Skunkape Photo ? Taken By Fire Chief

I searched ATS and could not find where this had been shown before. I know its not very clear. But after taking to photo shop it does not appear to be a person. I found the original at Skunkape.info . I was wandering does anyone here have any more info on this picture. The site says it was taken by Fire Chief Vince Dorre. The Dave Shealy on the site seems very credable.

Dave Shealy has spent nearly his whole life looking for a creature, believed by many, to be only a figment of his imagination. You know him from his appearances on national television (Unsolved Mysteries, the Daily Show, the Pulse, Inside Edition), and you have read about his adventures in the Enquirer, The Sun, Miami New Times, and the Readers Digest. As the unofficial mayor of Ochopee, Dave spends most of his time in the Big Cypress Swamp searching for the Skunk ape

Here I found some of his research results.

Skunk Ape is a large hairy, bipedal mammal that calls the Everglades home. They have been spotted as far north as Tallahassee, Florida. Large adult males weigh in excess of 450 lbs and stand 6 – 7 feet tall. Most confirmed Skunk Ape sightings report an individual animal however, increasing sightings reported claim to have seen several Skunk Apes traveling together. These groups also known as troops are becoming more common. Their favorite meal consists of wading bird fledgelings; helpless little birds plucked from their nest. Wild pig, deer and alligator make up a large part of their diet, however it has been found by close examination of their droppings ,the Skunk Ape is an omnivore. Omnivores eat meat and vegetation. The Everglades is a Smorgasbord of edible vegetable matter. Although there have been numerous incidences of hunting camps being destroyed and several shots have been fired by people claiming “self defense”, there is no factual evidence of a Skunk Ape attacking anyone. If you are attacked, defend yourself by any means possible.

Thought I would share this with all to see what you think.

What's the difference between a Skunkape and a Bigfoot? Or is the Skunkape just another version of Bigfoot that lives in a different area of the world, like the bominable snowman?

It's just the everglades version Ras. LOL

I think this is a cool pic by the way, and thank you for sharing Harry!

I noticed that all photos of big foot are from a large distance so as not to be able to verify validity of such a creature.

Waiting for a close up.

Like xtap says, it is really impossible to tell. All that I can say is that it seems to have more human-like proportions than ape-like. The arms are rather thin and non-muscular, and the chest and shoulders are not as muscular as I would expect, either. It's back is completely straight, even more straight than a lot of humans I know walk. Not saying it is a fake, but it leans in that direction.

Overall, it's just inconclusive anyway.

Did anyone ever wonder if these hairy beasts that appear from time to time are really werewolves?

They don't seem to have the muzzles, ears, or tails that any classic werewolf would have. And they seem to appear during the day; most werewolf legends (aside from a scattered few modern ones) state that the werewolf is present during the night of a full moon.

Originally posted by Rasputin13
What's the difference between a Skunkape and a Bigfoot? Or is the Skunkape just another version of Bigfoot that lives in a different area of the world, like the bominable snowman?

I think they are just the same thing but found in different area Bigfoot or Sasquatch found in the northwest and Canada. Skunk ape found in the south in places like Florida mainly in swamp areas I think. With a smell, which has been described as a combination of skunk, rotten eggs, and soiled manure.

Bigfoot has also been reported to have a unpleasent smell not sure about the Yeti though I cant remember any reports of bad smells with them.

Its not like people aren't trying, I'm sure if anyone could have captured or killed a bigfoot, they would have. Just a bit elusive of a creature is all.

Personally, I think that this photo shows a human in a costume. There are a few reasons why I believe this, but the most obvious are the creature's proportions and stance. Yarcofin is, I think, right in his appraisal that the figure is more human-like than ape-like in its proportions.

A distinguishing feature of apes is the exaggerated length of their arms in comparison to humans. This trait is advantageous for gorillas, chimpanzees, orang-utans and monkeys because it enables them to effectively utilise all four limbs for movement. For example, gorillas walk using their hind legs as well as their knuckles. Chimpanzees use their long forearms to grasp and swing through branches, as well as to assist in walking. Humans, however, being fully bipedal animals, do not require over-long arms to assist us in motion. This is why we have relatively short arms when compared to other primates. Typically, a human's arms fall to about the mid-thigh range. Try it for yourself, stand up straight and see where your arms end. Unless you are somewhat ... odd ... your arms will come to rest about half-way down your thighs. And such is the case with the figure in this photo. Even though its arms are slightly bent, you can clearly gauge that, when straightened, they would fall to approximately the mid-thigh range. Certainly they would not reach the ground, as one would expect for some type of lesser primate.

As Yarcofin pointed out, the figure's arms are thinner and less muscular than would be expected from any primate less developed than a human. The fact that this creature has arms which are out of proportion of any known primate and are more in proportion with those of a human suggests that it employs solely bipedal locomotion. Whilst this certainly seems to suggest a human, it is also true that a defining characteristic of Bigfoot and his many variants combine human and ape-like features. However, reports of Bigfoot, Yeti, Alma, Sasquatch, Yowie, etc tend to feature creatures with powerful musculatures. Take the Patterson footage, for example:



If it is real, then it clearly shows a heavily-muscled creature. If it is not, then it does a good job of demonstrating that such creatures are believed to be heavily muscular. The figure in the photo, however, appears to be quite slim, again as Yarcofin pointed out. It lacks the solidness that has been an identifying feature of Bigfoot et al and is far more similar to the slight musculature of a human than of any known ape. These reasons, the proportions of the figures arms and its relatively undeveloped musculature, strongly suggest that this figure depicts a human and not an unknown species of ape.

The final aspect of this image which suggests a human is the figure's posture. Due to the fact that they employ their front limbs for locomotion, apes invariably lean forward when in motion or at rest. The following image of a gorilla clearly demonstrates this:



Even chimpanzees, who are similar to us in so many ways and are known to stand on their hind legs for prolonged periods of time, would not lean backwards the way the figure in the photo is doing. The reason for this is that, apart from humans who are bipedal, primate hips are designed for quadrupedal locomotion:



Given the way the figure in the photo is standing, it is impossible for it to represent any type of known ape, or even anything that comes close. Its stance strongly suggests that it is a human, since humans are the only primates who utilise bipedal locomotion exclusively. But again, perhaps the Skunk Ape is some blend of human and ape characteristics. It is true that accounts of Bigfoot often feature an upright, bipedal animal. But again, these creatures are inevitably powerfully-built animals, very unlike the slim figure seen in the photo. In addition, previous reports of the Skunk Ape have depicted it as leaning forward in a more traditional ape-like fashion. Take the following photo of Myakka, for example:



Or the following photo of a reputed Skunk Ape taken by Dave Shealy himself, which shows a forward-leaning animal with what appears to be a small tail that most likely represents an escaped baboon or orang-utan or simply a person in a costume:



The fact that the figure in the original photo is leaning backwards suggests that its skeletal structure is more similar to that of a human than any other type of primate. This also runs counter to prior reports of the Florida Skunk Ape, which often suggest a more traditional ape-like creature. The figure's proportions are far closer to that of a human than an ape and are also not in line with reports of a heavily-muscled Bigfoot et al. Finally, the figure's arms are too short to be those of any known ape and closely coincide with the length of human arms. All of these factors, when taken together, strongly lead me to believe that this is a human dressed in a costume, posing for the photograph.

[edit on 10/10/05 by Jeremiah25]

Originally posted by xtap59
I noticed that all photos of big foot are from a large distance so as not to be able to verify validity of such a creature.

Waiting for a close up.

I was going to post the close-up, but the brilliant Jeremiah ( ) did so already...
Here's Loren Coleman's take on the (Myakka) Pics

So, you'll agree, Xtap59, that a close-up - and a clear one at that - is by no means definite proof.

Hey folks.. nice to see the skunkape has found it's way to ATS. i live just about an hour from the swamp where the skunkape is said to live.. and a friend of mine.. Rubee Jawbotic, he is an indy rapper. has done a documentary on the subject of ol' skunkbutt here.. cant remember the name of the doc off hand, but it has past the post-pro/distribution point and is available.. i will look for the name when i get home from work tonight, but you should be able to find info on it at his bands site

audiocomposersleague.com...

Hey guess what.. just popped into the site.. and the info is right there
10.15.2005

Rubee Jawbotic comes back from the swamp with a full length documentary on the Everglades most elusive creature. "The Ochoppee Skunk Ape" is coming!!!April 05, soundtrack by Rubee Jawbotic


That having been said.. has anyone thought that maybe this critter is a slightly more evolved sub-human primate? alittle farther along then other similar creatures.. and it is florida mind you.. it could very well be a member of a family of inbred humans with a wild genetic hair growth problem

anyways, thats my two cents.. hope you all the enjoy rubee's doc, i know Rub to be two things.. an artist, and a beliver in the skunk ape.. so regardless of the truth, the doc is worth seeing

Originally posted by ShadowXIX
I think they are just the same thing but found in different area Bigfoot or Sasquatch found in the northwest and Canada. Skunk ape found in the south in places like Florida mainly in swamp areas I think.

Don't forget the Alabama Booger Monster!!!!

Always been my personal favorite.

[edit on 10/16/05 by redmage]

Hi here is an interesting bit on a close encounter by someone of Bigfoot

www.coasttocoastam.com...





[edit on 1-11-2005 by niato007]

That's an excellent drawing of bigfoot (previous post). Notice it has red eyes just like the UK sightings. And notice the arms just about the same as ours.

Jeremiah, you can't dismiss an unknown species simply by saying you think it should have longer arms (well you can if you want, I just disgaree). The whole point about bipeds is that they don't need long arms.

The problem with them being of similar proportion to humans is that no-one will believe any picture or video unless it shows undoubtedly their huge size, by for example walking along and then reaching up to grab a branch in a tree. The branch could then be measured and shown to be maybe 12 feet above ground.

Personally I believe they have the ability to be invisible or teleport themselves.

[edit on 3-11-2005 by Wig]

Originally posted by Wig
Jeremiah, you can't dismiss an unknown species simply by saying you think it should have longer arms (well you can if you want, I just disgaree). The whole point about bipeds is that they don't need long arms.

Oh, of course. Obviously an unknown species such as the Skunk Ape, Bigfoot, et al defies conventional analysis of its physical characteristics because ... well ... it's unknown. In pointing out that its arms were in proportion to human arms, I was merely indicating that the creature was not an ape in the traditional sense, since apes possess relatively long arms. Whatever the creature is, it is clearly a bipedal creature. However, I feel that the slim proportions of the creature in the photo suggest a human rather than an image of Bigfoot or the Skunk Ape as they are traditionally described.

The problem with them being of similar proportion to humans is that no-one will believe any picture or video unless it shows undoubtedly their huge size, by for example walking along and then reaching up to grab a branch in a tree. The branch could then be measured and shown to be maybe 12 feet above ground.

The reason for this is simply that Bigfoot et al is typically described as being significantly larger than a human, both in terms of height and build. Therefore, when I see an image of a creature whose build is more akin to that of a human than a lesser primate, I tend to dismiss the Bigfoot possibility, given that it runs counter to the majority of reported sightings of that creature.

Personally I believe they have the ability to be invisible or teleport themselves.

Why do you believe this? The reason I ask is that no known creature on Earth has the ability to turn invisible or teleport. Do you believe this creature to be spiritual or extra-dimensional in nature? If so, why do you believe this?

Originally posted by Jeremiah25However, I feel that the slim proportions of the creature in the photo suggest a human

Suggests it yes (because all we have to compare with it is ourselves) and I agree we need more proof than this long distance photo.

Why do you believe this? The reason I ask is that no known creature on Earth has the ability to turn invisible or teleport. Do you believe this creature to be spiritual or extra-dimensional in nature? If so, why do you believe this?

I believe this is the case because of the elusive nature of these beings. And the reports I have read about bigfoots in the UK (see my post in "bigfoot in UK" thread). And I believe they may not be limited to planet Earth, and may have the ability to travel through space, they may just be regular visitors to our planet. Someone suggested they may be thought manifestations, which explains why they can dissappear into thin air and this of course might be the case.

Also, there are reports of Shakyamuni Buddha and people related to Buddhism (Tibetan Lamas) who do have the ability to be 2 (or many) places at once, and to have the ability to travel distances by this method, all unproven of course. And even if they can do it they wouldn't do it "on camera" or deleiberately in-order to prove they could. So the only way to find out ultimately is to devote ones life to becoming enlightened.

I thought Bigfoot was the "missing link" between ape and man. Therefore, surely Bigfoot/skunkape etc. would walk upright, as humans do?