Yeti is Himalaya's greatest mystery

One of the greatest mysteries of Himalayas is Yeti, an ape like creature which is supposed to roam the snow capped mountains of the area. Over the last more than hundred years, various mountaineers have claimed seeing a yeti or his foot prints in the snow which was of double the size of a human foot. But no conclusive evidence could be found to establish the authenticity of these claims. On the other hand there has been no conclusive theory to prove the yeti a part of folklore or legend as well. It continues to intrigue the mountaineers visiting the Himalayas. The Yetis normally have 3 per family group and they live in caves. The number of family groups is unknown, at this time. The male is around 7 feet tall and the female, around 6 feet. The male's weight is between 300 and 350 pounds and the female is around 200 and 250 pounds. They forage for food during the daylight hours. The male does not live with the family, he is a "loner." He mates with a female, then leaves, and the female is left to raise the "off-springs. Stories of the Yeti vary in detail but many of them suggest a creature with an apelike body and a human-like face. Nepalese Sherpas have described the Yeti as having long, reddish-brown hair all over its body. One Sherpa monastery exhibited a Yeti “portrait” resembling the crossing of a wolf, tiger, and bear. Folklore describes a fearsome, savage beast with a high-pitched whistling scream; a vile, pungent odor; feet that point backwards; and supernatural powers. Superstitions say that sighting the creature can bring ill fortune, illness, or death. Another name for the Yeti is metoh-kangmi, a term mistakenly translated into English as “abominable snowman.” That alluring name has stuck. The Yeti, which is supposed to live high in the Himalaya but has also been reported as far away as the European Alps, is said to prowl by night leaving huge footprints in the snow. Many expeditions have attempted to prove the Yeti's existence, but no scientific evidence has definitively confirmed it. National Geographic's October 1962 article “Wintering on the Roof of the World,” reports on Sir Edmund Hillary's search for the Yeti. The famed Everest pioneer's expedition (which had other scientific goals) did document a phenomenon that appears to account for “Yeti tracks.” In shaded snow Hillary's team found impressions resembling fox tracks. The tracks led to a sunny area where melting had elongated the tracks into large human-like footprints. Likewise, the melting of tracks of a snow leopard, bear, or wolf could create huge “footprints.” Over time, human footprints in the area have been seen to grow to nearly 21 inches (53 centimeters). Hillary's team was shown fur purportedly taken from the Yeti. Investigation revealed that it was fur from the rare Tibetan blue bear. A “Yeti scalp” was analyzed and found to have been the molded skin of a serow—a goatlike animal of the Himalaya. Hillary returned from the Himalaya believing that the Yeti exists only in legend. Or the abominable snowman as it is commonly called has been sighted in the Himalayan mountains for 100's of years. The creature is a tall manlike creature coverd with shaggy hair. The people of Nepal see the creature regularly. Accounts say it's height is approx. 6-8 feet, conical scalp, pointed ears, hairless chest area and a human-like face. The creature is said to have a very bad temperment and will attack anyone who ventures close enough. The Yeti's descriptions are similar to those of Bigfoot. Above is a photo of a footprint attributed to the Yeti. Judging by the depth of the footprint impressions, the average yeti most way upwards of 800 pounds. Many Westerners have also observed this creature while on expeditions in the mountains. In 1992, an expedition discovered the Yeti's footprints in and around their camp when they awoke in the morning. A yeti was reportedly captured in Russia in December 2011.A hunter reported having seen a bear like creature, trying to kill one of his sheep, but after he fired his gun, the creature ran into a forest on 2 legs. The creature allegedly was more similar to a gorilla than a bear, but its arms were shorter than the legs (in contrast to a gorilla). It was about 2 meters (6 feet 7 inches) tall. This was later revealed as a hoax, or possibly a publicity stunt for charity. The areas in this region are not well traversed, so it is believable that an unknown primate lives here and remains yet undiscovered by science.