El Cuero (The Leather), also known as "El Cuero Vivo" (The Living Leather) is a mythological creature that inhabits the sea and some rivers of Chile and the south of Argentina. Its name comes from the fact that it looks like an extended piece of leather from a cow floating in the water with teeth like protuberances in its edges and a pair of red eyes like those of a snail. When there is a prey nearby, El Cuero jumps from the water to show its mouth, that looks like a giant sucker. Then, after covering its victim completely, El Cuero uses its mouth to absorb its fluids, leaving only a lifeless shell behind. El Cuero's preys are usually animals, but it can attack people and even boats if necessary. It is said that only a priestess from the Mapuche, known as a Machi, can get rid of this creature. Due to its description it is thought that these creatures were truly manta rays.

The video about El Cuero

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