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The sachamama (Quechuan: "mother of the earth"[1]) is a cryptid reported from the Peruvian Amazon, described as an enormous snake with a snail-like shell and horns.[1][2]
Description[]
Maximo Inuacari described it as resembling a huge black cylinder and leaving a 1600' long, 30' wide trench in its wake. Luis Iluma described it as a around 131' or 132' long and 15' or 16' in diametre, with a long black snake-like body bearing a shell-like structure in the middle of its back, a muzzle, two tentacles like elephant trunks, and two 3' long 'ears' on its head.[3][4]
According to folklore, the sachamama appears only very rarely, and can remain in a state of torpor underwater for many years. When it wakes, however, it can suck prey into its mouth from quite a distance, but cannot pursue prey through the jungle because its progress is impeded by its large shell.[3]
Sightings[]
Undated[]
There are examples of ceramic pots and saucers from Peru's ancient Moche culture, dating back over 1500 years, which depict a large black snake- or slug-like beast with tentacles and a conch-like shell on its back. Arnost Vasícek also documented some 16th Century examples of Peruvian pottery depicting a very similar animal, which also sported a forked tongue and two pairs of snail-like, bulbous-tipped feelers; one pair at the base of its snout, and the other pair at its snout's tip.[3]
Nelly Armos and Carlos Quinto collected local folklore on the sachamama.[3]
A 19th Century missionary named de Vernazz claimed to have shot a sachamama which was over 45' long and 6' thick while boating on the Pastaza River bordering Peru and Ecuador:[Expansion needed][3][4]
| “ | A look at this monster can outweigh, terrify and force into fearful respect even the bravest men. His inhalation is so great that he will suck up every dog or bird that appears at a distance of six to twelve meters - depending on its size. The monster I shot from my canoe on the river Pastaza was two meters thick and fifteen meters long, but the Indians assured me that there were much larger animals of this species in the area, three to four meters in circumference and thirty to forty metres long.[4]
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1997[]
Photograph of the 1600' trench left by the animal.
Photograph of trees felled by the animal as it entered the river.
On 14 August 1997, villagers in Nueva Tacna near Iquitos heard a loud rumbling sound reverberating from a patch of jungle, as if something large and heavy were roaming through it. Maximo Inuacari, sitting in his boat on the Napo River nearby, began to paddle away, and as he did so he claimed that a 'monster' emerged from the jungle onto the shore behind him, having uprooted many trees and gouged a 1600' long, 30' wide trench during its noisy progression towards the river. When it finally made it to the river it created a whirlpool which sunk several boats.[3] At least one other man, Luis Iluma, claimed to have seen the animal:
| “ | It looked terrible. The long black serpentine body had a huge shell or carapace in the middle that was cut off at several edges in several places. The head was fitted with feathers like an elephant's trunk, it had very large ears and an unmistakable mouth, ending with a blunt rib.[4]
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However, the other eyewitness, Inaucari, claimed that it was too dark to make out any details: all he saw was that the animal was rather like a snake:
| “ | There was a lot of darkness, and although we were very close, we could not recognize the details of the appearance. We only know that the animal was like a snake with its fuselage. But he could not tell whether he was crawling on his stomach or walking on his short legs like a caiman.[4]
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Arnošt Vašíček wrote that the testimonies of the two men do not necessarily contradict each other, as Iluma would have seen the animal on the horizon, sillhouetted by the setting sun.[4]
The destruction left in the animals wake was photographed, and the military was called in by the mayor to survey the damage.[3][5][1][6]
Theories[]
Illustration of the sachamama as a giant long-necked turtle by AmazingAncientWorld on the Cryptid Wiki.
Peruvian radio networks suggested that "foolish locals" had mistakenly identified heavy construction machinery as a monster, but local authorities quickly pointed out that the dense jungle of the area does not allow access to such large equipment.[5]
Some have speculated that the events of 14 August could be explained by floodwater, a wind vortex, or an earthquake. Peruvian scientist Nixon Reugifa concluded that the damage was caused by flooding created by heavy rains, but recanted after more eyewitness testimonies came to light and revealed the path of destruction to be far too selective to be explained by a natural disaster. None of the fishermen recalled feeling any sensation of wind movement during the incident.[3]
Karl Shuker notes that, if the sachamama is real, it is unlikely to be a snake due to its shell and its "tentacles". He cautiously speculated that it may be a gigantic species of mollusc.[3]
Similar cryptids[]
Arnošt Vašíček connects the sachamama with the minhocão, an armoured serpentine animal reported from Brazil and Central America.[4]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Eberhart, George M. (2002) Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology, ABC-CLIO, Inc., ISBN 1576072835
- ↑ Shuker, Karl P. N. (2010) Karl Shuker's Alien Zoo: From the Pages of Fortean Times, CFZ Press, ISBN 978-1-905723-62-1
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Shuker, Karl P. N. ShukerNature: SACHAMAMA - A SNAKE IN A SHELL? karlshuker.blogspot.com [Accessed 2018]
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Vašíček, Arnošt (2005) Planeta Záhad: Tajemná Minulost, Mystery Film, ISBN 9788023954845
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Monster Boa Size of Two Buses Reported by Terrified Village" Reuters, 20 August 1997
- ↑ Michaels, Denver Colossal Snakes of the Amazon