Rash of Chupacabra Livestock Attacks in Brazil

Brazil isn't the usual place to see El Chupacabra, but in the last few weeks, there has been a rash of livestock killings in Bahia, Brazil, which seem to match the typical Chupacabra M.O..

The Taxidermy Wonders of Charles Waterton

"Nondescript".
Image credit ridiculouslyinteresting.com.

Charles Waterton was an English naturalist and explorer who established the worlds very first nature reserve on his own estate grounds. But his is best known for his eccentricities (he would, among other things, tickle his guests with brushes and bite their legs), and his bizarre taxidermy creations.

Berry Pickers in Kapok Forest Reserve see Mapinguary

According to a new report, a group of acai berry pickers in the Kapok Forest Reserve claim to have seen a Mapinguary.

In what appears to be only the second documented Mapinguary sighting of the century, the anonymous eyewitnesses say that they heard a loud scream whilst picking berries, and began to imitate it. However, they realised that the sound was coming from nearby, and soon noticed "a creature dark in colour", two feet high and with only one eye. They fled, and apparently did not sleep for the following week.

Needless to say, a two foot-high Mapinguary has never been reported before. If the story is true, and the animal is a Mapinguary, it could have been a youngster, like the ones allegedly raised by an Indian tribe in the 1980's. This does seem likely, given the fact that it did not attack the berry-pickers.

Of course, this is assuming that the sighting is genuine, and the animal was a Mapinguary, either sloth or ape.

Review: Man V. Monster: Amazon River Beast

Richard holding the green anaconda.
Image credit National Geographic.

In the fifth episode of Man V. Monster, Richard Terry travels to the Amazon Rainforest in search of a creature responsible for a series of violent attacks. This is the second episode dealing with the Amazon: the first covered giant spiders, and the already-reviewed Mapinguary episode was the third and final. Like with that review, this is constructed entirely from memory.

Identifying the... Mapinguary

Megatherium reconstruction.
Image credit Sloth Sanctuary.

Given the evidence and general consensus amongst cryptozoologists, it seems unthinkable to characterise the Mapinguary as anything other than a relict ground sloth. Even so, there are theories that it is actually a type of large primate - and even it it isn't, there are still dozens of different ground sloths. The Mapinguary, if a sloth, can only be a descendant of one.

Review: Man V. Monster: Brazilian Bigfoot

Richard with a two-toed sloth.
Image credit National Geographic.

Man V. Monster was (is?) an interesting series. Aired on National Geographic and presented by English filmmaker Richard Terry, there have been two series' so far. Most of the episodes end with Richard deeming the cryptid he's searching for to be a regular animal mistaken as something else, and the episodes themselves sometimes focus more on the trecherous terrain than the cryptid. Not necessarily a bad thing. "Brazilian Bigfoot", the Mapinguary episode, is something of an exception.

No episode of the series is available for purchase, physically or digitally, so this review is constructed from memory. Some information may be incorrect or in the wrong chronological order.

Uncontacted Tribe Discovered in the Amazon

Earlier in the month, a previously uncontacted tribe emerged from the Amazon, seeking help after a raid by a Colombian drug cartel.

In Brazil, seven naked tribesmen armed with bows emerged, asking for weapons and allies. They claimed that a group of non-Indians, probably drug dealers, attacked their tribe, massacring most of the older men. Many of the younger men caught a respiratory disease from the outsiders, a common problem.

In Peru, about one hundred natives came out from the jungle.

Review: Destination Truth: Flying Dinosaur & Sloth Monster

Josh with another well-known model Mapinguary.
Image credit TVrage.com.

Although Destination Truth is the third review here, it does deserve credit as the first TV series to investigate the Mapinguary, being aired in 2008, two years before Beast Man and Man V. Monster.

As is the norm for Destination Truth, the first investigation, the Mapinguary, only takes up half the episode before being replaced by another cryptid - this time the African Kongamato. The beginning of the Mapinguary segment sees Josh visiting the famous Mapinguary statue (and some jaguars at a zoo), and the folklorologist who would later be cut from Beast Man. He also interviews David Oren, who tells him about his ground sloth theory. It seems rather rare for Josh to carry out research and interviews before looking for the animal itself, something which changes for the better in this episode.

Review: Beast Man: Nightmare of the Amazon

Pat with a well-known Mapinguary model in the city.
Image credit National Geographic.

Beast Hunter (titled Beast Man in the UK), although a short series - consisting of only five episodes - might just be the best cryptozoological TV series since MonsterQuest - in fact, it probably beats MonsterQuest.

The series follows biologist Pat Spain, great-nephew of Charles Fort, as he travels to five different locations around the world, searching for the local cryptid. Fort was an American scientist who researched phenomena such as ball lightning and raining fish, which were dismissed in his time but are now known to be fact.