Philippino Longneck

philippine_mythology__bakunawa__i__and_haliya__j__by_binibinieyebagstotz-d4zbpog

There is apparently one main catchall category for Sea Monsters in the Philippines generally, and it is the exact equivalent to "Taniwha" and literally means "SHARK." It basically means the Whale-Eater but in this case ,the  Long-Necked Sea Serpent is depicted but using the same name as used by the whale-eater (the creature serves mythologically both as the Lord of primordial Chaos and as the snake that swallows the sun during a solar eclipse. I imagine the last myth is the original for Jonah and the "Whale." The  composite SeaMonster equivalent to Taniwhas is presumably the same as Tompandrano also and there might also be a linguistic connection. In this case, though, we are talking about a standard "Periscope" sighting such as elsewhere seen the whole world over.

The creature has an unusual-looking thing in its mouth which to me resembles a large crab. As far as I am concerned it actually IS a large crab the creature is attempting to eat. The best candidate would be the blue swimming crab or flower crab as it is known in the orient, and this can be something like eigh inches across the carapace: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portunus_pelagicus

The scale is shown as if the Longneck was about 60 feet long with a head two feet wide and three feet long. The head is shown in a correct shape and proportion for a Longneck, my personal preference is that the size represents a theoretical maximum and not a commonly achieved size. The representation is similar to what is called a Naga further to the West of the Philippines. I am assuming the illustration is based on older traditional prototypes. The size and the shape of the creatures head (Plus the confirmation that Longnecks are observed to feed on squids, octopi, lobsters and crabs as well as fishes) are statements which can be found in the conclusions section of Oudemans' book The Great Sea Serpent.

Pterosaurs Across the Pacific

Pterosaurs Across the Pacific

October 23rd, 2012 at 16:04

Long-tailed pterosaurs, called by the name “ropen,” are reported in many areas surrounding the Pacific Ocean. We now have considerable sighting evidence even in Hawaii, islands surrounded by vaste areas of the Pacific.
Two “Pterodactyls” Observed in Philippines in 2008

According to the eyewitness, “I think we’re not the only ones who saw it, because my classmate told me that there are sightings of this thing in Atimonan, Quezon [Province], just one-half hr travel from Pagbilao, and I was told by the local fisherman there that he saw it several times, flying above the sea.”
. . . Question: Did the two creatures have tails?
Answer: YES! they have long tails about 3 to 4 meters long . . .it is not a bird: They don’t have any feathers.
Question: Did you have a good view of them?
Answer: Yes! I was not the only one who saw it . . .
 

http://www.livepterosaur.com/LP_Blog/archives/3887

Once again, the last Pterosaurs around did not have tails and the biggest Pterosaurs did not have tails. The outline of such creatures these witnesses report of the broad diamond-shaped wings and body and the long stringy rat-tail plus the consistent estimartes of the wingspan at about twenty feet makes it likely that many of these sightings are actually of Manta rays leaping above the surface: in the case of creatures actually seen above the sea, the identification is pretty certain. A manta with a 20 foot span can easily leap ten feet above the surface of the sea and thus be well above the head level of a fisherman seated in a boat.

Re: Giant Bat Photo

The giant bat photo in this case was posted on this blog recently:
http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/03/el-chupacabras-del-sur-america.html
I have found two or three denials that the bat in the photo posted on a recent blog was genuine. This is the most recent one, from one of the standard news services:

Expert dismisses 'giant bat' photo as fake

Thu, 22 Mar, 11:00 AM

A leading Australian bat expert says an image circulating on the internet of what appears to be an enormous bat found in the Philippines is a deceptive fake.

Director of the Australian Bat Clinic, Trish Wimberley, said that while some species of bats can have wingspans that stretch up to 1.7m, no bat could grow to the size shown in the picture.

She said the image was likely doctored or taken from a perspective to make the bat appear larger than it actually is. "You only need to look at the knife above the picture to see the proportion of the bat to the proportion of the knife," Ms Wimberley said.

"It’s like when you catch a fish, if you hold it in front of you it looks gigantic." A species of bat known as the giant golden-crowned flying fox or golden-capped fruit bat is found in the Philippines and can grow a wingspan as large as 1.7m, but the animal that appears in the photo does not have golden coloured fur on its head.

Ms Wemberley suggested the animal pictured could be a Malaysian flying fox, also known as the vampire bat, which can grow a wingspan of up to 1.5m.

"If you’re lucky they can get to 1.1kg," Ms Wemberley said.

--OK, so Ms Wemberly is not really adding anything new to the matter. She has not offered any positive identification as to the species of bat illustrated and in fact she pulls a couple of blunders. The bat usually called the "Vampire Bat" in this area is the Old world false vampire bat and it is not a flying fox. She simply makes the negative assertion that "no bat could get that big" (there is no intrinsic reason why you could not have any bats as large as the largest Pterosaurs) There is also the comment that the bat in the picture is NOT the common golden-crowned flying fox known in the Philippines (I have seen that bat given as the culprit more than once elsewhere. Good to know that has been ruled out) and she once again says "You need only look at the dagger to know the scale is off". Well, no, there are knives and there are daggers and there are swords, and unless you have a positive ID on the design of this one in particular, using that statement as an indicator as to scale is pretty much useless. Besides, there is the possibility that the object is a painted wood sign and not a knife at all (The bat is supposed to be a vampire and a wooden stake is what you need to kill a vampire: I assume that is why the object is placed above the bat's head, as a threat to the vampire spirit) So despite the fact there has been an official denunciation of the photo, nothing is really established yet except that the bat is NOT of the common flying fox species to be expected in that area. The photo probably does employ an ambiguous perspective, but we pretty much know that it does not go with the more recessed background people and objects but is instead more in the foreground. OK, even allowing that part, it is STILL an enormous bat of unidentified species.

Best Wishes, Dale D.

'El Chupacabras del Sur America'

This photo of a very large bat has been circulating around the internet lately. It has a confusing perspective, but it looks as if it is about the depth into the photo as the man closest to the front. I have seen the photo referred to as "El Chupacabras del Sur America" or "The Chupacabras of South America." Part of the problem in identifying the bat is that the head has been damaged. I make an estimation that the wingspan as about eighty inches or seven feet across, the size of a big flying fox bat (for comparison see at Left) but the conformation of the body and wings are not quite the same. If this is indeed South America, then there is no bat of comparable size that is supposed to live there and it is indeed at the right size range to be our basic ChupaBat, the outsized False-Vampire one. It would be helpful to have a better view of the head but from what I can tell at this distance, it would seem that the ears have been removed and the creature de-fanged at the very least. The wings are slightly different in structure and the one at top seems to have longer fingers than in the wing of the flying fox, and a broader span of the mobile wingtip area as a result. If this is indeed South America then this creature is the original for the local vampire stories under the names of "Chonchon" and so on.

There is something of a parallel to the Thunderbird photo in that there is an element of forced perspective in the photo , but it is likely not top be a deliberate attempt at deception; rather, it seems to have been just an ambiguous positioning of the elements when the photo was taken.

At  5 Am on 3/24/2012, I received the following update from Quinton R. Godsell:

hi dale.about the s.american bat pic. i am in manila at the moment,my filipino friends informed me the pic was taken in the south of the philippine islands.they called it a tik tik.

Dale Drinnon replied

That is a vampire name. Thanks for the info. Any other particulars on it?

Quinton R. Godsell
yes they believe its a giant vampire bat.possibly mindanao.low level war going on down there.filipino soldiers in photo.

...If I get any additional information I shall add it on here.

In the meantime, I also found a recent reference to an older ChupaBat type creature from Texas called The Blood Beast and subject to scares about Vampires in the middle of the 20th Century: This is mentioned in pasing on a more frivolous internet Chupacabra site together with the illustration here. The illustration is profoundly interesting in that it shows a large bat very like the False Vampire bat, our candidate-model for the ChupaBat. The wingspan would be about six feet, or a man's armspan

CFZ REPOST: DALE DRINNON: Packda, Kapre, Muwas, Waray-waray and Omomongo: Probable Relic Orangutans of the Present-day Philippines

http://forteanzoology.blogspot.com/2011/02/dale-drinnon-packda-kapre-muwas-waray.html


Thursday, February 03, 2011
DALE DRINNON: Packda, Kapre, Muwas, Waray-waray and Omomongo: Probable Relic Orangutans of the Present-day Philippines


Several of the internet resources speak of an asortment of legendary creatures reported from the many islands of the Philippines and said to resemble Bigfoot or Yetis. One of the sources is a juvenile book from 1917 that mentions the name "Packda (=Ape)" but it only mentions that the boy-hero came across the skeleton of one and at first thought it was a human skeleton. From this we can surmise that it is about human-sized and with a superficially human-like anatomy. The other mention I have of "Packda" is from Eberhart, Mysterious Creatures, which says that the apelike creature is reported from Palawan island, which lies between the Indonesian island of Borneo and Luzon of the Philippines.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22407/22407-h/22407-h.htm


I was able to find quite a bit on other apelike creatures reported in the Philippines but unfortunately on share-unfriendly sites such as Cryptomundo and Bigfoot Encounters. There were supposed to be attacks on villagers on Negros island from something called an Amomongo (loosely translatable as "Gorilla" according to Cryptomundo) and reports of a creature called a "Muwas" which is linguistically related to Mawas of the Malay peninsula and Mias, the common Indonesian name for orangutan. Only some of these reports hae become embellished such that the creatures have no proper feet or have "Bottlefeet", batlike wings, or are cyclopses. The Bottlefoot-cyclops reports are easily enough explained by reference to Mapinguaris (as per my earlier blog posting) and presumably the batwinged creatures are reports of a separate Giant-bat cryptid like the "Monkey-faced" Ahool of Java.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amomongo




Amomongo

The Amomongo is a creature of Philippine mythology described as hairy, man-sized and ape-like with long nails.[1] The term may have its roots in the Hiligaynon word amó, which means "ape" or "monkey". Residents of La Castellana in Negros Occidental refer to the creature as a "wild monkey" that lives in caves near the foot of Mt. Kanlaon. The creature is said to have attacked two residents of the settlement and disemboweled goats and chickens in the area, for the purpose of eating the entrails.[2]

1.^ Bayoran, Gilbert (2008-06-13). "Creature terrorizing residents of farms". Visayan Daily Star. http://www.visayandailystar.com/2008/June/13/topstory9.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-20. [dead link]
2.^ Delilan, Erwin Ambo (2008-06-16). "Residents on alert vs 'wild monkey'". Sun.Star Bacolod. http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/bac/2008/06/16/news/residents.on.alert.vs.wild.monkey..html. Retrieved 2008-06-20.




[Ape attempts to abduct girl, drawing for a movie planned in the Philippines during the 1940s, never made. From The Gorilla Men internet site on gorillas in the movies]

http://www.monstrous.com/Sightings/Amomongo_Terrorizes_Philippines.html

Amomongo Terrorizes Philippines

The amomongo (loosely, gorilla) is a creature of Philippine cryptozoology described as hairy, man-sized and ape-like with long nails.

Terror is gripping residents of haciendas in Brgy. Sag-ang, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, Philippines, following the reported existence of a man-sized creature, who recently attacked two residents and disemboweled animals in the area.

Elias Galvez and Salvador Aguilar reported to Mayor Alberto Nicor and the police that they were separately attacked by a "hairy creature with long nails," on the nights of June 9 and 10, 2008, in Cabungbungan, Brgy. Sag-ang, La Castellana, Philippines.

Aguilar who was able to escape from the creature, was treated at the La Castellana Emergency Clinic for scratches on different parts of his body, police said.

Galvez, on the other hand, who was also attacked by the creature, was rescued by his companions, Nicor told the Daily Star on June 12th.

Brgy. Sag-ang residents described the creature to be about 5 feet and 4 inches tall, and looks like a monkey.

Sag-ang Brgy. Capt. Rudy Torres has confirmed reports of the existence of such creature, called amomongo (gorilla) by residents.

The creature has also allegedly victimized chickens and a goat, who ate their intestines, in May 2008.

Torres said the creature usually strikes where there are no barangay tanods (village guards or paramilitary elements) around.

He called on barangay residents to be vigilant, especially during night time.

People have not been roaming around the barangay at night since the attack against Galvez and Aguilar, Nicor said.

Barangay residents should put out a bait to capture the creature, Nicor suggested.

Brgy. Sag-ang in La Castellana is located at the foot of Mt. Kanlaon , which has many caves.

The creature could be hiding in one of the caves, Nicor said.

The La Castellana police advised Barangay Sag-ang residents to immediately report to them if the creature is sighted.

Later,¦

Police and residents of La Castellana town are on alert against a wild monkey locally known as amomongo reportedly attacking residents and other animals since last week.

Inspector Teddy Velez, the town's police chief, said a lot of residents from Barangay Sag-ang have reported of being attacked by amomongo since Tuesday, June 10.

Salvador Aguilar, a resident, told police he was attacked by the wild monkey. He showed authorities the scratches on his face, back and hands. He said several of his neighbors also saw the monkey attacking domesticated animals.

Mayor Alberto Nicor said amomongo is not a witch or aswang but a wild animal. He theorized it is not remote for an amomongo to live in Sag-ang, considering that the area is at the foot of Mt. Kanlaon.

He added the animal may have been suffering from hunger. "This is one possibility because there may be no food now in the mountain. Or it might be that amomongo habitat has been disturbed by humans, thus, it runs wild."

Velez said he already alerted his policemen as well as the village watchmen and instructed them on what to do in case the animal appears again or attacks residents.

Nicor also alerted residents in nearby barangays even as he advised Sag-ang residents to be calm but to also be prepared with arrows or anything that could be used in fighting the amomongo.

Sources:


Creature terrorizing residents of farms, by Gilbert Bayoran, Daily Star, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines, June 13, 2008

[Orangutan Compared to Kapre 1][Orangutan photos are from common internet outlets for such photos: Kapre paintings are created by the artists at DeviantArt]


--However, the most common mention of any creature out of Philippines mythology in the "Apeman" category is ordinarily under the heading of "Kapre". Sightings of the Kapre are fairly common and still continuing, with similar reports all over the middle area of the Philippines, including the area of Luzon around Manilla and the Northern parts of Mindinao. There are several other synonymous names and some slight variations in some more localized areas.

http://northamericanbigfoot.blogspot.com/2010/07/kapre-sighting-in-philippines.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapre

Kapre

Kapre (related to the Agta in the Visayan dialect) is a Philippine mythical creature that could be characterized as a tree demon, but with more human characteristics. It is described as being a tall (7 to 9 ft), brown, hairy male with a beard.

[Since Kapres are usually stated to be sitting up in trees, the height is estimated by the head+trunk length or sitting height. The sitting height of a Kapre is equivalent to the sitting height of a human 7 to 9 feet tall. That could be equivalent to a large orangutan or a gorilla in size because apes actually have short legs.-DD]

[Orangutan Compared to Kapre2- Mamma Kapre Giant]

Kapres are normally described as smoking a big tobacco pipe, whose strong smell would attract human attention. The term kapre comes from the Arabic "kaffir" meaning a non-believer in Islam. The early Arabs and the Moors used it to refer to the non-Muslim Dravidians who were dark-skinned. The term was later brought to the Philippines by the Spanish who had previous contact with the Moors. Some historians speculate that the legend was propagated by the Spanish to prevent Filipinos from assisting any escaped African slaves.

[The name 'Agta' otherwise refers to the pygmy Negritos of the Philippines and probably is used in place of the other "Black" references. Similarly, the name 'Waray-waray' refers to a local ethnic group and presumably is another misapplication of a tribal name to an apelike creature -DD]




[Dark Orangutan]





Natural habitat and attire

Kapres are said to dwell in big trees like acacias, mangoes, bamboo and banyan (known in the Philippines as balete). It is also mostly seen sitting in the tops of those trees. The Kapre is said to wear the indigenous Northern Philippine loincloth known as bahag, and according to some, often wears a belt which gives the kapre the ability to be invisible to humans. In some versions, the kapre is supposed to hold a magical white stone, a little smaller in size than a quail egg. Should any person happen to obtain this stone, the kapre could grant wishes.

[This "Magic Stone is a regular feature of Filipino Folklore and not restricted to stories of the Kapre. Some locally-published comic books use the magic stone as a device whereby the hero or heroine gains superpowers-DD]

Behavior

Kapres are not necessarily considered to be evil, unlike the manananggal. Kapres may make contact with people to offer friendship, or if it is attracted to a woman. If a Kapre befriends any human, especially because of love, the Kapre will consistently follow its "love interest" throughout life. Also, if one is a friend of the Kapre then that person has the ability to see it and if they were to sit on it then any other person could see it.

[Which is to say males interested in human females are bolder and less prone to conceal themselves-so the story goes-DD]

Kapres are also said to play pranks on people, frequently making travelers become disoriented and lose their way in the mountains or in the woods. They are also believe to have the ability to confuse people even in their own familiar surroundings; for instance, someone who forgets that they are in their own garden or home is said to have been tricked by a Kapre. Reports of experiencing Kapre enchantment include that of witnessing rustling tree branches, even if the wind is not strong. Some more examples would be hearing loud laughter coming from an unseen being, witnessing lots of smoke from the top of a tree, seeing big fiery eyes during night time from a tree, as well as actually seeing a Kapre walking in forested areas. It is also believed that abundant fireflies in woody areas are the embers from the Kapre's lit tobacco pipe.

[Orangutan Compared to Kapre 3]

--Although Orangutans could very well be chewing on a bunch of leaves which could resemble a cigar, it is generally held by posters on the Bigfoot sites that the references to the Kapre's nasty-smelling cigar is simply a way of saying it makes a bad smell. And if it eats some kinds of tree bark or other aromatic vegetable matter, its excrements could smell rather like a bad cigar. Some North American Bigfoot reports say the creature smells "like burning garbage", not so very different. And the fact that it lives up in trees would be the reason why it is hard to see, or why it makes branches rustle when there is no wind. That it has a wild raucous laugh is a familiarly apelike trait. Actually the "Loincloth" seems to only mean that it has long hairs hanging down the crotch-as well as having a prominent beard and long head-hair-or long hair all over, in fact. It is also notable that it Kapres are often seen in food trees such as mangoes and bananas and in bamboo thickets.

[Range of Tarsier species in Indonesia and Philippines]

Officially, the only nonhuman primate native to the Philippines are a couple of species of protosimian Tarsiers. However the range of tarsirs inside and outside of the Philippines is suggestive and the fact that some of the "Ape" reports on the islands between Borneo and the Philippines does suggest that orangutans may have crossed over a former landbridge. And I would suggest that the Kapre and the other "Monkey-men" are more like the Borneo orangutans (and Beruang Rambi) while the Mawas and Tua Yeua,etc, of Southeast Asia are more like the Sumatran orangutans. I shall have to expand on that idea in a future blog. And while I have just mentioned the name, Eberhart is wrong when he says "Beruang Rambai" is a usual name for the Malaysian sun-bear. It is on the contrary a common name for the orangutan, and so recorded by Russell Wallace. Which basically makes it a non-Cryptid, only a large orangutan but of the known species native to Borneo.