The tapire-iauara is a legendary creature in the folklore of the
Amazon rainforest
The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...
region.
Jacques Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful Aqua-Lung, open-circuit SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus). T ...
in his book ''Jacques Cousteau's Amazon journey'' describes how the
caboclos
A caboclo () is a person of mixed Indigenous Brazilian and European ancestry, or, less commonly, a culturally assimilated or detribalized person of full Amerindian descent. In Brazil, a ''caboclo'' generally refers to this specific type of '' ...
believe that the "
tapir
Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South and Central America, with one species inhabit ...
-nymph patrols the flooded forest to guard it from humans."
In her book ''Journey of the
Pink Dolphins: An Amazon quest'',
Sy Montgomery
Sy Montgomery (born February 7, 1958) is a German born, American naturalist, author and scriptwriter who writes for children as well as adults. She is author of 34 books, including ''The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wo ...
relates that "it grows big as a cow and attacks people in boats".
Notes
References
{{reflist, refs=
[{{cite book
, last1 = Cousteau
, first1 = J.Y.
, last2 = Richards
, first2 = M.
, title = Jacques Cousteau's Amazon journey
, publisher = H.N. Abrams
, year = 1984
, url = https://archive.org/details/jacquescousteaus00cous
, url-access = registration
, access-date = 21 July 2018
, page ]
71
[{{cite journal
, last = de Castro
, first = F.
, title = From Myths to Rules: The Evolution of Local Management in the Amazonian Floodplain
, journal = Environment and History
, publisher = White Horse Press
, volume = 8
, issue = 2
, date = 1 May 2002
, issn = 0967-3407
, doi = 10.3197/096734002129342648
, pages = 197–216
, url = http://www.environmentandsociety.org/node/3119
]
[{{cite book
, last = de Nazaré da Cruz Vieira
, first = M.
, title = Aspectos do falar paraense: fonética, fonologia, semântica
, publisher = Universidade Federal do Pará, Centro de Letras e Artes
, year = 1983
, url = https://books.google.com/books?id=XchrDyejx84C
, language = pt
, access-date = 21 July 2018
, page = 126
, isbn = 9788524700026
]
[{{cite book
, last = Montgomery
, first = S.
, title = Journey of the Pink Dolphins: An Amazon Quest
, publisher = Chelsea Green Publishing
, year = 2009
, isbn = 978-1-60358-175-2
, url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PdEnX5PXyuwC&pg=PA137
, access-date = 21 July 2018
, page = 137
]
[{{cite book
, last = Santos
, first = E.
, title = Histórias, lendas e folclore de nossos bichos
, publisher = Tecnoprint Gráfica
, series = Coleção brasileira de Ouro
, year = 1967
, url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Lu8NAQAAIAAJ
, language = pt
, access-date = 21 July 2018
, page = 126
]
Brazilian legendary creatures
Indigenous Amazonian legendary creatures