How would Sasquatch survive winter - particularly in the northern climates of the northeast US, Canada, inter-mountain west and Canadian Rockies? This would undoubtedly require a high level of specialization.
It is a valid question, particularly since certain parts of these areas can reach sub-zero temperatures for days (if not weeks) at a time. Certainly, humans are the one primate that has adapted exceedingly well in habitating northern climes, but we are not the only such primate.
Consider the Japanese Macaque. These monkeys are well-known for their cultural transmission behavior (young monkeys learn from their elders novel kinds of behaviors, from grooming techniques to food preparation) and for living farther north than any other primate except humans. Some 110,000 live in Japan, 7,000 of them in the cold, snowy alps of Honshu, where they have earned the moniker "snow monkey." These Macaques have developed very specialized social and semi-culutural behaviors, well suited to help them survive in these northern climates. The 'Snow Monkeys' can often be found at natural Alps hot springs in the winter, enjoying not only a natural 'jacuzzi' but leveraging a natural heat source to help maintain core body temperatures on particularly cold days.
Could Sasquatches be using specialized behaviors to survive the winter in the northern climates of North America? Undoubtedly, if they do indeed exist.
But what kind of behavior could enable them to survive the harsh, long winter? Migration is certainly possible and has been discussed often. How far they could migrate is the tough question and under what circumstances? For example, a local 'downhill' migration from mountainous regions in the middle and pacific northwest lattitudes would be pragmatic (animals moving down from 6-7,000 ft. levels to say 1-2,000 feet in the California Sierras to avoid snow and colder temps for instance.) But in many areas of the inter-mountain west, Midwest, Canadian Rockies and Great Lakes/Northeast, you will not find moderate temps nor nearly the eleveation level drops. If it is -15 degrees Farenheit at 2,000 ft. in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate NY, it may be a bit warmer at -3 degrees south at say an elevation of 250 feet along the Hudson River near Albany... warmer, but not warm by any means. And while it is possible that these creatures may make a significant migration south to warmer temperatures, why wouldn't we see more of them annually on specific migratory crossroad points of the east coast corridor, where such a migration would place them in much closer proximity to large population centers?
Certain researchers maintain that at least some form of local or regional migration is taking place in the Northeast. For example, author/researcher, Bill Brann, believes the ongoing, annual sightings in the Whitehall, NY area show spikes of frequency from the July - November period annually forming a cluster pattern, based on his thorough sightings data on the region. This would indicate more animals are traversing through this area during this timeframe. Yet, "why are they there?", "where did they come from?" and "where are they going?" remain the persistent unanswered questions. Annecdotal reports of harvest-time habitation adjacent to farm fields and foodstuffs may be part of the answer (as there have have been many reports indicating these animals will raid corn fields, apple orchards, etc.) Food availbility certainly has a marked effect on any animal's behavior, but is searching for food and nutrients for immediate consumption a bigfoot's only goal? Could they be 'gathering' foodstuffs as well? Could they be staying put and wintering-over with some special adaptive behavior like denning and pseudo-hibernation combined with foodstuff hording? Indeed, the hibernation discussion is inextricably linked to the 'hunter/gatherer' question, which is a prolific debate in and of itself.
Even so, many of us have scoffed at the idea of a winter-hibernating Bigfoot in the past, as no evidence of torporic behavior had ever been documented in any primate... until now.
Have a look at the recent findings on the Hibernating Lemurs of Madagascar.
With evidence of primate hibernation documented, the idea of a hibernating Bigfoot may now be a bit less far fetched in my opinion. What do you think?
