The Cavern Clan

The Cavern Clan (Piteco) is a Brazilian comic strip from 1961, created by Mauricio de Sousa as part of the Monica's Gang universe. The strip follows a Stone Age tribe that lives alongside dinosaurs. Stories often show Piteco hunting dinosaurs, fleeing from Tooga, or battling people from other villages. The characters are anachronistically aware—for instance, if someone needed to travel far, they might say, “Too bad they didn’t invent the car yet, ’cause otherwise I could go faster.” Sousa drew inspiration from the American comic strips *Tarzan* (by Burne Hogarth) and *Alley Oop*, naming Piteco’s village Lem (a reference to Lemuria in *Alley Oop*).

**Characters** Piteco (full name: Pithecanthropus erectus da Silva) lives in Lem Village. He is mainly a hunter who catches dinosaurs and fish for food. In some stories, he appears as a genius inventor who creates tools, furniture, and modern-day accessories. He also deals with Tooga, who constantly tries to marry him against his will. In early stories, Piteco found Horacio (a small, philosophical dinosaur of unspecified species, often depicted as a generic theropod) in an egg, but Horacio caused trouble in Lem and was forced to leave.

Tooga has a strong crush on Piteco and dreams of marrying him, but Piteco rejects her. She sometimes uses force—like capturing him and dragging him to a “church”—but he always escapes.

Hank is Piteco’s best friend, offering advice when Piteco is in a tough spot.

Loony Lou is Piteco’s cousin, a strange physicist in the village. Though his inventions could be useful, the villagers consider him mad.

Zoom & Boom are identical twin thieves who are homeless but often spend nights in the local prison. Their stories usually involve escaping or trying to steal valuables.

Uncle Glunc is Tooga’s 50-year-old uncle. He is greedy, petty, and selfish, always looking to get rich by exploiting others. He dislikes poor people, wants nothing to do with them, and opposes Piteco, trying to marry Tooga to a wealthy man so he can live off them.

Ogra is Tooga’s best friend, a huge, ugly brute of a woman who is single and looking for a boyfriend.

Juiz da Paz is the judge of Lem Village, responsible for keeping order and organizing weddings.

Horacio is a young dinosaur who was Piteco’s pet in the early strips. He followed Piteco in stories until 1963, when he got his own spin-off series.

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