Onza
Legendary cat of Mexican folklore, possibly a jaguarundi or cougar variant.
In Mexican folklore, the onza is a legendary cat. The Spanish word *onza* comes from the Latin *lynx*, *lynicis*, and is related to the English "ounce," which once meant lynx but now usually refers to the snow leopard. Writings by Spanish conquistadors mention the onza, but these accounts may actually describe the jaguarundi, still called *onza* in several Mexican states. In Brazil, *onça* is the word for jaguar—*onça-pintada* for a spotted jaguar and *onça-preta* for a black one. These real cats range as far north as Mexico and possibly into the U.S. Southwest. The puma is also called *onça-parda* in parts of Brazil.
According to one legend, after the Spanish settled Mexico, the animal was seen more often, and an unidentified group named it *onza*. A Jesuit priest, Father Ignaz Pfefferkorn, wrote in 1757 that it was less timid than the cougar and that anyone attacking it had to be careful. Another missionary, Father Johann Baegert, reported that an onza invaded a neighbor’s mission, attacked a 14-year-old boy in daylight, and that a few years earlier another had killed the strongest soldier in the area.
In more recent stories, in 1938 and again in 1986, cougar-like animals shot in Sinaloa were called *onza* by unknown parties. One tale says that in 1938, hunters Dale and Clell Lee, with banker Joseph Shirk, shot an animal near La Silla Mountain in Sinaloa that locals called an onza. Dale Lee insisted it was not a puma; though similar in color, it had longer ears, legs, and body, and a lighter build.
The only supposedly viable specimen came from rancher Andres Murillo. In January 1986, he shot what he thought was a jaguar attacking him, but it was later said to have been proven not a jaguar. Murillo brought it to a person known only as "Vega," who owned a nearby ranch. The cat was a female weighing 60 pounds and measuring 45 inches long, with a 23-inch tail. It resembled a cougar but had a lighter frame, longer striped legs, longer ears, and a longer tail. Its stomach contained deer. Vega said it looked like an onza his father had shot in the 1970s, whose skull he still had.
In another version, two men named Rodriguez and Ricardo Zamora were deer hunting at night when they shot a large cat they feared was a jaguar.
- Field
- Folklore, Cryptozoology
- Nationality
- Mexican
- Known for
- Legendary cat species of Mexican folklore
Lore & Background
According to legend, after the Spaniards settled in Mexico, the animal was seen more often, and some unidentified group gave it the name onza. A Jesuit priest, Father Ignaz Pfefferkorn, wrote in 1757 that 'It is not as timid as the [cougar], and he who ventures to attack it must be well on his guard.' Another missionary, Father Johann Baegert, wrote that an onza attacked a 14-year-old boy in broad daylight and that another killed the strongest and most respected soldier in the area.
In the twentieth century, anecdotes tell of cougar-like animals shot in Sinaloa in 1938 and 1986 that were identified as onza by unknown parties. In 1938, hunters Dale and Clell Lee, with Indiana banker Joseph Shirk, shot what locals called an onza near La Silla Mountain in Sinaloa. Dale Lee was certain the animal was not a puma, noting its longer ears, legs, and body, and lighter build.
The only viable specimen examined was contributed by rancher Andres Murillo in January 1986. He shot what he thought was a jaguar attacking him, but it was proved not to be a jaguar. The specimen was a female weighing 60 lb, measuring 45 inches without the 23-inch tail. It had the appearance of a cougar with a very long, thin body and long, thin, doglike legs. DNA testing later confirmed the Sinaloa specimen was a well-known subspecies of cougar, not an American cheetah or unknown species.
Reader's Guide
The onza occupies a unique place in Mexican folklore as a legendary cat species that blurs the line between myth and misidentified real animals. The term onza itself is ambiguous, deriving from the Latin for lynx and used historically for the jaguarundi in many Mexican states, while in Brazil onça refers to the jaguar. The legends, preserved in writings of Spanish conquistadors and Jesuit missionaries, describe a creature bolder than the cougar, capable of attacking humans. Twentieth-century anecdotes from Sinaloa, involving hunters and ranchers, kept the legend alive, with specimens claimed to be distinct from pumas due to longer limbs, ears, and tails. However, scientific examination—including DNA testing of the 1986 specimen—consistently identified these animals as known subspecies of cougar or other cat species, not a new or unknown animal. The onza thus illustrates how folklore can persist around rare or variant individuals of known species, and how local naming traditions can create the impression of a distinct creature. Its significance lies in its role as a cultural touchstone in Mexican cryptozoology and as a case study in the identification of legendary animals.
Did You Know?
- The Spanish name onza derives from the Latin lynx, lyncis, and is equivalent to the English word 'ounce', originally applied to the lynx but now more commonly to the snow leopard.
- In some Mexican states, the jaguarundi is also referred to as onza.
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