SNOW WAY!
Yeti tracks discovered in the Himalayas Indian army claim, sparking Twitter ridicule
Some pointed out the footprints seemed to be in a straight line joking the creature must 'only have one leg then'
SOLDIERS claim to have found Yeti tracks in the foothills of the Himalayas, sparking Twitter ridicule.
The Indian Army tweeted it had discovered "mysterious footprints of (the) mythical beast" at the Makalu Base Camp.
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Later army mountaineers shared pictures of footprints in the snow on its official Twitter account - which has nearly six million followers.
The post read: "For the first time, an Indian Army mountaineering expedition team has sited (sic) mysterious footprints of mythical beast Yeti."
The words were posted alongside three photos of footprints, and a group picture that appeared to be of a military expedition group.
The prints allegedly measured 32 inches by 15 inches (81 centimeters by 38 centimeters) and were found an isolated mountainous area between Nepal and Tibet.
"This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past," the post claimed.
It prompted a flurry of hilarious responses on social media, with many slamming the military for the post.
What is the Yeti and where does it live?
In Nepalese folklore the Yeti - also known as the 'Abominable Snowman' in the West - is a giant ape-like creature which inhabits the Himalayas.
Their existence has been never been proven, but they have captured the imagination of many, including naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
The Yeti became part of local traditions 350 years ago, when a holy man named took up residence in a cave near which had a clear view of Everest.
According to local folklore, he was said to have been aided by Yetis and to have kept relics from the mythical beasts.
In 1921, a journalist named Henry Newman interviewed a group of Brit explorers who had just returned from a Mount Everest expedition.
They told hime they had discovered some very large footprints which guides had attributed to "metoh-kangmi," meaning "man-bear snow-man."
Yeti fever really took off after Brit explorer Eric Shipton took a photo (left) near Everest in 1951 of what appeared to be a large primate-like footprint.
Since then there have been numerous instances of people, explorers, scientists claiming to have either sighted Yeti or spotted its footprints.
The Yeti is said to be muscular, covered with dark grayish or reddish-brown hair, and weigh between 200 and 400 lbs.
It is relatively short compared to North America's Bigfoot, averaging about 6 feet (1.8 meters) in height.
Some pointed out the footprints seemed to be in a straight line joking the Yeti must "only have one leg then".
Others also poked fun at the tweet and the hashtag #Yeti is now one of the top Twitter trending topics in India.
The Indian Army provided no further evidence of its find about the Abominable Snowman for about ten days but then decided that they matched earlier theories.
“So we thought it prudent (to go public) to excite scientific temper and rekindle the interest," the Army said.
There have been numerous attempts over the past few decades to solve the mystery of the Yeti.
In 2011, DNA tests on a "Yeti finger" taken from Nepal to London half a century ago found it to be human bone.
And in 2013, tests on hair samples carried out by Oxford University genetics professor Bryan Sykes found that they matched those from an ancient polar bear.
He said the most likely explanation for the myth is that the animal is a hybrid of polar bears and brown bears.
On March 26, the Indian Army said an 18-strong unit would make its its maiden expedition to Mount Makalu between March and May.
The unit was heading there as part of its objective of reaching the summit of all challenging peaks above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet), the statement said.
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Yeti-like creature walking on two legs at ski resort in the Pyrenees