Squonk

Squonk is a legendary creature supposedly living in the tsug forests of northern Pennsylvania , USA. Legends of the squander probably appeared at the end of the 19th century, at the height of Pennsylvania's development of the forest industry and deforestation.

The earliest known recorded record of a skuonk is reflected in a book by William T. Cox called Terrifying creatures of forests and some animals of deserts and mountains (1910). In the same book was given a picture of a squonk, but of poor quality. A complete description of the squonk does not exist - even in the indicated book it is deprived of strict definiteness. Information from this book by Cox is reprinted in the work of Jorge Luis Borges " Book of fictional creatures " (1969).

Legend has it that the creature's skin is very poor, covered with warts, growths and spots, and therefore it hides from prying eyes and constantly cries bitterly because of its ugliness. The creature is supposedly prone to solitude and leaves its shelter only at night. His presence can be seen on wet tracks or the sound of crying. It is easiest to detect a squonk in cold weather with a full moon; then he is less mobile, it is easier to notice, and his cry is heard better.

Hunters who tried to catch the squander found that the creature was able to avoid being captured by completely dissolving in its own tears when it was driven into a corner. A certain J.P. Ventling, as it is supposed, nevertheless caught one squonk and hid it in his bag, which, while he was carrying it home, suddenly lost a lot of weight. Upon examination, he found that the bag contained only the liquid remains of a sad animal.

The fictitious “scientific name” of the squonk — Lacrimacorpus dissolvens — comes from Latin words meaning “tear,” “body,” and “dissolving.”