The Yeti is not an Abominable Snowman

I used to be one to believe that the Yeti was a giant human-like creature just like Bigfoot. Lots of other people think that when they think "yeti", too. But, the truth is, the yeti is anything but an "Abominable Snowman."

To start things, lets find out where the term "Abominable Snowman" came from, for those who may not know.

Charles Howard-Bury

In 1921, Lieutenanat Colonel Charles Howard-Bury led the 1921 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition. While on the expedition, he found footprints he thought were caused by a "large, 'loping' grew wolf" that had caused double-tracks (an animal sometimes steps its back foot in its front footprint, making it look like one footprint. Skeptics will say bears do this and make "bigfoot" tracks. I think Bigfoot makes Bigfoot tracks.) Hoawrd-Bury thought this was how the wolf made tracks that looked "rather like those of a bare-footed man." His Sherpa guides immediately said the tracks were made by the "wild man of the snows," or "metoh-kangmi." (Metoh: "man-bear", kangmi: "snowman.")

In 1938, Bill Tilman wrote a book and described Howard-Bury's footprints, but called the thing "metch-kangmi." "Metch" is not a word in the Tibetan language. Thus, through a mis-translation, the term "Abominable Snowman" was created.

Because of this name, most people think of something like a bigfoot(and usually white) when they think "Yeti" or they think of a literal snowman. Well, the Yeti definetly isn't a "snowman," and it most likely isn't a Bigfoot of the Himalayas, either.

Wait, what?!

Yes, that is coming from me. The Yeti is not an "Abominable Snowman." It is not a Bigfoot. I'm 99% sure it isn't any sort of "ape-man," either.

Bryan Sykes

In 2013/14, Bryan Sykes did DNA research on Bigfoot/Yeti, etc. His DNA from the "Yeti" came back as bear DNA. In 2013, Sykes and his team said it appeared that the Yeti DNA was that of a Pleistocene polar bear. In 2014, however, it was revealed that the team made an error on the DNA study, and that it came from a modern brown bear.

The Yeti?

Well, there you go. That's it.

Well, actually, I have a little more.

Reindold Messner

Earlier this month I read Reinhold Messner's book My Quest for the Yeti. In 1986, Messner was in the Himalayas and spotted what he thought was a Yeti. He then spent years trying to find out what the Yeti really was. Lots of Tibetans called the Yeti "chemo," and it turned out that the "chemo" was a bear. Messner ended up seeing several chemos, and became convinced that they were the Yetis.

Very good book

I used to be one to think that the Yeti couldn't be anything but a Bigfoot of the Himalayas. Now, though, as I stated earlier, I'm 99% sure that the yeti is a bear, of some sort, at least.