Mysterious Creatures : A Guide to Cryptozoology

Beast of Bungalow Beach,” Fortean Times, no.
67 (February-March 1993): 35–37; Karl
Shuker, In Search of Prehistoric Survivors
(London: Blandford, 1995), pp. 116–118.
Ganba
Mythical giant Snake of Australia.
Etymology: Mirning (Australian) word.
Variant name: Jeedarra.
Physical description: Huge size.
Behavior: The gurgling sound of underground
streams is said to be caused by its breath.
Seizes and eats people.
Habitat: Underground caves; also the ocean.
Distribution: Nullarbor Plain, South Australia.
Possible explanations:
(1) The Amethystine python (Morelia
amethystina) of Cape York, Queensland, is
Australia’s largest snake. Average specimens
are 15 feet long, though outsize individuals
attain nearly 24 feet. Its scales have an
iridescent sheen. However, this snake
strictly lives in the forest.
(2) The Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus), one
of Australia’s most dangerous snakes, is
found along the coast of Queensland and
the Kimberley region.
Sources: Daisy Bates, The Passing of the
Aborigines (London: John Murray, 1938), p.
132; Charles Barrett, The Bunyip and Other
Mythical Monsters and Legends (Melbourne,
Australia: Reed and Harris, 1946), pp. 47–48.
Gargouille
Legendary Dragon of France.
Etymology: French, “gargler.”
Variant name: Gargoyle.
Physical description: Serpentine. Scaly head.
Slender snout. Eyes that gleam like moonstones.
Long neck. Four membranous flippers.
Behavior: Shoots jets of water from its mouth.
Lives in a cave on the riverbank. Capsizes boats.
Eats people.
Distribution: Seine River in Normandy,
France.
Significant sighting: A scaly monster emerged
186 GANBA
from the Seine River near Rouen, France, in the
early seventh century and caused flooding by
emitting jets of water from its mouth. It was
subdued by St. Romain (Romanus), archbishop
of Rouen (from A.D. 626 to 640), who led it
back to town, where it was burned to death.
Present status: Served as the inspiration for the
architectural gargoyles that began to adorn
French churches in the thirteenth century as waterspouts.
Sources: Histoire véritable de la Gargouille:
Complainte en 32 couplets (Caen, France: Chez
Renardini, 1826), http://users.skynet.be/dhs/
gargouilles/legende.htm; Karl Shuker, Dragons:
A Natural History (New York: Simon and
Schuster, 1995), pp. 18–19; La fête de la
Gargouille à Rouen, http://www.francepittoresque.com/traditions/24.htm.
Garuda
Flying Humanoid or bird of the Indian subcontinent.
In Hindu mythology, it is the king of
the birds and is identified with fire and the sun.
Etymology: Sanskrit (Indo-Aryan) word.
Variant names: Garutmat, Gerda (in
Malaysia), Kruth (in Cambodia), Nagantaka
(“destroyer of snakes”), Sitanana (“white face”),
Taraswin, Vinayaka (“destroyer of obstacles”).
Physical description: Large bird with human
arms and legs. Said to be as bright as the sun. Its
white face is half human, half bird. Golden or
green body feathers. Scarlet wings.
Behavior: Enemy of snakes (NAGA).
Distribution: India; Southeast Asia.
Present status: In Hindu mythology, this entity
is the vehicle of the god Vishnu. Earlier depictions
show the Garuda as an eaglelike bird;
later artwork makes it more human. In Indonesia,
the Garuda has survived modernization to
become the national emblem.
Possible explanation: The Brahminy kite
(Haliastur indus) is a common hawk found from
India east to the Solomon Islands. It has a distinctive,
deep-chestnut color and a white head
and neck. Length, 20 inches. Hindus consider it
a sacred bird associated with Garuda.
Sources: The Mahārbhārata, ed. J. A. B. van
Buitenen (Chicago: University of Chicago