The Patagonian Hippopotamus is a cryptid reported primarily from Araucanía and Patagonia in southern Chile, with some sightings near the Chiloé Archipelago. Descriptions trace back to Father Juan Ignacio Molina in the late 1700s, who noted a mysterious river- and lake-dwelling animal. Furthermore, and this is critical, there are no hippopotami in the Americas, they are restricted exclusively to the Old World, other sightings are in the araucania region and the islands near Chiloé.
- Described as different from the African hippopotamus.
- Similar in size and shape to a pygmy hippo or small horse.
- Featured webbed (palmed) feet, like those of seals, suggesting aquatic adaptation.
- Had soft fur, resembling the fur of young sea lions.
Historical Context[]
- Father Juan Ignacio Molina, a Jesuit priest and naturalist, is one of the earliest Chilean natural historians. His Compendio de la Historia Geográfica, Natural y Civil del Reino de Chile (1782) contains the account.
- Molina was not prone to fantasy, but he often repeated local beliefs and second-hand testimonies, particularly from Mapuche and Huilliche peoples.
🧩 Cryptozoological Interpretations[]
- Unknown Pinniped or Sirenian?
- The palmed feet, soft fur, aquatic habitat, and resemblance to sea lions could suggest an unknown or misidentified seal, manatee, or even extinct South American sirenian.
- No extant manatees or dugongs are native to Chilean waters, but fossil relatives existed in the Pacific.
- Misidentified Marine Mammal
- Locals may have seen stranded sea lions, elephant seals, or oddly shaped whales, especially near Chiloé, and misinterpreted them.
- Sea lions swimming upriver are not unheard of, especially in fjord-rich areas like southern Chile.
- Survival of a Pleistocene Mammal?
- Some cryptozoologists speculate that this could be a relict population of a Pleistocene megafauna, like Toxodon or an aquatic notoungulate. However, this is speculative and unsupported by fossil evidence post-Holocene.
- Mythological Syncretism
- The Mapuche have various water spirits and monsters (like the Nguruvilu, a fox-like river creature with a serpent’s tail) that may have been transformed in European writings into more familiar-sounding beasts, like hippos.