A series of mysterious giant skeletons up to 10 feet tall reportedly discovered in and around Nevada caves last century — dubbed the “Giants of Lovelock” — are still baffling scientists decades later.

The claims about supersized humans who roamed the area around Lovelock, a remote town 90 miles northeast of Reno, thousands of years ago are rooted in Native America lore, which tells of fierce, redheaded, pale-skinned giants who arrived from Central America by boat and attacked local tribes.

After years of war, the foreign invaders were chased into a cave and slaughtered en masse, according to stories passed down by the indigenous Paiute people.

Dozens of giant human skeletons were reportedly found in a cave in Lovelock, Nevada, nearly a century ago. Shutterstock

Experts believe the tale of the giant warriors’ violent extermination is likely a legend, but reports of discoveries made in the area of Lovelock decades ago have continued to raise many unanswered questions.

The first foray into the Lovelock cave was made in 1911, when a pair of miners searching for guano, or bat excrement used as fertilizer, allegedly unearthed 60 human skeletons, including some measuring between 7 and 8 feet tall.

The extraordinary find was mentioned in a 1935 biography of mining engineer John T. Reid, but no evidence proving the existence of the gargantuan remains ever materialized, reported the magazine Archaeology World.

However, two subsequent excavations that were carried out in 1912 and 1924 brought to light thousands of ancient artifacts, among them a well-worn sandal measuring an astonishing 15 inches in length, which is the equivalent of a modern-day size 29 shoe.

For comparison, retired NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, who stands 7 feet 1 inch tall, wears size 22 shoes.

Later excavations uncovered a well-worn 15-inch sandal, further fueling the legend of the “Giants of Lovelock.”

Radiocarbon dating later placed human bone fragments and plant material found in the cave between 2030 BC and 1218 BC. 

Another surprising discovery made inside the Lovelock cave was a handprint embedded in the rock face that measured twice the size of an average human palm.    

Some years later, an article published in the Nevada Review-Miner in 1931 announced the discovery of two mummified skeletons in a dry lake bed outside Lovelock.

The remains reportedly measured at 8.5 and 10 feet, respectively, and were described as having red hair.

Although some experts believe the red tint to the hair could have been caused by exposure to the environment, the appearance of the skeletons dovetails with the Pauite tribe’s stories about a group of giant, redheaded barbarians known at the Si-Te-Cah.

Paiute tribal legends talk about a race of redheaded giants who invaded the indigenous people’s territory in modern-day Nevada and waged war against them for years. Getty Images

Legend has it that the Si-Teh-Cah came to Nevada from a distant land some 3,000 years ago after crossing the ocean in boats made from the bulrush plant.

The fierce newcomers were said to have attacked the local inhabitants, unleashing a bloody, years-long conflict.

Finally, the various tribes in the area joined forces to hunt down and exterminate the barbarians, according to the Paiute stories.

The last of the red-haired giants were said to have sought refuge in the Lovelock cave, but the shelter ended up being their tomb after the natives fired arrows at them and started a fire at the mouth of the cavern.

The story goes that all the giants were slaughtered in that attack.

The tale of the towering, auburn-locked barbarians echoes a legend that Spanish conquistador Pedro Cieza de Leon recorded in the 16th century, retelling an ancient Peruvian tale about a race of giants who “came by sea in rafts of reeds after the manner of large boats.”

“Some of the men were so tall that from the knee down they were as big as the length of an ordinary fair-sized man,” de Leon wrote in “Cronicas del Peru.” 

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