According to folklore in some areas in Visayas and Mindanao, the amamarang are ordinary-looking women by day but are, in fact, aswang whose faces become hideous at night while their hair grow longer and become as hard as wires. When an amamarang ambushes a lone person she strangles him with her hands while her hair tries to get into the victimβs ears, nose, and mouth to suffocate. The hair has a nauseating smell that could make the victim lose consciousness.
In other areas, amamarang are self-segmenters β like the manananggal β that use their wire-like hair to grab or tackle people who wander alone after dark.