In July of 2006, some unusual foot prints were discovered in the sand of Lake Michigan. There were very deep, with a rounded impression on one end and a scattering of tossed sand at the other end. What could have made them? Watch the video and see what you think.
They're obviously not made with normal shoes or sneakers, and don't look like any bird or dog that I'm familiar with. They do like they're from something heavy. What made them?
In the video, people are trying to find something to match what they see. They assume that the deepest part is the heel, which matches their understanding of how human footprints are made. They note that they're close together, and that they're in a single line. In order to show scale, they video taped a one cent piece.
So far, so good. But what happens next is directly related to the name of the YouTube account: Lightsideufo. Lightside UFO is an organization that believes we are being visited by extraterrestrial beings. Their site at thelightside.org contains information and advice on these visitations, including "evidence." And, you guessed it... they think the tracks are caused by aliens. Once again, believing is seeing. Oh, and lest you think they're just being a bit credulous, be sure to see the follow up video here for the "real" explanation.
You may have heard in the video that they were taking the "film" to show someone. I think they meant "tape." But who they took it to was someone who believes that the tracks were caused by reptoid aliens ala V. It's a shame we don't have a footprint field guide for aliens.
Fortunately, we have the Internet, and sometimes, even on YouTube, comments are helpful. One person suggests that the prints might have been made by bears. They are close together, have a rounded back, and follow a single track just like a bear. But bears have non-retractracible claws, and though the sand is soft, it seems unlikely that there'd be no sign of claw marks. My guess is that the person who made that suggestion was familiar with bear tracks.
Another person suggested that the tracks were made by someone wearing flippers. I think this has some plausibility, especially after watching this video, but I'm troubled by the single-file nature of the tracks and the fact that I didn't see a clear flipper print anywhere in the sand. Still, a likely explanation. My guess is that it was made by someone who either snorkels or is SCUBA certified.
However, I'd like to point out another possibility: some kid was goofing around. Having grown up near the ocean, I can attest that I walked funny in the sand on purpose. I also tried to make the strangest tracks I could, just for fun. Kids – people do things like this. It's not at all unusual, despite whatever tracks might be left behind. That's my experience, so that's what I see.
The folks in this video were applying logic to what they saw, but they're vision was blinded by their unfounded beliefs. They wanted the tracks to be aliens, indeed, they rely on an "expert" to confirm their sighting. They did use logic, or a form of it, but not properly, and certainly not scientifically. Their bias was aliens. Mine is kids horsing around. There's a big difference between us though: I have really strong evidence for kids horsing around.
I'm fairly confident there's a good explanation for the prints, and I think it's likely mentioned above. Your observations are always welcome. I think the fascinating thing here is that anyone noticed them at all.