The Mapinguari

According to Brazilian stories, the Mapinguari was once an Amazonian shaman who discovered the key to immortality. He angered the gods and was punished, forcing him to wander as a hairy beast for the rest of his long days. But what is this strange creature?

This creature has been described as a primate with a thick body. It would walk on two legs, had a flat snout and robust claws. When it would rear up to its full height, it would emit an extremely foul odor.

It sometimes is described to have a single eye in the center of its forehead – like a Cyclops and a mouth in its abdomen. Historians note that the single eye appears predominantly in older legends and has been lost as time progressed.

The creature is said to walk bipedally, but it is often unsteady. While it looks large and intimidating, the animal feeds on the vegetation of the forest it lives in – such as bacaba and babassu palms.

The animal is known to scream and shriek. Its name is actually derived from this. Mapinguari is usually translated as “the roaring animal.”

Megatherium is a genus of extinct ground slots that lived in South America from the Pleistocene to the Holocene (400,000 to 8,000 years ago). These animals grew up to 4 m and coexisted with the first human colonists in the Americas.

Megatherium was a giant ground sloth with a long thick coat that was used as protection in the colder climates of the last glacial period. This animal had a large barrel-like body and would be able to switch between quadrupedal and bipedal movement.

Much like the Mapinguari, Megatherium has a long, shaggy coat. It has a robust body and can move between two and four legs. The face of both creatures is squat, with Megatherium ending a large nose. The long claws on its hands are another clue that these animals are linked.

The large scythe-like claws found within the family are sloths are fairly unique. Yet they appear in almost every description of the Mapinguari. These large claws were used in ground sloths to pull branches toward the creature for feeding. Most likely the same could be said for the Mapinguari.

Often the Mapinguari is depicted with a second mouth on its stomach. This could have been mistaken for the large muscles that help make up the body. Giant sloths would have had giant pectoral and abdominal muscles. These may have been seen through the shaggy fur.

When the first humans encountered these large animals, it could have been mistaken for a close maw on the stomach.

However the legend of the Mapinguari came about, these creatures are fascinating. If you would like to learn more about fossil sloths, check out @slothgirlmel on Twitter!

Sources:

https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Mapinguari

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1995-01-13-1995013206-story.html

H. Gregory McDonald, Gerardo de Iuliis: Fossil history of sloths. In: Sergio F. Vizcaíno, WJ Loughry (Ed.): The Biology of the Xenarthra. University Press of Florida, 2008, pp. 39-55.

Bell, C. M. (March 2002). “Did elephants hang from trees? – the giant sloths of South America”. Geology Today. 18 (2): 63–66.

Fiedel, Stuart (2009). “Sudden Deaths: The Chronology of Terminal Pleistocene Megafaunal Extinction”. American Megafaunal Extinctions at the End of the Pleistocene. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. pp. 21–37.

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-was-megatherium.html

4th of July Myths

It has been 245 years since the United States declared its independence from Great Britain. But still many time-honored patriotic tales are more fiction than fact. What are some myths we believe about our Founding Fathers?

We celebrate US Independence on July 4th. However, this day would have seemed arbitrary to the Founding Fathers.

The Second Continental Congress officially voted for the Declaration of Independence on July 2, 1776. This day is the official date of our independence. However, the written document wasn’t edited and approved until July 4, 1776. This was the date printers affixed to the announcements sent across the land.

Further still, no one signed the Declaration during July. This did not begin until August 2 with John Hancock. The 56 signatures were not completed until late November.

Legend holds that the Liberty Bell cracked after the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. While U.S. independence sparked celebration for some, the bell was not rung until it cracked. It did ring along with the other bells in the city on July 8th, according to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

The crack had been present since its arrival in 1752. The bell had been poorly cast originally. The bell cracked, was recast, and recast several times in its life. It was determined to be intact during the Revolutionary War.

Today’s crack appeared sometime during the 19th Century. It was as this crack appeared that the bell became known as the Liberty Bell – named by abolitionists.

Ben Franklin’s Propaganda

Stories told today about the American Revolution tell of an underdog fighting against an unbeatable giant. The Revolutionary War also pitted Americans against their neighbors in large numbers. Perhaps 15% to 20% of all Americans remained loyal to the Crown. Many tried to stay neutral.

Records from the time period are spotty, but 50,000 Americans are estimated to have served as British soldiers at one time or another. This is a significant force pitted against the Continental Army that may have included 100,000 regular soldiers over the course of the entire war.

Betsy Ross sewing the first American Flag

People have long credited Betsy Ross as designing and sewing the first American flag that was debuted in 1777. There is no proof either way. And she was thought to be sympathetic to the American cause. So it is possible she was involved in some form.

The story that the famous seamstress was involved never circulated until nearly a century after the fact. Her grandson began spreading the story. Only family tradition remains as evidence.

Scene from “National Treasure”

Over the years people have thought that the Declaration of Independence holds secret messages. This became very popular after the release of the “National Treasure” movie. The National Archives does admit that there is something written on the back of the document.

A line on the bottom of the Declaration reads: Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776.

This was most likely written when it was rolled up for storage during travel. The reverse side writing helped the document be quickly identified.

Sources:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/pages/article/120704-4th-of-july-fourth-myths-google-doodle-nation-independence-day

https://www.beliefnet.com/love-family/holidays/july-4th/7-myths-about-the-4th-of-july.aspx

Jackalope

If you travel to any Midwestern state, you will most likely see the bust of a Jackalope for sale. It has become a kitschy souvenir for tourists traveling through. While the busts for sale in the gift shop aren’t real, the animal that inspired it is.

The Jackalope is described as a jackrabbit with the antelope horns. Their popularity started in the 1930’s when taxidermist Douglas Herrick and his brother began selling the busts we still find today. To further their sales they told stories about the mythical creature.

Some of the outlandish tales that have gone along with the Jackalope include the need to wear stovepipe on their legs to prevent the animal from goring you.

Another states you can trap a Jackalope with whiskey, as it is the beverage of choice.

Jackalopes also have the ability to mimic human voices. When cowboys would gather round the campfire and sing, a lone tenor would often join in. This would be the wild Jackalope. It was also said to try to lure cowboys away from their group and leave them stranded in the wilderness.

All these tales notwithstanding, the origins of the Jackalope come from a very real jackrabbit.

The first Jackalopes were determined to be jackrabbits suffering from Shope papilloma virus (SPV). This virus affects rabbits creating keratinous carcinomas that resemble horns. The virus is fatal as the carcinomas affect the animals ability to eat.

The virus was first studied and named in 1933 by Dr. Richard E. Shope in rabbits across the Midwestern United States.

This time line falls exactly with the Herrick Brothers start of the taxidermy Jackalope. They most likely saw the afflicted animals and capitalized on the story.

Sources:

ICTV Taxonomy History for Kappapapillomavirus 2″. International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. 2014.

Van Praag, Ester (2003). “Do Horned Rabbits Really Exist?- Papillomatosis”. MediRabbit.com.

Delbridge, Rena (2006-12-16). “Chasing the Jackalope”. Casper Star-Tribune. Casper, Wyoming.

 Martin, Douglas (2003-01-19). “Douglas Herrick, 82, Dies”. The New York Times. p. 23.

Welcome to Ethota (Day #4)

Magic is strong in the world of Ethota. It is an inherited gift passed down through the maternal line. Magic is generally broken down into 3 different forms. Most magic users are only able to access one form of magic. Powerful magic users can access a “guardian.”

Guardians will appear in the form of an animal during the casting of their spells. These magical guardians help watch over the magic user.

1. Kinetic Magic: Magic that affects objects. The user is able to manipulate energy in inanimate objects, such as weapons and books. These magic users include necromancers.

2. Elemental Magic: Magic that affects one of the four natural elements – Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. The user is able to manipulate the energy in the particular element to their benefit.

3. Native Magic: An ancient magic that allows for the manipulation of the user’s surroundings. People gifted with this magic have the ability of Sight or Empathy. Those with Native Magic typically are able to access more than one form of magic. This magic can also mimic the other forms of magic through the use of runes.