Searching for the Skunk Ape

Expert Dave Shealy Talks Florida’s Favorite Cryptid

“When I was 10 years old, my brother and I were out in the Everglades National Park when my brother saw something out in the trees. I couldn’t see because the grass was too high, and he had to pick me up to where I could see out over the grass. Out about a hundred yards away, there was an animal covered with fur, standing like a man. It looked exactly how we had been told a skunk ape looked. That was my first encounter with the skunk ape.”

This strange story was shared on a recent episode of my podcast by none other than Everglades skunk ape expert, Dave Shealy. Dave grew up in Ochopee hearing stories of the legendary skunk ape. Nicknamed “Florida’s Bigfoot,” the skunk ape is said to be a large hairy ape with an intense, pungent smell. Though the United States National Park Service insists the skunk ape is nothing but a local myth, stories of skunk ape sightings can be found throughout Florida. Dave has seen what he believes to be the skunk ape three different times.

After decades of researching the skunk ape, Dave has more than earned the title of expert. I’ve always been fascinated by the skunk ape, so I invited Dave onto “The HartBeat Show” to answer some questions about his favorite cryptid.

Isn’t the skunk ape just Bigfoot?

“Skunk apes look at lot like Bigfoot,” Dave confirmed. “If you were in the Everglades and you saw a skunk ape, you’d probably tell someone, ‘I just saw a Bigfoot!’ But actually, there are some differences.”

Dave explained that while Bigfoot sightings report a creature that’s at least 800 pounds, people who have seen skunk apes described something a lot smaller, between 300–400 pounds. Plus, skunk apes spend most of their time in trees and tend to be reddish in color. The biggest difference between a skunk ape and Bigfoot, according to Dave, is that skunk apes leave a four-toed track, compared to Bigfoot’s five toes.

It's also worth noting that you’ll smell a skunk ape before you see it. Dave believes skunk apes smell because they hide in alligator caves.

“There are some dead animals in there, the methane gathers, and they come out stinkin’.”

Where did the skunk ape come from?

Skeptics often point out that there are no monkeys or great apes in North America, so how could a creature like the skunk ape exist? The thing to remember is that when it comes to wildlife, science isn’t always right. At one point, pelicans, antelopes, and narwhals were all believed to be cryptids. And, as recently as August 2013, scientists “discovered” a new carnivore in South America — the olinguito had eluded the scientific community for most of modern history, despite many stories confirming this little creature’s existence.

The first skunk ape sighting was reported in 1957 when a pair of hunters claimed a massive, smelly ape invaded their camp in the Everglades. Skunk apes had their heyday in the ‘60s and ‘70s. In the fall of 1974, multiple reports were filed in Dade County. Over two decades later, a tour bus full of 40 people reported seeing “a seven-foot, red-haired ape” running through the Everglades. Dave himself has captured photos and video of skunk apes over the years, as recently as 2000.

Long before the sightings in the 20th century, there were stories of large, strange creatures roaming the Everglades. The Miccosukee and Seminole tribes had legends of a creature they called “esti capcaki” or “Tall Man.” They said Tall Man was a giant who protected the woods and would chase away those seeking to harm the forest.

How come we don’t see skunk apes often?

Dave estimates there are between 7–9 skunk apes living in the Everglades, with as many as 30 in the whole state. Many skeptics insist the skunk ape is a hoax because a body has never been recovered. According to Dave, these people don’t know anything about the Everglades.

“I have spent my whole life in the Everglades, and I have yet to find a dead panther or a dead black bear,” Dave said. “Bones just don’t last long here. They dissolve into the ground, or they’re carried off by another animal.”

Things decompose quickly in the swamp. And with a size of 2.2 million acres, it’s no wonder less than a dozen skunk apes could remain hidden so well.

While the news doesn’t report as many skunk ape sightings as they did in the ‘60s and ‘70s, Dave says he sees evidence of skunk apes regularly.

“In Myakka, it’s almost an annual report of someone seeing something,” Dave said. “It isn’t really accurate to say they aren’t seen often … I can tell you, hunters bring me pictures from game cams with skunk apes on them all the time. We get two or three hunters a year who come in and say, ‘Look what passed in from of my trail camera!’ They’re good pictures. A lot of evidence, but none of it is being looked into.”

Regardless of whether they’re fact or fiction, talking about skunk apes with Dave Shealy was a lot of fun. I highly recommend checking out the full interview and all of Dave’s great skunk ape stories by visiting TimHartJr.com/podcast.php.