The Bunyip

Survivor From the Dreamtime?

The bunyip is a creature from Dreamtime mythology of the Australian Aboriginal people. However that does not necessarily mean it does not exist. There have been a number of modern sightings of creatures that have been classified as possible bunyips. It is most definitely a potential cryptid.

According to the mythological accounts, the bunyip was a malevolent water spirit. Should anyone enter its lair - usually swamps and rivers - it would attack and devour them. The bunyip had a loud, terrifying cry and the aborigines would abandon any water source where this was heard.

The aboriginal version of the bunyip didn't seem to have a fixed appearance, possibly because of its nature as a spirit. Common features include a tail, flippers and tusks.

The Modern Bunyip

The bunyip stories from recent times paint a less fearsome picture. Instead of a maneater it is seen as a shy grazing creature.

Modern bunyip sightings were most common during the 19th century. There were also some sightings during the twentieth century, though these were less frequent. Two different types of bunyip have been reported: most modern bunyips are described as being "dog-faced", however a few sightings describe a long-necked creature with a pointed head. This is clearly a different creature.

What is the Bunyip?

If we assume that the modern bunyip sightings really are sightings of something, what is it? Not, we assume, a spirit.

As always in the field of cryptozoology a survivor from the dinosaur era is a strong contender. The suggestion is that perhaps a diprotodon could somehow have survived. The Australian diprotodon lived through the Pleistocene epoch and coexisted with the early humans. It is thought to have gone extinct between ten and fifty thousand years ago.

Another theory is that many modern "bunyip" sightings were simply fugitives in hiding or vagrants living wild. This rather less exciting theory would fit in with the increased number of bunyip sightings during the depression of the 1930s.

As to the Bunyip's fearsome cry, some have suggested that this could have been the cry of the koala or possum, creatures most people would normally consider mute.