Minhocão
by Matthew J. Eaton http://embark.to/cryptozoology
One of the most extraordinary mystery beasts of the world is
the Minhocão. Relatively unknown to the rest of the
world, the Minhocão has been reported from the forests
of South America since the 19th century. The Minhocão
is commonly described as a giant worm-like animal up to 75
feet long, with black scaly skin and two tentacle-like structures
protruding from its head. Known best as being a burrowing animal,
the Minhocão is commonly blamed for houses and roads
collapsing into the earth. It is also said to frequently visit
the local lakes and rivers of the areas in which it's reported.
The first published reference to the Minhocão appeared
in the American Journal of Science in an article written by Auguste
de Saint-Hilaire. In the article Saint-Hilaire stated several
instances where a Minhocão was seen near fords of rivers.
Some of these reports had a Minhocão snatching livestock
and dragging them underwater! All of instances he reported took
place in the Brazilian province of Goyaz. Saint-Hilaire also
stated his belief that the name Minhocão is derived from
the Portuguese word meaning earthworm, minhoca.
Publications regarding the Minhocão ceased until 1877,
when zoologist Fritz Müller wrote an article on the beast
for a German publication Zoologische Garten. Müller's article
included new information on the Minhocão, including reports
of huge mysterious trenches that were so big they'd divert rivers
and destroy orchards. Unlike Saint-Hilaire's article, Müller's
included actual sightings of the Minhocão. The following
is of one of these sightings, which took place in the Paranà State
in the 1840s:
A black woman going to draw water from a pool near a house one
morning ... saw a short distance off an animal which she described
as being as large as a house moving off along the ground. ...
In the same district a young man saw a huge pine suddenly overturned
... he found the surrounding earth in movement, and an enormous
worm-like black animal in the middle of it, about twenty-five
meters long, and with two horns on its head.
Müller also mentioned a story told by Lebino José dos
Santos who had heard tales of a dead Minhocão being found
near Arapehy, Uruguay. According to the tale the creature was
found lodged between two rocks, the reputed skin was said to
be "as thick as the bark of a pine-tree" and armored
with "scales like those of an armadillo". A sighting
of a live Minhocão near Lages, Brazil in 1870 by Francisco
de Amaral Varella, he said he:
... saw lying on the bank of the Rio das Caveiras a strange
animal of gigantic size, nearly one meter in thickness, not very
long, and with a snout like a pig, but whether it had legs or
not he could not tell. ... whilst calling his neighbors to his
assistance, it vanished, not without leaving palpable marks behind
it in the shape of a trench ...
With the end of the 19th century also came the end of Minhocão
sightings. There are still large mysterious trenches from time
to time, but no actual sightings. Some researchers believe that
the Minhocão, sadly, went extinct, while others think
it is more likely that Minhocãos are still seen, but are
thought to be giant anacondas and end up being reported as giant
anacondas. There is still the question of what the Minhocãos
could possibly be. Some researchers take into account that it
is said to be a giant earthworm. There are giant earthworms,
but these species don't grow over 12 feet and are only native
to Australia. Also despite their large sizes, these giant earthworms
are only about an inch thick. Another fact that may debunk the
giant earthworm theory is that earthworms are not predators like
some reports state the Minhocão may be.
Some researchers say that the Minhocão are surviving
glyptodont, a large armadillo-like animal believed to have gone
extinct in the Pleistocene. Researchers say that the glyptodont
would be capable of digging the mysterious trenches and burrowing
underground, it also had and armored shell over it's back. What
is normally not mentioned about the glyptodont is that it was
not a borrowing animal and it was probably not capable of doing
so. There is also the fact that they do not fit any descriptions
of the Minhocão.
Yet another theory goes on to say that the Minhocão is
a lepidosiren (serpentine South American lungfish). If a lepidosiren
were to grow to a large enough size it could explain the sightings
of Minhocão near waterways. The large trenches could also
be caused by a lepidosiren when it unburrows itself from the
ground and returns to the rivers. One of the most likely theories
of the Minhocão's identity was proposed by cryptozoologist
Karl Shuker. He believes that the Minhocão may be a form
of caecilian, a worm-like burrowing amphibian. Caecilians are
native to South America and some fit the description and lifestyle
of Minhocão perfectly, only in a smaller form. The largest
of the caecilians only gets up to 5 feet. If one species does
grow to enormous lengths then the Minhocão mystery would
be solved.
The true identity of the Minhocão will remain hidden
until one can be caught or good footage of it can be obtained.
However it seems unlike that we will ever know the truth. Without
a sighting of an actual animal in over a 130 years it may be
extinct by now. Hopefully this is not the case and some day soon
a living Minhocão will be discovered in the rainforests
of South America. |
