Cryptid Vault
Boto

Boto

Also known as: Encantado, Pink Dolphin Man, Boto Encantado

The Amazon's pink river dolphin comes ashore at night disguised as a handsome stranger.

First Reported

Pre-colonial oral tradition

Origin Area

Amazon River basin, Brazil

Size

Human-sized in land form, 6-8 feet as dolphin

Temperament

Charming but deceptive

Status

Folklore

Folklore onlyMedium DangerSouth AmericaRiver

The Lore

The Boto Encantado is a shapeshifting creature from Amazonian folklore. By day it swims as an Amazon river dolphin, but at night it transforms into a well-dressed young man who attends parties and seduces women. It always wears a hat to cover its blowhole. In riverside communities, unexplained pregnancies are still sometimes attributed to the Boto.

Body Type

ShapeshifterAquatic

Folklore Origin

Indigenous traditionRegional folklore

Media Appearances

  • The River of Doubt by Candice Millard

Similar Real Animals

Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis)