The Timingila is a huge aquatic creature that can swallow whole whales, as written about in the ancient historical text, Mahabharata (Vana Parva 168.3).
This Sanskrit root word literally means, "whale-swallower," via timi-, meaning whale, and -gila, meaning to swallow. It is a word used to describe a gigantic sea-creature, large enough to swallow whole whales in one bite.
Mankind has known about the Timingila since time immemorial. The Maori version of this word is "Taniwha," which has also been adopted into the English language as a proper English word. Taniwha means "sea-reptile," and obviously also refers to a gigantic sea-creature.
Mahabharata is not the only one of God's revealed scriptures that mentions these immense animals. Srimad Bhagavatam (12.9.16), Ramayana (Yuddha-kanda 4.114), Susruta Samhita (Ch.45), and Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila 13.142) also mention the word Timingila.
The Holy Quran also mentions the Timingila, by the Arabic word, Dabbah, which means "giant creatures.” The word Dabbah is derived from the Arabic "Subu'iyyah," which is the same word as the Sanskrit Timingila.
The Holy Bible also mentions the very same creature, by the Hebrew word "Tannin" or "Tanniyn." This word also means "giant reptile."