What's on the Menu for Bigfoot? What Researchers Think Sasquatch Eats
If Bigfoot is a real animal, what does it eat? An eight-foot-tall, heavily built creature would need a substantial amount of food to survive. And if it lives in remote forests across North America, its diet would probably change with the seasons and the resources available in different regions.
Based on eyewitness accounts and the opinions of several Bigfoot researchers, the leading theory is that Sasquatch would be an omnivore, meaning it eats both plants and animals.
Berries, Roots, Nuts and Wild Plants
Reports frequently describe Sasquatch eating or gathering wild vegetation. Foods mentioned include berries, roots, grasses, leaves, nuts, tree shoots and other edible plants.
This would make sense for a large forest-dwelling animal. Berries and fruits provide sugars and energy, while roots and nuts can offer valuable nutrients and calories. A varied plant diet would also give an animal options when hunting is unsuccessful.
Fish, Deer and Other Meat
The reported menu doesn't stop at vegetation. Sightings describe Bigfoot catching fish, including salmon, and pursuing or carrying deer and other animals.
Other reported food sources include rabbits, rodents, elk, hogs, shellfish, insects and even carrion. Some accounts describe animals taking food from human camps, farms or storage areas.
What Do Researchers Think?
Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum, an anthropologist at Idaho State University known for his work examining alleged Sasquatch footprints, has discussed the possibility of a broad, omnivorous diet. In a 2020 interview with MeatEater, he described the reported menu as ranging from roots and berries to salmon and elk.
The North American Wood Ape Conservancy has also examined the question of possible Sasquatch diet, including reports of plant and animal consumption. Its discussion points out an important problem: without a confirmed animal or verified biological samples, it is extremely difficult to establish what the creature actually eats.
A Forest Survival Specialist?
One interesting possibility is that Bigfoot would be less like a specialized predator and more like a bear: an adaptable animal capable of taking advantage of whatever food sources are available.
That could mean berries in summer, nuts in autumn, fish when they are running, and small or large game when the opportunity presents itself. Its diet might also vary considerably depending on whether it lives in the Pacific Northwest, the Appalachian region or another habitat.
Of course, we still don't have scientifically verified evidence establishing Bigfoot as a living species, so these dietary ideas remain informed speculation based on reported encounters—not a confirmed wildlife feeding study.
But if Sasquatch does exist, one thing seems reasonable: an animal that large would have to be a pretty resourceful forager.
Sources and further reading:
- MeatEater: What Does Bigfoot Eat? — Interviews with several prominent Bigfoot researchers, including Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum.
- North American Wood Ape Conservancy: Analysis of Feces and Hair Suspected to be of Sasquatch Origin — Discusses reported food sources and the challenges of studying suspected biological evidence.
- Sasquatch The Legend: What Sasquatch Eats — A collection of historical eyewitness accounts involving reported food consumption.
