Many cultures around the world have mythical stories of strange creatures inhabiting their lands. There's the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland, Big Foot in America, Little Green Men in more deserty parts of America, the Bunyip in Australia, Elfs in Ireland, moose in New Zealand (that's actually a real thing), and so many more.

The only thing that one can be sure of is that all these are real (so is Santa - just remember to build a house with a chimney even if it's centrally heated). If one is planning to go hunting for Big Foot, it seems that the Pacific Northwest is the best place to start.

What We Know About The Abominable Snowman

The Yeti is an ape-like creature liking in the Himalayas in Asia. In Western popular culture, it is often also known by the descriptive translation "Abominable Snowman." There is plenty of evidence that this primate stalks the mountains of the Himalayas.

There is now a treasure trove of anecdotal sightings, video recordings (totally not disputed at all), photographs (none faked), and casts of large footprints.

  • Hoaxes: None
  • Evidence: Sightings, Videos, Photographs, Big Footprints

Some no fun folklorists trace the origin of the Yeti to various factors including some Sherpa folklore (the Sherpa are a people living in the Himalayas) and misidentified bears or yaks.

None of that is right as the Yeti is a large bipedal ape and is covered in brown, gray, or white hair. Furthermore, the Yeti is routinely missing from museums of natural history exhibits of the great apes (humans, gorillas, chimps, orangutans) around the world.

  • Better Natural History Exhibits: Should Be -  Human, Chimp, Gorilla, Yeti...

Related: Research Group Believe They Photographed Bigfoot In North Carolina

Other Names and The Origin of the Term "Abominable Snowman"

The Abominable Snowman is known by many names by the peoples in the Himalayas here are some of them.

  • Miche: Tibetan Translating As "Man-Bear"
  • Migoi: Tibetan Translating As "Wild Man"
  • Bun Manchi: Nepali For "Jungle Man"
  • Kang Admi: "Snow Man"
  • Xueren: Chinese for "Snow Man" (雪人)

The name "Abominable Snowman" was coined exactly 100 years ago by Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Howard-Bury. He led the 1921 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition at a time when India was British and along with it, much of the Himalayas.

  • Coined: "Abominable Snowman" Was Coined 100 Years Ago

He wrote about his expedition in his work Mount Everest The Reconnaissance, 1921. In that book, he mentioned that he had found footprints while crossing the Lhagpa La (at an altitude of 21,000 feet or 6,400 meters).

He wrote they... "were probably caused by a large 'loping' grey wolf, which in the soft snow formed double tracks rather like those of a bare-footed man". He then added that his Sherpa guides thought they were made by the "Wild Man of the Snows".

The exact term "Abominable Snowman" started when a contributor to an Indian newspaper interview porters from the expeditions and mistranslated a word as "filthy" but substituted it with the word "abominable".

  • Sir Edmund Hillary: The New Zealander Who First Summited Mt Everest Reportedly Also Looked For The Yeti

Since then plenty of evidence has emerged of this elusive bipedal creature of the mountains.

Related: How To Explore Loch Ness And Have A Good Time Without The Monster

The 2019 Indian Army Sighting

Most recently the Indian Army has discovered evidence of this beast according to the Times of India and their own Twitter posts. The Indian army mountaineering expedition spotted mysterious Yeti footprints while on duty high and remote in the mountains.

  • Footprints: Yeti Footprints Measure 81 by 38 Centimetres (32 by 15 in) According To the Indian Army

The Indian Army's Tweet reads

"For the first time, an #IndianArmy Mountaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32x15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past."

They went on to say that the evidence has been photographed and handed over for scientific evaluation.

It's a relief that the Yeti is living in the national park and away from human development. The national park is located on the border in India between Nepal and China. Makalu is one of the highest mountains in the world and is a very remote wilderness.

This region has previously been surveyed for the yeti.

As if any needs any further evidence, in the 1950s the Nepalese government even issued a hunting license for the yeti hoping to get their hands on one according to the Times of India. But these are very shy creatures and no one has caught one as yet.

Back in the United States, if one is more interested in little green men, then remember UFO definitely landed in Roswell, New Mexico and there are alien-themed restaurants there to prove it.

Next: 10 Travel Destinations Where People Have Claimed to Have Seen UFOs