DNA analysis revealed bone and fur specimens associated with snowman legends originating from brown and black bears.
Scientists examined DNA from feathers, bones and other specimens believed to belong to the yeti, a mythical humanoid creature that lurks in the high mountains of Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. , according to Live Science. A study published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B concludes that the legend of the snowman originated with brown and black bears.
The creature is suspected to be a snowman in the Himalayas. (Photo: Bettmann).
In 1951, British mountaineer Eric Shipton returned from his Everest expedition with photos of giant footprints in the snow, sparking theories about a rare snowman creature in Asia. human-like appearance and unknown to the scientific community. Some speculations about the animal suggest it could be a surviving member of an extinct human species or a hybrid between modern humans and primates.
A femur in a Tibetan cave is believed to belong to a snowman. (Photo: National Geographic).
A 2014 study found two snowman specimens likely came from a cross between a polar bear and a brown bear, according to Charlotte Lindqvist, an evolutionary biologist at the University at Buffalo in New York, US, and lead author. of new research. But Lindqvist feels skeptical about the possibility of hybrid bears roaming the Himalayas.
Lindqvist and colleagues decided to extend the 2014 study by analyzing more snowman specimens. “My thinking is that if the snowman is indeed a bear, this research could be an interesting avenue to access hard-to-collect specimens of Himalayan bears,” Lindqvist said.
Himalayan brown bear. (Photo: Live Science).
Lindqvist’s team analyzed nine snowman specimens, including bones, teeth, skin, fur and faeces, collected from monasteries, caves and other places in the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau. They also collect specimens from bears in the region and animals in other parts of the world.
Of the nine specimens, eight came from an Asian black bear, a Himalayan brown bear or a Tibetan brown bear. The other specimen came from a dog. “It was exciting to discover that the specimens were believed to belong to the snowman, not of the exotic bear hybrid, but simply related to the local brown and black bears,” Lindqvist said. “Modern science and genomic data can help answer and explain ancient mysteries.”
The new discovery also sheds new light on the evolutionary history of Asian bears. While the Tibetan brown bear shares a common ancestor with relatives in North America, Europe and Asia, the Himalayan brown bear belongs to a distinct evolutionary lineage that split from all other brown bears about 650,000 years ago.