Minhocão
A massive subterranean worm of the South American interior.
- Region
- Southern Brazil, Uruguay, and northern Argentina
- Documented sightings
- 3 on map →
Overview
The Minhocão — Portuguese for "big earthworm" — is a subterranean cryptid reported from the southern Brazilian states of Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul, as well as parts of Uruguay and Argentina. 19th-century naturalist Auguste de Saint-Hilaire collected the earliest European-recorded accounts during his Brazilian expeditions of 1816–1822.
Identification
Reported at 25 to 50 meters in length and 1 to 2 meters in diameter, with thick black scaled skin and what appears to be a pig-like or cylindrical snout. The creature burrows through soft ground at speed, leaving distinctive trenches and uprooted trees, and is associated with the diversion of small streams through its tunneling. It has been reported to emerge briefly during heavy rains.
Lore & Origin
Saint-Hilaire's 1847 paper presented to the French Académie des Sciences brought the cryptid to international attention. American zoologist Florentino Ameghino later proposed the Minhocão might represent a surviving glyptodont — a giant armored mammal of the Pleistocene. Reports diminished sharply after the early 20th century, though occasional sightings continue in remote regions of southern Brazil.