Anomaly Ledger

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Tsuchinoko

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Painted illustration: short fat snake with a thick middle on a mossy forest path in rural Japan
AI rendition based on witness descriptions, not an actual photo.
Nozuchi (Tsuchinoko) from the Shinano-Kishōroku
Nozuchi (Tsuchinoko) from the Shinano-Kishōroku · Ide Dōtei (井出道貞, Japanese, 1756–1839) · Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons) · Image source

A short, fat snake said to jump and live in rural Japan.

Folklore Verdict: Unproven; no specimen has been produced.

Region
Asia · Japan
First reports
Japanese folklore; a wave of sightings in the late 1980s

Key sightings

Best evidence

No specimen.

Sources