List of megafauna in mythology and folklore
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 40 kg to 250 kg. At the upper, they may be further subdivided into small (250–500 kg), medium (500–1,000 kg) and large (over 1,000 kg). 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 or the Midgard snake. Examples of megafauna 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 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 Roc Timingila Ziz References megafauna