What was the mythical Australian creature from Aboriginal mythology?

The Bunyip

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Presented by Peter Petterson

The Bunyip is a large mythical creature from Aboriginal mythology, said to lurk in swamps, billabongs, creeks and waterholes. Their terrifying bellowing cries and shrieks, heard only at night, frightened Aborigines to the point where they would not approach any water source where a Bunyip might be waiting to devour them. The word Bunyip is usually translated by Aboriginal Australians today as “devil” or “evil spirit” Across Aboriginal Australia there are at least nine regional variations to descriptions of the Bunyip, the most prevalent being that of a huge fearsome creature, furry, half-human half-beast with a long neck and a head like a bird. Various written accounts of Bunyips were made by Europeans in the early and mid-19th century, as settlement spread across the country, but none of these were scientifically verified – Australians now consider the existence of the Bunyip to be mythical.

https://www.firstlighttravel.com/blog/aboriginal-mythology-some-truths-revealed

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunyip

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2010/10/dreamtime-animals/