Mokele Mbembe
Bio:
"One that stops the flow of rivers" is the meaning of the name Mokele Mbembe. Mokele Mbembe is a
sauropod like creature that lives near the Likouala swamp in Congo.
The creature is described as being the size of an elephant, roughly 20 to 30 feet long, with a long
neck and tail, and having
red/brown colored skin(sometimes gray). Its tracks are three toed and 1-3 feet in diameter, spaced
7-8 feet apart. The local natives say that Mokele Mbembes diet consists of the Malombo plant, and
that it is a herbivore. It is also said that it hates hippopotamuses, and kills them on sight (but
never eating them).
Sightings:
There have been quite a few expeditions in search of Mokele Mbembe. Three of which were headed by
Roy Mackal, and two by Bill Gibbons. Bill Gibbons had this to say about local sightings: "The pygmies are perfectly familiar with all the animals of
the swamps. They do not regard the
Mokele-Mbembe as being any different from any other animal. They do, however, regard it as being a
dangerous animal if
encountered at close quarters in the river."
In 1981 Herman Regusters and his wife became
the first Westerners to succeed in reaching Lake Tele. They returned with sounds recordings, plaster
cast footprints, and samples of droppings. They also claimed to have sighted mokele mbembe on the
lake.
In April 1983 Marecellin Agagna, a zoologist from Brazzaville zoo claimed a sighting of mokele mbembe
about 300 yards away from him. His description was of a thin reddish head with oval eyes
like a crocodile. The head was about 3 feet above the water, and turned from side to side as
though looking for him. He thought the animal was a reptile.
In September 1992 a Japanese film crew shot some interesting
footage showing unusual activity in the water of Lake Tele (picture #two is a still from this footage).
Thoughts:
I find Mokele Mbembe very interesting. The thought of a dinosaur still out there roaming around is
very exciting. I am looking for more information on the subject and hope
to update this page soon.
More Info:
Scott Normans great Mokele Mbembe site
Short article from Cryptozoology.com--(May
not be working...)
More Mokele Mbembe info
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