The Tatzelwurm is a type of dragon or hybrid creature found in the folklore of the traditional communities of the Alps mountain rage in central Europe. It is unclear exactly how old the belief in the tatzelwurm is within these communities, but in 1680 the Swiss doctor and naturalist Johann Jacob Wagner published the first written accounts of local legends of dragons in the Alps in his book titled Historia naturalis helvetiae curiosa. In modern times the tatzelwurm has become a type of crypid, with supposed eywitnesses claiming to have actually seen the creature. It is usually described as a creature with the head of a cat, clawed forelegs, and the body of a serpent. Some sources say that it can breathe fire or poisonous gas, and it preys upon livestock and sometimes human children.
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