Comments on: Ucumar Zupai - Killer of Horses Part II

By: Mnynames

Mnynames — Tue, 14 Mar 2006 00:30:05 +0000

Native societies often use general words to describe things we might see as specific. Not too long ago, the English weren’t too different- just think of all the things named “fish” that aren’t really fish- Starfish, Jellyfish, Shellfish, etc., or the fact that whales were seen as fish too…

By: M Valdemar

M Valdemar — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 20:27:45 +0000

According to this Quechua vocabulary, ukumari means bear. So ucumar zupai means devil bear. According to this Wikipedia disambiguation page, ucumari is the local name for the spectacled bear. That doesn't really imply any taxonomic relationship of course. Consider that the Lakota word for "horse" translates to "spirit dog."

By: Mnynames

Mnynames — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 14:05:55 +0000

One of the names for the local Bigfoot or Sasquatch in South Jersey, when not being lumped in with Jersey Devil sightings, is “Red Eyes”, which in some cases is the only thing that witnesses really experience (Aside from an overwhelming stench of wet dog). Ours are also seldom very gargantuan, being somewhere in the 6 foot range. Curious that this South American form should be so similar to our Mid-Atlantic variety.

By: cradossk

cradossk — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 08:25:05 +0000

Could be a warewolf

By: CryptoInformant

CryptoInformant — Sat, 11 Mar 2006 16:24:25 +0000

As far as my knowledge goes, there is no known primate that is purely carnivorous, or that has claws like that. The shine on the claws could be explained by, and I really hope this isn’t the only possibility, blood. As to what this thing is, it’s feeding habits bring to mind the Gorgonopsid, but the rest seems much more advanced. It is possible that this is an offshoot of the mammal line, maybe even closely related to the Gorgonopsid. Has anyone figured out the meaning of Ucumar yet? So far, its name in english is _______ Devil.