A social media star who draws millions of views from around the world is putting his reputation on the line with an unbelievable find in the North American wilderness.
YouTube star Coyote Peterson, known for wildlife videos and willingly enduring some of the most painful stings of the animal kingdom, has now made a wild claim that could lead to the downfall of his image.
On July 7, Peterson shared photos of a trip to British Columbia, where he says he found a large primate skull.
In the social media posts, the skull appears in muddy water, partially covered in debris and dirt.
It appears to be much larger than his hand, with features that are seemingly clearly defined.
After initially believing the bone belonged to a bear, Peterson claims that only a closer inspection revealed that this did not come from a bear.
The discovery, supposedly made after a large rainstorm disturbed the area’s landscape and flora, has the social media star worried about a potential visit from government officials.
“Leaking pics here before they are taken down and before government/official try to cease our footage. Found a large primate skull in British Columbia,” Peterson wrote. “Have kept this secret for several weeks…”
“YES I have the skull, its currently in a secure location awaiting primatologist review.”
Peterson’s initial photographs are below.
The skull has sparked discussion online, where guesses about the bone’s identity range from baboon to bigfoot. Not everyone is convinced the find is even from a flesh-and-blood animal, however.
Some have pointed out that the “skull” matches a fake cast readily available for purchase online.
Left: Ali Express skull cast
Right: cropped additional pic from Coyote Peterson’s page.
Notice the teeth are very similar in terms of wear and shape @TetZoo pic.twitter.com/HgvYRWd6HZ
— Fossil Locator (@FossilLocator) July 8, 2022
Even experts are casting doubt on the discovery, noting the similarities in Peterson’s skull and those already known to science.
“This is undoubtedly a gorilla skull, as is obvious from numerous anatomical details, and as verified by a list of experts,” vertebrate paleontologist Darren Naish told LiveScience.
“We can straight away shut down the idea that it might be a real skull of an unknown primate,” he continued. “Nope. It’s a cast of a known species.”
While the evidence seems to overwhelmingly point to the skull being a replica of a known species, some are still holding this as potential proof that unidentified primates roam the North American wilderness.
