Abominable news: Yeti evidence came from bears, dog
WASHINGTON - For fans of the yeti, newly published genetic research on purported specimens of the legendary apelike beast said to dwell in the Himalayan region might be too much to bear - literally.
Scientists have said that genetic analysis of nine bone, tooth, skin, hair and fecal samples from museum and private collections attributed to the yeti, also called the Abominable Snowman, found that eight came from Asian black bears, Himalayan brown bears or Tibetan brown bears. One came from a dog.
"This strongly suggests that the yeti legend has a root in biological facts and that is has to do with bears that are living in the region today," said biologist Charlotte Lindqvist of the University at Buffalo in New York and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, who led the study published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
