What Were These Strange Creatures Caught on Camera?

Transcript

Our next story takes us to Big Sky country, in Western Montana-- a state with a reputation for unexplained phenomenon. And this bizarre image is proof that if you're ever there at night, it's best to bring a camera. TONY HARRIS (VOICEOVER): Deer Lodge, Montana-- October 2018. Don Bromley is working a ranch equipped with more than 100 motion control... Read More

Key Insights

• The Montana trail-camera photograph is an original camera image, according to forensic analyst Michael Primeau. His authentication software detected no inconsistencies associated with elements being copied and pasted into the photograph, although authenticity alone could not establish the identity of the figure.
• The Montana figure is probably an overexposed human trespasser wearing a hoodie, according to anthropologist Kathy Strain. Its distorted head resembles a hood affected by excessive flash, and its body lacks the heavy build, broad shoulders, hair covering, and unusual size expected in the proposed Bigfoot explanation.
• The Montana mystery was not completely resolved because none of the ranch's other cameras recorded a trespasser. Don Bromley operated more than 100 motion-controlled trail cameras, and he also recreated the photograph at the exact location to compare his own appearance with the unidentified figure.
• The Malaysian sewer recording appears authentic but is too heavily compressed for precise visual identification. Michael Primeau found nothing suggesting CGI or photographic manipulation, yet the blur prevented him from determining exactly what the roughly 6-foot, thick-bodied creature was from the footage alone.
• The Malaysian creature is unlikely to be a caecilian because the proportions do not match. Marine biologist Shea Conger said caecilians can reach 5 to 6 feet, but they are only a few inches in diameter, unlike the unusually thick animal shown leaving the bathroom.
• The Malaysian creature is unlikely to be a leech because it would need to be 30 or 40 times larger than a known leech species. Conger considered that scale difference highly improbable, despite Malaysia being described as well known for blood-sucking leeches.
• The Malaysian sewer creature was identified as an elephant trunk snake by Professor Floyd Hayes. He cited its thick body and characteristically baggy skin as the crucial visual clues, while its size and known habitat also supported the program's final verdict.
• The Saskatchewan footage shows a real figure casting a shadow and moving in a way consistent with the recorded environment. Primeau found no evidence of alteration, while wildlife biologist Lucy Eckersley said the visible subject appeared bipedal and capable of using its front limbs.

Questions & Answers

Q: What was the strange figure photographed in Montana?

The program's verdict was that the Montana trail-camera figure was most likely a blurred, overexposed human trespasser. Anthropologist Kathy Strain interpreted the unusually shaped head as a hoodie distorted by the camera's flash. She also noted that the figure lacked the broad shoulders, heavy build, hair covering, and exceptional size that would support the proposed Bigfoot identification.

Q: Was the Montana trail-camera photograph digitally altered?

Forensic image analyst Michael Primeau concluded that the Montana photograph was a camera original. He used authentication software designed to detect inconsistencies associated with material being copied and pasted into an image, but the analysis produced no alerts. That finding supported the photograph's authenticity, although it did not prove that the photographed subject was unusual or nonhuman.

Q: Why was the Montana figure initially mistaken for Bigfoot or an alien?

The Montana figure appeared upright and bipedal, with a bulbous, disproportionately large-looking head. Its remote location, miles from a road or trail, also encouraged unusual interpretations. However, closer examination suggested that excessive flash and a hoodie had distorted an ordinary human outline. The figure's size and slender, hairless appearance did not fit the Bigfoot theory presented by the experts.

Q: What creature crawled from the toilet in Malaysia?

The program concluded that the creature was an elephant trunk snake. Professor Floyd Hayes focused on its very thick body and baggy skin, which appeared too loose for the animal and served as the key identifying feature. The creature's estimated size and the habitat information discussed by the experts also supported the snake identification over explanations involving a mythical sewer monster.

Q: Was the Malaysian sewer-creature footage fake?

Forensic analyst Michael Primeau found no evidence that the Malaysian recording had been created with CGI or altered through photographic manipulation. He said the recording was heavily compressed, making the creature too blurry for an exact identification based on image analysis alone. The camera operator's behavior and the way the recording played nevertheless appeared authentic to him.

Q: Why was the Malaysian creature not identified as a caecilian or giant leech?

Shea Conger rejected the caecilian theory because those limbless amphibians may reach 5 to 6 feet but are only a few inches in diameter, unlike the thick-bodied creature shown. She also considered a leech identification extremely unlikely because the animal would have needed to be 30 or 40 times larger than a known leech species.

Q: What appeared behind the rock in the Saskatchewan footage?

The May 2020 Saskatchewan recording showed an unidentified figure repeatedly peeking from behind a rock at night. A flashlight revealed the subject, and its shadow indicated that something physical was present. Michael Primeau found no sign that the footage had been altered, while Lucy Eckersley described the visible figure as seemingly bipedal, humanoid, and able to use its front limbs.

Q: Did experts prove that the Saskatchewan figure was a Mannegishi?

No. Internet comments connected the figure with the Mannegishi described in Native American folklore, but the provided transcript does not establish that identification. Primeau only concluded that the movement looked consistent with the environment and that the recording did not appear manipulated. Eckersley described visible physical traits, but those observations did not prove a folkloric explanation.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• A Montana ranch trail camera photographed a strange upright figure in October 2018. Authentication software found no evidence of copied or pasted elements, confirming a camera original. Although its shape prompted Bigfoot and extraterrestrial theories, anthropologist Kathy Strain concluded that overexposure distorted a human trespasser wearing a hoodie.

• A roughly 6-foot creature emerged from a toilet in Alor Satar, Malaysia, in October 2017. Heavy compression prevented exact visual identification, but forensic analysis found no indication of CGI or image manipulation. Its thick body and baggy skin ultimately led Professor Floyd Hayes to identify an elephant trunk snake.

• Night footage recorded in Saskatchewan in May 2020 showed a figure repeatedly peeking from behind a rock. Online comments connected it with the Mannegishi of Native American folklore. Forensic analyst Michael Primeau found natural-looking movement and no alteration, while wildlife biologist Lucy Eckersley described the visible figure as apparently bipedal and humanoid.