Minhocão

The Minhocão ("big earthworm" in Brazilian Portuguese) is a large earthworm-like cryptid that allegedly exists in the forests of Central and South America.Although this species is principally fossorial, it also has aquatic habits. It has been reported to prey on large surface animals, including cattle, by suddenly capturing them from below the water.It reportedly resides in the wettest and warmest areas of South and Central America, and is a feared part of the culture in that region. The ancient Mayans depicted, through cave carvings and paintings, an extremely large serpent who was believed to eat humans. Some believe these drawings to be of the Minhocão. The possibility that the Minhocão still exists deep in the unexplored forests of South and Central America is debated, though there have been rumored sightings of the ancient serpent as recent as 2013. The Minhocão burrows massive trenches in which it will hide or live in.

Appearance:

It reportedly resembles a giant worm like Mongolian Death Worm, with scaly black skin covering its entire body,a visible mouth and a pair of tentacle-like structures protruding from its head. The Minhocão is said to resemble a 20 to 50 meter worm or serpent, with scaly black skin covering its entire body.It is reported to be ectothermic and have highly mobile jaws and is thought to be a burrowing animal, dwelling in enormous trenches or caves beneath the jungle floor.

Identity:

Cryptozoologist Karl Shuker has suggested that this animal may be an example of a giant caecilian. Caecilians are a poorly known group of amphibians with worm-like, limbless bodies, subterranean/aquatic habits and tentacle-like sense organs on the head. Also, most caecilians do inhabit the forests of South America. which fits the description of the minhocão well. However, known caecilians do not even begin to approach the supposed size of this animal.

In On the Track of Unknown Animals, Bernard Heuvelmans suggests that the animal may be a surviving glyptodont. However, unlike their modern relatives, the armadillos, there is no evidence that glyptodonts had burrowing habits. Whatever kind of creature the minhocão was, if real, it appears to be extinct now, as there have been no reported minhocão sightings in the past 130 years.