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Làlomèna

The làlomèna is an unknown large mammal inhabiting the various waterways and creeks of Madagascar. Its description is very vague but is usually said to have an ox-like body, with no fur, grey skin and two reddish coloured horns. It is thought to be semi-aquatic and is frequently seen wading in rivers, lakes and ponds deep in the rainforests of Madagascar. 

Some theorize the làlomèna could be a distorted interpretation of hippos that was told to the local Malagasy people by African fishermen and conflated the story with an ox, probably the closest animal to a hippo they were familiar with. Many anthropologists and cryptozoologists lump stories of làlomèna with a similar cryptid, the kilopilopitsofy. Further aiding this theory, is that fossils of the now-extinct Madagascar dwarf hippo are often interpreted by locals as Làlomèna bones, possibly meaning the làlomèna is another version of the kilopilopitsofy, though they have no horns.

A water buffalo skull
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