The Anguila peluda (in English: ''Hairy Eel'') is a

cryptozoological Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated, particularly those popular in folklore, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness M ...

figure belonging to

Canarian Canary Islanders, or Canarians (), are the people of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of Northwest Africa. The distinctive variety of the Spanish language spoken in the region is known as ''habla canaria'' (Ca ...

culture and folklore, specifically from the Anaga massif region,

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

. According to popular legends, it was a monstrous eel of great size that inhabited a pool at Punta de Anaga, and that terrified the local people. This legend ended up giving its name to the pool itself, the ''Charco de la Anguila'' in the Palmital ravine. The historian from

La Laguna LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

, Manuel de Ossuna y Van Den Heede, wrote in his work «Anaga y sus antigüedades» (1897): The «barranco de los Infiernos» to which the author refers is the current ravine of Palmital. According to popular legends, the creature was a monstrous being; with a head covered in hair and a threatening malice in its gaze. The locals, mostly peasants, thought it was a

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...

in disguise, and that it had to be exorcised. After this, the creature died or disappeared.

References

Bibliography

* {{cite book , last=González, first= José Gregorio, author-link = José Gregorio González, year = 2002 , title = Criptozoología. El enigma de los animales imposibles , publisher = Edaf , isbn = 9788441410633 Culture of the Canary Islands Tenerife Cryptids