Is this a real myth or not?

For whatever reason, I stumbled on this clip of a relatively old cartoon called The Wild Thornberries. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y4a3ZTSGcs

Towards the end of the clip a “native” says that on full moons, river dolphins turn into humans and walk among the people.

Is this a real myth (/tall tale/story) that native people of Asia (South America?) really believe or is it one they just made up for the show?

There is an animal called a *boto *in Portuguese, which is a river dolphin in the Amazon (South America). So that much is factual and consistent with the setting in the cartoon.

Apparently there is some basis in fact for this myth :dubious:, or rather, there is some basis that such a myth exists, not that the myth is true :slight_smile:

It’s a quite genuine legend in Amazonia. From the abstract of this article: Shameless creatures : An ethnozoology of the Amazon River dolphin

See also Wiki:

Not that unusual. Isn’t there a swan-girl in the Ring Cycle? There are definitely Scottish legends about seals taking off their skins and being humanoid underneath.

My wife is from Amazonia and has told me about the legend of the Boto. He always wears white and always has a hat on (to hide the blowhole). He is very beautiful and can hypnotize unwitting girls.

The somewhat sadder truth is that the Boto was usually used to explain unwanted or unintended pregnancies (often due to incest). It’s easier to blame the dolphins.

Do they look like Ted Levine?

The OP brought to mind this movie from 1986:

Where the River Runs Black

I’m assuming English is not your first language. The video is from a kid’s cartoon, and often these aren’t too worried about facts. The Wild Thornberries is an exception, in that, while not explicitly an educational show, they did strive to present factual information in Nigel’s segments.