Sasquatch or Bigfoot: What's the Difference?

Sightings of a large, hairy humanoid creature in the northwestern United States and western Canada date back centuries. Native American tribes in these areas named the creature “Sesquac” which means “Wild or “Hairy Man” in Halkomelem, a language of the indigenous people of British Columbia.

That term morphed into “Sasquatch” in Canadian newspapers during the 1920s. The name “Bigfoot” was coined by the Humboldt Times in the late fifties after a sighting of large footprints (16 inches in length!) by construction worker Jerry Crew. So is Bigfoot and Sasquatch two different creatures? The simple answer is “no.” The Bigfoot creature we know from the Pacific Northwest is just another name for Sasquatch.

Although there are regional variations throughout the species we call Bigfoots, as has been noted in the DMW scientific archives, the creatures remain fairly consistent in their biological make-up. That being said, it should be noted the term Sasquatch is not a catch-all for other creatures who share a distant hereditary connection with the Bigfoot. Referring to these creatures, like the Yeti, Skunk Apes, and Skoocums, as a “sasquatch,” would not be technically accurate…and might get you killed.

Creature Feature! The Bigfoot (aka Sasquatch) has a killer sense of smell. The best sense of smell of any mythical creature known to the DMW. The one weakness to this sense? Distinguishing their own close family members via scent, as their odor is just too similar to be easily discerned.