Buru
A giant aquatic lizard once said to inhabit remote Himalayan valleys before being deliberately exterminated.
Apatani oral tradition, investigated 1948
Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh, India
3-4 meters long
Semi-aquatic, territorial
Believed exterminated by Apatani people
The Lore
The buru is a cryptid described by the Apatani people of Ziro Valley in Arunachal Pradesh, India, as a large, elongated aquatic lizard. According to oral histories, the buru lived in swampy areas of the valley before the Apatani drained the marshes and killed the creatures generations ago. British explorer Charles Stonor investigated in 1948 and recorded consistent descriptions from elders who had never seen the animal themselves but preserved detailed accounts. Some researchers suggest the buru may have been a surviving population of large monitor lizards or an unknown crocodilian.
Body Type
Folklore Origin
Notable Witnesses
- Charles Stonor (British explorer, 1948)
- Ralph Izzard (Daily Mail correspondent)
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