tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505569.post6918286319677662227..comments2024-01-05T05:02:20.353+00:00Comments on CRYPTOZOOLOGY ONLINE: Still on the Track: DAVE FRANCAZIO: Demystifying the minhocaoUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505569.post-89629690342016194192009-12-29T19:10:56.833+00:002009-12-29T19:10:56.833+00:00From the descriptions i've read of the Minhoca...From the descriptions i've read of the Minhocao, i have a very hard time seeing it as any sort of mammal. I haven't seen any description involving visible limbs, apart from some where the "horns" actually seem to be something more closely resembling fins or tentacles. My theory is that if it exists, it's a gigantic lungfish, catfish, or caecilian (see Darren Naish's recent-ish posts on caecilians mentioning the Minhocao).<br /><br />Having said that, the talk of pangolins and armadillos in this post has dredged up some vague memory of reading something about an extinct, giant burrowing armadillo, similar to the living (but very small) "fairy" armadillos (<i>Chlamyphorus</i>), but much bigger. I seem to recall a length of something crazy like 6 metres (which would make it in overall size about as big as an elephant!), but even more vaguely also someone saying that that size claim, despite being in "popular" books, was unsubstantiated and it was actually only maybe 2 or 3 metres long (still pretty big). (Unfortunately i can't remember the name of the creature, but i'd put money that if anyone knows what i'm on about, Darren does...)<br /><br />I suppose it's possible that more than one cryptid has been conflated into the overall concept of the Minhocao (as also seems to have happened with other South American cryptids, such as the Mapinguari (large ape/monkey and/or ground sloth?) and maybe Sucuriju Gigante (anaconda and some other giant snake?)) - perhaps the creature that digs the tunnels isn't the same as the creature people have sighted?stevethehydrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18334234855643025449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16505569.post-64796813203608718502009-12-29T13:49:31.609+00:002009-12-29T13:49:31.609+00:00Hello, Dave, good to see you are in there pitching...Hello, Dave, good to see you are in there pitching, too!<br /><br />Dave and I have discussed this theory and actually I have gone over to favoring some sort of a crocodylian as causing the damage. But in no way do I run down Dave's theory, it is simply that the crocs can be much more destructive diggers.<br />Dave's passion is in the category of the subhominid mammals, which is a field that I am not especially interested in. So I wish Dave all the best in his endeavorsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com