Ever wonder if all those sightings attributed to Bigfoot really are of the shoe challenged cryptid? Reports of encounters with Bigfoot often focus on the mysterious figure’s ape-like qualities, almost universally noting a body covered in hair. Does that mean every hairy, ape-like cryptid running around should be classified as Bigfoot? No.
Case-in-point, a new report from a man in North Carolina describes the sighting of a creature resembling a Neanderthal. According to the witness, Bernard Tillman, he was walking his dog in the area of Kings Mountain last November when he encountered something strange.
The 66-year-old retiree was taking his dog along his usual route around 6 pm that evening. As they were closing in on a small creek on the downside of the road, he was studying some saplings growing where a cluster of trees had been cut down.
Abruptly, he saw a humanoid creature around ten feet tall walking on two legs. The creature’s back and chest were covered with heavy black hair. According to Tillman, the creature’s side profile looked exactly like a Neanderthal, including the lower jaw and brow ridge.
Tillman believed the creature was unaware of his presence even though he was in eye-sight for around 30 seconds before it walked away.
The Neanderthal is an early species of humans believed to have gone extinct some 40,000 years ago. Genetically, they matched modern humans by 99.5%. Some experts see them as a subspecies of modern man, with a larger brain and a larger body size.
Sightings of these type of creatures have been reported around the world, leading some to think they haven’t died out completely, perhaps surviving in small numbers in remote areas. Check out the short Youtube above.