Bigfoot

An article from a parallel universe where Bigfoots or Giants are a species of hominids that lives on Earth in parallel with humanity:
From time immemorial, mankind has shared the planet with the Giants. These huge majestic creatures that inhabited the forests of northern Europe and the taiga expanses of Ericlandia, greatly influenced the life and culture of the human race, becoming the progenitors of many fairy tales, legends and myths, going down in history as younger brothers of people in intellect. All in order:
The first mentions of the Giants are found in the written sources of the Roman geographer and historian Antares, who studied the life and beliefs of the Germanic barbarian tribes, in the 3rd century BC. In his work "Peoples of the Northern Seas" he writes: "... Among the people of the Frisians there are legends about huge forest people that inhabit the surrounding forests. They say their men reach a height of two and a fifth of a cubits, and women - at least one and a third cubits. Also, according to the testimony of some hunters, they can break the back of a deer with one hand, and uproot pine trees ... ". When the Roman Empire began to expand to the north, the mention of the Giants also appears in other sources, for example, the campaign diary of the military leader Thracea from Ephesus:
"... The scout reported that at the radiated Elbis (Elbe) river he found a track that he initially took for a bear. We decided to take a look at it, and were very surprised, because they themselves saw a footprint, quite similar to a human, but not less than seven times larger.So that panic rumors about cyclops would not arise among the soldiers, the trail was destroyed, and the scout was ordered to be silent ... "
Who are the Giants, or Forest People, or Trolls, or Gigantopitek Erectus, or Bigfoots? In the myths of the peoples of Europe and Erikland, they are equally deified and demonized, however, in reality, evolutionarily they separated from Homo sapiens not too long ago. Anthropologists argue about the exact dating, but the latest finds say 5-6 million years. Unlike Australopithecus, who followed the path of close-knit groups, the ancestors of the Giants preferred a solitary life, rarely gathering to breed and care for offspring. In parallel with humanity, they developed upright posture, acquired opposing fingers, and wide feet, but they never lost hair on their bodies. 2 million years ago, the proto-giants leave the Libyan savannas, and settle in Europe and Asia. Here they occupy the niche of omnivorous large territorial animals, displacing the cave bear. Due to the wide food base, the size of these creatures is rapidly increasing, reaching 2.5 - 3 meters. During the Ice Age, apparently in search of more habitable territories, the Giants move across the frozen Bering Strait to Ericlandia, along with the ancestors of the indigenous Ericlandian redskin peoples. Giants know how to use tools made of stone and bone, wear clothes of ritual and practical significance made of processed leather, jewelry made of bones and stones, know how to build traps, but they do not know fire, do not tame animals, not have a developed language and not form tribal groups. The intellect of modern Giants is comparable to the intellect of a five-year-old human child, he can solve complex logical problems, count and write, and has a good memory.
The first thing that immediately catches your eye in the appearance of the Giants is thick stem-like legs and wide feet. This evolutionary solution allows Giants to distribute their body weight evenly without breaking their legs. However, this is not the only modification of their body that makes their body lighter than it seems. Significantly facilitate his air sinuses in the bones, the thin walls of the skull and the relatively small size of the brain (it is comparable to a human). However, the Giants still periodically prefer to move like a monkey, leaning on the knuckles, allowing the spine to rest from overload. The body of the Giants is covered with gray-brown or dark brown hair, except for the chest, abdomen, face, arms and legs. Their sweat glands are poorly developed, so the Forest People cool down by sticking out their tongue like a dog. Also, the palms and large ears, in which there are many blood vessels, participate in the process of heat transfer. Giants are omnivorous: their diet includes fish, venison, hare, wild boar, poultry, berries, mushrooms, roots, honey and even insects. In the Middle Ages on the British Isle they were branded as cannibals, for which hunting ambushes were set up, but cases of cannibalism among the Giants were not recorded. However, a person who enters the territory of a giant can become a victim of his quick-tempered temperament, and say goodbye to life. Pregnant or lactating females are especially dangerous.