What is the yeti?
The yeti is a large ape-like creature covered in hair, said to live high in the Himalayas. In English it is also called the Abominable Snowman. Among the Sherpa and other local people, it has long been spoken of as a being that lives in the mountains.
Footprint photos and sightings
In 1951, the mountaineer Eric Shipton released photographs of large footprints he had taken on a glacier near Everest, and the yeti became world-famous. Climbing teams and expeditions from many countries, including Japan, have searched for it since. Relics said to be a yeti scalp or hand, kept at monasteries, are also well known.
What is the yeti really?
A DNA study published in 2017 reported that most of the hair, bone and other samples attributed to the yeti came from bears, such as the Himalayan black bear and the Tibetan brown bear. The footprints are most likely tracks of bears and other animals that spread as the snow melted.
