Tsuchinoko & Hoop Snake

The Tsuchinoko is a snake-like cryptid from Japan . In Japan, its name is ツチノコ or 槌の子 (meaning "dirt child"). They are reported to be between 30 and 80 cm long. The name "tsuchinoko" is used in Western Japan, however it is known as "bachi hebi" in Northeastern Japan. The tsuchinoko has a thin head and tail, and a wide girth in between. It reportedly has fangs and venom, similar to some snakes. The features distinguishing it from snakes are that it squeaks like a mouse and its body is much thicker than its head or stubby tail. Some accounts also describe the tsuchinoko as being able to jump up to a meter in distance followed immediately by a second jump while still in the air.
It is also referenced in the kojiki, the oldest book about the history of Japan. It literally translating to "child of hammer" or "child of dirt".

According to legend, some tsuchinoko have the ability to speak and a propensity for lying, and they are also said to have a taste for alcohol. Legend records that it will sometimes swallow its own tail so that it can roll like a wheel, similarly to the "hoop snake" of American legend. The distinguishing feature of a hoop snake is that it can grasp its tail in its jaws and roll after its prey like a wheel.
Sightings are still occasionally reported, though the existence of the hoop snake has never been accepted by the scientific community. Naturalist Raymond Ditmars placed $10,000 in trust at a New York bank for the first person to provide evidence of a hoop snake. Some have suggested it is a distorted description of the sidewinder of the American Southwest, or of mud snakes, which will occasionally lie in a loose hoop shape. The hoop snake possibly is an embellishment of actual instances of snakes swallowing their own tails, mistaking them for prey.

In Popular Culture

Tsuchinoko makes an appearance in the video games Metal Gear Solid 3, Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain and Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops, in which it is edible, and you can also keep it for some unlockables. It has also appeared as an enemy in the Castlevania series which is known to include several popular cryptids.

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