In December 1951, a climber on Mount Everest took photos of mysterious footprints thought to be those of the "Abominable Snowman." The images captured the imagination of many climbers.
In December 1951, a climber on Mount Everest took photos of mysterious footprints thought to be those of the "Abominable Snowman." The images captured the imagination of many climbers.
Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The Yeti has loomed large in legend and folklore for hundreds of years. Even Disneyland's Matterhorn ride features a Yeti.
The Yeti has loomed large in legend and folklore for hundreds of years. Even Disneyland's Matterhorn ride features a Yeti.
MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
Yetis were thought to be hairy creatures that walked on two legs. In the local language, the word means "that thing there." This is a model from the 1977 movie "Yeti."
Yetis were thought to be hairy creatures that walked on two legs. In the local language, the word means "that thing there." This is a model from the 1977 movie "Yeti."
Keystone/Getty Images
Sir Edmund Hillary, the first Westerner to reach the top of Everest, claimed to have found Yeti hair. He even led an expedition to find the elusive creature, but his results were inconclusive.
Sir Edmund Hillary, the first Westerner to reach the top of Everest, claimed to have found Yeti hair. He even led an expedition to find the elusive creature, but his results were inconclusive.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
After Hillary and Nepalese-Indian alpinist Tenzing Norgay made their climb, dozens of others followed in their footsteps, searching for the Yeti.
After Hillary and Nepalese-Indian alpinist Tenzing Norgay made their climb, dozens of others followed in their footsteps, searching for the Yeti.
Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
The US State Department took the idea of a Yeti so seriously, it issued three rules for anyone who would encounter one, including making a promise not to kill it. Members of the 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition team and Sherpas reached the top on May 1, 1963, becoming the first Americans to do so.
The US State Department took the idea of a Yeti so seriously, it issued three rules for anyone who would encounter one, including making a promise not to kill it. Members of the 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition team and Sherpas reached the top on May 1, 1963, becoming the first Americans to do so.
Henry S. Hall, Jr. American Alpine Club Library, Barry Corbet Personal Papers and Films/AP
The founder of the Pangboche monastery in Khumbu, Nepal, with its beautiful view of Everest, was a hermit who, legend has it, was cared for by friendly Yetis that brought him food, fuel and drink.
The founder of the Pangboche monastery in Khumbu, Nepal, with its beautiful view of Everest, was a hermit who, legend has it, was cared for by friendly Yetis that brought him food, fuel and drink.
Jon Arnold/AWL Images RM/Getty Images
A preserved skull and hand said to be that of a Yeti or Abominable Snowman was on display at Pangboche monastery in April 1976. The hand was later stolen.
A preserved skull and hand said to be that of a Yeti or Abominable Snowman was on display at Pangboche monastery in April 1976. The hand was later stolen.
Ernst Haas/Ernst Haas/Getty Images
A femur bone from the decayed body of a purported Yeti was found in a cave in Tibet. Biologist Charlotte Lindqvist tested DNA from the bone for Icon Films' "Yeti or Not" TV special. The bone was from a Tibetan brown bear.
A femur bone from the decayed body of a purported Yeti was found in a cave in Tibet. Biologist Charlotte Lindqvist tested DNA from the bone for Icon Films' "Yeti or Not" TV special. The bone was from a Tibetan brown bear.
Icon Films Ltd.
A hair sample was said to have come from a Yeti that a Jesuit priest spotted in the Nepalese mountains in the 1950s, according to producers for "Yeti or Not." Lindqvist sequenced DNA from the hair and found that it was from a Tibetan brown bear.
A hair sample was said to have come from a Yeti that a Jesuit priest spotted in the Nepalese mountains in the 1950s, according to producers for "Yeti or Not." Lindqvist sequenced DNA from the hair and found that it was from a Tibetan brown bear.
Icon Films Ltd.
The Everest Himalayan Range in Nepal is home to the world's tallest mountain and several endangered bear species that have been mistaken for Yeti.
The Everest Himalayan Range in Nepal is home to the world's tallest mountain and several endangered bear species that have been mistaken for Yeti.
Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
Himalayan brown bears from Deosai National Park, Pakistan, are among the sources of DNA from samples purported to be Yetis. The creatures are threatened by modern development.
Himalayan brown bears from Deosai National Park, Pakistan, are among the sources of DNA from samples purported to be Yetis. The creatures are threatened by modern development.
Abdullah Khan, Snow Leopard Foundation
Doctor Who was threatened by Abominable Snowman, which looked very different from other versions of the creature.
Doctor Who was threatened by Abominable Snowman, which looked very different from other versions of the creature.
BBC
The 2001 movie "Monsters Inc." featured a Yeti who worked in the mail room.
The 2001 movie "Monsters Inc." featured a Yeti who worked in the mail room.
Pixar Animations Studios/IMDB
The Bumble plays the bad guy to Rudolph in "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," but this Yeti gets a lot nicer when an elf removes his infected teeth.
The Bumble plays the bad guy to Rudolph in "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," but this Yeti gets a lot nicer when an elf removes his infected teeth.
Classic Media/CBS Entertainment/IMDB