Bigfoot is a bear but Loch Ness is not a giant eel, says data scientist using maths to explain legends

In the field of cryptozoology — the study of animals which have not yet been proven to exist — there are no bigger questions than what is Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster.

Now, a scientist has used statistics to try and explain the legends of two of the world’s most high profile urban myths.

Bigfoot and Nessie, two behemoths of 20th century culture, have been the subject of press attention for 90 years and are still making headlines as people try and conclude, once and for all, if they are fact or fiction.

Modern studies have found no convincing evidence that Loch Ness is the habitat of a giant prehistoric marine reptile or that there is an as-yet-unrecognised species of giant bipedal ape roaming around the US Pacific Northwest.

Floe Foxen, a US-based data scientist, has used cold, hard numbers to try and tackle the mysteries.

The self-described “epistemic trespasser” has a day job as a professional data scientist and repurposed the number-crunching methods of his work to Nessie and Bigfoot.

He found that, statistically speaking, the current theory that Bigfoot sightings are actuall...
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