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Holy Grail of American science!!

2K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  63Blazer 
#1 ·
I was watching a monsters TV show and one thing that was being chased/highly sought after was ANY native primate to North America. Primates are everywhere, yes, but with much searching and cataloging of different life forms, there is as of yet no native North American primates.

It's probably a sure thing there's no bigfoot, but that being said any primate of any size would be one of the great scientific finds. I heard one theory that since the everglades on Florida can be one of the most inaccessible areas in the world, countless sightings of a native primate abound.

Other than a pet monkey getting out in Florida, or the uncharted Northwest has anyone ever seen a native primate in North America? I think it's pretty much wives tales.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098818/

 
#5 ·
We're all primates. As for Bigfoot, there is no reliable evidence out there. It seems to be based on myth, mis-identification and hoax. There has been some recent evidence that the Yeti of Asia may be a species of bear which is yet to be classified, this is possible as apex predators/opportunists tend to exist in numbers that can be sustained by their environment (except man), so in a hostile environment such as the Himalayan range these animals could exist in very small numbers.

When considering Bigfoot, one also has to consider that the only primate to really colonise a temperate zone has been man. All primates originally come from Africa and have evolved to survive in more specialised environments.

Some have suggested that sightings of Bigfoot/Yeti may suggest that Gigantopithecus survived in small pockets. This animal existed in SE Asia and from fossil teeth found this primate was a vegetarian and probably a specialised one like the Panda. Humans are omnivores and as such have greater adaptability to new environments, a species with a specialiesd diet would have no hope of surviving in the more hostile climates of North America with the feast/famine seasonal changes.

The Florida area would make the most sense as a habitat for a large vegetarian primate as there is constant growth and primates prefer to live in sub/tropical zones. Do I believe there's a large great ape stomping around the everglades? No
 
#6 ·
Those are are great points ^^^ and probably the reason that it's extremely unlikely for a native primate in North America. Many things in science can be big discoveries but this would be of a Nobel Prize level.

Several commentators mentioned just how improbable this primate(s) is on our continent. With no bodily remains or scat samples, does this "smart" primate bury their dead in a way that the bloodhounds biologists employ can't find anything? Do these bigfoot (or smallfoot) primates dispose of their feces and urine in a way to make it totally undetectable? Are these smart animals so careful as to discard of all evidence of having been somewhere including all their hair which they are supposedly covered with? Why are there no hair samples in places where the animals were reportedly seen? Just those factors alone should make it pretty evident that there are no primates here other than pets or zoos. If they do discover any primate here I will eat my hat.

http://www.neprimateconservancy.org/uploads/1/5/3/8/15380094/6407567_orig.jpg?496
 
#7 ·
Yeah, I watched a show on tv a while back about "finding bigfoot"... a contest of sorts between teams of "researchers". Kind of funny hearing these self-proclaimed experts talk about them like they are real. Doing bigfoot calls, gathering "scat" samples from whatever animal left them, etc... and they call it "reality tv"... lol.
 
#9 ·
That's why if somebody actually does find verifiable evidence, or better yet a living specimen (however small or innocuous looking), it would be one of the biggest scientific finds in a very long time.

Sometimes the most unlikely things can happen, like the unfortunate transmissions of ebola within the United States, or the fortunate or unfortunate (you choose) possibility of a hobbled SF Giants getting to a World Series without Pagan, Lincecum, and Cain.
 
#10 ·
I used to believe in UFO's, or at least believe more in the possibility they existed... before the widespread use of cell phones with cameras. You'd think with a camera readily available in everyone's hand that the irrefutable evidence would show up. So far - nothing!
The same is true for the Skunk Ape I think - and Sasquatch or the Yeti or any of his other kinfolk.
And I don't think a large ape would do well in the Everglades. Tons of gators, no really large trees, and little solid footing. It would sink like a stone in the deep weeds, get tangled up in the vegetation, and die.
 
#11 ·
For the everglades I am thinking a very small and nimble tree monkey and while not as fascinating, just as important if it's discovered. There was a little bit of hope when some such monkeys were found but were determined to be escaped pets that later made their home in the everglades. They were crosschecked against known pet monkeys that got loose so if they survive and eventually thrive, it would have only been due to man accidentally introducing them to the region.

What would be amazing is nature putting them there before any human set foot in North America. There's just way too much, also with comment you make about cellphones, that points against any native primate in Florida or anywhere else in North America.

Over in San Francisco, against all odds, some green parrots got out in the city and have thrived which is just too weird. I remember telling my wife about them and we just happened on a tree on Telegraph Hill where several of them were wildly devouring all the berries on a small tree. The closer we got the more they ignored us and it was one of those amazing sights you see and remember for your whole life. No they aren't native and yes the police protect them in the city, but it's still amazing that they found a way to survive in such a hostile environment. There was a similar outbreak of escaped parrots in Pacific Grove, CA in the south bay area, but they don't make themselves as visible and only singles are seen from time to time. When everything we know says an animal shouldn't be in a place, sometimes those animals can defy our logic. But I am still not holding out for a native primate and the only primates we have here are very old fossil remains when weather conditions were very different and far more hospitable for them.
 
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