Florida is not exactly the place you think of when you think Sasquatch, but according to the BFRO Florida has 334 reported sightings, placing it after Washington and California as the state with the most amount of sightings. In fact, sightings of Skunk Apes go back hundreds of years. It is believed that the Native American term Shawaanoki was used to refer to these creatures, although there is some debate on that. Later, as more settlers came in they reported ape like animals and encounters with “wild men” in the swamps.

The term Skunk Ape refers to the overwhelming stench of the Sasquatch creatures particularly in the Everglades. Researcher Loren Coleman dates the name back to 1971, though some claim the word was used long before that. One thing that differentiates the Skunk Ape from its other North American brothers is the placement of the hallux (big toe). Instead of being in line with the other toes, much like a humans or other Sasquatch, the Skunk Ape has a hallux going off to the side, much like a Chimpanzee or Gorilla.

Dave Shealy (more on him in a second) has two tracks that show this hallux formation.

As you can see, there are three toes with one toe going off at an odd angle, leading many, including Shealy to believe this is an opposable hallux, like the other Great Apes have. Shealy is also of the belief that they live in the trees most of the time, which may account for the difference of foot structure.

Shealy runs the Skunk Ape HQ and the Trail Lakes Campground

Dave Shealy traces his family roots in the Everglades back to 1891. He grew up near the Big Cypress Natural Preserve his entire life and still currently resides there. Growing up he heard stories of Skunk Apes, his own father claiming to have come across tracks while out in the swamps.

Shealy’s first encounter with a Skunk Ape was in 1973, when he was only 10 years old. His older brother had to pick him up so he could see the humanoid figure running through the tall grass. However, that wasn’t the moment that spurred him into becoming a researcher. Shealy’s interest after this sighting was idle until the events of 1997.

On July 21, 1997, Ochopee Fire District Chief Vince Doerr spotted a hairy creature cross the road in front of his truck, in the Big Cypress Natural Preserve, while on the way to work. As he pulled up closer to it, he stopped the truck and grabbed his camera and snapped a photo of it. It was about 400 feet away from him when he snapped the photo.

Doerr’s photograph, with the figure circled.

Doerr tossed his camera back into the passenger seat and drove to work thinking nothing of it, even making light of it with his coworkers, until he was contacted by a reporter from the Everglades Echo who claimed to have two sightings from the same day. The first sighting occurred a few minutes prior to Doerr’s from a woman named Jan Brock, a neighbor of the Fire Chief.

Brock claimed to have seen a creature around seven feet in height and covered in brown hair.

Two hours after Doerr’s own sighting, a group of about twenty tourists in a van driven by John Vickers witnessed a creature of similar description walking across the road. Later that day, the creature emerged from behind some bushes near some of the tourists frightening two women and a little girl.

When word of these sightings spread, Shealy heard about them and decided to dedicate his time to tracking the Skunk Ape. He built tree stands in various parts of his 30 acre property and created baiting areas with lima beans.

A short documentary on Shealy

Shealy’s plan worked and on September 8, 1998 he saw a Skunk Ape for the second time. He was dozing off in one of his tree stands when he heard splashing below him. As it walked through the swamp, Shealy snapped a photo of it.

Shealy had yet another run in with a Skunk Ape in July 2000, when he filmed it for upwards of 2 minutes in the swamp. Shealy claims the water levels were over a foot tall when he filmed the video and that he estimates the speed of the running creature to be 22 miles per hour, which would make it impossible for a human being. However, there is no way to prove Shealy’s claims as none of this is visible in the video itself. Watch for yourself below.

Shealy has claimed to come face to face with a Skunk Ape once more in 2011, but he did not manage to photograph it that time.

Shealy’s photos and evidence have been a point of controversy in the community, with some saying he’s hoaxed his evidence and others taking his side. Either way, the truth of the Skunk Ape is that no evidence is yet considered definitive and with the ever changing nature of the swamp it may just be a while before any hard evidence will be found.

If you’ve enjoyed this post check out our episode on the Skunk Ape here!