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According to Wikipedia, “a sagittal crest is a ridge of bone running lengthwise along the midline of the top of the skull, (at the sagittal suture), of mammalian and reptilian skulls, among others. Wikipedia suggests that when an animal has this ridge it is because it has extremely “strong jaw muscles”. The sagittal crest is used to attach the temporalis muscle. This particular muscle is directly related to chewing. It indicates that the animal is designed to bite hard and to be able to hold its prey in its mouth even while it struggles. Many carnivores have the sagittal crest. Great apes have them, including male gorillas and orangutans, cats, dogs, and lions as well. It is rare for male chimpanzees to have them though they can develop them. Even a couple of plant eaters have sagittal crests, but only a couple.

According to Wikipedia, “The largest sagittal crest ever discovered in the human lineage belongs to the 'Black Skull', Paranthropus aethiopicus field number KNM WT 17000, the earliest known robust hominid ancestor and the oldest robust australopithecine discovered to date. The prominence of the crest appears to have been an adaptation for the aethiopicus's heavy chewing, and the Black Skull's cheek teeth are correspondingly large. Smaller sagittal crests are also present on the skulls of other Paranthropines, including Paranthropus boisei and Paranthropus robustus.” One of our witnesses mentioned that the creature's teeth looked somewhat like horse teeth. This would make him a plant eater. Of course, he may have a combination of chewing, ripping and grinding teeth that we have yet to discover.

So, what can we learn from the Sagittal Crest? Bigfoot has been reported to have one. If you look at the Patterson film or pictures taken from it, you will see a very distinct Sagittal Crest. In fact the reported Yeti skull cap displayed in the monastery in Tibet has a Sagittal Crest as well. This denotes that the animal has a very strong set of chewing muscles. Can we imply that Bigfoot is, at the very least, a carnivore? And, perhaps like us, he could well be an omnivore, eating a wide variety of additional food sources such as wild fruits, berries, and nuts. I would even think that he, like the bear might have a fondness for the sweet taste of wild honey.

The Neanderthal man had a Sagittal Crest. Because of his body type in general it is said that he was four times stronger than humans. The sagittal crest would suggest that he was well adapted for eating meat and validates what we know about his strength and abilities. Since it is well known that he hunted, I think we can safely say that Neanderthal man's main diet consisted of meat with a bit of seasonal plant life. Can we say that for Bigfoot as well? It would a logical conclusion.

Bigfoot has been said to be much taller, stronger, and larger than us humans. It would be likely that because of its stocky, muscular body type, it too would have developed strong jaw muscles, thus, the sagittal crest would be an obvious development considering the harsh and isolated conditions that Bigfoot seems to thrive in. He is also reported to have a large head. If you adhere to the theory of most scientists studying Neanderthal man, that a bigger head holds a larger brain, Bigfoot would naturally follow along those evolutionary developments. I believe technology took us down a different path and as we invented easier methods for utilizing and cooking food, not to mention the creation of an agrarian culture, we did not have to have the strong jaw muscles to survive. Therefore, we do not have the sagittal crest.

So what do we know? Bigfoot has strong jaw muscles. He is built with the stocky, agile, extremely strong musculature similar to Neanderthal man. While Neanderthal man was short, Bigfoot is tall. They both have sagittal crests, large heads, and large brains. The rest is conjecture. But, isn't that what research is all about? We take what we know and theorize what might be. That is why it is important to prove that Bigfoot exists. We certainly have a lot of questions we need answered.