THE BOOK

NORTH AMERICA'S GREAT APE:
the SASQUATCH
By Dr. John Bindernagel
A wildlife biologist looks at the continent's most
misunderstood large mammal
In 1998 I published North America's Great Ape: the Sasquatch to summarize the evidence on which my sasquatch research was based. It had become clear to me that most people did not realize just how much information we already had regarding the anatomy, behavior and ecology of this controversial wildlife species. In the introductory chapters of the book I briefly addressed some of the problems of belief and knowledge regarding the idea of the sasquatch as a real animal. I felt such a discussion was necessary for us to understand the widespread resistance--approaching denial-- to accepting the sasquatch as real. I continued on to challenge two commonly held ideas that sasquatch sightings can be accounted for by (1) hoaxes, or (2) misidentified bears. My main goal in the book was to provide readers with a more complete picture of sasquatch appearance, anatomy, food habits, and ecology based on existing, but not readily available, reports. Most of the book is devoted to bringing us up to date on what is "known," or at least reported, for the sasquatch regarding its appearance, anatomical details, gait, sign, food habits, and behavior. The last few chapters develop the hypothesis, first suggested by the appearance and anatomy reported for the animal, that the sasquatch is a great ape, similar in many ways to the great apes of Africa (chimpanzees and gorillas) and Asia (orangutans). The most significant differences from these better-known great apes are, of course, (1) the habitual bipedal (two-footed) gait of the sasquatch, compared with the normal quadrupedal (four-footed) gait of other apes, and, (2) the humanlike foot of the sasquatch in which all five toes are aligned alongside each other rather than having an opposable big-toe as in the more arboreal African and Asian apes.
It should be acknowledged that author John Green has been referring to the sasquatch as an ape since the 1960s, based on the many descriptions of the sasquatch appearance as "gorillalike", and "apelike." (See his book: The Apes Among Us). And Grover Krantz (in his book Big Footprints) discusses details of ape anatomy which help us understand several details of reported sasquatch anatomy. In my own case it was the writing of these two men and the presentatons of Dr. Henner Fahrenbach, Beaverton, Oregon, and Dr. Jeff Meldrum, Idaho State University, at the 1996 Sasquatch Forum held in Harrison Hot Springs, B. C., that provided the impetus for me to publish the results of my research in an easily-readable format. While writing the book, additional study led me into what I consider the most interesting aspect of sasquatch biology--its behavior, and especially its intimidation behavior in reponse to human presence.
For years some reports of truly bizarre behavior were attributed to sasquatches. Whereas the normal response of a sasquatch to human presence is withdrawal, there are numerous reports of throwing stones, and even more aggressive behavior in the form of shaking vehicles, slapping and shoving dwellings, throwing large rocks and chunks of wood, and chasing people. Loud, resonant calls (including "unearthly" screams), and overwhelming (even "eye-watering") odor have also been reported.
To find other examples of this behavior in the animal world, we must go to the primates: monkeys, apes, and humans. In the writing of Jane Goodall and her co-workers and colleagues (The Chimpanzees of Gombe) we find numerous examples of chimpanzees throwing rocks both large and small. From Dian Fossey (Gorillas in the Mist) we learn that gorillas occasionally produce a "gagging" odor. From John MacKinnon (In Search of the Red Ape) and Birute Galdikas (Reflections of Eden) we learn of orangutans dropping branches on people and pushing snags toward them. And from George Schaller (The Mountain Gorilla) we learn about primate displays in which both apes and humans release tension by throwing things, beating on things, stamping their feet, etc. Essentially all the remarkable behavior we have heard in sasquatch reports is present in the better-studied great apes of Africa and Asia. But whereas we accept the reports of well-known primatologists concerning animals in exotic places, we have been much more reluctant to accept reports of an apelike animal which behaves in a similar way, but much closer to home. Readers with an open mind may wish to accompany me as I review the highlights of some 150 sasquatch reports and compare them with similar reports from Africa and Asia. They may conclude, as I have, that the sasquatch is indeed North America's great ape.
NORTH AMERICA'S GREAT APE: the SASQUATCH
A wildlife biologist looks at the continent's most misunderstood large mammal
Published by Beachcomber Books and available from the publisher. Orders may be placed by mail, e-mail, or by phone through a toll-free order line. The price is US$ 25.00 postpaid. Payment can be made by money order, VISA, or through PayPal (click on button below).
ISBN 0-9682887-0-7
270 pages including 9 appendixes, 5 tables, 560 supporting endnotes, and a glossary.
24 pages of illustrations including 27 photographs and 10 drawings.
5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches, perfect bound.
Beachcomber Books
PO Box 3286
Courtenay, BC
Canada, V9N 5N4
beachcom@island.net
(250) 338-8767 Toll Free Order Number: 1-800-487-1494

Praise for the Book
"In the past thirty years numerous books have been published about reported observations of giant, hairy bipeds in the forests of North America, but none by a scientist qualified to assess whether what the witnesses described added up to a believable animal. John Bindernagel, with a Ph.D. in wildlife biology and extensive field experience in more than one part of the world, has now supplied that need. North America's Great Ape: the Sasquatch could prove to be the most important book yet written on this fascinating subject."
John Green, author, The Sasquatch File, On the Track of the Sasquatch, Year of the Sasquatch, and Sasquatch: the Apes Among us
[The book is] "a fine summary of available information, neatly arranged with a lot of insight and sensible deductions."
Dr. George Schaller, author, Year of the Gorilla The Mountain Gorilla: ecology and behavior
"The book lays out the evidence in just the way a scientifically minded reader would want to see it. It uses relevant data for comparisons with the Great Apes in a wholly accurate way. The result is that the readers are challenged by the many points of similarity between sasquatch anatomy and behaviour [and that of the Great Apes]."
Dr. Vernon Reynolds, Institute of Biological Anthropology, Oxford University, author, The Apes: the gorilla, chimpanzee, orangutan and gibbon
"North America's Great Ape: the Sasquatch is complete, thorough and interesting. The insights from a wildlife biologist's point of view are superb. I recommend this book for anyone interested in thinking about the fact that all of the mysteries of Nature have not been solved....Taking the 'logical approach' of a wildlife biologist, Bindernagel sees his book as groundbreaking. I would have to agree....I am struck by Bindernagel's down-to-earth and welcome insights."
Loren Coleman, author, Mysterious America, co-author Creatures of the Outer Edge, in the Maine Sunday Telegram
"Now comes North America's Great Ape: the Sasquatch, by Dr. John A. Bindernagel, a registered professional biologist in British Columbia, holder of a hard-earned University of Wisconsin Ph.D., and, most importantly in my opinion, a man with over 3 decades of actual field experience.... It's a trade paper back of some 270 well-written and effectively illustrated pages and well worth the price...
George Early, book reviewer and member of the Western Bigfoot Society, in The Gate