The swamp of Likouala.....strange creatures
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The natives of the Likouala area report that there are 12-foot long lizards that have 3 horns on their heads. The natives call them "Grandfather Lizards". What are they? They are probably not dinosaurs. The natives know a lizard when they see one. We must then conclude that these "Grandfather Lizards" are giant lizards, as large as a Komodo Dragon. There is a species of chameleon (the Jackson's chameleon) that has 3 horns on its head but it only grows to lengths of 2 feet.
There are reports of even bigger lizards than these. They are called Chipekwes (sometimes called Mokele-Mbembe). These are as big as limousines.
There are three extinct creatures that fit this category. One is a giant monitor lizard 23 feet long called Megalania. Fossils of this monster have been found in Australia. The second is one of the giant salamander-like amphibians called Labyrinthodonts. The last is Postosuchus, a 20-foot carnivorous creature found in Arizona.
postosuchus[attachmentid=15295]
Megalania[attachmentid=15296]
Eogyrinidae[attachmentid=15297]
Postosuchus was not a lizard. Nor was it a dinosaur. It belongs to the Eurythrosuchians (a.k.a. the "Crimson Crocs"), a group of extinct predators related to crocodiles.
Of these 3 animals, the most likely is the Megalania , which looks more like a lizard. The Eogyrinid would have to compete with crocodiles and the Postosuchus looks like a dinosaur. But the Chipekwe could also be a new species.
During his expeditions in search of Mokele-Mbembe, Dr. Roy Mackal was surprised to hear of another creature called the Emela-Ntouka ("Killer of elephants", also called Aseka-Moke, Ngamba-Mamae and Emia-Ntouka). This animal has 1 ivory horn, 4 heavy legs that support the body from beneath and a heavy tail. The Emela-Ntouka is extremely dangerous and will kill elephants by stabbing them with its horn. There is also a report of one raging through a jungle village and goring 5 people to death.
Mackal left open the option that the Emela-Ntouka was a Dinosaur such as Monoclonius or Eucentrosaurus (both are like Triceratops, but with a single horn). The other option is a new species of rhinoceros. There are many problems with the rhino theory. Rhinos do not have ivory horns, their horns are made of fused hair. Neither do they have long tails. Rhinos do not attack elephants because they usually end up as the losers in fights with them.
But there are also difficulties with the dinosaur theory. The Emela-Ntoukas make three-toed tracks. The Ceratopsian dinosaurs (Triceratops etc.) had 4 toes, but they may have put their weight on three, or they may walk in a way that leaves the appearance of 3 toes. The natives Roy Mackal interviewed could not remember a neck frill. This too can be overcome. The Genesis Park trip to Cameroon interviewed natives who described an animal they called Ngoubou. The Ngoubou is big as an ox, possesses a neck frill and has between 1 and 4 horns. The Ngoubou may be the same as the Emela-Ntouka and the varying horns being due to age or differences between genders or the Ngoubou and Emela-Ntouka may be separate species.
Unfortunately the population of Emela-Ntoukas is said to be in decline. They may already be extinct.
Another puzzling creature is the Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu. This strange animal is described as having planks growing out of its back. In fact, that is what Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu means. The animals apparently hardly ever come out of the swamp because they have algae growing on their backs. The Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu lives in the Likouala swamp. The only creature that remotely fits the description is the dinosaur Stegosaurus.
One last beast is the Nguma-Monene, described as a giant snake 100 feet long that lives in tributaries of the Ubangi river and has a serrated ridge running down its back. There are a few other reports of giant crocodiles and large turtles as well as some other animals.
The only one of these animals that seems not to exist is the Kasai Rex. This animal was originally described as a giant lizard that killed rhinos. There was only one sighting, by a man named J.C. Johanson in the Kassai Valley, Angola. The sighting came complete with a fake photo still showing the outline where a lizard was superimposed on a jungle scene.
Over the years, the description changed into that of a Tyrannosaurus rex and the animal gained the moniker of the Kasai Rex. The witness's name became "John Johnson". The Kasai Rex is clearly a hoax, but it is a fascinating window into how a hoax takes shape.
** various sources were used, and he isn't the most organized kid in the world. he utilized various web sites, so I lay no claims to any original ideas presented here.
**edit fixed (hopefully) faulty link.
