List of megafauna in mythology and folklore explained

A giant animal in mythology is unusually large, either for their species or in relation to humans. The term giant carries some ambiguity; however, in mythology, definitions of what constitutes 'large' vary, with definitions ranging from 40kg (90lb) upwards.^[1] At the upper end of this scale, they may be further subdivided into small (NaNkg (-2,147,483,648lb)), medium (NaNkg (-2,147,483,648lb)) and large (over 1000kg (2,000lb)). Megafauna often form one of the mythemes of a story. The narrative may revolve around a real animal or a primordial archetype of a gigantic creature, such as a dragon, sea monsters,^[2] or the Midgard snake.

Examples of megafauna

Numerous myths and folklore exist depicting giant animals, including Australian,^{[3] [4]} Greek,^[5] Native American,^{[6] [7]} among others.

Africa megafauna mythology

• Dingonek
• Nandi bear
• Mokele-mbembe
• Grootslang
• Salawa

Oceania megafauna mythology

• Abaia
• Gazeka
• Tiddalik
• Rainbow Serpent

Central and South America megafauna mythology

• Headless Mule
• Mapinguari
• Peuchen
• Yacumama

North America megafauna mythology

• Amarok
• Altamaha-ha
• Akhlut
• Jersey devil
• Mothman
• Mugwump
• Ogopogo
• Thunderbird
• Tizheruk
• Snallygaster
• Wechuge
• Hidebehind
• Hodag
• Hugag
• Underwater panther

Eurasian megafauna mythology

• Akkorokamui
• Bai Hu
• Bake-kujira
• Baku
• Bakunawa
• Beast of Gevaudan
• Behemoth
• Brosno dragon
• Dragon
• Chinese dragons
• Chimera
• Japanese dragons
• Gashadokuro
• Genbu
• Griffin
• Cerberus
• Hydra
• Manticore
• Minokawa
• Mongolian death worm
• Nāga
• Nue
• Karkadann
• Kraken
• Leviathan
• Loch Ness Monster
• Midgard snake
• Ushi-Oni
• Qilin
• Shadhavar
• Shisa
• Sphinx
• Raiju
• Roc
• Timingila
• Ziz

Notes and References

1. Book: Stuart, Anthony J. . Vanished giants: the lost world of the Ice Age . 2021 . The University of Chicago Press . 978-0-226-43298-4 . Chicago London.
2. Mazzoldi . Carlotta . Bearzi . Giovanni . Brito . Cristina . Carvalho . Inês . Desiderà . Elena . Endrizzi . Lara . Freitas . Luis . Giacomello . Eva . Giovos . Ioannis . Guidetti . Paolo . Ressurreição . Adriana . Tull . Malcolm . MacDiarmid . Alison . 2019-12-31 . From sea monsters to charismatic megafauna: Changes in perception and use of large marine animals . PLOS ONE . 14 . 12 . e0226810 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0226810 . 31891944 . 6938407 . 2019PLoSO..1426810M . 1932-6203 . free .
3. Book: Archaeology and Language: Theoretical and methodological orientations . Routledge . 1997 . Spriggs . Matthew . 357–358 . Blench . R.
4. Book: Darlington . Robert . Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Australian Curriculum 3e LearnON and Print . Mraz . Judy . Benson . Cathy . Rood . Benjamin . Richardson . Matthew . Phelan . Simon . Wiley . 2023 . 9781394150939 . 52–53.
5. Book: McPhee, Ross D E . End of the Megafauna: The Fate of the World's Hugest, Fiercest, and Strangest Animals . W. W. Norton . 2018 . 9780393249309.
6. Book: Deloris, Jr., Vine . Red Earth, White Lies: Native Americans and the Myth of Scientific Fact . Fulcrum Publishing . 2018 . 9781682752418.
7. Book: Bastian . Dawn E. . Handbook of Native American mythology . Bastian . Dawn Elaine . Mitchell . Judy K. . 2004 . ABC-CLIO . 978-1-85109-538-4 . Handbooks of world mythology . Santa Barbara, Calif. . 30.