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Mongolian Death Worm: Legendary Creepy-Crawly


Still Waters

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Mongolia, a land of mystery. Where the grave of great warrior king Genghis Khan, who created an empire stretching from the Baltic and Black to the Bering seas, remains undiscovered. Where the national dish has become Mongolian barbecue, the stir-fry buffet variety invented in the United States.

And where giant, scarlet worms burrow in the barren expanse of one of the world's largest, coldest deserts, spewing fiery acid and electrocuting unlucky camels from a distance.

Yes, a creature so fearsomely odd that its name -- which also happens to be the title of a cheesy Syfy Channel/Lions Gate DVD release set for April 26 -- deserves the honor of its own paragraph:

Just as intrepid explorers still search for Genghis Khan's grave, reality-TV crews still anxiously seek the sausage-like, homicidal pseudo-penis dentata dubbed the olgoi-khorkhoi, or the "intestine worm." Even the august National Geographic sent its own beast hunter, Pat Spain, in search of the Mongolian Death Worm.

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After reading the article I suppose its just a mis-identified snake or centipede or something along those lines.

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After reading the article I suppose its just a mis-identified snake or centipede or something along those lines.

I'd agree with the centipede theory, the electrocution theory could be the poison seeping into the skin, providing an electric feel to it.

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I asked around about it when I went to the Gobi, the one guide who knew what I was talking about just said it was some kind of local legend

But if I go again I will ask more thoroughly, and take pics.... IF I SURVIVE! dun dun dun B)

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Mongolia and its deserts are some of the least explored portions of land in the world. A cryptid could exist there easily and remain unidentified by science to this day, why not. It's not like the claims are that it shoots lasers out of its head. Electric shock is a scientifically cataloged form of defense in nature by some animals. As is the spitting of acid. I won't commit 100% belief into its existence until I see one, sure. But that doesn't necessitate that I have to commit 100% disbelief in its existence just because I haven't seen one.

And if a centipede is the generally accepted misidentified animal behind this mystery, then you'd basically have to call each witness a liar or blatantly wrong, as I believe this creature is consistently reported by eye witnesses as having no legs, much less a whole lot, like a centipede does. You can't really take the witnesses claims and pick and choose which apsects of it you want to keep and likewise throw away because they don't fit a pet explanation.

Edited by mike gomez1
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And if a centipede is the generally accepted misidentified animal behind this mystery, then you'd basically have to call each witness a liar or blatantly wrong, as I believe this creature is consistently reported by eye witnesses as having no legs, much less a whole lot, like a centipede does. You can't really take the witnesses claims and pick and choose which apsects of it you want to keep and likewise throw away because they don't fit a pet explanation.

true, but at the same time, a lot of the witnesses probably have no clue what a centipede is, as they aren't native to Mongolia (as far as i've found) and is usually reported in the most remote places in the country (less education perhaps?). and if you think about it, a centipede's legs don't really look like normal legs, and could very easily be misinterpreted by witnesses as being a worm.

Destination Truth did a segment about the Mongolian Death Worm. i don't remember much about the episode, so i'll have to give it a rewatch later tonight when i get home from work.

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Interesting, never thought a worm would be capable of electrocution, i didn't read the full article but i'd think this would require some deeper research, where there's a giant worm i'm sure there is a giant hole in which it dwells, i suppose that must be found first. Also finding common locations and similarity of weather or time could help.

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Mongolia and its deserts are some of the least explored portions of land in the world. A cryptid could exist there easily and remain unidentified by science to this day, why not. It's not like the claims are that it shoots lasers out of its head. Electric shock is a scientifically cataloged form of defense in nature by some animals. As is the spitting of acid. I won't commit 100% belief into its existence until I see one, sure. But that doesn't necessitate that I have to commit 100% disbelief in its existence just because I haven't seen one.

And if a centipede is the generally accepted misidentified animal behind this mystery, then you'd basically have to call each witness a liar or blatantly wrong, as I believe this creature is consistently reported by eye witnesses as having no legs, much less a whole lot, like a centipede does. You can't really take the witnesses claims and pick and choose which apsects of it you want to keep and likewise throw away because they don't fit a pet explanation.

Just because they don't see legs doesn't mean they aren't there. All I'm trying to do is rationalize about what this could possibly be with the given statements.

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There was a Destination Truth about the Death Worm. They interviewed several old men who lived on the edge of he desert and who even led the team to holes the worms supposed lived in. It was not very convincing.

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There was a Destination Truth about the Death Worm. They interviewed several old men who lived on the edge of he desert and who even led the team to holes the worms supposed lived in. It was not very convincing.

That's because DT is a pretty weak show.

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This will get you up to speed quick on the Death Worm, and by Charles Fort's great nephew no less...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTYnkZlAfeU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WVSY2mUkeg

Part 3

Part 4

Interesting documentary, but I am not allowed to see part 4 in my country, jeesh (copyright infringement).

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Icky Icky Icky poo poo!

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Mongolia and its deserts are some of the least explored portions of land in the world. A cryptid could exist there easily and remain unidentified by science to this day, why not.

While it's very plausible assumption, the same has been said with the Sasquatch, the Yeti, and the Loch Ness monster.

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Mongolia and its deserts are some of the least explored portions of land in the world. A cryptid could exist there easily and remain unidentified by science to this day, why not. It's not like the claims are that it shoots lasers out of its head. Electric shock is a scientifically cataloged form of defense in nature by some animals. As is the spitting of acid. I won't commit 100% belief into its existence until I see one, sure. But that doesn't necessitate that I have to commit 100% disbelief in its existence just because I haven't seen one.

Problems I have with this story...

First, Is the electrocution. It works for something like an electric eel because their prey & predators are submerged in a conductive liquid. Out on a sandy desert all electric discharge would disperse straight into the ground. One would have to physically touch it with non-rubber soles on to receive the shock.

Second is it's food source. It's told that it lives off goyo. A common plant in Gobi. If that were the case an animal that deadly would easily have no predators and would spread as much as their food source allowed. There should be thousands maybe millions out in that desert by now.

Third a poison that is so strong and corrosive that you die instantly from skin contact. Thats just too perfect and fantastic of a claim for me to believe. The most poisonous animals on earth have to pierce your skin and you still have minutes to get an antidote.

Nothing about this animal really makes sense to me.

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Could always be some attributes get wildly exaggerated

A two-foot long worm becomes a five-foot monster; an animal poisonous to eat becomes venom-spitting, etc

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Problems I have with this story...

First, Is the electrocution. It works for something like an electric eel because their prey & predators are submerged in a conductive liquid. Out on a sandy desert all electric discharge would disperse straight into the ground. One would have to physically touch it with non-rubber soles on to receive the shock.

Second is it's food source. It's told that it lives off goyo. A common plant in Gobi. If that were the case an animal that deadly would easily have no predators and would spread as much as their food source allowed. There should be thousands maybe millions out in that desert by now.

Third a poison that is so strong and corrosive that you die instantly from skin contact. Thats just too perfect and fantastic of a claim for me to believe. The most poisonous animals on earth have to pierce your skin and you still have minutes to get an antidote.

Nothing about this animal really makes sense to me.

True, but it is noteworthy that the natives have not conjured up any outwardly identifiably supernatural attributes or lore to this creature. As in it possessing the ability to take one's soul, or attribute its presence to negative spiritual forces, for example. For most intents and purposes, they seem to approach its existence and speak of it as they would any other potentially dangerous animal in and around that environment. It just seems that if it were merely folkloric in nature, the stories wouldn't be so scientifically plausible and mundane. Or course, I mean that comparatively to something a bit more mystical like, say, a mermaid and its reputed tendency to charm sailors to their death by chanting. All of the defensive and offensive characteristics described as belong to the Death Worm do in fact exist to some extent or another within nature. Mostly by animals that are in no way native to the Mongolian desert by any stretch and therefore largely foreign to the common populace. Unless we are to assume that the average witness carries around a biological reference dictionary around with them to study as they shepherd animals to and fro, again, what explanation can be proposed to dispel the fact that this animal and its reported abilities do not extend beyond what is known to be naturally plausible?

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mongorians-south-park-demotivational-poster-1211526759.jpg

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One of my favourite episodes of South Park. Except that the Mongolians never tore down the Great Wall, they just rode around it. :P Terrible foresight on China's part.

But I can recall when the Mongolian Death Worm was brought up on UM before, and a member who was from Mongolia never even heard such a thing. To me, it's most likely just a local legend. And if not that, then just an undiscovered species, only one much more mundane than a giant worm that shoots electricity/acid.

Edited by Doctor_Strangelove
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I don't think its misidentifying a centipede or something. Wasn't this thing supposed to be as big as a car?

Yeah, I'll chock this one up to local legend. Giant, sand-burrowing, electrical, acid spitting worm. Out of the many undiscovered species in Mongolia, I am sure this is not one of them. :P

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I did a little research on this matter a few years ago. I'm not convinced.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I believe a giant worm could live underground. There's really no way to find out if it exists or not.

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