Anon. (2020) Livret d'Accompagnement du Parcours La Source, p. 21

The popoke. This animal, with the head of a tiger, long teeth, and a tiger-slash-spider monkey's body, is carnivorous. Similar to a water tiger, it lives mainly in the river, but it has previously been seen in the forest by some locals. The elders say that a popoke is responsible for the death of a young boy who bathed at the Maripa-Soula dégrad in the 1960s. According to Fiscal Djani, this animal was usually seen at Kormontibo.

The wataabubu. This is one of the most feared mythical animals in the Maroni. Its home is usually found in caves submerged at the bottom of the river. The elders say that it has points of resemblance to the hippopotamus. It usually advances in fairly deep water, taking advantage of the ideal camouflage to attack its prey, which it devours before spitting out their guts. According to Fiscal Djani, in the 1970s, an Amerindian was eaten by a waatabubu in front of the old sawmill of Papaichton (Lusini), on the Surinamese side of the place called Daay Olo.

The wataamama. The "mother of water" resembles the mermaids of Western mythology. The wataamama live in the depths of the river, where they try to attract boatmen to keep them company. She can kill men by dragging them underwater, but she does not eat them.

Other exceptional animals and creatures have also been sighted by the people of Papaichton. The elders speak in particular of giant rays (about three meters in wingspan) seen near the village.

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