London: An Oxford University researcher has claimed that Bigfoot is nothing but a cross between an ancient polar bear and brown bear.
According to Bryan Sykes, professor of human genetics at the university, the most likely explanation for the existence of the mythical creature, which is believed to reside in the High Himalayas, is that it is a hybrid.
Sykes has explained in his upcoming book, titled ` The Yeti Enigma: A DNA Detective Story`, that the species are closely related and are known to interbreed where their territories overlap.
He believes that the Yeti, also known as `Abominable Snowman`, could mean there is a sub species of brown bear descended from the bear that was the ancestor of the polar bear.
Or it could mean there has been more recent hybridisation between the brown bear and the descendent of the ancient polar bear, he asserted.
Sykes, who based his study on the hair samples he collected from a `Yeti` that were found to have a genetic match with an ancient polar bear dating back 120,000 years, added that there is more work to be done on interpreting the results.
