Bunyip
The Bunyip, or Kianpraty, is a large mythical creature from Aboriginal mythology, said to lurk in swamps, billabongs, creeks, riverbeds, and waterholes.
Description[]
Descriptions of the Bunyip vary so wildly that many scholars believe he is just a nominal catch-all for an assortment of different, regional monsters, who have been described as everything from a giant starfish to a crocodile with a dog-like head. Feathers, fins, tusks, claws, beards, a duck bill, a horse tail, a single massive eye, and a stomach-mouth have all been attributed to this bizarre creature. In fact, the only thing that witnesses can seem to agree on is its size; large enough to devour a fully-grown human.
Overview[]
The Bunyip darkened the folklore of Australia’s Aboriginal people for centuries before it made its debut in the written records of European settlers, who bought into the legend wholeheartedly. Originally, the monster went by a different name in each indigenous tribe: the Wowee-wowee, the Yaa-loo, the Kianpraty, the Dongu, and more. When Europeans got their hands on these various monsters, they united them under the single most popular name, the Bunyip.