Skunk Ape: Swamp Beast STALKS Florida Family, Caught on Camera

When hundreds of Florida residents reported a large, hairy beast breaking into their homes, stealing their belongings, and torturing their beloved pets in 1973, badged officials were brought in to oversee the crime scenes. But having always showed up just a little too late, the unknown cryptid seemed to always be a few steps ahead. From seeing the beast from afar on dark nights to seeing something strange waddle through the Florida Everglades, almost 30 years had gone by without any trace. That is, until one anonymous woman in 2000 caught the bigfoot figure red-handed in her backyard, and she just so happened to get it on camera.

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Bats, Mosquitoes, and Dollars

Sugarloaf Key’s Bat Tower, also known as Perky’s Bat Tower after its builder, Clyde Perky, was first erected in March of 1929. For decades, Perky’s Bat Tower boasted “as one of the great roadside attractions along the 115-mile ribbon of asphalt known as the Overseas Highway.” Located in Monroe County, both Florida’s and the United States’ southernmost county, this bat tower once stood as a 30-ft tall sanctuary for Florida’s own velvety free-tailed bat before Hurricane Irma came through in 2017, destroying the tower in its wake. 

In the 1920s, though, Clyde Perky had big dreams for Sugarloaf Key. After purchasing commercial land in Sugarloaf Key, one of those dreams included creating a fishing camp for students. However, he quickly realized that this dream would never come to fruition because the Florida Keys were ridden with mosquitoes. But Clyde was determined to make something work. That’s when he stumbled upon Dr. Charles Campbell’s book Bats, Mosquitoes, and Dollars. 

In this book, Dr. Campbell wrote extensively about how vital bats were in controlling the mosquito population. Dr. Campbell even promoted his bat tower design with the intention of creating a safe haven in which these bats could nest. Enthralled by this idea, Clyde bought Dr. Campbell’s bat tower instructions and got to work. Not only did he build the tower, but he also bought special bat bait from Dr. Campbell, who was supposed to lure the bats into the tower, per his instructions. And by special bat bait, I mean bat poop, better known as guano. 

When the tower was all finished, a plaque read, “Dedicated to good health at Perky, Fla. by Mr. And Mrs R.C. Perky, [dated] March 15, 1929”. As it stood, Clyde had high expectations for this bat tower. He had the building, and he had the guano. All he was missing was the bats. But not wanting to wait any longer, he also purchased a mail-order supply of bats that he set free inside the guano-infused tower in hopes that they would take the bait. He believing that once the bats got settled, the mosquitos population would be better controlled, and he could finally start his dream of creating a fishing camp. 

Strange Activity at the Sugarloaf Key’s Bat Tower

Unfortunately, the guano failed to keep the bats inside, as they all flew off upon arrival, leaving the bat tower vacant. But Clyde didn’t give up hope. He knew these bats just had to get acclimated to their surroundings. And after 3 days of releasing these bats into the wild, they came back. For hours into the night, they fluttered back and forth around the tower, filling up on the all-you-can-eat mosquito buffet. However, something large and mysterious began slowly creeping behind the nearby tree line that would spook these bats once and for all.

According to a mysterious letter found decades later, an observer wrote, “The bats came back after three days. As dusk fell on the fourth day, I watched them fly out of the tower like a slow, seeping cloud. Toward the end, when just a few bats were still flying out and into the night, something else happened that I found terrifying. A large, hairy figure stepped out of the trees and walked over to the tower. 

It must have stood all of eight feet tall and walked slowly around, staring up and down and then, here and there, reaching up and pushing at the tower’s side with those big hands. At one point, it reached the corner and started shaking it a little. I thought the tower would topple over. The last few bats flew out and off over the trees. That was the last time I saw either one, the big thing or the bats.”

But what was the big thing, you ask? Could the guano have baited something else entirely? Well, according to residents in the Florida Everglades, the mysterious, hairy figure in question is none other than the Skunk Ape. 

Florida Skunk Ape Description 

Often described as standing nearly 8 ft tall, with shaggy, dark fur and glowing red eyes, this cryptid goes by many names. Call it the Stink Ape, the Myakka Skunk Ape, the Monster of the Myakka, or the more popular name: the Florida Skunk Ape. This southern Bigfoot seems to be an anomaly amongst many Floridians. Starting with possibly the most bizarre characteristic, its overwhelming odorous stench, which the cryptid is aptly named. Apparently, this smell has been described as a “revolting mixture of wet dog, skunk, and rotting eggs.”

Some even believe more than one Skunk Ape is hiding beneath the shadows.

Many even believe that the Skunk Ape comes from an entire family of Bigfoot-type creatures ranging in size, age, and color. For size, the Skunk Ape is said to range between 6-9 ft in size, depending on the report. While most of the descriptions fall in line with dark fur and glowing red eyes, others speculate their eyes glow red at night when reflecting light but are actually brown during the daytime.

For color, many believe the Skunk Ape’s shaggy, dark fur has a variety of colors, ranging from reddish brown, dark brown, black, and silvery grey. And as for age? Some described the senior, silvery grey Skunk Apes as having “milky blue eyes” due to possible cataracts from old age. No matter its age, size, or fur coloring, many conclude that this foul-smelling beast leaves a rather large footprint behind wherever it goes. 

According to many accounts, these footprints can measure up to 24 inches long, 8 inches wide, and the depth of these footprints imply the creature could weigh around 600 pounds. It’s said that these footprints have human similarities. However, upon a closer look at casts show an absence of an arch in the foot and the first three toes all seem to be a similar length. 

The Aggressive Nature of the Beast

As for its demeanor, locals claim the Skunk Ape to be more aggressive than its west-coast cousin, Sasquatch. There are a few accounts from people who claim to have been chased by the Skunk Ape. For example, two young men reported a silver creature chasing them out of the woods under a street light. 

Another report in 1942 states that a man from Suwannee County, Florida, witnessed the Skunk Ape rush out of the bush line while he was driving down an isolated road where the creature decided to grab onto his vehicle, beat on the running board, and door for about a half mile, and then leaping off into the wood line.

Or in the Spring of 1966, when Mrs. Eula Lewis, a Brooksville, Florida native, claimed that a Bigfoot chased her into her house while swinging its big arms towards her as her dogs barked incessantly. 

And again, later that same year, as four teenagers were driving around one late night in December, they all reported a “smelly Bigfoot with glowing green eyes jumped on the hood of their car.”

Bigfoot Caught Stealing?

But not all of Skunk Ape sightings are alike. Some residents claim the creature dabbles in thievery when it’s not terrorizing unsuspecting victims. 

According to a local newspaper in 1818 from Apalachicola, Florida, one person claimed that they saw a “man-sized monkey” raiding food stores and stalking fishermen along the shore. 

Not to mention the number of complaints in 1973 of a “large monkey or ape” raiding homes in North Port, Florida, where many residents claimed this creature had been stealing their garbage.”

And when “the Boy Scouts of America decided to call their yearly gathering “The Bigfoot Wilderness Survival Camporee,” where the scouts had planned to camp on the outskirts of the Green Swamp to study wilderness survival, they, too, found things missing. 

Because apparently, there are two things no Skunk Ape can resist: Lima beans and chocolate chip cookies. 

So when the Boy Scouts tried to lure the Skunk Ape to their campsite by setting out a late-night snack consisting of lima beans, chocolate chip cookies, and even a bag of pork skins, they patiently awaited the results.

But when they unzipped their sleeping bags and ran out to the snack site that following morning, the lima beans and cookies were gone, leaving only the pile of pork skins behind.

Escaped Monkeys on the Loose in Florida?

Let’s revisit those complaints from 1973, shall we? Due to the large number of residents claiming apes were raiding their garbage cans, it’s important that we highlight this theory. Could the Skunk Ape really be an escaped monkey on the loose? Are the foul-smelling roaming beasts in the woods actually just wild apes? 

Well, it is a popular theory. You see, many of these complaints were forwarded to Michael Corradino of the Florida Monkey Sanctuary. It was Michael’s job to capture loose simians for Sarasota County, and the local governments had previously called on his expertise. 

But when these many residents claimed to have seen a similar figure inside their homes, raiding their garbage, there was major trouble. 

In an article published by the Boca Beacon in August 1981, Michael stated, “We had a problem right from the beginning. It was the first time we had gone after a monkey and couldn’t see it, let alone catch it.” 

Again, a few weeks later, after still not catching the creature, Michael was once more called up by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Department. This time, a young boy named Ronnie Steves had seen it firsthand. And it attacked and injured his ducks. 

As Michael shared, “Ronnie had heard a commotion outside his bedroom and looked out to see what it was. What he claims to have seen is a large, hairy animal chasing his ducks.” 

“As the 10-year-old boy called out to his father and raced outside to save his ducks, Ronnie ran back inside screaming, claiming that he had seen an ape staring at him that stood taller than his 6’5” father. And once deputies, Michael and his staff concluded that, in fact, something rather large did indeed hurt Ronnie’s ducks. 

When asked what type of monkey would do something like this, Michael said, “I wasn’t convinced I wasn’t still chasing a monkey. But it didn’t follow normal monkey patterns, and it shouldn’t have been out at night. Most monkeys are asleep by sunset.” 

The Abominable Snowbird

What followed these initial sightings, Michael couldn’t quite explain.

Michael shared, “Of course, some people are obvious liars; some saw something even they couldn’t explain, and there were a large number of people who, in my opinion, were very sincere about what they saw.”

Most of these sightings revolved around the creature having a very manlike stature, an all-over hairy body, and a rather heavy body. It possessed great strength, often ripping down gates, and it was almost always spotted by the Myakka River or a waterway leading to it. The sightings also usually occur during the dry season and disappear when the rainy season begins. 

Other details Michael shared align with the previously held believe that the Skunk Ape was vicious in nature. Which, disclaimer: you may want to fast-forward a minute or two if you’re sensitive to animal cruelty. I’ll give you about a 3 second start….

According to the Boca Beacon, Michale described how this creature, whether monkey, ape, or unknown beast, would use its strength to rip open cages to get to small animals, much like Ronnie’s small ducks. Apparently, this creature was drawnto small animals such as ducks, rabbits, and chickens; where Michael described the way it killed and ate these small animals by biting off their heads, drinking their blood, and leaving the rest of the body. 

If you ask me, this sounds a lot like the Chupacabra or even the Chattawa Monster we covered several episodes back. 

As for Michael, they had a nickname for this vicious creature before it was popularized as the Skunk Ape – according to Michael, “We used to call it the Abominable Snowbird.”

The Skunk Ape, According to Florida’s Monkey Sanctuary

But why so many sightings? 

Well, it seems Michael and his team at the Florida Monkey Sanctuary may have an answer for that. Supposedly, the large outbreak in 1973 was possibly due to “thousands of acres of land being cleared and developed near Venice around that time. They said it was not unusual to see large numbers of animals crossing the rural roads at night”. 

When asked if he believed in the Skunk Ape, Michael answered, “If the creature does exist, it most probably is the same thing that mountain climbers have encountered in Tibet.” And when asked if he believed the supposed footage of its West Coast cousin? He said, “I’ve seen the film in private. After you’ve run through it several times, it’s hard to remain skeptical”. 

He goes on to say, “I know something is out there. It might be a deranged man, although there would have to be many to cover the state. It could be a bear; we haven’t seen bears locally for 75 years. Or it could be a swamp ape. I really don’t know”. 

Skunk Ape Vacationing in West Palm Beach?

Michael Corradino may not know what’s out there. But according to a neighborhood in West Palm Beach, a few select children might have the answer.

According to an article by The Palm Beach Post published on April 18, 1974, seven young children reported seeing a figure that looked much like the Skunk Ape main locals claimed to have seen just a year prior. Near a wood area on Ranch House Road, these children saw it not once but twice. 

According to 9-year-old Laurie Holmes, she spoke with authority, saying, “I may be a little kid, but I know what I saw.” 

As Laurie and her friends all described the animal, the said the creature was about 6-7ft tall, with dark matted hair, long arms, sharp teeth, and four toes. One of the children, 10-year-old Tommy Streeter, said, “It could be a man just dressed in a suit, but I don’t it was. I saw him running on his hind legs with his arms curled out and when I turned around, I saw a white streak on its back.” 

As Tommy and his friend Mike Edwards reported, they saw the Skunk Ape about 100 yards away. According to Mike, “we were waling down the path and we saw something black and hairy in the bushes. He made some deep scratchy sounds rom the throat and we got scared and started running”. 

Both boys also reported seeing the Skunk Ape racing out the window of an abandoned shack located next to the path in the woods they sometimes take on the way to the Meadow Park Elementary School. As Mike shared, “He had bare skin on his knuckles and he just reached out to the window.”

Mikes mother, June Edwards, shared her thoughts on the creature. After calling the Sherriff’s Department, she said, “I might have overreacted when the children came home and reported seeing the ape. But if something’s wrong in the area where our kids go back and forth to school then I don’t think it hurts to check it out.” 

According to Mrs. Rita Carr, whose son Scott also reported seeing the ape, she was inclined not to believe the children’s stories, as she stated, “These kids have heard about the skunk ape, and they have very vivid imaginations. It shows you how kids will go through mass hysteria just like grownups.” 

Limping Giant Walking Highway

Okay, so maybe Rita’s thoughts about the children’s encounter may be valid. If the children had heard about these sightings, they could have easily made something up. And of course, we do have to acknowledge Rita’s thoughts about adults as well: adults can take things too far as well.

But, just a few months before the children’s encounter, how did so many drivers see the exact same limping creature walking down the same backroad? Are we all in on the same joke? Or is there something else here entirely? 

It was “just after midnight on January 9, 1974, when Richard Lee Smith had slammed his car into something near the intersection of U.S. Route 27 and Hollywood Boulevard on the eastern edge of the Everglades in Pembroke Pines. 

Originally, Richard told the Florida Highway Patrol that he initially thought he’d hit a tall man in dark clothing, but was stunned when a seven or eight-foot-tall hairy creature lifted itself off the road, roared at him and charged his car, where Richard gunned his engine and took off.”

A couple hours later, multiple “drivers in the area reported seeing a limping giant walking along U.S. 27. Officers were dispatched, and at 2:12 a.m. when, a Hialeah Gardens patrolman reported a huge, hairy creature limping along the road a few miles from the accident scene before it disappeared into the brush. At dawn, police searched the swamp with two helicopters but failed to find anything.

Multiple Drivers Report Seeing Something Strange 

But, as we’ve previously discussed, this isn’t the only incident where drivers claimed to have either hit the creature by accident or where the creature latched on to their cars before leaping off into the distance. 

One such incident was reported by Vietnam War veteran and former police officer Charles Stoeckman, his wife Leslie and three children lived on the ocean side near mile marker 94.5 on Key Largo. 

On July 14, 1977, a few years after Richard Smith’s driving encounter, Charles and his thirteen-year-old son Charlie were collecting bottles in the thick red mangroves behind their home when they caught sight of an enormous eight or nine-foot-tall Skunk Ape.

According to Charles, “It had a huge head and shoulders, long fur all over, and it stank like a dirty wet dog. The noise he made was a high-pitched wailing.”

Once more, less than a week later, on July 21, 1997, around 7:45 a.m., real estate agent Jan Brock spotted a Skunk Ape cross in front of her while driving on Burns Road in Big Cypress. She described it as “Very shaggy looking, maybe six-and-a-half or seven-feet-tall.”

Fifteen minutes after Jan Brook’s encounter, Ochopee Fire Chief Vince Doerr managed to snap a photograph of the same Skunk Ape after it entered the forest near his home. 

According to Vince, “I was riding along when, 800 feet ahead of me, a brown-looking tall thing ran across the road. It wasn’t a bear – that’s for sure. It ran into the woods. At first, I thought it was a bear, but bears don’t stay up on two legs the way this thing was”. 

Tour Guides Spot Something Peculiar 

Another incident happened on July 16, 1997, around 2 p.m., when “Steve Goodbread, a guide for Pelican Tours, was driving a bus with thirty tourists along Turner River Road in Big Cypress, when he observed a large creature standing erect behind some brush approximately seventy yards away. It was described about seven-feet-tall with thick brown hair covering its entire body. The creature was rocking back and forth, shaking the bushes, and appeared irritated by their presence. 

Steve and his passengers observed what they believed to be a Skunk Ape for at least fifteen minutes. He tried to persuade one tourist with a telephoto lens on her camera to exit the bus and take photographs, but she refused. In retrospect, Steve said it was probably a good idea that no one got off the bus. He drove away with the creature still in sight. Even though Steve had always believed in the possibility that the Skunk Ape existed, he was shaken by the experience and refused to advertise or exploit the Skunk Ape with his tours.”

And then you have Dow Rowland, a guide for Everglades Day Safari. According to the Miami Herald, Dow, “he was hauling six British tourists up Turner River Road when they spotted the apeman loping along the cypress trees on the west side of the road, about two miles north of Tamiami Trail. 

In his words, “It was about six feet tall with brown, long fur. It loped along like a big monkey or a gorilla, then itdisappeared into the woods.” He also went on to say that his group was not the first to see the apeman this summer. 

“There was a sighting from the Naples Trolley Tour out of Marco Island, [where the] driver was really shaken up.”

But Dow’s encounter certainly wouldn’t be the last. Within two weeks, there had been over fifty people who reported seeing the large, hairy creature outside of the Big Cypress National Preserve.

Woman Snaps Photos of Skunk Ape in Her Own Backyard

Of course, you are always going to have your skeptics, those who don’t believe in such legends. Unless we’ve physically seen something like this with our own eyes, it’s hard for many of us to believe in such stories. 

It’s hard to believe pictures or videos as literal proof because things can easily be doctored nowadays. And with the ever-evolving iI technology, it becomes even harder to distinguish what’s real and what isn’t. 

But for one Floridian woman, the Skunk Ape was very much real. And the pictures she took? Some of the most compelling pieces of evidence that argue The Myakka Skunk Ape is very much alive. 

Oh, and aside from lima beans, he is also a really big fan of apples, which is very common in the lore behind Bigfoot.Legend has it, if you set out an apple out in the woods while camping, Bigfoot will take this as a peace offering and won’t bother you. It seems like an apple a day keeps the Sasquatch at bay. 

And as for the anonymous woman from Sarasota County, it seems like the apple theory worked. Only, she wasn’t freely giving them away. No, the Skunk Ape seemed to be stealing them instead. 

According to a letter sent in by this anonymous woman, it sometime during the early fall days of 2000, when she began noticing unusual sounds and strange smells coming from her backyard one night. The only problem is that every time she went out back to investigate the scene, she never saw anything out of the ordinary. 

No claw marks. No trash cans were knocked over—no sign of forced entry. The only thing missing? Her basket of apples. While she definitely thought this was strange, she didn’t really think anything of it until it happened several nights in arow. 

She’d refill her apple basket during the day. And at night, she would hear weird noises. Smell strange scents. Go out on her back porch and find nothing, but the apples come up missing once more. 

Curious as to what could be stealing her produce, she decided that enough was enough. She was finally going to catch this thing in the act. So, one night, she grabbed her camera off the kitchen counter, walked out on her back porch, and snapped several photos to settle this once and for all.

Sarasota County Anonymous Letter

And by the time she took the second picture? She realized there was something quite dangerous in her backyard, and she needed to get away from it. Later, she would go on to write a letter to the Sarasota County police department, along with the photos, saying:

“Dear Sir or Madam, Please find enclosed some pictures I took in late September or early October of 2000. My husband says he thinks it is an orangutan. Is someone missing an orangutan? It is hard to judge from the photos how big this orangutan really is. It is in a crouching position in the middle of standing up from where it was sitting. It froze as soon as the flash went off – I didn’t even see it as I took the first picture because it was so dark. As soon as the flash went off for the second time, it stood up and started to move. 

I then heard the orangutan walk off into the brush. From where I was standing, I judge it as being about six and a half to seven feet tall in a kneeling position. As soon as I realized how close it was, I got back to the house. It had an awful smell that lasted well after it had left my yard. The orangutan was making deep “woomp” noises. It sounded much farther away than it turned out to be.

If I had known it was as close to the hedge roll as it was, I wouldn’t have walked up as close as I had. I’m a senior citizen, and if this animal had come out of the hedge roll after me, there wasn’t a thing I could have done about it. I was about ten feet away from it when it stood up. I’m concerned because my grandchildren like to come down and explore in my backyard. An animal this big could hurt someone seriously.”

She goes on to say, “These pictures were taken on the third night it had raided my apples. It only came back one more night after that, and I took some apples that my husband had left out in order to get a better look at it. We left out four apples. I cut two of them in half. The orangutan only took the whole apples. We didn’t see it take them, we waited up but eventually had to go to bed. We have a dog back there now, and as far as we can tell, the orangutan hasn’t been back. 

Please find out where this animal came from and to whom it belongs. It shouldn’t be loose like this, someone will get hurt. Why haven’t people been told that an animal this size is loose? How can people know how dangerous this could be? If I had known an animal like this was loose, I wouldn’t have approached [sic] it. I saw on the news that monkeys that get loose can carry Hepatitis and are very dangerous. Please look into this situation. I don’t want my backyard to turn into someone else’s circus. God Bless”

Dave Shealy: The Jane Goodall of Skunk Apes

It make you wonder. With this many sightings, and a woman’s plea for the police to catch this thing, it’s hard not to believe in something. I mean, with over 1,000s of reports of the Florida Skunk Ape, be it orangutan or not, something is surely stalking southern Florida.

Just ask Dave Shealy. 

Dave Shealy, the self-proclaimed Jane Goodall of Skunk Apes and the Owner and Operator of the Skunk Ape Research Center in Ochopee, a small town outside of Big Cypress National Preserve, has seen the Skunk Ape, not once, just twice, not three, but four times. 

His first encounter with the Skunk Ape was in 1973 when he was about 10-years-old where “He was deer hunting with his brother, Jack, in the Big Cypress National Preserve.” 

According to Dave, “It was walking across the swamp and my brother spotted it first, but I couldn’t see it over the grass. I wasn’t tall enough. My brother picked me up, and I saw it, about a hundred yards away. It looked like a man, but completely covered with hair.” 

As they just stared at this creature, with their mouths agape, it quickly started pouring down rain. With this, Dave shares that “the ape hurried away into the cypress hummocks scattered amongst the marsh where he removed thinking, “Holy crap. I finally saw this thing, and it got away just like that.” 

Due to his multiple encounters, Dave has made a name for himself, becoming the expert on all things Skunk Ape including creating a field guide, making TV appearances on shows like, Unsolved Mysteries, and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, investigating multiple sightings, and even creating the Skunk Ape Research Headquarters. 

When Atlas Obscura asked why he spends so much time searching for the Skunk Ape, he replied, “There’s not much to do around here. It’s just something that’s interesting; it never gets boring. I’ve fished and hunted all my life. I’m fished and hunted out.”

One of Dave Shealy’s most notable Skunk Ape encounters happened in July 2000 when he captured it on video, just a few months prior to the infamous Skunk Ape photo from Sarasota County. Shooting from hundreds of feet away, Dave seems to capture the creature walking through palm trees, where it eventually strides through the open swamp and “breaks into a long-limbed run-as though suddenly aware it’s being watched-escaping into a grove of palm trees.” 

At the time, Dave shared that the swamp was covered with over a foot of water, making the creature’s speed impossible for any human to match. 

Just a Guy in a Gorilla Suit?

But of course, floods of skeptics have their theories and have often poke holes in this grainy footage stating that it’s too blurry to see anything substantial. Even a spokesperson from The Smithsonian said, “It’s extremely hard to watch this video and see anything but a guy in a gorilla suit.”

Some even speculated that if tons of research had been done on the Everglades with motion-activated trail cameras, thenwe would have seen other footage of the creature.

One critic of the Skunk Ape is Bob DeGross, a public affairs officer with the preserve. He stated, “People report seeing this mythical creature from time to time, but there has never been a substantiated sighting of the skunk ape that was verified by National Park Service wildlife staff.”

Another critic, Sharon Hill, a researcher and columnist for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, has written about Bigfoot, the Skunk Ape, and other mythical creatures. In her words, “The empirical evidence is extremely weak. It’s almost entirely eyewitness testimony, which is the most unreliable evidence you can have.”

But Dave Shealy doesn’t take any of this criticism to heart. He believes that he has seen and doesn’t care if others believe him or any of the numerous Skunk Ape sightings. 

Dave Shealy is the expert on the Skunk Ape after all. He’s the one who is going out there, catching footage of the creature, and still researching this unknown cryptid while other people laugh and mock him. But, other people’s disbelieve doesn’t stunt his believe, it only fuels it. 

In fact, Dave realizes that some of these interviews he’s done about the Skunk Ape may sound sensationalized and may not prove the legitimacy of the Skunk Ape. However, it can only boost tourism. In his words, “There are beaches all over the world. But who else has a Skunk Ape?”

And his thoughts about the skeptics?

 “I know what I’ve seen. I don’t have a choice but to believe because I’ve seen him three times. For someone who hasn’t come here and put in the time to say otherwise, it doesn’t really matter to me.”

Possible Explanation 1: Wild Monkeys

But of course, we never stray away from the skeptical perspective here on Cryptids Across the Atlas. Part of learning about cryptids and the folklore behind them is highlighting all there is to learn about these creatures. 

You can have the supposed encounters and eyewitness sightings. Then you have the tall tales and hoaxes. But there’s also viable explanations that venture less into the paranormal  and supernatural to the more normal and natural ways of the world. 

Talking about things unknown is always welcome. But we also never want to shy away from the very real possibilities.Much like trying to prove these things exist, proving they don’t exist also matters. 

In fact, many people believe that the Skunk Ape is none other than a wild monkey or ape. Of course, this belief may not be a new theory – as “ape” is literally in its name. And we can’t forget about all of those wild monkey sightings back in 1973. Even if they weren’t able to find those loose monkeys, it doesn’t mean a primate wasn’t to blame for the stolen garbage or injured pets. Some even speculate if this “ape” is actually an orangutan due to its large features. 

According to cryptozoologist, Loren Coleman, having done extensive research on the cryptid itself, suggests that the Skunk Ape, similar to his findings of the Enfield Monster we covered a few episodes back, is more primate in nature.

In his words, “Being a cryptozoologist doesn’t mean you just openly, hook, line and sinker, take everything in.”

Possible Explanation 2: Swamp Gas

As for the horrible stench, described as a “revolting mixture of wet dog, skunk and rotting eggs”, many people resort to swamp gas. In fact, swamp gas is often depicted as having a sulfuric, “rotten egg odor that occurs naturally in sewers, manure pits, well water, oil and gas wells, and volcanoes”. 

According to The Everglades Foundation, “phosphorus levels are of utmost concern. Elevated mostly by agricultural pollution, excess phosphorus transforms Everglades marshes to cattails and contributes to foul-smelling, toxic algae blooms in rivers and lakes.” 

So swamp gas could be the reason behind the foul odor emanating throughout the Florida Keys. Not to mention, there is a large hunting community in the Florida Everglades, including duck hunting. If you ask me, getting a bunch of guys out in the subtropical wilderness, hunting various animals and being out in the muggy heat all day would cause a musky stench. 

While I’m not sure exactly what all of those people saw driving down U.S. Route 27, but I could definitely see a hunter losing track of time, getting lost in the wetlands, and come out looking like a disheveled hairy Bigfoot. But, that’s just my opinion.

Possible Explanation 3: Practical Jokesters 

And then, of course, you’ve got the practical jokesters. Supposedly, Mike Falconer, a Florida resident, claimed to have captured the Skunk Ape on his iPhone 4 when he and his son spotted a large, hairy creature walking across a large field. 

According to Mike, “I saw something that was very big, very tall – more than six feet tall, for sure – and it was shape like a person. It was very dark and it was maybe one-third of a mile, maybe a half mile, away and it kept moving. The thing was actually on the other side of the Myakka River, But I didn’t know that until it started getting muddy and I wasn’t able to continue after it.”

But it seems like the only thing Mike caught on his iPhone camera was a human wearing an ape suit. Steve Giguere, Manager of the Myakka River State Park, stated, “We got a report of a congregation of people on the side of Park Road, so one of our rangers went to check it out. We evicted a young man from the park that day who was caught wearing an ape suit. The park has a long history of people doing that kind of stuff for laughs.”

The Skunk Ape Lives on …in Spirit

Hoax or not, the legacy of this beast has certainly captured the hearts of those in Florida. You may believe the Skunk Ape is nothing more than a wild orangutan who just has a hankering for lima beans, chocolate chip Cookies, or fresh apples.

Or, you may be like Dave Shealy, who longs for the legend of Skunk Ape to be true – a real mythical beast who calls the swampy Everglades its home, a cryptid whose story blurs the lines between reality and myth that evokes a mixture of fear, awe, and curiosity. 

Maybe it is a real cryptid, maybe it can easily be explained away by loose, wild monkeys, or maybe all of Florida is on one giant prank. But one thing is for sure: the Skunk ape lives on…. at least in spirit. 

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