Why does the Skunk ape only have 4 toes?

[Guest Spooky24]

As the title says, I'm curious about any ideas as to why Skunk apes only have 4 toes when no other primate does.

The closest thing I can find to this feature in any known primate is the Colobus monkey and it's 4 fingered hand, but the circumstances are obviously different.

[gigantor]

Welcome to the BFF Spooky.

 

I didn't know skunk apes had only four toes... 

[BlackRockBigfoot]

I've mentioned this a few times, but we have found 4 toed prints in the Chattahoochee forest.  

 

Not overly long, most of them probably about a size 12 or so, but broad.  There have been a couple of other four toed prints as well, smaller but of similar proportions.

 

However, a few miles away we have found traditional looking 5 toed tracks as well.

 

One of the prevailing theories is that the southern Bigfoot is has smaller habitats compared to its northwestern counterparts...with a smaller population and gene pool as a result.  That smaller gene pool has resulted in genetic defects such as a four toed foot, as well as the creatures having a smaller overall size than what is found out west. 

 

The prints and other signs that we have found seem to indicate the largest being slightly bigger than a larger than average man.  

 

At the end of the day, that theory is just a guess.

 

@gigantor That Dave Shealy guy in Florida has cast 4 toed prints before.  The 4 toed tracks seems to be fairly common throughout the South.  4 toed tracks have been found around Scape Oar swamp and have been attributed to both Sasquatch and the Lizard Man.

 

Edited October 15, 2020 by BlackRockBigfoot

[gigantor]

29 minutes ago, BlackRockBigfoot said:

That Dave Shealy guy in Florida has cast 4 toed prints before

 

I'm not questioning it, I really didn't know.

 

Could it be that the print didn't take one of the toes?

 

 

[BlackRockBigfoot]

38 minutes ago, gigantor said:

 

I'm not questioning it, I really didn't know.

 

Could it be that the print didn't take one of the toes?

 

 

Sorry, man. I didn't mean to act like you were questioning it.  Shealy is just the guy who is well known for 4 toed tracks.  He is like the 'skunk ape guy', so I figured that you had maybe heard of him.  

 

Aa far as the 4 toed prints that we found...  They didn't look like a 5 toed foot that was missing a toe. The 4 toes seemed naturally spaced across the width of the too of the foot.  No gaps or appearance of any missing toes. 

 

Not super long like most of the Bigfoot prints you see from out west, but broad.  My initial comment was that they looked like what I would expect real life Fred Flintstone feet to look like.  No arch, broad, with 4 fat toes. 

 

The best one that we found was in some deeper mud,so the toes seemed a bit more splayed out than I expect they normally are.  We attempted to cast it, but it was extremely wet and the cast didn't come out very well.   Jessi probably has some pics of that cast.

 

Like any other mysterious print... unless you saw what made it, it's all conjecture.  It could be completely mundane in it's origins. It could be a 'regular' Sasquatch missing a toe, although that wouldn't explain the different sizes that we found.  It could be from a subset that normally only has 4 toes for whatever reason. 

 

There seemed to be a pattern of them in that area.  We also found that one tree structure in the same area and heard wood knocks, howls, and what sounded like chest beating.  All of which line up with other reports of Bigfoot.

 

Of course, we also saw weird lights in the woods there as well, so anything is possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 15, 2020 by BlackRockBigfoot

[gigantor]

It's all good.

 

No idea what it could be that makes those prints. Anybody have any pics?

 

 

[BlackRockBigfoot]

11 minutes ago, gigantor said:

It's all good.

 

No idea what it could be that makes those prints. Anybody have any pics?

 

 

 

The ones that we found did not look like these.  The toes were broad like that, but were more normally proportioned.  Bigger than what I would expect based on the relative size of the foot, but not so cartoonish as these.

Apparently it's not just in the south, as these were found in the snow in Nebraska.

[BlackRockBigfoot]

@Spooky24

 

Have you had any experience with 4 toed prints?

[norseman]

3 hours ago, Spooky24 said:

As the title says, I'm curious about any ideas as to why Skunk apes only have 4 toes when no other primate does.

The closest thing I can find to this feature in any known primate is the Colobus monkey and it's 4 fingered hand, but the circumstances are obviously different.

inbreeding.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/face2faceafrica.com/article/vadoma-the-zimbabwean-ostrich-tribe-with-rare-two-toed-population/amp

[gigantor]

8 minutes ago, norseman said:

inbreeding.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/face2faceafrica.com/article/vadoma-the-zimbabwean-ostrich-tribe-with-rare-two-toed-population/amp

 

 

Wow!

[BlackRockBigfoot]

3 hours ago, norseman said:

inbreeding.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/face2faceafrica.com/article/vadoma-the-zimbabwean-ostrich-tribe-with-rare-two-toed-population/amp

That's a great article.

 

I always thought that the inbreeding theory was just a shot in the dark to explain the 4 toes, but it looks like it could be a repeatable trait due to lack of genetic diversity.  

 

Honestly, l didn't know what to think about the ones that we found.  This kind of makes sense.  

[NCBFr]

Hmm, if true that should be reproducible in humans in a couple of states whose names I will not mention.

[BlackRockBigfoot]

25 minutes ago, NCBFr said:

Hmm, if true that should be reproducible in humans in a couple of states whose names I will not mention.

As a lifelong Southerner I resemble that remark.

[norseman]

It’s not just the south..... trust me.

[NatFoot]

@BlackRockBigfoot before I finished reading your post with the pics, I was thinking...looks like a bad cartoon and then you mentioned the cartoon look as well.

 

Almost over exaggerated for a "wow" effect.