Mokele-m'bembe

From TinWiki.org

The Mokèlé-Mbèmbé is the name given a large creature reported to live in the lakes and swamps of the Congo River basin, its very existence has been disputed between mainstream scientists on one side, local Pygmies and creationists and cryptozoologists on the other. Mokèlé-mbèmbé means "one who stops the flow of rivers." Mokele-mbembe is also used as a generic term to refer to other animals like Emela-ntouka, Mbielu-mbielu-mbielu, and Nguma-monene.

Contents 1 Description 1.1 Body 1.2 Skin 1.3 Habitat 1.4 Behaviour 1.5 Diet 2 Overview 3 External Links 4 Relevant Discussion Threads

Description

Other creatures that have fitted the description of the Mokele M'Bembe are animals that have been sighted in Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganiyka, Lake Albert and Lake Tele.

Body

The Mokele-mbembe has been described as resembling a sauropod dinosaur, with its long neck and tail. It is thought the body size is between an Elephant and a hippopotamus and with a tail similar to an alligator's. Various reports from Cameroon have said the creature could be as much as 75 feet in length, other reports suggest this creature has a frill on the back of its head, the frill is said to be similar to that of a rooster. It is also reported that it has a horn on its head.

Skin

Its skin is said to have no hair and is predominately reddish-brown with a color range from gray to brown.

Habitat

Mokele-mbembe is said to live in the pools and swamps adjacent to the rivers of the Likouala swamp region of The People's Republic of the Congo on the continent of Africa. Its is said that it uses the lakes as a crossing path to go from one river to another river.

Behaviour

Mokele-mbembe is reputed as a rather aggressive animal. It is known to overturn boats, and even to have killed by biting or hitting with its tail. One important detail that has been reported is that the creature never fed on its victims. This particular detail shows that this behavior is not hunting, but more of a territorial aggression.

Diet

The pygmies of the Likouala swamp region report that the essential diet of Mokele-mbembe consists of the Malombo plant. Since it only eats plants then Mokele-mbembe is classified as a herbivore. The Malombo plant actually describes two plants: Landolphia mannii and Landolphia owariensis.

Overview

The tales of the mokèlé-mbèmbé are an apparently ancient component of the oral history of the Pygmy tribes. These peoples have an intimate relationship with the rainforest, which supplies all their needs. Mokèlé-mbèmbé is apparently an herbivore, although they have been reported to kill humans and hippopotamuses. It is interesting to note that there is a low population of hippos in the Likouala swamp, where Mokèlé-mbèmbé's are reported to live. Although there have been many sightings by people, cryptozoologists are still not sure whether this animal exists. Some believe that it is possible mokèlé-mbèmbé could have survived the mass extinction about 65 million years ago.

External Links

• Cryptozoology

• Living Dinosaur

• Think Quest

• American Monsters

Relevant Discussion Threads

• Dinosaur in Africa