictures of the hide.
Guest JiggyPotamus Posted June 3, 2012 Posted June 3, 2012 I will say that it looks unusual to me. I cannot think of an everyday animal that would have fur like that. The only thing I could think of was maybe a buffalo, but I'm not intimately familiar with their hides, so I cannot say for certain. The coloration is unique as well, with its diverse range. Who knows...I agree that a hair morphology test would probably tell you more, probably even what animal this came from, if not a sasquatch.
Guest BFSleuth Posted June 3, 2012 Posted June 3, 2012 It is interesting that the color of the hair varies according to the light, a description that is noted in many sighting reports. Would love to get back lit images under a microscope.
Guest BlurryMonster Posted June 3, 2012 Posted June 3, 2012 (edited) I've often thought it looks and feels like what I would think primate hair would be, but since that is not my field, I dismissed it as my own bias. I like that you're not putting too much weight on that conclusion, and I hope no one else reads too much into this statement, either. Speaking as someone who does have some experience, it doesn't really look look like primate hair to me. Admittedly, it does kind of look like human hair in the picture, but it doesn't look like hair from any other primate I'm familiar with. It didn't come from anything like a gorilla, orangutan, chimp, bonobo, or even a siamang or gibbon. I really don't have a guess from what it came from (besides maybe grizzly bear?), but you can always have it examined by someone. Take it to a biologist at a local university (or maybe even a taxidermist) and see they can identify it. Edit: After reading the suggestion of bison, I'm going to have to say that's what I think it is. I'm not that familiar with their hair morphology, but that rug looks a lot like a bison. Edited June 3, 2012 by BlurryMonster
Incorrigible1 Posted June 3, 2012 Posted June 3, 2012 I'm with Jiggy in that I initially thought "bison." I don't know whether bison have that length of hair, overall. I know they get pretty darned shaggy during the winter months, as they are extremely hearty and cold-adapted animals.
Guest BFSleuth Posted June 3, 2012 Posted June 3, 2012 Here is a picture of a bison hide (for sale for $1100)...
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