ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the occurrence and description of mythological aquatic beings and similar creatures in both indigenous and European cultures, and how they relate (or not) to real animals of tropical latitudes. Strange or frightening sea monsters populated the early narratives of American geography and nature. They were described as existing outside the natural realm, breaking the boundaries of local and European categories of knowledge. Gândavo’s sea monster, or the feared sharks and alligators, reinforce my idea of the circulation of natural curiosities. I also offer the perspective of the monster – the animal itself – as an agent in the construction of a historical narrative of interspecific encounters.
