1. Home
  2. Peer Review: On the Trail of Florida's Bigfoot--the Skunk Ape

Peer Review

On the Trail of Florida's Bigfoot--the Skunk Ape

Reviewed:

Jan 11, 2025 by Biology
Bookmark

Ratings

Overall Rating: 5.0 stars
Content Quality: 5.0 stars
Effectiveness: 5.0 stars
Ease of Use: 5.0 stars
Overview:

This is an investigative report on the Florida Skunk Ape (cryptid primate) by a science journalist from the Smithsonian. The first time Dave Shealy saw a Skunk Ape, he says, he was ten years old. It was 1974, a few years after his father had come upon a set of footprints left by the creature—an Everglades version of Bigfoot named for its supposedly pungent odor. Dave was out deer hunting with his older brother, Jack, in the swamp behind his house, in what’s now Big Cypress National Preserve, when he encountered the ape incarnate.

Type of Material:

This is a Case Study, along with a fun Video about the Skunk Ape.

Recommended Uses:

This material can be used individually or in the classroom as a case study for discussion.

Technical Requirements:

An Internet Browser equipped with Flash for video playback may be required to use this material.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

This material may be used as an example of good research used to study the legitimacy of the Skunk Ape (presumably related to Bigfoot).

Target Student Population:

The target population includes the General Public as well as High School and College students.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Some knowledge about biology and ecology will help users better understand the material.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:

  • The article addresses an emotionally charged issue in which many people have strong opinions in a scientifically reasonable way; it combines first hand account with excellent research to arrive at a likely conclusion
  • There are photographs, maps and embedded video to enhance the content
  • The article includes numerous links to supporting material
  • Although Bigfoot research may be met with some skepticism, this is a good example of how such work can be done
  • The material provides good scientific justification for the research
Concerns:

  • Few peer-reviewed references are provided, although links to relevant materials are included at this site

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:

  • The details, supporting material, maps and video make this a compelling case study in a purported unknown primate afoot in the Everglades
  • Instructors could make a worksheet, discussion questions or debate prompts based on this case study
  • This is an entertaining and fun site for Bigfoot research
  • Students will be interested in the topic and inspired to conduct similar research
  • The information is engaging and fun
  • This is a good site for getting an idea of what might be seen in nature
Concerns:

  • There were no concerns about potential teaching effectiveness at the time of this review

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:

  • The information is well organized
  • Site is fast and intuitive
  • No defective links or major bugs were found
  • Information is easy to understand
  • All links and embedded videos and images worked as intended
  • There are numerous options for sharing the article, from printing and email to a variety of social media platforms
  • The writing is accessible
Concerns:

  • There were no concerns about ease of use at the time of this review
Other Issues and Comments:

Hooray for Bigfoot (Skunk Ape)!  More information like this should be included in MERLOT to help users better understand how this type of research can be done.

Creative Commons:
creative-commonscreative-commons by