January 31, 2006
Now available exclusively on the History Channel website is Giganto: The Real King Kong on DVD.
An evolutionary mystery unfolds as experts cross continents in search of an awesome creature.
Scientists attempt to link fossil evidence to modern-day animals.
See what is known about the ancient ape that may have inspired the legend of King Kong.
They may not have been as massive as the stunning star of Peter Jackson’s latest blockbuster, but Gigantopithecus (Giant Ape) was an impressive specimen indeed. The largest might well have weighed over a thousand pounds and reached ten feet high if standing on their hind legs.
Tales of massive creatures abound throughout human history, and among the most persistent are those of ape-man creatures like Yeti and Bigfoot. Might this ancient primate, who probably went extinct about 500,000 years ago, be the source of these many legends? GIGANTO explores the tales and reveals the science, tracing the remains of the oversized ape to Asia and trying to connect fossil DNA to potential modern-day relatives. Forensic testing, extensive scientific research, 3-D animation, and body reconstruction will help determine the true mystery behind this prehistoric ape.
Cryptomundo blogger Rick Noll was a participant in this production. Read back over his fieldnotes from the production here on Cryptomundo:
Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005.
I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films:
OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou.
Filed under Bigfoot, Bigfoot Report, Cryptozoology, Evidence, Expedition Reports, Extinct, Forensic Science, Sasquatch, Television