Witnesses describe the tapire-iauara as an animal about the same size as a cow. In most sightings it has red or red-gold fur, but a few witnesses describe animals with black fur. In rare instances, the black animals have a large white patch on the front of the body. The tapire-iauara has a face that reminds people of a cat or jaguar, but it lacks the jaguar's spots. The rest of its body is not much like a jaguar. The large, drooping ears are cow-shaped, the legs are shaped like those of a donkey, and the animal may have hooves. Witnesses are not always sure about this last detail, since the tapire-iauara is often seen swimming or standing in water that hides the extremities of its limbs. Some witnesses say that it has paws like a jaguar's on its front feet and hooves on its hind feet. Its