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Description
Though it’s been nicknamed “Florida’s Bigfoot”, the Skunk Ape is generally reported as being shorter (approximately 5 feet tall), walking both upright and on all fours, and leaving at least some tracks with divergent big toes like great apes. The name comes from its signature odor, a pungent stench similar to rotten eggs.

While similar southern creatures have risen to regional fame - such as the Honey Island Swamp Monster, Lake Worth Monster, and most famously, the Fouke Monster made famous by The Legend of Boggy Creek - the Skunk Ape is easily the most well-known. It has been suggested that these apelike animals represent a unique species called (very creatively) North American Apes, distinct from northern Bigfoot reports. However, none of these creatures were commonly reported until the Bigfoot craze of the 1970s, especially after the release of The Legend of Boggy Creek. It was also popular at the time to keep great apes as pets, some of which may have escaped from - or been released by - their owners. It seems like the Skunk Ape and it’s kin are most likely the combined result of mistaken identity and hoaxes inspired by popular culture, with the potential occasional appearances of former pets.

Description
Though it’s been nicknamed “Florida’s Bigfoot”, the Skunk Ape is generally reported as being shorter (approximately 5 feet tall), walking both upright and on all fours, and leaving at least some tracks with divergent big toes like great apes. The name comes from its signature odor, a pungent stench similar to rotten eggs.

While similar southern creatures have risen to regional fame - such as the Honey Island Swamp Monster, Lake Worth Monster, and most famously, the Fouke Monster made famous by The Legend of Boggy Creek - the Skunk Ape is easily the most well-known. It has been suggested that these apelike animals represent a unique species called (very creatively) North American Apes, distinct from northern Bigfoot reports. However, none of these creatures were commonly reported until the Bigfoot craze of the 1970s, especially after the release of The Legend of Boggy Creek. It was also popular at the time to keep great apes as pets, some of which may have escaped from - or been released by - their owners. It seems like the Skunk Ape and it’s kin are most likely the combined result of mistaken identity and hoaxes inspired by popular culture, with the potential occasional appearances of former pets.