Nghe An: Discovery of the head of an animal species that 'only exists in legends'

(Baonghean.vn) - While digging sand in the Lam River, flowing through Hung Nguyen District (Nghe An), a local discovered the head of an animal with 2 horns like a buffalo's horns but the upper jaw had teeth - something never seen before in buffaloes and cows.

The animal's head has 2 horns like buffalo horns but the upper jaw has teeth. People found it on Lam River.

Mr. Dao Tam Tinh - former Director of Nghe An Provincial Library said that this person later sold it to a member of the Lam River Heritage and Antiquities Association. Many people in the Association, including Mr. Tinh, came to see it when they heard the news but did not understand what kind of animal it was. Because it had a head like a buffalo but the top still had teeth attached - something that buffaloes and cows do not have.

Unlike other cattle breeds that do not have upper molars, this species has upper molars.

The teeth of this legendary animal.

A few months later, while reviewing a long-standing document on Nghe An Ancient Tales in Chinese, Mr. Tinh learned about a story about this animal and related to Cao Bien, a Chinese man born during the Tang Dynasty, who was famous for his feng shui. At that time, Emperor Tang Gaozong did not want the prosperous energy to give birth to talented people in the South to oppose the Tang Dynasty, so he ordered Cao Bien, when he came to govern Giao Chau (866 - 887), to find spiritual acupuncture points in the Viet country to suppress and prevent talented people from appearing.

Arriving in Nghe An, Cao Bien traveled all over the mountain peaks of the Hong Linh range. When he reached the top of Lion Mountain, Cao Bien knew that this was the spiritual point of Nghe An, so he used all means to suppress it. But before he could carry out his plan, the Mountain God got angry and sent an animal that looked like a buffalo but was not a buffalo to attack and bite Cao Bien's leg, preventing him from suppressing it. After that, he drew his sword to slash the animal's horn and saw sparks. Too frightened, Cao Bien and the Tang army fled.

Because it had been in the river for so long, the animal's head became a habitat for mussels when it was found.

Mr. Tinh said that the buffalo-like head with upper teeth found in the Lam River could belong to an animal that lived in the Hong Linh mountain range thousands of years ago but became extinct. In 2012, Mr. Tinh announced this discovery at a scientific conference held in Ha Tinh.

Regarding why people discovered the animal's head on Lam River, according to Mr. Tinh, it is very likely that this animal was used by ancient people as a sacred offering to the gods on Lam River, so it remains until today.

Chu Thanh