LONDON — DNA testing is taking a bite out of the Bigfoot legend. After scientists analyzed more than 30 hair samples reportedly left behind by Bigfoot and similar mythical beasts like the Himalayan Yeti, they found all of them came from more mundane creatures like bears, wolves, cows, and raccoons.
In 2012, researchers at Oxford University and the Lausanne Museum of Zoology issued an open call asking museums, scientists, and Bigfoot aficionados to share any samples they thought were from the legendary ape-like creatures.
‘‘I thought there was about a 5 percent chance of finding a sample from a Neanderthal or” a Yeti, said Bryan Sykes of Oxford University, who led the research, the first peer-reviewed study of Bigfoot, Yeti, and other ‘‘anomalous primates.’’ The study was published online Wednesday in the journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Sykes and colleagues tested 36 hair samples from Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Russia, and the United States using DNA sequencing, and all of them matched DNA from known animals. Most were from bears.
While Sykes said they didn’t find any proof of Bigfoot-related creatures, he acknowledged their paper doesn’t prove they don’t exist.