A Tibicena, also known as Guacanchas, was a mythological creature of the Guanches, prehispanic inhabitants of the Canary Islands. Tibicenas were imagined to be demons or genies who had the bodies of great wild dogs with red eyes, covered by long, black wool. They lived in deep caves inside the mountains.
Some existing caves today are still referred to as Tibicena lairs, such as "Cueva del Tibicena". According to myth, Tibicenas attacked livestock and persons, particularly at night. Guanche mythology posited Tibicenas as offspring of Guayota, (the devil or malignant deity). Inhabitants of Tenerife (where they were called Guacanchas) and Gran Canaria (where they were called Tibicenas) shared a belief in them. Both names refer to the same mythical being.
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