Bunyip

[[File:Bunyip 1890.jpg|right|thumb|165px|A drawing of a bunyip from 1890.  Note its fondness for oversized toothpicks.]]{{cryptid}}
A '''bunyip''' is a [[cryptid|mythical animal]] from [[Australia|down under]] that dwells in rivers and swamps and generally either resembles a large dog or has an elongated neck.<ref name="nla">[http://www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/bunyips/flash-site/index-flash.html The Story of the Bunyip] - National Library of Australia</ref>  Individual bunyips seem to have a multitude of other features, including scales, feathers, tails, flippers, and tusks.<ref name="crypto">[http://www.cryptozoology.com/cryptids/bunyip.php Bunyips] - Cryptozoology.com</ref>  Despite their Aboriginal roots, no drawings of bunyips exist in Aboriginal art.<ref name="nla" />  As nothing more than a freakish skull or two has ever been found, most [[scientist]]s, and most [[Australia|Australians]], doubt the bunyip's existence.  Some scientists suggest that the bunyip may be a part of the Aboriginal cultural memory from either discovery of prehistoric bones or contact with the animal itself, as the bunyip shares a resemblance to the extinct ''{{wpl|Diprotodon}}''.<ref name="skepdic">[http://www.skepdic.com/bunyips.html Bunyips] - Skepdic's Dictionary</ref>  [[Creationists]] have somehow managed to use the bunyip as possible proof of [[dinosaur]]s [[Human-dinosaur coexistence|still being alive]]... no, [[Poe's Law|seriously]].<ref>[http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v15/i2/bunyips.asp Bunyips and dinosaurs] - Answers in Genesis</ref>

==Origins==
Throughout the years since the colonization of Australia by [[Europe|Europeans]] various non-aboriginal people have tried to uncover the origins of the bunyip myth, with one notable case in 1933 being a proposition that the bunyip myth was at least partially inspired in derivation by seals, noting that various seals have been found as far inland as the Overland Corner over the years, specifically noting how the "smooth fur, prominent 'apricot' eyes, and and the bellowing cry are characteristics of the seal," most notably the {{wpl|southern elephant seal}} and the {{wpl|leopard seal}}.<ref>[http://www.janesoceania.com/australia_bunyips_mythology1/index1.htm BUNYIP SIGHTINGS - IN SEARCH OF AN ORIGIN]</ref>

Others hold the bunyip to be a {{wpl|folk memory}} of the extinct Australian megafauna, such as the aforementioned ''Diprotodon''. It's noteworthy that when confronted with the remains of some of the now extinct Australian marsupials, Aborigines would often identify them as the bunyip.<ref>{{wpa|Bunyip}}</ref>

A far less spectacular but very interesting possibility is that Bunyips are derived from encounters with cassowaries.<ref>Brandt, Karl (June 2017). "Bunyip Hunters". Australian Birdlife. 6 (2): 10.</ref> It is worth noting that most etymologists see a connection with {{wpl|Bunjil}},<ref>Davey, Gwenda; Seal, Graham, eds. (1993). The Oxford Companion to Australian Folklore. Oxford University Press. pp. 55–56. ISBN 0-19-553057-8.</ref> the divine ancestor of the people of the eagle moiety of the Kulin nation, so an origin as a "dark aspect" of this deity cannot be ruled out.

==References==
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[[Category:Australia]]

Categories: Australia