DNA Analysis Shows Legendary Yetis Were Asian Bears

A recent DNA test revealed that the legendary Yetis that have been populating the Himalayan folklore for ages were, in fact, several species of Asian bears.

The findings appeared in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

For their study, researchers analyzed DNA samples from private collections and museums. Those samples included teeth, bones, skin, hair, and even feces from the mysterious ape-like creatures.

Some of the samples found on the Tibetan plateau were bones from a dog. Others belonged to Asian black bears or brown bears from Himalaya or Tibet. At least eight ‘Yeti’ samples turned out to be from bears.

The research team concluded that local bears have been taken for a mysterious creature for hundreds of years. Lead author Charlotte Lindqvist offered details on the study’s results.

Himalayan ‘Yetis’ Largely a Myth

Her research is the first to carry out such a detailed DNA analysis of Yeti genetic material. Past studies have left more questions than answers. Lindqvist underlined that the latest study is the most rigorous analysis on record.

• Researchers are confident that scientific tools like DNA analyses could offer a helpful hand in spotting the roots of legends about the hominid-like creatures.
• Science has debunked the myth of the so-called “African unicorn,” which proved to be a cousin of the modern-day giraffe that looks like a hybrid between a horse, zebra, and a giraffe aka the okapi.

In Australia, the local folklore mentions super-sized mysterious creatures, which scientists believe they may be animals from the megafauna that is now found only in fossil records.

Lindqvist, who took part in the work that led to the discovery of the okapi, said that there is a clear link between the so-called Yetis in Asia and local bears.
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