Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience involving the search for animals whose existence has not been proven. Cryptozoology is not a recognized branch of zoology or a discipline of science. It is an example of pseudoscience because it relies heavily upon anecdotal evidence, stories, and alleged sightings.
Cryptozoology comes from the Greek word kryptos meaning “hidden” and the word zoology which means the “study of animals.” Cryptozoology includes looking for living examples of animals that are considered extinct, such as dinosaurs. It also includes animals whose existence lacks physical evidence but which appear in myths, legends, or reported sightings, such as Bigfoot. Cryptozoology is also the study of wild animals dramatically outside their normal geographic ranges, such as phantom cats (also known as Alien Big Cats). The animals cryptozoologists study are often referred to as cryptids.
Despite the fact that no one has ever captured one or found a dead body, nearly 30% of Americans think that Bigfoot (also considered Sasquatch, Yeti, or the Abominable Snowman) is probably real.
The Patterson film is the most famous video footage of an unidentified subject purported to be a “Bigfoot”, that was supposedly filmed on October 20, 1967, by Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin outside of Orleans, CA.