Ucumar
The bipedal "Bigfoot of the Andes."
- Region
- Andean puna of northwest Argentina and Bolivia
- Documented sightings
- 4 on map →
Overview
The Ucumar — also Ukumar-Zupai — is a hair-covered bipedal hominid reported from the high-altitude puna grasslands of the Andes in Salta, Jujuy, and the Bolivian altiplano. Reports cluster in remote pastoral communities at elevations between 3,000 and 5,000 meters and include both visual sightings and persistent vocalization accounts.
Identification
Approximately 1.7 meters tall with a stocky, heavily muscled build and dark fur. The creature is reported to produce eerie sustained howling vocalizations heard at night across great distances, and its presence reliably causes horses to bolt and dogs to retreat to shelter. Tracks are described as resembling enlarged human footprints.
Lore & Origin
The 1956 discovery of 17-inch human-like footprints at over 16,000 feet by geologist Audio L. Pich was reported in Salta's El Tribuno and brought the cryptid to wider Argentine attention. The 1957 Tolar Grande wave — in which an entire 148-person village reported nightly howling for weeks — remains the most documented multi-witness Ucumar event.