Yeti or Abominable Snowman

The Yeti or Abominable Snowman are mysterious ape-like creatures about 6 to 7 feet tall. They speak by grunts, cries or whistles. They have a stale smell. Their have fur-covered pointed heads, a slanting forehead and deep-set eyes which glow dark red. His chin is huge and broad. His elongated arms hang below his knees. His dark brown hair hangs long and free over his shoulders and his body is covered with short hair. It runs on all fours and walks upright with his legs wide apart and feet turned outside.

They are reported to reside in the Himalayan Mountains. Sightings have been reported in Nepal and in parts of China, Nepal and Tibet.

The first sighting was reported in 1889, when a British army major found what he took to be a large footprint. These reports and others after that, though, were disregarded in Europe and America. But in 1921, the leader of a British expedition, Lt. Col. Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury of the British army, discussed his team's findings about the Yeti. They had seen some dark figures moving about in a snowfield above them. When they reached the snowfield, the creatures had vanished but had apparently left behind some footprints. He noted that the Sherpa guides called the creature metoh-kangmi. Although, the name was Nepalese, in the course of broadcasting it to the world, the word was wrongly thought to be Tibetan and was translated to "Abominable Snowman". Before long, the Abominable Snowman became an worldwide sensation.

Over the years, there have been many sightings. The so-called physical evidence - footprints, body parts, and indistinct photographs - nonetheless remains indistinct. No convincing evidence evidence has been found. Footprints found could have been enlarged by the melting snow. Sightings often take place in isolated areas and from a large distance, the chances of false identification is immense. Sightings could also have come about because of the interest in the wild and the impression that a few areas of wilderness remain in a world dominated by civilisation.

One of the most popular explanations of the yeti is that it descended from the giant ape Gigantopithecus. Its fossiled remains have been found in India and China. Examinations of the fossils show that they lived between 500,000 to 12 million years ago. During that time, Himalayas were rising as much as 8,000 t 10,000 feet (2500 to 3000 metres), which could have isolated the yeti's ancestor.