The legend of the “Snowman,” also known as the Yeti or Abominable Snowman, has intrigued people for centuries. While there have been witness reports and various evidence suggesting the existence of such a creature, the true nature of the Snowman remains uncertain.
Over the years, witness records and evidence have emerged, adding to the mystery. British naturalist Hodgson, in 1832, claimed that his Nepalese guide had seen a tall bipedal creature with long hair in the Himalayas. Other explorers and mountaineers, such as Wardell in 1899 and Howard Berry in 1921, reported encountering footprints and hearing local accounts of the Snowman.
Some evidence, like the snowman footprints taken by Eric Shipton in 1951, have been considered genuine by experts. In 2002, zoologist Robo Mccarl obtained fur samples that were analyzed at Oxford University. The DNA analysis concluded that the hair did not belong to any identified animal species or humans. Further DNA analysis in 2010 showed consistency with the samples from 2002, suggesting they came from the same organism.
There are two plausible speculations regarding the Snowman’s identity. One speculation suggests that it could be a type of bear, specifically a descendant of an ancient prehistoric polar bear. Geneticist Bryan Sykes compared the DNA samples to polar bear bones found in the Norwegian Arctic Circle and found shared genetic fingerprints. This theory suggests the Snowman could be a new species or a hybrid between polar and brown bears.
The second speculation proposes that the Snowman is an unknown prehistoric human rather than a bear. Scientists from the Washington Smith Institute and the University of Kansas at Lawrence analyzed the DNA samples from Professor Sykes and suggested that the DNA might belong to an unknown primate.
Despite these speculations and evidence, the true identity of the Snowman remains elusive. It is a mysterious creature that seems to be both distant in time and space, leaving much room for speculation and further exploration.