IS THIS BIGFOOT HAIR?

Could this be the DEFINITIVE proof that we have been looking for???  

The proof we need to finally convince the world ONCE AND FOR ALL that those of us who spend way too much time in the woods thinking about what could be lurking behind every tree we pass-by, have in fact been engaged in the valid pursuit of an extremely large but unknown creature.  A creature who walks upright and is frighteningly similar to us, yet so completely different that they haunt our dreams, both waking and sleeping, for a greater majority of our lives than almost anything else??

Do we finally have what it takes to bring this topic MAINSTREAM?  

I was handed the above sample while up in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range a few days ago.  My friend said here you go, I just found some of what I know has been submitted for DNA analysis to at least one study currently under way.  I looked at what was in my hand, and then back at him, and incredulously asked "Black Moss"?  There are people who think Black Moss is Bigfoot hair?"                                                                

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bryoria_nadvornikiana.jpg

Yep he said, I have witnessed this myself.  This was hard for me to comprehend, as anyone who has spent much time at all in the forests of North America will have quickly come across at least one variety of this common lichen of the Genus Bryoria.  It grows in trees and bushes and when it falls is found laying around in clumps or tangles amidst other debris. Yes it is usually greenish, grayish, or brownish in color, but can come in a wide variety including yellow and black, as in the variety found in this picture, Bryoria nadvornikiana, which is also found in lighter colors here: 

http://www.sharnoffphotos.com/lichens/bryoria_nadvornikiana.html

If we take a closer look at my above sample we can see that the hair-like clump has curls and stems coming out in an abundance of directions all branching off of each other, as well as having a very fibrous appearance in general.  

Close-up of Sierra Lichen Sample

When I touch it, it is very course, heavy and almost rubbery, not something I would ever think of as characteristic of hair, and especially not correlating to the description of the kind of hair the witnesses I have talked with have conveyed as seeing on Bigfoot.  This clump could almost be described as "pubic-like" though much thicker and heavier than that, but does not conform to the way that the hair of any animal, including us Homo sapien members of the Kingdom Animalia, is known to grow.

Further close-up of my sample

As you can see it did not take any special equipment, like a microscope or spectrophotometer, to do a little leg work to determine that this is not hair or fur, as hair/fur does not grow in a branching, divergent fashion off of other shafts, as this lichen sample does.

And closer still

All I needed was my cell phone camera set on it's maximum 4X close-up setting.

For more information on mammalian hair growth please follow this link: Structural Characteristics of the Hair of Mammals

So for me this lichen is a great example of why it is so important to do the proper follow up work when we are out in the woods trying to collect evidence and calling ourselves "Field Researchers".  Even as amateurs, without scientific training or access to laboratories and collections of known specimens to use for comparison, everyone now has the great resources available on the internet, which can allow for the proper due diligence when determining if something is or is not related to Bigfoot.  Did you take a picture of something you think was a Bigfoot?  Then it is of utmost importance to go back at a later time and investigate what is still present where that picture was taken, so you can show that what you are claiming is a creature is in fact no longer there, and so you can take measurements of the surroundings to determine the size of the object in your picture.  Did you find something you think could be a biological sample from a Bigfoot and which could provide DNA for a definitive analysis and proof of an unknown species? Then please do your best to rule out any other more probable explanations before jumping to the conclusion that what you have found must be from Bigfoot.  

Remember the Principal of Occum's Razor, which in a nut shell states that the theory with the fewest assumptions should be used first.  In other words, don't automatically assume you have something from a Bigfoot, just because you don't know what it is in your hand.  Use the Scientific Method and first try to prove to yourself that what you have is NOT Bigfoot in origin, then if you have ruled out all other explanations you can proceed with the analysis needed to show that it is!

Possible explanations can become needlessly complex. It is coherent, for instance, to add the involvement of Leprechauns to any explanation, but Occam's razor would prevent such additions, unless they were necessary.

You can read about and see more pictures of the Bryoria Lichens at the links below:

Bryoria nadvornikiana 

Bryoria Species 

Lichen Index 

Bryoria Images