thumb|225px|Artwork depicting an appearance of the Mapinguari
The Mapinguari or mapinguary is a mythological creature from Brazilian folklore. Referred to as the 'Brazilian Bigfoot' in popular media, the Mapinguari is described as extremely foul-smelling and hairy. Other accounts of the creature reference it having hook-shaped nails, a bipedal gait, a gaping mouth in its belly, and a single eye like a cyclops.
Terminology
Cascudo and later commentators speculate the name mapinguari to be a Tupi-Guarani compound mbaé-pi-guari (Guarani: "that, the thing" + "crooked, twisted") meaning "the thing that has a clubbed, twisted, or backwards-turned foot".
Mapinguari is known to the Karitiana people as (Karitiâna: "laughing beast"), ("beast with black face") or (lit. "maternal grandfather" or "mother's brother's son").
It was still believed to haunt the forests of Pará, Amazonas and Acre into the 20th century.<!--need a secondary source that points to an RS primary source saying shaman, brujo, payé, pajé or whatever.-->
Cf. also Quibungo (aged black Brazilians turned monster) described below.
Mouth in abdomen
This traditional mapinguari is often said to have a gaping mouth on its abdomen, with its feet turned backwards, as already testified by the rubber-tapper of the Purus River basin, Amazonas. which also has a strange gaping mouth running from nose to stomach<!--do nariz ao estômago--> (or throat to stomach) from which the Mapinguari may have borrowed the trait. Though the Quibungo according to some accounts has its mouth on its back.
Single eye
Cascudo noted that like the ogre of Europe, the Labatut, the Mapinguari, and the Capelobo of Brazilian lore were all ascribed a single eye.