Mapinguari


In Brazilian folklore, the mapinguari or mapinguary, also called the juma, is a monstrous entity said to live in the Amazon rainforest.

Description

Depictions of the mapinguari vary. Sometimes it is described as a hairy humanoid cyclops, while others claim it to be similar to the giant ground sloth, an animal extinct for thousands of years, but which some believe the mapinguari to be a cultural memory of. The creature is often said to have a gaping mouth on its abdomen.

Terminology

According to Felipe Ferreira Vander Velden, its name is a contraction of the Tupi-Guarani words "mbaé", "pi", and "guari", meaning "a thing that has a bent ' crooked foot ' paw". Other names which have been said to apply to the same being include the Karitiana kida harara, and the Machiguenga segamai.