Mokele mbembe

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The mokèlé-mbèmbé is the name given a large creature reported to live in the lakes and swamps of the Congo River basin.

The creature's very existence and identification have long been debated between mainstream scientists, local Pygmies, creationists and cryptozoologists. Most controversially, it has been suggested that the creature might be a relict sauropod which somehow survived excinction--this idea has been roundly rejected by most scientists.

Contents

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 are apparently herbivores, 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-mbèmbés are reported to live.

Fishermen who inhabit the area are said to often run from waters and land near the water's edge in fear of the creature, describing its ability to kill humans. Mokèlé-mbèmbé means "one who stops the flow of rivers." Mokèlé-mbèmbé is generally described as a beast about as large as an elephant, with a long flexible neck and with a tail similar to an alligator's.

There is a story that involved a killing of a mokèlé-mbèmbé near Lake Tele. A group of people that lived near Lake Tele, in the Likouala swamp constructed a large wall to keep mokèlé-mbèmbé from interfering in their fishing. A mokèlé-mbèmbé managed to break through, and the natives killed the creature. As William Gibbons (see external links) writes, "Pastor Thomas [who knew the natives] also mentioned that the two pygmies mimicked the cry of the animal as it was being attacked and speared ... Later, a victory feast was held, during which parts of the animal were cooked and eaten. However, those who participated in the feast eventually died, either from food poisoning or from natural causes. It should be noted that pygmies rarely live beyond 35, and pygmy women give birth from aged 12. I also believe that the mythification (magical powers, etc) surrounding Mokele-mbembes (sic) began with this incident."

Expeditions

So far, all investigations have failed to find evidence of a creature corresponding to the native legend, although casts of inexplicable footprints have reportedly been taken (which some say were made by the mokèlé-mbèmbé), and a controversial videotape was recently presented.

The Congo Basin has wide expanses of marshland and swamps, including several large lakes, that have not been extensively explored by scientists. A recent megatransect into the wilderness of the Congo basin by the biologist and Africa explorer Michael Fay did not reveal any trace of the mokèlé-mbèmbé. One investigator, Roy Mackal, a professor of zoology at Chicago University, took teams to the Congo in 1980 and 1981 to search for the creature. Although they failed to encounter the beast, they collected important anecdotal evidence, including information on its primary food source, a type of vine. In 1985 and 1992 British explorer Bill Gibbons added further local reports to the dossier.

Cryptozoologists believe the likelihood of its existence to be significantly higher than the Loch Ness monster because of the large amount of uncharted territory to which can be ascribed the inability to find a specimen. Other large creatures, such as elephants, exist in large open clearings in the rainforests, each called a bai, as well as in thicker wooded areas, so the existence of the mokèlé-mbèmbé appears to be a possibility when taking into account its native environment. However, it is often thought to be even bigger than an elephant.

Explanations

A dinosaur?

The creature has often been likened to the Loch Ness Monster. Some cryptozoologists suppose that the creature might be a type of dinosaur that could have survived the mass extinction of the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago, which is believed to be possible due to the thickness of the Congo Rainforest. Mokèlé-mbèmbé's description is consistent with a sauropod. Some creationists believe the creature is a dinosaur that survived, and is proof their theory is correct.

Misidentifications of well-known animals?

There is also a theory that the mokèlé-mbèmbé is a rhinoceros: see this link (third paragraph after the second image). Another not-so-cryptic explanation is that this phenomenon is nothing but a sighting of a group of male crocodiles following a female crocodile during the mating season.

A myth?

However, the creatue might not exist, and the stories of Mokèlé-mbèmbé may also be a persisting myth.

Hans Schomburgk, an early 20th century animal hunter, that tried to find the monsters for Carl Hagenbeck and his zoological park in Hamburg, said: "The natives who wishes to please their white visitor and at the same time hope for a valuable gift are only all too eager to guarantee that they well know an animal with blue skin, six legs, one eye and four tusks. The size of the beast is all up to the questioner. The native tells what he thinks the white man wants to hear." (Sjögren, 1980)

References in popular culture

In 1985 a movie was made based on the rumours about mokèlè-mbèmbé, called Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend. It featured American scientists who discovered a surviving family of sauropods in Central Africa.

A fictional book was written about this creature called Cryptid Hunters by Roland Smith.

External links

See also

Bibliography

  • Mackal, Roy, A Living Dinosaur? In Search of Mokele-mbembe
  • Ndanga, Alfred Jean-Paul (2000) 'Réflexion sur une légende de Bayanga: le mokèlé-mbèmbé', in Zo, 3, 39-45.
  • Nugent, Rory (1993) Drums along the Congo: on the trail of Mokele-Mbembe, the last living dinosaur. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-58707-7 or ISBN 0-395-67071-3
  • Regusters, H.A. (1982) Mokele - Mbembe: an investigation into rumors concerning a strange animal in the Republic of the Congo, 1981 (Munger Africana library notes, vol. 64). Pasadena: California institute of technology.
  • Congo Dinosaur
  • A similar Congoese cryptid animal called the emela ntouka.
  • Sjögren, Bengt, 1980. "Berömda vidunder". Bokförlaget Settern.

Copyright

"Original data received from Wikipedia on April 22, 2006. Credit given to original authors can be seen Here."

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