A Pennsylvania Batsquatch?
Posted by: Loren Coleman on April 5th, 2011
The first mention of Batsquatch was in 1994, when reports and sightings of a strange winged version of Sasquatch stated coming in from around Mt. Rainier.
Now a new Batsquatch-like account is coming from Pennsylvania. Well-known researcher Stan Gordon gives the details:
On March 21, 2011, I was contacted by a witness who reported having an encounter with a very strange creature during the early morning hours of March 18, 2011. The incident occurred on a rural road in Butler County between Chicora and East Brady. The witness, a businessman passing through the area, stated that “this was the freakiest thing I ever saw, and it made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.”
The man told me that he was driving down the road when from about a qurter-mile away, he observed something on the right side in a grassy area. His first thought was that it was a deer. The driver stepped on the gas to move closer to get a better view. From about 50 yards away, he observed something that appeared to be hunched down, and then stood up. The driver then observed a very tall muscular creature.
At this point, the driver had his high beams on and watched as the creature walked in front of a yellow reflective road sign, then crossed the two lane road in three long steps and continued into a wooded area. What he saw was a humanoid figure that stood at least 8 feet tall that appeared to have smooth leather-like skin that was of either a darker tan or light brown color.
The creature never looked at the witness, and was only observed from its side. The head appeared to be flat in the front section, and then rounded out. “At the top back of skull, it was like one of those aerodynamic helmets. The top was not quite a point, but looked like a ridge on top of the head.” The face was flat, and the eyes were not clearly defined, but the man thought that they might have been pointed in the corner. The ear that was observed on the left side was long and flat, and came up and back and was pointed backwards like a flap.
The arms were muscular and a little longer than that of a human. The hands looked more like a claw, but the number of fingers was unclear. One physical trait that stood out was the extremely muscular legs. The witness stated that it was hard to explain, but the legs did not move like that of a human, and “looked like they bent backwards.” The witness also saw what appeared to be wings on its back which were tucked into its body, with the wing tips extending toward the side of its head.
No unusual sounds or smells were noticed during the observation which was estimated to have been about 7-8 seconds. As the motorist approached the location where the creature entered the woods, it could no longer be seen. The next day the witness decided to drive back to the location of the encounter to look for any evidence. The ground conditions were not suitable for tracks, and nothing was found. The witness did, however, measure the road sign that the creature had walked in front of. The sign was just over 8 feet high, and the head of the creature was estimated to have reached about 4 inches above the sign.Stan Gorden
Truth be told, Mark A. Hall made similar observations in his book. For those that have read Hall’s Thunderbirds: America’s Living Legends of Giant Birds, he clearly talks about “Bighoot” as a cryptid that uses camouflage to mimic the look of Sasquatch or Bigfoot in wooded areas, thus the name, linked to his giant owl theory. Of course, ridicule is used regarding how funny the name “Bigfoot” sounds too, so “Bighoot” is an easy mark.
It will be recalled that Linda Scarberry’s first account of Mothman talked about it being a big bird, and “wobbling.” In one description days afterwards, she said it “had muscular legs like a man.” But she also said she could not see “its head or arms. I don’t even know if the eyes are even in a head.”
Sources: Here, here, and here.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Sounds like a classic Sas sighting – up until the backwards-bending legs and “wing tips extending toward the side of its head” parts…
Don’t know how to explain the odd movement of the legs, but it seems to me that the folded “wings,” reported by the eyewitness, may simply have been some type of object slung over the creature’s right shoulder – a deer carcass perhaps?
Bigfoot with wings, huh? Keep watching the skies! 😉
Also reminds me of the Wisconsin Manbat of 2006.
Sincere regards,
Theo
I’m thinking it may have been just a regular ol’ sasquatch that could possible have been soaked (wet) and thats why the “skin” looked smooth and leather like. The wings on the other hand may have been a baby clinging to it’s mothers back or as arewethereyeti stated, it could have been a deer carcass.
Just another thought –
“What he saw was a humanoid figure that stood at least 8 feet tall that appeared to have smooth leather-like skin that was of either a darker tan or light brown color.”
The mention of the leather-like skin, in lieu of fur, could describe a Draco-type reptilian being. They tend to be between 6 and 8 feet tall, and have those large, leathery wings. The Dracos have been described golden in color, and sometimes have a ridge on top of their skulls. They also are muscular, and the backward bending of the legs would be unlike a Sasquatch/primate.
That being said, there are so many cryptids that fall between categories, this could be a bat-squatch.
Well, let’s think about this alleged creature from a purely biological perspective.
Even forgetting that in every known example we have primates have gone a different evolutionary route than even winged mammals, we are still faced with the sheer physics of such a creature.
Here we are talking about an alleged hairy hominid over 8 feet tall that is specifically described on several occasions as being very muscular. Such muscularity and size implies weight, which makes it hard to believe that such a creature could really be capable lifting off and flying with wings. What size would a creature like that have to have to feasibly even have a shot at flying?
Also, why would a heavy, muscular, ape-like creature evolve wings in the first place? Nothing about the described creature makes any sense for a flying animal. The muscular, bulky physique as well as I might mention the completely free arms the creature has are completely at odds with what we see in every other flying organsim we know of.
There is strong reason to believe that organisms across the board evolve in very similar ways to tackle the challenges of flight. It is the same reason many aquatic species such as fish, sharks, whales, and dolphins all tend to adopt a similar form to deal with open water swimming.
For many reasons, the creature described here would be a complete biological oddity.
I won’t say that the witness didn’t see anything. Maybe they did spot a genuine Sasquatch. But I very strongly doubt it was an 8 foot hominid with wings. Perhaps it was a Sasquatch which was seen under circumstances to give it the appearance of having wings?
If wings were indeed present, my own hypothesis would have to veer towards the giant owl theory. Someone mistaking an owl for a Sasquatch may not seem to make sense, but it makes more sense to me than an 8 foot tall, extremely muscular biped with wings.
Sounds a lot like the jersey devil… It would of been interesting to find out if there was any extra light or fiery effects. Makes for connection to flying dragon to ropen and of course fiery serpents in Bible.