A malevolent shape-shifting entity from Navajo tradition capable of assuming any animal form. Associated with Skinwalker Ranch in Utah — the site of decades of documented paranormal activity investigated by the US government's AATIP programme.
In Navajo tradition, a Skinwalker (yee naaldlooshii — "with it, he goes on all fours") is a witch who has achieved the ability to transform into any animal. The tradition holds that speaking of Skinwalkers can attract their attention — many Navajo people refuse to discuss them with outsiders.
Skinwalker Ranch in Utah's Uinta Basin became famous after rancher Terry Sherman reported 18 months of cattle mutilations, poltergeist activity, UFO sightings, and encounters with impossibly large bulletproof wolves. The ranch was purchased by aerospace entrepreneur Robert Bigelow in 1996 for scientific study. The National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) operated there until 2004.
The Department of Defense funded a subsequent investigation through AATIP. The property was later acquired by businessman Brandon Fugal and became the subject of a television series. Researchers on the property have documented unusual aerial phenomena, unexplained instrument failures, and physical effects on personnel — including one investigator who required surgery after an encounter.
Sherman Ranch
The Sherman family reported cattle mutilations, poltergeist activity, and encounters with massive bulletproof wolves. A wolf shot at point-blank range left no blood, tracks, or body — it simply departed.
NIDS investigation
Robert Bigelow's scientific team reported UAP sightings, poltergeist activity, unexplained livestock loss, and an encounter with a creature that emerged from a luminous tunnel in mid-air.
Fugal-era investigation
Under new ownership, researchers documented unexplained aerial objects, equipment failures correlated with unusual magnetic readings, and a team member's severe physical reaction requiring hospitalisation after working at a specific location on the property.
I work timber and have been in these woods for 22 years. Whatever I saw Tuesday morning was not a bear. It crossed the road upright, never broke stride, covered about 18 feet in three steps. Dark reddish-brown, heavily built through the shoulders. The head sat directly on the shoulders with no visible neck. My dog — who barks at everything — pressed herself flat against the seat and didn't make a sound. The road was muddy; I stopped and found a track 16 inches long with a clear mid-tarsal break. I made a plaster cast. This is the third encounter I've had in this drainage over 15 years but this was by far the closest.
I know how this sounds. I was on I-77 near Point Pleasant around 9 PM. A massive dark shape began circling low over my car — I could see its wingspan blocking out streetlights as it passed. Humanoid shape, no feathers, dark leathery wings. But the eyes were what I can't shake: two bright red points that seemed to glow from inside. It kept pace with my car for almost two miles before banking away toward the river. I'm not from here but a local mechanic at the gas station I stopped at immediately said "you saw the Mothman, didn't you." I didn't know what that was at the time. Now I've done the reading. I believe him.
We were kayaking near Urquhart Castle when a large hump surfaced about 40 metres ahead. I got three photos before it submerged. The shape does not match any known animal.