An Oxford scientist has discovered the world's first verified DNA evidence that the "yeti" exists - albeit not quite in the monstrous, manlike form of legend.

Two hair samples taken from remote regions of the Himalayas have been found to show a 100 percent genetic match to a prehistoric polar-bear-like creature that existed more than 40,000 years ago.

The extraordinary find suggests there are bears roaming the mountain range that have not been seen since the Pleistocene period, which experts say may well be "the biological foundation of the yeti legend".

Bryan Sykes, a geneticist from Oxford University, said that his research was proof enough to start planning an expedition to the Himalayas to capture a yeti bear specimen alive.

He told NBC News that his team's study, published in this week's issue of the journal Proceedings of The Royal Society B, should encourage “Bigfoot enthusiasts to go back out into the forest and get the real thing."

People from around the world answered Prof Sykes' call to send in hair samples that may or may not be from what he describes as "anomalous primates".

The vast majority of the samples turned out to be from easily-explained, modern species, including horses, cows, bears, canines and even one unidentified human.

But a golden-brown sample from an

animal shot by a hunter in the northern region of Ladakh, India, 40 years ago and a reddish-brown hair from a high-altitude bamboo forest in Bhutan both matched the presumed long-lost bear.

Prof Sykes admitted that the study has not yet come across a hidden human-like creature - the Holy Grail of cryptozoologists - but that the anomalous bear was the next best thing.

He is writing a book about the link between the samples and the 40,000-year-old bear fossil remains entitled The Yeti Enigma, and said a Himalayan expedition was "the next logical step".

"We need a live 'yeti'," he added.