A kappa (河童 (かっぱ), lit. [i]river child[/i]) is a type of water sprite found in Japanese folklore. It is famous for its love of [[cucumber]]s and also its odd eating habits, such as feeding on hapless victims by sucking out the entrails through the [[anus]]; this leads to its other name: [[shirikodama]] (anus) vampire.

Their appearance varies; some are drawn with an ape-like face or a bird [[beak]], hair circling the skull, tortoise shell, and scaly body. Notable characteristics include humanoid (child size), a water-filled head depression, and [[webbed feet]] and hands.

h4. See also

* [[Kawashiro Nitori]]
* [[traditional youkai]]
* [[Tag group:Legendary creatures]]

h4. External links

* "More info on Kappa":http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kappa.shtml
* "Wikipedia: Kappa (folklore)":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kappa_(folklore).
河童