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The
Yowie!
A mystery of evolution Over the years, there have been well over 3000 reports of a huge, hairy, ape like creature with very big feet. It is always seen alone, is extremely shy of humans, screams offensively and like the nth American big foot, possesses a vile odour. For example, in the Mudgee district in 1903, a Yowie sighting described what appeared to be suspiciously like a dwarfed version of Chewbacca:
So is the Yowie a figment of the Australians love of grog or desire to live in fantasy world in the pre Star Wars age? In regards to mystical creatures like the Mermaid, some sceptics have noted a tendency of humans to imagine what they want to exist. Indeed this theory explains why drunk sailors with blue balls looked at dolphins and saw aquatic ladies built for giving blowjobs; however, it defies logic as to why someone would want to imagine a big hairy primate that emits a vile odour. After all, a trip to the Melbourne fruit markets would find plenty of these. Other sceptics have cited the tendency of American shooters to mistake bushwalkers for deer as evidence that people have failing eyesight in the wilderness. Indeed there does seem to be such a case of mistaken identity in one Yowie sighting. In 1987 the Alice Springs' police station received a call from a frightened family. The family had stopped for a cup of tea after a morning of rabbit hunting. Then a huge ape like creature, two meters tall and covered in hair, leapt out of an empty water tank and began walking towards them. The family fled to their truck and the creature ran after them before disappearing into the bush. The man, Frank Burns, believed it was a man; however, the woman, Phyllis Kenny, told the press she could tell the difference between man and beast and this was definitely a beast. The following day police searched the area and found a man, 203 centimetres tall weighing an estimated 127-159 kg (or about two Oprah Winfreys) sitting naked by the roadside. He was then taken to the local mental hospital. Of the reported sightings that haven't later revealed to be an escaped mental patient or a hermit in jungle attire, some almost appear credible. In 2000, a Mr Steve Piper was filming in the Brindabella Ranges south of Canberra when he captured a hairy figure limping through the bush. The film was subsequently entered into the public record when shown on the prime-time news. Local university students later claimed it a hoax played by walking through the bush in an old koala suit. However Yowie experts dismissed their confession, saying that it was their claims rather than the film that was a fabrication. Australia's foremost authority on the subject, Tim the Yowie Man, is convinced that Yowies do exist. Tim began his career as a mild mannered economist but his life changed after coming face to face with a Yowie during a bushwalking expedition. Tim realised his calling and gave up the figures to investigate those mysterious occurrences that others were too afraid to openly discuss. Tim named his genre "cryptonaturalism" and to this day, he remains the genre's only occupant. The oral history of Aborigines also records a strange ape-like creature. Depending on which area of Australia the Aborigines lived and which tribe they belonged, they had names for the creature including "Noocoonah", "Doolagahl", "Gooligah", "Quinken", "Thoolagal", "Yaroma", "Yahoo", "Jingera", "Jimbra" and "Tjandara". Could primates have evolved into humans in multiple regions and could one of those strains of primates evolved into the Yowie? There are some who would say yes! Evidence in support of the view comes from archaeological excavations at Kow Swamp by Professor Alan Thorne from the ANU. The skeletons showed Homo erectus features, such as thick brow ridges, very large faces and huge teeth. Well, maybe the evidence isn't that strong but it just goes to show that there are some surprised in Australia that are not always easy to explain. If the Yowie was not a remnant Homo erectus, could it have been an unusal marsupial? If a marsupial evolved into a wolf like creature, in a similar example of parallel evolution, could a marsupial also have evolved into a primate like creature? The fossil record shows there once existed a kangaroo three meters tall, weighing 300kg with long arms and front paws equipped with two extra-long fingers. Its face was flat and it had forward facing eyes. Could this have been the creature once referred to as "Noocoonah", "Doolagahl", "Gooligah", "Quinken"? As someone who reconstructed the fossil imagined:
Yowie Power is a chocolate aimed at kids but often bought by adults. It is like an easter egg but inside there is a great surprise toy that the whole family can enjoy.
Book writing - Some Yowie hunters have written books about the search for the Yowie. The most respected authority is Tim the Yowie Man. Activity - Yowie sightingPretend you were out bush and make up a convincing story about seeing a Yowie. In your story explain:
After your finished the story, draw a picture Contact Tim the Yowie Man with your story and see how he responds.
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