Search goes on for the elusive Skunk Ape

The sticky, thick Florida brush is home to some frightening creatures: snakes, alligators, and possibly another, scarier one. "It's half man and half animal," said Dave Shealy, who has spent most of his life searching for the creature known as the Skunk Ape – a large, hairy, foul-smelling, ape-like creature.

Legend says the creature lives here in the heart of the Florida Everglades. "I saw a Skunk Ape. It was approx 6 and a half feet tall maybe 350 pounds," Shealy said. "It walked upright, like a man, but kinda hunched over."

Shealy isn't the only one who claims to have seen it. Ochopee Fire Chief Vince Doerr saw it years ago while driving early in the morning. Suddenly, a massive fur-covered creature crossed the road ahead of him. He grabbed his camera from his car and quickly got out.



"I yelled at it, and I just went "Hey!" It kinda turned toward me, and looked, it was about 500 feet from me," Doerr said. He snapped a single photograph.

Not everyone believes the Skunk Ape is really out there. "It would have to be the most intelligent living thing on earth to have avoided being detected for so long," said Ron Magill of Miami MetroZoo.

He argues that every creature leaves a trail. "You're talking about an animal that is bigger than me, and I'm 6'6" and stinks to high heaven that's got huge fur, walking through the everglades and doesn't leave a track, doesn't leave a fecal sample, doesn't leave anything," Magill said.

With news video.