For over my 27+ years, those of us on the front lines of Bigfoot research have documented and discussed a phenomenon many dismissed as folklore, imagination or junk science: wood knocks.
From the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest to the remote hills of Appalachia, researchers and witnesses alike have reported rhythmic knocking sounds often described as deliberate, spaced, and often responsive.
Our community has long proposed that these knocks serve as a form of communication, possibly used by Bigfoot to signal location, alert others, or mark territory.
Now science is finally catching up.
From the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest to the remote hills of Appalachia, researchers and witnesses alike have reported rhythmic knocking sounds often described as deliberate, spaced, and often responsive.
Our community has long proposed that these knocks serve as a form of communication, possibly used by Bigfoot to signal location, alert others, or mark territory.
Now science is finally catching up.
Source: Current Biology A newly published peer-reviewed study in Current Biology has revealed that wild chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, engage in rhythmic drumming behaviors using the buttress roots of trees. The researchers analyzed over 370 drumming bouts across 11 chimpanzee communities, spanning two subspecies: eastern (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) and western (Pan troglodytes verus). What they found is remarkable.
Source: Current Biology These apes do not just strike trees randomly. They drum with intentional timing, show isochrony—regular intervals between hits—and even demonstrate distinct rhythmic patterns based on subspecies. Western chimpanzees drum more consistently and rapidly, while eastern chimpanzees alternate between short and long beats, introducing variability into their rhythms.
Not only do chimpanzees drum rhythmically, but they often do so during travel, rest, or in conjunction with pant-hoot vocalizations. These behaviors are not arbitrary. They appear to convey social information such as identity, location, and movement, which precisely what we have long suggested Sasquatch may be doing with wood knocks.
Let that sink in.
Not only do chimpanzees drum rhythmically, but they often do so during travel, rest, or in conjunction with pant-hoot vocalizations. These behaviors are not arbitrary. They appear to convey social information such as identity, location, and movement, which precisely what we have long suggested Sasquatch may be doing with wood knocks.
Let that sink in.
This study confirms that percussive behavior, using objects in the environment to create rhythmic sound is not just a human trait. It exists in the wild among great apes. And while primatologists are just now recognizing its importance, we in the Sasquatch research community have been reporting and interpreting this behavior for decades.
This is not about taking a victory lap. It is about validation.
We have always been cautious not to leap to conclusions. Anecdotes are not data. But when thousands of independent reports describe the same behavior, patterns emerge. The wood knock theory did not arise out of fantasy. It was born from field observations, audio analysis, and boots-on-the-ground experience. And now, science is showing that such a communication method is not only biologically plausible, it is already happening in known primate species.
The implications are massive.
This is not about taking a victory lap. It is about validation.
We have always been cautious not to leap to conclusions. Anecdotes are not data. But when thousands of independent reports describe the same behavior, patterns emerge. The wood knock theory did not arise out of fantasy. It was born from field observations, audio analysis, and boots-on-the-ground experience. And now, science is showing that such a communication method is not only biologically plausible, it is already happening in known primate species.
The implications are massive.
Source: Squatchdetective University If chimpanzees are using drumming to coordinate, communicate, and perhaps even express individual identity, it strengthens the argument that a highly intelligent, socially complex hominin like Sasquatch could use similar methods in its natural habitat. Especially one operating in dense, acoustically rich forest environments where vocal signals can be distorted or masked.
This moment reminds us that real discovery does not always start in a lab. Sometimes it starts in the field, with researchers following intuition, patterns, and persistence. And sometimes it takes decades for science to catch up with what seasoned investigators have known all along.
This moment reminds us that real discovery does not always start in a lab. Sometimes it starts in the field, with researchers following intuition, patterns, and persistence. And sometimes it takes decades for science to catch up with what seasoned investigators have known all along.
Click on the image to go to podcast where we discuss this in depth! Keep knocking. They might just knock back!
'Till Next Time...
Squatch-D
'Till Next Time...
Squatch-D
Here is the attribution for the Scientific Study below:
"Chimpanzee drumming shows rhythmicity and subspecies variation"
Author: Vesta Eleuteri,Jelle van der Werff,Wytse Wilhelm,Adrian Soldati,Catherine Crockford,Nisarg Desai,Pawel Fedurek,Maegan Fitzgerald,Kirsty E. Graham,Kathelijne Koops,Jill Pruetz,Liran Samuni,Katie Slocombe,Angela Stoeger,Michael L. Wilson et al.
Publication: Current Biology Publisher: Elsevier Date: Available online 9 May 2025
"Chimpanzee drumming shows rhythmicity and subspecies variation"
Author: Vesta Eleuteri,Jelle van der Werff,Wytse Wilhelm,Adrian Soldati,Catherine Crockford,Nisarg Desai,Pawel Fedurek,Maegan Fitzgerald,Kirsty E. Graham,Kathelijne Koops,Jill Pruetz,Liran Samuni,Katie Slocombe,Angela Stoeger,Michael L. Wilson et al.
Publication: Current Biology Publisher: Elsevier Date: Available online 9 May 2025
Steve's Scientific Paper on Rhythmic Percussive Communication in Primates...
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