Florida Skunk Ape? Photo inside.

Ive seen this Photo everywhere and Honestly to me it just looks like an orangutan. Maybe not even a REAL one. Possibly an orangutan skunk ape mix? Im just on the fence about this photgraph. The pic looks legit..with the flash and all..Something just sits wrong with me. Im a photographer..am I reading to much into this? What do you all think?

Op picture :



Harry is back !

Lol..Really though. I think its an Orangutan.

reply to post by ParanormalJessy


I have seen both photos, and if you examine both in detail, it should be noted that the beast's pupil dilation changes from one pic to the next. In the first picture, the iris is wide open as you would expect of a creature whose eyes are adjusted to the dark. In the second photo, its pupils are smaller in reaction to the light. Also between the first and second photo, the mouth curls up into a threat display. It is an interesting set of photos, and this critter seems to be larger than your average orangutan,

Hey Jessy,

Sincere apologies for scary avatar incident...

Just like the skunk ape, it has freaked out a few people on ATS.

Say the word and I will change it though...

Cool thread BTW...

I think this video has some history on your photo:



These are also interesting as well:

Lol Thanks No need to change it. Just startled is all. The narcoleptic hallucinations are gone as of right now. I think this HAS to be a hybrid. Bc i thought the same things..It looks larger than an average orangutan...BUT at our local zoo we have one that is huge! i always thought they were the small ones you see people carrying around...but the one at the zoo is 7+ feet tall and over 500 lbs. BUT he is also a sweetheart. Ive never seen him with this snarl look on hs face. I say hybrid..Mainly bc for an orangutan he seems pretty afraid..enought to show teeth. If he were an escaped pet he wouldnt be so scared.

Seeing as the topic is now avatars, I gotta say the above poster has one scary avatar. It scared the bejesus out of me. I know Halloween's coming and all but.... OH MY GOD! That thing's looking straight at me!

reply to post by ParanormalJessy


The picture is indeed very close to an orangutan, though some primate people state it isn't exactly right. The mystery is what one would be doing in Florida. This picture was supposed to be taken by a woman living there, who claims to have seen this animal in her backyard, after fruit, I believe. She reported it, so the reports state, out of concern in case it was some escaped animal, and perhaps a hazard to people. No one seemed to know of any such escapee, though, and the animal was never located.

From reports I read at the time, a primate expert stated that the facial expressions between pictures (there was more than one) were right for a primate startled by a flash or whatever. So, assuming the picture is legit (and I don't know of any zoo that has the local Florida vegetation in it, and I was living down there at the time), and this was a real animal, then it would have to be either an escaped orangutan, one bred in the wild (possible), or something similar. I say possible on the breeding, because there have been apes and monkeys turned loose down there in the past, from parks that simply released them when they closed down. There is plenty to eat, and the vegetation is pretty impassable in places, so they could easily hide. There are also reports, for far longer ago than those releases, of the so-called "skunk ape", the Southern version of Bigfoot, which is typically a little smaller, and sometimes more aggressive.

In any case, this was a very interesting read some years back.

Being an avid sasquatch researcher and theorist, I have come across discussions of this photo many times. Surprisingly, conclusions drawn by various researchers are basically the same in that most of us believe this is not a sasquatch. Whether or not it is an escaped or pet primate, or whether an elaborate suit, is still debated, but many believe it to be a real primate...either escaped or a pet.

I think it is completely unfounded that some researchers claim that there are many different species of sasquatch. This is just not the case. Calling them skunk apes does not change the fact that they are just the same as sasquatch. Some say that the southern versions of sasquatch are smaller and more aggressive, but I have found absolutely no hard evidence suggesting this to be the case. I have seen a southern sasquatch here in Texas, and I can tell you they are the same as the sasquatch up north. They may not need as much insulation or layers of fat, considering the climate here in the south is not as severe as that of the north, and other small differences may account for size differences or even behavioral characteristics.

To me it looks like an oil painting.

But in my OPINION, it's a hoax.

reply to post by ParanormalJessy


I live here in Florida and i remember when this came out in Florida Today newspaper. Evidently the animal was stealing apples from her back yard or something. The lady photographer wanted to remain anonymous. I personally think that the pics are authentic. If it is a suit then whoever it is has some great fabric and sewing/special effects skills. I also remember reading in another article related to primates in the Everglades that there is a very high chance of primates escaping into the Everglades and such due to a circus going a blaze a very long time ago down south there. Many of the animals ran off. Monkeys and such included. Article could be false but thats what i read. .....tried to find article to post but cant anymore

Originally posted by JiggyPotamus
*snip*Whether or not it is an escaped or pet primate, or whether an elaborate suit, is still debated, but many believe it to be a real primate...either escaped or a pet.

*snip*I have seen a southern sasquatch here in Texas, and I can tell you they are the same as the sasquatch up north. They may not need as much insulation or layers of fat, considering the climate here in the south is not as severe as that of the north, and other small differences may account for size differences or even behavioral characteristics.

Originally posted by XxAcidxBurnxX
reply to post by ParanormalJessy

 

I live here in Florida and i remember when this came out in Florida Today newspaper. Evidently the animal was stealing apples from her back yard or something. The lady photographer wanted to remain anonymous. I personally think that the pics are authentic. If it is a suit then whoever it is has some great fabric and sewing/special effects skills. I also remember reading in another article related to primates in the Everglades that there is a very high chance of primates escaping into the Everglades and such due to a circus going a blaze a very long time ago down south there. Many of the animals ran off. Monkeys and such included. Article could be false but thats what i read. .....tried to find article to post but cant anymore

That's the reason I think some of those seen in Florida really are escaped, or more likely, bred-in-the-wild known primates and monkeys. I have heard a lot of people talk about some of those old monkey places simply releasing the animals. Monkeys, and primates, turned loose to roam free. Both could easily survive down there, and I think they could account for a lot of the skunk ape sightings, and explain why some report something different in the South. It seems that sort is usually in a swampy area, too. Just where one would expect to find such known animals. In all likelihood, we have both the standard Bigfoot, and these invasive species running about. Certainly, invasive species are not new to Florida!

Is Bigfoot in Florida? This video discusses and shows the evidence for Bigfoot (Skunk Ape) in Florida. If it is in Florida then it certainly is not rare. There must be a self sustaining breeding population that has likely been there for Millions of years.



who knows? I think some primates (like green eyes) are loose!!