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State Cryptids: Skunk Ape
Welcome to Florida
Deep in the forests and swamps of Florida, you catch a stench so rotten it makes you gag. You hear something rustling through the trees and see something dark and hairy between the thick branches. Do you run or do you investigate? Is it a well-known animal, or is it Florida’s Bigfoot, the Skunk Ape? Welcome to Florida
Every state has a bigfoot. Accounts vary in appearance and temperament but the stories and sightings are similar. Florida is no exception. Florida has its very own bigfoot, but this one smells. Bad.
The Skunk ape has been a part of Florida’s folklore dating back to the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes with stories of giant hairy men living in the wild.
Witnesses say the Skunk Ape stands about seven feet tall, males are about 450 pounds, are covered in hair, and give off a noxious odor similar to rotten eggs or a skunk.
The Skunk Ape’s popularity soared in the 1960s and 1970s with reports of large hairy beasts roaming the Florida swamps and the discovery of footprints and hair samples. Unfortunately, scientists have not been able to verify any of the evidence as legit.
The most famous sightings of the Skunk Ape took place in 1974 and 1977. In 1974 Dave Shealy claims to have seen the cryptid when he was ten years old with his…
