In this episode of Sasquatch Tracks, the team is joined by Gary Opit, an Australian expert on the continent's indigenous fauna, and a longtime researcher of Australian cryptozoology.

Opit is an environmental consultant and scientific member of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales for 48 years. He is also a radio broadcaster, teacher, and author of books that include Australian Cryptozoology. Opit has created courses and lectured to university, TAFE and high school students on ecology, botany, zoology, biogeography, anthropology, geography, microbiology, evolution, Australian prehistoric plants and animals, Aboriginal ecology, permaculture, and much more.

Gary has appeared in several North American produced cryptozoological documentaries on Yowies, Thylacines and Giant Goannas, including Monster Quest, Finding Bigfoot and Bogyman. He was also the first person to be interviewed on Yowies by Dean Harrison, and since February 1997 he has undertaken a citizen science wildlife study using a weekly live-to-air wildlife identification radio program, now in its 27th year. The broadcast is entitled ‘Wildlife Weekend’ and can be heard every Saturday morning at 6.50 am on Australian Broadcasting Corporation North Coast New South Wales Radio 94.5 FM and on their internet site. More about Gary and his work can be found in the links below.

Stories and other links discussed in this episode:

• Australian Cryptozoology Gary Opit
• Australian Cryptozoology at Amazon.com

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In the summer of 1978, a strange series of events began to unfold for rural residents of northeastern Ohio. While enjoying a quiet evening at their rural home near Minerva, the Cayton family and their grandchildren witnessed a large, hairy, bipedal creature peering through their kitchen window. This creature, described as standing over 7 feet tall with glowing red eyes, sparked fear and curiosity, prompting the family to report their sightings to local authorities.

Following the Cayton family's report, the Minerva area became a hotbed of Bigfoot research and investigation. Numerous additional sightings were reported in the surrounding woods and hills, with various tracks and other physical evidence purportedly found. However, that isn't all that this "classic" case appears to have entailed, as a deeper look into the story reveals sightings of mysterious large cats alongside "gorillas" in Ohio's history, as well as alleged connections to UFO sightings made by some area residents, and much more.

In this special installment of Sasquatch Tracks, the team takes a deep dive into the story of the Minverva Monsters, which we affectionately refer to in the plural since, according to eyewitness reports, there appeared to be more than one of the creatures observed by the Caytons... but what were they, and what can we uncover about the case after all these years?

Stories and other links discussed in this episode:

• The Akron Beacon Journal: Thu, Aug 24, 1978 ·Page 1
• What was it? Man talks about ‘Minerva Monster’ mystery 40 years later

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In this installment of Sasquatch Tracks, the after opening news that focuses on tales of "swamp beasts" in rural America and also massive reptiles invading the Florida Everglades, the team is joined by John Hickenbottom, the naturalist at Ohio's Salt Fork State Park.

A longtime outdoorsman whose interest in wildlife includes snakes and reptiles indigenous to his home state, as well as Ohio's archaeology and much more, Hickenbottom has worked professionally as a park naturalist for many years. John was born in southeast Ohio, where he also has heard several personal accounts of alleged sightings of Sasquatch in the Buckeye State, as well as having studied the early history of such reports in the region.

John joins the Sasquatch Tracks team to discuss his own interest in the topic and his efforts in educating the public, as well as the unique story of how he came to know the team resulting from a Public Records Act Request his department received one day a few years ago.

Stories and other links discussed in this episode:

• Salt Fork State Park Official Website
• Salt Fork State Park on YouTube

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Got a news tip or story to share? Send us an Email.

Have you seen an animal you can’t identify? Submit a report here.