Official Spooks Cryptid Designation: Common Sasquatch

Folkloric Names: Sasquatch, Big Foot, Skookum

Distribution and Habitat: Temperate forests in the Pacific Northwest

Average Height: 10 feet

Native Fauna

Member of Wood Ape Subgroup

Reason for Cryptid Status: Psychic Powers (telepathy)

Observation History: Though sightings of large, bipedal apes have been common folkloric phenomena in North America for ages, they were only gathered under the name “Sasquatch” in the 1920’s by a man namd J.W. Burns, who proposed that the many different legends and tall tales of tall, hairy hominids may all belong to the same creature.  The Spooks Organization had been looking into the myth by that point, but it took an additional decade for a specimen to be captured alive.  It has since been discovered that there are many subspecies of Sasquatch throughout North America, as well as related species on other continents.  Thankfully, the innate psychic powers of the Sasquatch aid in covering up its existence, and subsequent encounters by private citizens are easily passed off as hallucinations or hoaxes.

Ecology and Behavior: Omnivorous and surprisingly calm for primates their size, the Common Sasquatch is content to live and let live, rarely posing a threat to anything bigger than a raccoon.  The few specimens known to be man-eaters were always abnormal cases, often being in ill health and thus desperate for anything they could get.  Indeed, most encounters with the Common Sasquatch are positively benign, as the highly intelligent apes seem more curious about humanity than antagonistic.  The same cannot be said for some of their subspecies, or indeed for their relatives on other continents.  In many ways, the Common Sasquatch’s temperament is one of its oddest qualities.

Sasquatches tend to live in solitude, though pairs and small family groups have been seen on occasion.  Interestingly, it is more common to see the Sasquatches interact with other species than it is to see them with their own kind, and the wood apes have a particular fondness for deer.  When a Sasquatch family is encountered, care must be taken not to distress the children, as Sasquatches are violently protective of their offspring.

The Sasquatch’s most unique trait is its innate telepathic powers.  Observing a Sasquatch without protection will often result in disorientation and memory loss, making it hard for the observer to maintain their balance or remember where exactly the ape was when the encounter took place.  This makes tracking the apes incredibly difficult, and likewise is responsible for most photos and videos of the primates being blurry and out of focus.  Researchers are not sure yet whether this is a conscious or unconscious action on the Sasquatch’s part, and there have been incidents of creatures and people not being affected by this psychic power, either because of some unknown resistance or, perhaps, because the ape wished to be remembered.