How Experts Expose Viral Creature Hoaxes

Transcript

January 12th, 2020. We're in Salt Fork State Park, Ohio. Hiker Nathan Gray and a friend are armed with cameras and drones to document their trek through the woods when they make a startling discovery. The rib cages of several large animals nestled amongst the foliage. - [Tony] The duo continues to explore the area when suddenly, they spot this. A c... Read More

Key Insights

• The Ohio Grassman footage was judged a hoax because the figure displayed human limb proportions, with an upper limb reaching only near the crotch, rather than the longer arms associated with apes. Its large hoodlike head, insulated clothing, heavy boots, and overall silhouette further suggested a costumed person.
• The surviving-grizzly explanation lacked expected physical support because investigators noted that a bear living around Salt Fork State Park should leave fecal samples, claw marks, or additional reports. Although a baby grizzly reportedly survived the 2011 Zanesville animal release, the recorded figure appeared more consistent with a human costume.
• The planted animal bones strengthened the Ohio footage’s dramatic presentation but did not establish that an unknown creature had killed the animals. The program’s verdict treated the bones as part of the staged scene, while acknowledging that their placement made the hikers’ alleged discovery appear more convincing.
• The Montana Nightcrawler was likely a puppet because an investigator reproduced its shape and walking motion with pajama legs attached to a wooden armature. A thin, taut string could pull the figure while remaining difficult to see in dark, low-resolution security footage.
• The claimed Native American origin of Nightcrawlers was unsupported by the folklore examined in the program. An archaeologist explained that Navajo skinwalkers are described as evil witches capable of transforming into animals, not as headless or torsoless figures made almost entirely of long legs.
• The dead deer on the Montana property was judged likely coincidental because the footage provided no demonstrated connection between the carcass and the white walking figure. The homeowner’s recording showed a brief apparition, but no physical Nightcrawler specimen has ever been found according to the program.
• The Pennsylvania Sasquatch case combined recorded whooping sounds with reported nausea, lightheadedness, and increasingly labored breathing. Some participants linked those symptoms to ohmawing, an alleged overwhelming energy or infrasound effect near Sasquatch, but the chapter description states that the audio was ultimately found to be fabricated.
• The Georgia beach monster was identified as an art hoax after appearing to resemble a plesiosaur. The description names artist Zardulu as its creator and gives the final verdict that the supposed sea-monster carcass was fabricated art rather than evidence of an unknown creature.

Questions & Answers

Q: How was the Ohio Grassman footage exposed as a hoax?

Experts focused on the figure’s anatomy and clothing. Its upper limb reached only around the crotch, indicating human proportions rather than the longer arms associated with apes. Its head looked unusually large and hoodlike, while its lower body resembled insulated pants and heavy boots. A wildlife biologist likewise found the being consistent with a human in costume, leading to the hoax verdict.

Q: Could the Ohio creature have been a surviving grizzly bear?

The program considered whether it might be the baby grizzly reportedly left alive after an exotic animal collector released 50 animals into the Ohio woods in 2011. A wildlife biologist rejected that explanation because a resident grizzly should produce other evidence, including fecal samples, claw marks, or additional reports. The filmed figure also looked more like a costumed human than a bear.

Q: What is the Ohio Grassman, according to local reports?

The Ohio Grassman is the regional name used for a Bigfoot-like creature reportedly seen around southeastern Ohio, including Salt Fork State Park. The name is linked to alleged large dens made from grass and reports that its diet mainly consists of tall Ohio field grass. The program also recounts the 1978 Minerva Monster case, but it does not present those stories as proof that the 2020 footage was genuine.

Q: How could the Montana Nightcrawler illusion have been created?

An investigator demonstrated a simple puppet made from pajama legs and a small wooden armature of the kind a puppeteer might use. Pulling the figure with a thin, taut string produced a walking motion similar to the security recording. Darkness, grainy imagery, and low camera resolution helped conceal the string and remove visual details, making the puppet seem like a strange legged creature.

Q: Are Fresno Nightcrawlers connected to Native American folklore?

The program found no established folklore supporting the claimed connection. An archaeologist compared the creatures with Navajo skinwalker traditions, which describe evil witches that emerge at night and can transform into animals. Those accounts do not describe a being without a recognizable head or torso. The alleged Nightcrawler link to Native American legends was therefore assessed as internet speculation or possible fabrication.

Q: Was the dead deer connected to the Montana Nightcrawler?

The program concluded that the dead deer was likely a coincidence. The homeowner discovered the carcass and then reviewed his security footage, where he found the strange white figure, but the recording did not show that figure attacking or interacting with the deer. Investigators could reproduce the apparition with a string-operated puppet, so the footage supplied no demonstrated link between the prank and the animal’s death.

Q: What is ohmawing in the Pennsylvania Sasquatch case?

Ohmawing was presented as an overwhelming energy allegedly experienced near a Sasquatch, with possible symptoms that include temporary paralysis, nausea, lightheadedness, confusion, or disorientation. One theory described it as infrasound that a predator might use against prey or that a Sasquatch might use defensively. In the featured case, however, the chapter description states that the associated Sasquatch audio was fabricated.

Q: What happened in the Georgia beach monster case?

The Georgia beach discovery involved a carcass that appeared to resemble a plesiosaur, encouraging speculation that it might be a sea monster. According to the chapter information, artist Zardulu was exposed as the creator. The program’s final verdict classified the carcass as an art hoax, meaning its unusual appearance resulted from deliberate fabrication rather than evidence of an unidentified marine creature.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Ohio hikers recorded a large, hairy figure near animal bones in Salt Fork State Park, where alleged Grassman encounters have previously been reported. Experts rejected the surviving-grizzly theory because supporting traces were absent and concluded that the figure had human limb proportions, a hoodlike head, heavy boots, and clothing consistent with a costume.

• A Montana security camera captured a tall white figure consisting mainly of two spindly legs, recalling the internet-famous Fresno Nightcrawlers. Native American folklore did not support the claimed creature form. An investigator recreated its unusual gait using pajama legs, a wooden puppet armature, and a thin string concealed by low-resolution security footage.

• A Pennsylvania recording paired strange whooping sounds with the investigator’s nausea and lightheadedness, prompting speculation about Sasquatch and alleged infrasound effects called ohmawing. The description reports that the audio was ultimately judged fabricated. It also identifies a Georgia beach carcass resembling a plesiosaur as an art hoax created by artist Zardulu.