There was a wave of sightings in the 1970s, all consistently describing the animal as reaching about seven feet tall, weighing about 300 pounds or more, and to be foul-smelling. (Although Bigfoot or Sasquatch is also said to be bad-smelling, the Skunk Ape’s odor is particularly offensive.) Sightings became scarcer over the following 30 years and then escalated again in the 2000s, with most sightings coming out of the Ochopee area.

A group of people taking a guided tour of a swamp area claimed to have seen a large, hairy ape-like creature walking along the banks of the swamp. Soon after, a local fire chief named Vince Doerr said he saw it crossing a road near his home, and before it disappeared into the swamp, he managed to snap a photo of it. Because the creature is some distance away in the photo, it is considered interesting but not conclusive evidence. In fact, Doerr himself later stated that he suspected it was just someone in a gorilla suit.

One highly doubtful bit of lore about the Skunk Ape is that one was captured alive by the U.S. Army and held captive (for unknown reasons) in a secret vault at Everglades National Park. According to the story, the powerful Skunk Ape smashed its way out of its concrete prison and escaped back into the wild. This time it’s the story that skinks; not even avid Skunk Ape advocates put much credence in this tale.

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