Paranthropus as Bigfoot

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Paranthropus is the genus name for three different species of hominids. They include P. aethiopicus, P. robustus, and P. boisei. These species existed in the fossil record from 2.9 million years ago to 1.0 million years ago. They were bipedal, hirsute, between 4-5 feet tall, and weighed around 100 lbs. They had a robust skull, large teeth, a relatively flat face, and a brain of about 500-550 cc. Paranthropus species would have had sizeable sagittal crests. The large teeth and sagittal crest allowed them to eat tough roots and tubers; however their diet was extremely varied and included leaves, fruits, seeds, grasses, termites, and possibly meat. They primarily lived in forested habitats. 

Trying to figure out what species Bigfoot may be is in some ways pointless. It doesn't add to the database of reasons supporting its existence, rather it's just an exercise in trying to put labels on things that are impossible to label. But it is fun to hypothesize. A few thoughts on Paranthropus as Bigfoot are as follows.

Knee Wobble

 In the Patterson-Gimlin video the subject is walking with an inward wobble or swivel movement on the leg by the knee. The documentary Sasquatch Legend Meets Science had a section where the gait was analyzed with computer software. This software charted the gait of the subject and showed an inward wobble with every step (Source at 29:00: Sasquatch - Legend meets Science). This is a significant finding as this wobble is a Paranthropus trait. A 2006 study (Source: Early human ancestors had a wobble in their walk) concluded that Paranthropus also walked with an inward wobble in their gait. Paranthropus is the only hominid species with this gait anomaly. Because this trait was first found in a study from 2006, almost 40 years after the PG footage was filmed, it would be impossible for potential hoaxers to include this in a PG film hoax. 

Size

The physical size doesn't match. But maybe it can. Paranthropus species were not large. If Paranthropus is Bigfoot they moved out of Africa. Moving out of Africa would mean moving northward. If they moved north they would be affected by Bergmann’s rule. Bergmann's rule states that body mass increases as latitude increases, and as the climate gets cooler. This biological rule tells us that Paranthropus would get larger if they moved out of Africa, and it is fair to assume a good deal larger if they moved far enough to cross the Bering Strait land bridge. In addition to this, competition with other megafauna (think short-faced bear and cave lions) would dictate the need for a large body size. Bergmann’s rule only affects Homo sapiens to a small extent because we can control our environment.
 

Skull Morphology

 Bigfoot are often reported to have relatively flat faces. This trait is consistent with Paranthropus as they evolved flatter faces than their proganthic ancestors. This image (Paranthropus Recreation Skull) shows the rather flat face of Paranthropus. The supraorbital ridge is a thick bony "brow ridge" above the eyes. Bigfoot is widely reported to have a brow ridge, and Paranthropus unequivocally had them. A trait I find interesting in Bigfoot sightings that is relatively commonly reported is big mouths. Not in a blowhard from Long Island type of way, but a physically large mouth. Well, Paranthropus had a big mouth:  Tough Early Human Loved Fruit. The aforementioned sagittal crest. A sagittal crest is a bony ridge running lengthwise across the middle of the top of the skull from front to back. A large sagittal crest indicates the presence of strong jaw muscles as the muscles that enable chewing are anchored to the sagittal crest. Having a large sagittal crest would cause the head to look pointed or conical. This is another trait that was present on Paranthropus and is consistently reported of Bigfoot. Dr. Jeff Meldrum did a very interesting image layover of a Paranthropus skull on Patty of the PG film at 1:16:00:  Dr. Jeff Meldrum: The Patterson Gimlin Film Fifty Years Later and here 40:00:  Sasquatch : Legend Meets Science. It matches almost perfectly.