Researchers claim to have found genetic evidence indicating the Yeti is a sub-species of the Himalayan brown bear

Dec 22, 2014 09:13 GMT  ·  By

In a recent paper, researcher Ross Barnett with the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and specialist Ceiridwen Edwards from the University of Oxford in the UK argue that, contrary to what some assume, there really isn't anything abominable about the Yeti.

Thus, these scientists say that, having taken the time to analyze several hair samples believed to originate from this mysterious creature, they found evidence that the Yeti, otherwise known as Bigfoot or the Abominable Snowman, is actually a sub-species of the Himalayan bear.

Revealing the Yeti's identity

Mind you, this report authored by Ross Barnett and Ceiridwen Edwards is not the first to try and explain what the Yeti is and where it came from. On the contrary, plenty of other researchers have until now tried to reveal the creature's true identity.

For instance, it was in October 2013 that specialist Bryan Sykes with the University of Oxford announced to the world that, following an analysis of several hair samples, he and his colleagues managed to identify the Abominable Snowman as a cross between a polar bear and a brown one.

Fast forward a few months, and in July 2014, the same Bryan Sykes went back on his claim and said that, in the aftermath of a more in-depth analysis of genetic material presumed to originate from the Yeti, he found the elusive animal to be a descendant of an ancient polar bear.

More precisely, the researcher and his colleagues announced that, of the hair samples they analyzed as part of their investigation, a couple were found to be strikingly similar the genetic profile of a polar bear species believed to have gone extinct some 40,000 years ago.

“Two Himalayan samples, one from Ladakh, India, the other from Bhutan, had their closest genetic affinity with a Palaeolithic polar bear, Ursus maritimus,” University of Oxford specialist Bryan Sykes and fellow researchers said in a statement at that time.

Another theory this way comes

The hair samples studied by Ross Barnett and Ceiridwen Edwards are the same ones that scientist Bryan Sykes and colleagues analyzed. Still, rather than labeling the Yeti a cross between a polar bear and a brown one, or a descendant of an ancient polar bear, these researchers have a brand new theory concerning its identity.

Long story short, they say that, according to evidence at hand, the most likely explanation is that the Abominable Snowman is no more and no less than a sub-species of the Himalayan bear, which in turn is a subspecies of the brown bear. If they are right, this means that there really isn't anything mysterious or scary about the Yeti.

“We should like to propose an alternative origin for the hair samples,” the scientists explained, as cited by DM. Furthermore, “The Himalayan bear is a sub-species of the brown bear that lives in the higher reaches of the Himalayas, in remote, mountainous areas of Pakistan, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and India. Its populations are small and isolated, and it is extremely rare in many parts of its range.”

Then again, scientific evidence aside, it's safe to assume that it will be a while until the world gives up on claims that the Yeti is some mysterious creature unlike any of the others ever to populate Earth.