Drawing depicting El Cuero, another cryptid that is very similar.
The Xizi (席子, Xízǐ, Chinese: mat) or Xixuetan (吸血毯, Xīxuè tǎn, Chinese: blood-sucking blanket) is a cryptid reported from China. Most reports are from Myanmar and the neighboring province of Yunnan, but there are also known reports from Jiangsu, located on the eastern coast of Eurasia.
Description[]
It is described as reaching over two meters in length and having a flattened body that looks like a blanket or leather. It is a carnivore that lives underwater or in moist terrestrial environments such as caves, where it is said to wrap its prey and suck blood. These features are similar to El Cuero reported from South America.
Sightings[]
14th century[]
In the late 14th century, three young elephants were crossing a river when one was attacked by Xizi and pulled into the water. Two other elephants confronted the Xizi and pulled it ashore. The creature, which was washed ashore, was said to have no limbs and many eye- and mouth-like organs.
1771[]
In the spring of 1771, a diver in Zhengjiang, Jiangsu is described as "tightly wrapped by a reddish, large dustpan-like animal equipped with many suckers”.
1976 or 1977[]
In the summer of 1976 or 1977, a girl swimming in a pond in Ruili, Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, was attacked by Xizi and wrapped tightly around her arm. Her father tried to pull it off her arm but failed, so he was forced to amputate her arm.
A few weeks after this attack, a man swimming in the same pond was caught by a shadowy object floating on the surface of the water and pulled into the water. When neighbors drained the water to investigate, the man was found dead, wrapped tightly by the moss-covered sucker of the creature.
1993[]
In 1993, brothers who were catching frogs by torchlight at night in a cave near the Daluo River in Mengla County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, not far from Myanmar, encountered Xizi and were attacked. When the younger brother tripped over a green blanket-like object, the blanket-like object raised itself up and attacked him. The older brother heard his younger brother say, “Brother, help me, something is wrapped around my leg, it hurts so much,” and when he looked at him, he saw that the green blanket-like object was wrapped around the younger brother's lower body, and he was stamping his foot trying to pull it off. The older brother tried to peel off the creature that was wrapped around his brother's leg. It was fluffy to the touch and had mucus. He wanted to attack the creature with his sword, but he thought of another way, in case it would hit his brother. So he moved his torch closer to the creature. It squealed, shrank its body, and fled away from the younger brother's legs and into a puddle. The younger brother's leg had been skinned, exposing white muscle, but fortunately it was not life-threatening. Another explanation is that this event occurred in the fall of 2000.
2000[]
On March 15, 2000, in Daluo Township, Xishuangbanna, a hunter or fisherman named Lamaoli saw Xizi. Lamaoli was river fishing at night with his two hounds, a mother named Huáng hǔ and a puppy named Xiǎohǔ. He saw a dark, blanket-like creature in the moonlit water. This thing had small blue glowing eyes and a pair of wing-like appendages, with what appeared to be a tail at the back end. His curiosity got the better of him and he cast a stone at this, and what appeared to be a creature dove down and disappeared.
After that encounter, Lamaoli was encamped and in the middle of the night heard a dog yelping from the river and went to check on him. When he went to check on the dogs, he found Xiǎohǔ being held captive by a blanket-like creature and Huáng hǔ trying to rescue her own child by biting the edge of the creature; Huáng hǔ and the blanket creature struggled in the shallow water and the blanket gave up and left. Xiǎǎohǔ was freed from the blanket, but he was already dead, his fur peeled off and white from exsanguination, with traces of blood having been sucked out by a bowl-sized sucker.
Explanations[]
Some believe Xizi is a freshwater stingray. However, while the appearance is plausible, it is inconclusive because stingrays can injure people with their venomous stingers but do not suck blood, and no freshwater stingrays have been reported from this region.
Some believe that Xizi is a freshwater cephalopod. However, this is not considered plausible because no freshwater cephalopods have been scientifically discovered to date and the areas where Xizi are most frequently reported are inland, not near estuaries.
Another opinion is that the true identity is that of a giant vampire bat. However, there is no evidence for the existence of giant bats that actively engage in underwater behavior, and there does not seem to be much evidence linking Xizi to bats.
Another opinion is that they are giant leeches. This theory explains the blood-sucking behavior, but leeches do not have prominent eyes, and leeches of that size are thought to be incapable of satisfactory terrestrial activity.
Source[]
- book:Xu, David C. (2018) Mystery Creatures of China: The Complete Cryptozoological Guide, Coachwhip Publications, ISBN 978-1616464301
- https://cryptid.blog.jp/archives/10369763.html
- https://web-mu.jp/history/43246/
- https://anomalien.com/xizi-the-bloodsucking-cryptid-of-chinese-folklore/
- https://www.crypto-f.com/2025/01/blog-post_20.html?m=1