Mystery of the Florida 'bogeyman' - and the five places it's been 'spotted'

Most US states person their ain versions of Bigfoot oregon different mythical creatures whose stories person been passed down done galore generations.

Florida is nary exception, but it does person the favoritism of having 1 of the grossest names for its beast of legend.

The 'Bardin Booger,' arsenic the cryptid has go known, has had respective sightings successful the landlocked Putnam County of bluish Florida.

Its name, breached down into 2 parts, comes from the tiny municipality wherever it was archetypal spotted named Bardin - and 'Booger,' which is simply a slang word for 'bogeyman.'

Like the Skunk Ape, different Florida-specific creature, the Bardin Booger is thought to beryllium a determination twist connected Bigfoot and Yeti myths, according to ClickOrlando.

Dave Shealy told DailyMail.com he's been doing Skunk Ape probe each his beingness aft he says helium archetypal saw 1 astatine the property of 10 successful 1974.  

Shealy's lifelong efforts to person the satellite of the creature's beingness - a pursuit he's stepped up successful caller months by touring the state with his grounds - person culminated successful him opening Skunk Ape Headquarters successful Ochopee, Florida.

The quaint depository precocious won the grant of being the 2nd champion roadside attraction successful the state arsenic ranked by USAToday.

Shealy besides listed 5 places wherever these enigmatic brutes are often seen.

Myakka State Park, Ocala National Forest, Kissimmee marshlands, the Florida Everglades, and Interstate 4 adjacent Interstate 95 are each seemingly the places to beryllium if you privation to laic eyes connected them.

Shealy believes determination are 5 to 7 Skunk Apes successful the Everglades and implicit the years, helium has acceptable up galore elevated structures successful the marshes hopefully to drawback a glimpse.

He adjacent claims they make nests successful the trees, thing helium says different Skunk Ape researchers person noted.

When it comes to the Bardin Booger, which shares similarities with the Skunk Ape but is seen mostly successful North Florida, tales astir it first began popping up successful the precocious 1940s, per The Florida Times-Union.

So the communicative goes, a pistillate was riding her equine done the woods of Bardin successful the summertime of 1947 erstwhile she thought she saw a precise gangly antheral with a agelong raincoat.

When she looked closer, however, she was shocked to larn the overgarment was really fur and that the antheral was thing but.

Many of the 424 residents of Bardin assertion to person seen the creature, with immoderate describing it arsenic a 10-foot-tall, furry, monkey-like creature.

'I spot monkeys retired present successful our woods each the time,' said lifelong nonmigratory Karen Moore. 'But I've ne'er seen 1 that's 10 feet tall.'

Another communicative astir the Booger describes him arsenic wearing torn, soiled apparel and having the look of a caveman. 

A 3rd communicative says the carnal gave disconnected a scent truthful foul that erstwhile a antheral raised his weapon to effort to sprout it, helium couldn't occurrence accurately.  

Perhaps the astir accordant item crossed the countless stories is that the Booger is often reported to beryllium carried a lantern.

Marie Dumont, the laminitis of the Mid Florida Bigfoot Research Group, tried to explicate wherefore this mightiness be.

'As a Bigfoot researcher, that is simply a beauteous communal thin,' she told ClickOrlando. 'Whether it’s genuinely a carnal that walks astir with a lantern? Highly unlikely. But it could beryllium that radical are seeing a Bigfoot oregon Skunk Ape, oregon they’re seeing a airy moving done the woods.'

Florida is simply a hotspot for Skunk Ape sightings, according to Dumont. Though reports from northbound and southbound Florida disagree rather a bit.

She said Skunk Apes sighted successful confederate Florida are usually smaller - 5 to 7 feet tall. They're thinner, person little hairsbreadth and lone person 4 toes, astatine slightest based connected the footprints immoderate assertion to person found.

Skunk Apes recovered northbound of Tampa, she said, are 6 to 9 feet gangly with 5 toes.