Mapinguari

The Mapinguari is a monstrous creature known to natives of the Amazon rainforest, Brazil, and Bolivia. Some believe it’s a giant anteater, a hairy hominid, or a giant ground sloth, like a Mylodon. This last possible identity has been extinct for 8,500 years. They were thought to range from five or six, to nine feet tall on hind legs. They are believed to have bright red fur, sharp claws for tearing apart pam trees to eat, and a foul odor. Despite being herbivores, they have been known to kill cattle by ripping out their tongues. Some stories claim its feet point backward and others say it hops on one leg. They’re believed to make a scream-like cry or a whistling sound. A hunter named Inocêncio supposedly sighted one in 1930 while separated from his group. Ornithologist David Oren studied the Mapinguari, viewing videos, claw marks, and reports. Some find bottle-like footprints that would be placed on a variation called Pé De Garrafa. One story suggests it originated when a medicine man angered the gods by finding the key to immortality. He was punished by being turned into a wandering monster.

Citations:

Halls, Kelly Milner, et al. Tales of the Cryptids: Mysterious Creatures That May Or May Not Exist. United Kingdom, Darby Creek Pub., 2006.

Newton, Michael. Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology: A Global Guide to Hidden Animals and Their Pursuers. United Kingdom, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.