Marked Hominids & More
Something I’ve realized over the past couple months (the exact moment of realization occurred during that camping trip in April) was that my approach for work on the website, these posts, and beyond has changed. The change, until that moment, was imperceptible to me. In short I had begun to think of all of this as something that I’m obligated to do. I’d started thinking of blog posts, videos, and investigative reports in the same way that I think of the responsibilities that I take on at work. I had forgotten that I was doing this because I want to explore the paranormal and share my thoughts on it. It became more about making deadlines than discussing what all there is to be encountered in the world. I hope that, during that era of the site, there was no discernible drop in quality. At the least, I hope it was still enjoyable.
Anyways, today I’m here to talk about something that I’ve always found interesting. This particular topic plays into the beginnings of my own fortean research so it’s something I know a lot about and am comfortable discussing at length.
AKA, buckle up.
Throughout my years of solo, internet-based research, I visited countless sites. I can’t remember the names of most of them (I’m sure shadowlands was among them, though; if you were looking for ghost stories back then, I know you know that name). There were three sites, more than any others, that I spent most of my time on: paranormal.about.com, Alabama Bigfoot, and Cryptomundo. If the names alone don’t bring back any memories for you, check out these archived snapshots (they can be clicked for closer examination):
If you wanna check the sites out for yourself (as they existed then, that is — cryptomundo is the only one still active), I’ve got some somewhat explorable links for you below!
Alabama Bigfoot (1) (2)
Your True Tales (my favorite section of About)
Cryptomundo (and here is Cryptomundo as it appears now)
I often list Alabama Bigfoot as the most influential of those (I mean, it’s one thing to read about bigfoot sightings that happen in the Pacific Northwest, it’s something else entirely to be told these kinds of sightings occur in your own home state), but I wouldn’t have expanded to a larger realm of interest (especially when it comes to seemingly more legitimate attempts to quantify these encounters) had I not discovered Cryptomundo. A guy named Loren Coleman was the owner and operator of that one. As it turns out, he wasn’t just some guy, either. Loren Coleman is (or at least was) a powerhouse in the field of cryptozoological research. I’m sure if you’ve ever seen a documentary about a cryptid, especially if it was made before 2020, that you remember this guy:
Loren Coleman has a master’s degree in psychiatric social work, having done his postgraduate study in sociology and anthropology. He’s particularly well known, outside of his fortean research, for his work done studying the so-called copycat effect. On multiple occasions, post-columbine, he’s been called upon by media outlets to give statements concerning school shootings, teen suicide, and attempts to curb these and related societal problems. For his work in the field of cryptozoology (in which he was mentored by none other than Ivan T. Sanderson, one of the founding members of the field and one of its most well-known personalities), he’s been called (by Skeptical Inquirer, no less), “…one of the more reputable [monster hunters]…” His background in human behavior and anthropology, coupled with a lifelong interest in the study of primates and the beast-men of mythic and modern lore has made the man something of a titan in the community. In 2003 he fulfilled part of his life’s goal, the opening of his International Cryptozoology Museum (which I’ve regrettably yet to visit).
After discovering Coleman’s work in the field (he’s authored seemingly countless books on the topic of the highly strange, most of which concerning bigfoot), I remember finding myself blown away at the depth of his research. If Alabama Bigfoot had introduced me to the possibility of these creatures existing in my neck of the woods, Loren Coleman had cemented it and in the process placed a giant neon sign directing me where to look. In particular, Coleman says (in his book Mysterious America) that Logan Point and Hobb’s Island here in Huntsville, AL are known hotspots for UFO sightings, bigfoot encounters, and “sky explosions” (3). Coleman goes on to say that, truly, there is no part of this Mysterious America (hence the name of the book) that doesn’t play host to some form of strange goings-on.
It could be argued that most of Coleman’s bigfoot related research seems to focus on the stranger cases. By this, I mean that he has a certain predilection for cases concerning sightings of individual creatures with very identifiable or unique features. He calls these marked hominids. Some websites suggest that marked hominids occur or frequent mostly northern subarctic climates. Coleman uses the phrase to refer to those unique individuals that mostly inhabit the eastern United States. That’s not to say that there can’t be marked hominids in other biomes or regions, it just seems that there’s a predilection in this field and on the internet to use terms like these very rigidly and argue about their interpretation when, at least in this case, it seems very clear cut. According to Coleman, marked hominids can be found in Canada (Ol’ Yellow Top), the Ural Mountains (there were historical sightings of a creature with a white spot on its arm), and elsewhere. It’s in the Eastern US, however, that we can find the highest concentration of these beings.
The Missouri Monster, also known as Momo, is probably the most famous of these. In an area well known for encounters with highly strange phenomenon (ranging from phantom travelers to spook lights), a creature unlike most other bigfoot was sighted on countless occasions. Said to smell “…like a whole family of skunks,” or otherwise rotten flesh, the creature was ape or human like but was covered completely in hair (leaving only its hands visible). In the first known encounter with the creature, it interrupted a picnic, forcing those present to flee to the safety of their car. It attempted to follow them, even tried to open the car, but eventually gave up. Instead of whatever it originally intended to do, it took one of their sandwiches straight out of the basket, ate it in a single bite, and retreated into the woods. Of course, if you know much about bigfoot-type encounters, this is probably bringing up visions of the Florida Skunk Ape (well, minus the sandwich thing).
Below, that’s a very early depiction of Momo (left) alongside the most well-known (and possibly only) purported photo of the skunk ape.
From there, we move on to those that are most well-known in our region: the White Thang, the Booger, Ol’ Whitey, the Slough Thing, and Peg-Leg. Then there’s the, possibly tangentially related, Mobile werewolf and Sheepsquatch. It could definitely be argued that most of these are probably just all names for the same thing (White Thang, Booger, Ol’ Whitey, and the Slough Thing) as they’re all most commonly used to describe an entirely (or at least mostly) white bigfoot. Of course, though, the Booger is very commonly described as being yellow.
Peg-Leg is one that’s been reported but once or twice in Alabama (mostly, he’s been seen in Georgia); witnesses describe a bigfoot like creature with a wooden leg. Seriously. Of the more “different” varieties we have the Mobile Werewolf (a creature described as having the bottom half of a werewolf — its upper body being that of a nude woman) and Sheepsquatch (another that isn’t solely sighted in Alabama, Sheepsquatch is a regional thing having been sighted all across the Appalachian mountain range — this guy is a bigfoot like creature, though totally white and having ram-like horns on its head).These southern variants are often described as being more violent and prone to approaching people than the bigfoot of the Pacific Northwest.
Loren Coleman, however, in his many books on the topic, seems to focus mainly on those creatures that most resemble the generally agreed upon definition of what a bigfoot looks like. He suggests that since those that most closely resemble the modern model of sasquatch differ in temper, facial structure, and cranial crest anatomy (look at Patty and all the other well-known bigfoot pics, they have crests on their heads) that these marked hominids should be listed as a different species altogether (or perhaps simply a subspecies of what he calls the “Neo-Giants” of the Pacific Northwest).
Like I’ve said, Coleman has a tendency to focus only on those cases that seem the most reputable. I can in no way confirm or deny that he’s ever considered Sheepsquatch, the Mobile Werewolf, Peg Leg, or any of those other more fantastical hairy hominids (like those bigfoot that are occasionally reported as leaving UFOs which has to be a post all its own at some point) as being at all legitimate, but I don’t think he considers them very frequently. For that, I can’t blame him. If your goal is to legitimize this kind of research, the ones that look and act like real animals are going to be the ones you have to focus on. He shies away (and I believe I’ve read that he does so very purposefully) from those creatures that seem to be more supernatural or paranormal in form or function. Being who I am and thinking how I do, I feel like, to consider any of this, we can’t pick and choose. I’m not certain that these creatures are as solid and as composed of flesh and blood as Coleman seems to believe they are. If these encounters, in some way, happen in the mindscape or through some as of yet to be fully understood (possibly psychologically based) mechanism, I think it’s worth considering modern werewolf, dogmen, and sheepsquatch sightings in the same sitting.
That’s probably going to frustrate some of you, that I link these together, but they are all hairy (and in some way marked) hominids.
(4)
Stay weird!
-Scott
(1) I’m unsure if the creator(s) of this site appeared on, were associated with the production, or were simply fans of the documentary Southern Fried Bigfoot. I noticed, while going through the archives of the site, a youtube link that I’d never seen before. After a bit of digging, I found the video that that link led to and, believe it or not, it’s still on youtube! Apparently, the documentary is still available to rent online so I’ll definitely be doing that in my free time this weekend. The trailer they were linking to is available just below for your own viewing pleasure.
(2) I’ve attempted many times over the years to recover data from this site. For the first time, I’ve been able to locate and archive one of their audio recordings. Admittedly, it isn’t one of the ones that I remember as being particularly memorable, but it’s a big moment nonetheless! The recording can currently be found on the group’s facebook page until I get a formal archival page set up and running.
(3) He’s referring to mysterious booms and other loud noises that seemingly emanate from the sky itself. Here in town, I think we have a tendency to suggest that most modern reports of these can be easily traced back to munition and rocket testing done on the Redstone Arsenal. This, however, hasn’t always been the case. Most notable cases of unexplained “sky explosions” predate the construction of the Arsenal. I’d like to think these are the ones he’s referring to.
(4) I’ve mentioned before, if you have been following the development of Signal & Noise, that there’s a kind-of lost bigfoot episode out there. Parts of it were consolidated into a preseason release of sorts. I’m thinking, while I’ve been researching this one, that we’re going to try and get back out there and actually film that the way it should be filmed. It won’t really be an episode of Signal & Noise (and it’ll be kind of outside the scope of that project anyways) but it’s something I feel the need to do. Oh and, even though I don’t think it needs to be said, the end of Signal & Noise will not mark the end of filmed projects from us.