KARKADAN
Folklore of India
Folklore of Persia
This is the name of a monstrous creature in the legends and beliefs of Persia and India. It was described by European travelers in 1503 as having a very large body but with the legs and cloven hooves of a deer, with thick, hairy legs on the bulky hindquarters. Its head resembles that of a horse with a scanty mane, for it had little in the way of a neck. The KARKADAN was also said to be a russet color, like that of a weasel, and also said to be aggressive. In some descriptions, however, this beat was credited with a single horn from it's forehead that was much prized as a means of detecting poison but was used by the beast to kill and carry off its prey.
Source: Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth