With a spear in hand and red hair rising like fire, the mischievous forest guardian from Brazil's Indigenous folklore, Curupira, is the mascot of this year's UN climate conference in the Amazon.

The mythical creature's name is believed to be a fusion of the Tupi-Guarani words curumim (boy) and pira (body).

Dressed in a loincloth made of tree leaves, the legendary being has a peculiar trait that might go unnoticed if you don't look down: his feet are turned backward.

That way, as he roams the jungle, the trickster spirit confuses poachers and intruders who might try to track him down.

Brazil's first lady, Rosangela "Janja" da Silva, often wore a T-shirt bearing the mascot's image during official events ahead of COP30, which opens Monday in Belem -- a key gateway city to the Amazon.

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