Santal
Malagasy ghost dog that haunts crossroads, graveyards, and dark rural roads. Enormous jet-black spectral hound, the size of a small cow, with eyes blazing like live coals or glowing red embers. Moves in absolute silence, leaving no footprints despite its immense weight. Appears as a death omen, particularly to those who see it at night or near tombs. Its howl portends imminent death. Can be summoned by sorcerers (ombiasy). The creature is a manifestation of ancestral spirits or corrupted dead (angatra) that have slipped from the protective realm of the ancestors