An ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayas. Featured in Sherpa folklore, photographs of giant footprints in the snow captured worldwide attention.
The Yeti is a large ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the high altitudes of the Himalayan mountain range. The name derives from Tibetan words meaning "rock bear," and the creature features prominently in Sherpa folklore. Known in the West as the "Abominable Snowman," it gained global fame during the 20th-century Himalayan mountaineering boom. It is described as over six feet tall, covered in white or grey fur.
In 1951, British mountaineer Eric Shipton photographed a large footprint on the Menlung Glacier during an Everest reconnaissance expedition. The print measured about 13 inches long and 8 inches wide, with a shape unlike any human foot. The photograph sparked worldwide interest in the Yeti.
Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary led a Yeti-hunting expedition in 1960. Scientific analysis of a "Yeti scalp" housed at Khumjung Monastery revealed it was made from the hide of a Himalayan serow (a goat-like mammal).
In April 2019, the Indian Army posted photographs on its official Twitter account of giant footprints found near Makalu Base Camp. Most experts analyzed them as bear tracks enlarged by snow melt.
