Thomas of Cantimpré [circa 1200-1272 CE] (Liber de natura rerum, ): Scinnoci are also very numerous around the Nile, as Isidore says; beasts indeed similar to crocodiles, but of a much smaller and narrower form. Cups tainted with their flesh quench the force of the poison. These beasts also foresee storms, and having closed the caves where the wind is coming from, they open the doors on the other side. And they have a hairier tail for a covering. - [Badke translation/paraphrase]