It is said that the creature had the face of a Japanese monkey, the trunk of a raccoon dog, the limbs of a tiger, and the tail of a snake (some documents do not mention the trunk, and other documents describe that the creature had the trunk of tiger), and generated quite eerie 'hyo, hyo' sounds similar to the voice of golden mountain thrushes.
ニホンザルの顔、タヌキの胴体、トラの手足を持ち、尾はヘビで（文献によっては胴体については何も書かれなかったり、胴が虎で描かれることもある）、「ヒョーヒョー」という、鳥のトラツグミの声に似た大変に気味の悪い声で鳴いた、とされる。