What is the difference between Bigfoot and Yeti?

Both are huge, hairy, upright apes that leave giant footprints, so people often use the names as if they were the same animal. They come from opposite sides of the world, though, and the stories about them are quite different. Where: Bigfoot lives in North American forests, usually near water. The Yeti lives in the Himalaya, in snowy valleys 12,000 feet and higher. Look: Bigfoot is usually described as dark brown or black and 7 to 9 feet tall. Yeti descriptions vary much more, from child-sized to over 8 feet, with reddish, grey or white fur.

Creatures / Compare

Bigfoot Yeti

Bigfoot vs Yeti: what's the difference?

Both are huge, hairy, upright apes that leave giant footprints, so people often use the names as if they were the same animal. They come from opposite sides of the world, though, and the stories about them are quite different.

Side by side

BigfootYeti

Also calledSasquatch, Skookum, Wood ape, Forest giantAbominable Snowman, Meh-teh, Migoi, Bun manchi

WherePacific Northwest, Appalachia, the Great Lakes and the South; reported in every US state but Hawaii, and across CanadaHimalaya: Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim

First reportedIndigenous names such as Sasq'ets (Halkomelem) long predate the 1958 "Bigfoot" headline from Bluff Creek, CaliforniaSherpa and Tibetan tradition; "Abominable Snowman" coined after a 1921 Everest expedition

Size7 to 9 ft tall, 500 to 800 lb (estimated)Described from child-sized to over 8 ft

HabitatRemote mixed forest near waterHigh valleys and glaciers, 12,000 ft and up

SignsFootprints 14 to 18 inches long, often with a mid-foot flex; Wood knocks and rock clacks at night; Whoops, howls and "Samurai chatter" vocalizationsLarge tracks crossing snowfields at altitude; High-pitched whistles or cries; Glimpses of a reddish or grey upright figure

Famous cases53

Witness stories360

The big differences

Where: Bigfoot lives in North American forests, usually near water. The Yeti lives in the Himalaya, in snowy valleys 12,000 feet and higher.
Look: Bigfoot is usually described as dark brown or black and 7 to 9 feet tall. Yeti descriptions vary much more, from child-sized to over 8 feet, with reddish, grey or white fur.
Where the stories come from: Bigfoot draws on Indigenous names like Sasq'ets and the 1958 Bluff Creek headlines. The Yeti comes from Sherpa and Tibetan tradition, and the name 'Abominable Snowman' was coined after a 1921 Everest expedition.
Evidence people point to: for Bigfoot, the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film and thousands of footprint casts. For the Yeti, footprints photographed in the snow by mountaineers, like Eric Shipton's in 1951.

Could they be the same thing?

Some enthusiasts think they are related populations of one unknown ape that crossed the Bering land bridge. Most scientists don't think either exists. DNA tests on hair said to be from Yetis have come back as bears, and no Bigfoot body or bone has ever been found.

Which one did you see?

Probably Bigfoot if…

You were in a North American forest, near a river or lake
Dark brown or black hair, very tall and broad
Wood knocks, whoops and howls at night

Probably Yeti if…

You were high in the mountains of Nepal, Tibet or Bhutan
Reddish, grey or pale hair, often seen on snow
High-pitched whistles or cries

Seen something like this? Report your encounter All about Bigfoot All about Yeti