Exploring Alabama’s “White Thang”: Bigfoot’s Albino Cousin

How well do you know your cryptids and mythical creatures?

Loch Ness Monster: Check

Bigfoot: Absolutely

Mothman: Maybe?

White Thang: Probably Not

What is a White “Thang”?

Alabama’s White Thang, as in the cryptid, is our version of Bigfoot. A survey completed in 2019 named White Thang as Alabama’s pick for the most mythical creature in the state.

Sightings of the creature began in the early 1900s and continue to present day. White Thang is said to inhabit northcentral Alabama and is possibly a cousin of the legendary Bigfoot.

Most reports agree that it is covered with snow-white hair and has glowing red eyes. Some describe the beast as standing approximately eight feet tall on two legs, and appears ape-like, while others say it looks like a white lion or a kangaroo with a cat’s head. Some witnesses have also said that it didn’t have any visible eyes or ears. A possible explanation for the varying descriptions is that some believe that the beast can shape-shift into different forms.

Apparently, the creature can move fairly quickly for its size and can run on all fours or stand upright. If that doesn’t give you nightmares, how about claims that it can jump fences, climb trees, has a gag-inducing foul smell, and emits a high-pitched screech that sounds like a woman screaming? I definitely wouldn’t want to meet this guy on a walk through the woods.

Most sightings occur in the triangle between Morgan, Etowah, and Jefferson counties. Reports have come from hunters deep in the woods and those who witnessed the creature lurking inside their own neighborhoods and yards.

It’s said by older generations in the area that White Thang was most often seen near funeral wakes whenever someone in the community passed away. Others state that he would appear during hog-killings. Could this association mean that it’s some type of spirit, protector, or just attracted to the smell of death?

Where Did White Thang Come From?

Well, it’s hard to pinpoint the origin of something that lacks the evidence to prove that it’s even real. So, no one really knows.

It’s possible that White Thang was simply an albino black bear or cougar that was misidentified. Some locals believe that it is a known animal with a genetic mutation or an escaped exotic animal that just isn’t indigenous to the area. The theory that it might be an albino “devil monkey”, a cryptid reported in the Appalachian Mountains, has also been put forth.

Others stretch a little farther claiming that it is a supernatural being, alien, guardian spirit, or protector of nature.

But Is It Real?

Naturally, a lot of people feel that if White Thang truly existed, we would have located it by now. On the other hand, if a creature such as this were to exist undetected for this long, Alabama would be the perfect place for it to call home. Alabama had an estimated 23,093,930 acres of forest land within its borders as of 2020.

Alabama’s biodiversity places it 4th in the nation in terms of species diversity. We claim over 6,350 different species in the state, so thinking that one could still be undiscovered is not at all out of the question. In fact, Alabama has over 450 different species of just crawfish, while the much larger California has only 9 species.

Not to mention, the extensive cave system in the northeastern part of the state rates third as having the most diverse cave organisms in the world. As most of the caverns haven’t been explored, it’s possible that we could rank even higher, not to mention uncover proof of life we never imagined could exist. Just in this decade alone, at least 76 new species have been discovered in Alabama alone.

Dive Deeper!

For developing information about Alabama’s White Thang, there is a Facebook page where locals discuss information pertaining to the creature and report sightings. In addition, there are several documentaries on YouTube. Mystery Junkie provides theories, while John Rare searched for White Thang in the woods of north central Alabama and included testimonials of witnesses and locals.

I have lived in Alabama my entire life and have been pretty obsessed with Bigfoot for most of it. The realization that I had never heard of White Thang until recently blew my mind! I’m sure that I’ll be looking into this potential creature a lot more in the future.

***Story previously published on Medium.com by the author***