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Inkanyamba


Tarmac_Chris

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From American Monsters

"The Inkanyamba are said to be a population of large, migratory, carnivorous eels, which are allegedly indigenious to southern Africa. The most renowned representative of this extremely rare species is said to dwell in the deep pools beneath South Africa's legendary Howick Falls (known to the Zulu as "kwaNogqaza" or "The Tall One").

Often compared to the savage, eel-like animals said to dwell in Newfoundland's Crescent Lake (known as CRESSIE), these creatures have been described as being a colossal, eel-like anomalies, with a finned manes, huge fore-flippers and a nasty disposition. Judging from this description, it's no wonder that the Inkanyamba have inspired both awe and terror throughout the Zulu and Xhosa communities for centuries.

Believed by most fortean investigators to be a large species of freshwater eel, such as the Anguilla mossambica or the Anguilla marmorata - both of which can grow to a respectable length of about 6-feet - the natives of the area insist that the Inkanyamba are much larger and bears some decidedly supernatural characteristics. Accounts of these animals actually date back to aboriginal cave paintings found throughout the KwaZuluNatal area. These paintings depict creatures which archaeologists have come to refer to as "rain animals", due to their association with vicious summer storms.

As recently as 1998, residents of the Ingwavuma and Pongola regions of KwaZuluNatal blamed the Inkanyamba for a brutal storm in which thousands of people lost their homes. This ancient connection between the Inkanyamba and sever meteorlogical events is due to the fact that the animal is rarely seen during the summer months. According to traditional Xhosa beliefs, the Inkanyamba takes to the sky annually - in the form of a giant tornado - in order to find its mate.

Native superstitions aside, the absence of the Inkanyamba during the summer months is indicative of the long held Zulu assumption that these creatures are migratoty in nature. In fact, these animals have been seen in the Mkomazi River - which is about 44 miles South of Howick Falls - as well as in the waters pooled around the Midmar Dam (an area which covers approximately 500 square miles). There have also been eyewitness reports hailing from smaller dams near farms in the Dargle area of the Midlands.

Even more intriguingly, there have been occasional (though admittedly unconfirmed) reports of two Inkanyamba engaging in vicious, aquatic battles over what one must assume is an issue of territorial supremacy. Other witnesses have claimed to have seen fleeting glimpses of mating rituals. Perhaps they are one in the same?

The animals first claimed international attention in 1996, when a local newspaper offered a reward for anyone who could produce photographic evidence of the creatures. Although two photographs were published, neither one gave any clear indication of the animal's appearance, and were accused of being hoaxes.

This only served to fuel the controversy surrounding the existence of these creatures. A similar controversy raged just a year later in a region not far from Howick, known as the Mzintlava River. Locals there claimed that they were under siege by a large, crocodile-like creature dubbed the "African Brain Sucker" or the MAMLAMBO .

In May of 1996, yet another flurry of media attention responded to the rumor that the South African government was planning on capturing the animal that lurked beneath Howick falls and transplant it into an environmentally protected area. Local Zulu's were outraged by the plan, petitioning their local council for an intervention - though not for the same reasons that PETA members might expect.

The residents were terrified that the expedition sent to capture the beast, might not be prepared to deal with the vicious disposition of the creature, and that the resulting carnage might spill over into the local villages unles s the Inkanyamba's rage could be abated. The most recent reports indicate that the South African government has reconsidered its readiness in regards to challanging these mighty beasts on their home turf."

linked-image

This seems to me to be a very interesting monster, especially with the history behind the area underneath the Howick falls. Perhaps they are just eels that grew larger and larger due to abundance of suicides from the cliffs?

[Note: The men provided the negatives of this photograph to verify it's authenticity, but not knowing much about photography, I can't say that this would be any good in determining such things...]

Edited by Tarmac_Chris
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Here is a link to a former Giant Eel thread here at Unexplained Mysteries.

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum...howtopic=136449

Giant Eel - MonsterPedia

This is a really cool story. I have not heard this before. It is always refreshing to hear about new crytpo stories, legends and myths.

Thanks Tarmac Chris

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Perhaps they are leopard seals?

If that terrible photo is real, it certainly cannot be a fish rearing up like that. This looks more like a snake. The fins and flipper description suggest a marine reptile like a Mososaur. Mososaurs are close relatives to monitor lizards, like the Komodo dragon, and some monitors today are extremely aquatic. Seals lack the reptilian fins consistent in so many "sea serpent" and "lake monster" sightings, plus close sightings often describe scaly bodies. Perhaps this is a freshwater "caddy".

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  • 2 years later...

was that sarcasm? because if you're actually suggesting that, you're absurd.

Right. It's clearly a marine hyrax with mange.

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I have heard of Mamlambo before, wasn't there only one victim, and that victim was pretty much decomposed?

The Giant Eels are new to me too, awesome, perhaps they are related to shrieking eels ;)

shrieking-eel.jpg

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I have heard of Mamlambo before, wasn't there only one victim, and that victim was pretty much decomposed?

The Giant Eels are new to me too, awesome, perhaps they are related to shrieking eels ;)

shrieking-eel.jpg

Shrieking Eels? C'mon, that's.... Inconcievable.

There's only one thing to do with people killed by giant eels... go through their pockets for loose change.

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Shrieking Eels? C'mon, that's.... Inconcievable.

There's only one thing to do with people killed by giant eels... go through their pockets for loose change.

I would not be jumping in to retrive the change....... I only dog paddle.

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Here is a link to a former Giant Eel thread here at Unexplained Mysteries.

<a href="http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=136449" target="_blank">http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum...howtopic=136449</a>

<a href="http://www.history.com/genericContent.do?id=62090" target="_blank">Giant Eel - MonsterPedia</a>

This is a really cool story. I have not heard this before. It is always refreshing to hear about new crytpo stories, legends and myths.

Thanks Tarmac Chris

Agreed, very interesting. It's the giant flippered eel which is responsible for the Daedalus sighting and the nessie legends imo.
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I need to do more research on Inkanyamba and possible candidates for mistaken identities, but from what people have been saying, a giant eel seems interesting, are there any around the area that can grow to a decent size? And about the photograph, any opinions?

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Umm...anyways, so what do people think? Like true opinions of Inkanyamba?

I think if we had a carnivorous beast of that size in a known location, that proof would be really easy to get dont you? I mean if they are half as vicious as they sound, how difficult do your think it would be to catch one? Several locations are attributed to the claim, so I think a tale only here is about all one can expect.

A guess would be that after severe floods, some bodies have been found either partially decomposed, or badly injured, and the superstitious nature of the location's culture explains the tragedy as having a supernatural cause. Strong belief in the Supernatural is very common in the area as far as I know.

the Inkanyamba takes to the sky annually - in the form of a giant tornado - in order to find its mate.

That is one dextrous eel!

Edited by psyche101
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I think if we had a carnivorous beast of that size in a known location, that proof would be really easy to get dont you? I mean if they are half as vicious as they sound, how difficult do your think it would be to catch one? Several locations are attributed to the claim, so I think a tale only here is about all one can expect.

A guess would be that after severe floods, some bodies have been found either partially decomposed, or badly injured, and the superstitious nature of the location's culture explains the tragedy as having a supernatural cause. Strong belief in the Supernatural is very common in the area as far as I know.

the Inkanyamba takes to the sky annually - in the form of a giant tornado - in order to find its mate.

That is one dextrous eel!

Great answer! A true opinion. I don't know much of the area this legend is set in, I developed interest in it when I saw the pic. You do make a good point about capturing an animal in an area like that, but is it only restricted to Howick Falls? I'm sure their must be other locations, I think I read about a few. Also it's absurd that it flies in the sky to look for a mate. I wouldn't take the story literally. I think there might be a correlation between these natural events and more aggressive behaviour exhibited by whatever the creature is. These stories may be based on these observations.

P.S I wrote this in a hurry!

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Great answer! A true opinion. I don't know much of the area this legend is set in, I developed interest in it when I saw the pic. You do make a good point about capturing an animal in an area like that, but is it only restricted to Howick Falls? I'm sure their must be other locations, I think I read about a few. Also it's absurd that it flies in the sky to look for a mate. I wouldn't take the story literally. I think there might be a correlation between these natural events and more aggressive behaviour exhibited by whatever the creature is. These stories may be based on these observations.

P.S I wrote this in a hurry!

They do not seem to be restricted to any area, the opening post gives a pretty ambiguous home range:

"The Inkanyamba are said to be a population of large, migratory, carnivorous eels, which are allegedly indigenious to southern Africa. The most renowned representative of this extremely rare species is said to dwell in the deep pools beneath South Africa's legendary Howick Falls (known to the Zulu as "kwaNogqaza" or "The Tall One").

So they are migratory according to this, but it also says that The most renowned representative of this extremely rare species is said to dwell in the deep pools beneath South Africa's legendary Howick Falls So it seems fair to deduce from this information that this is a place where this cryptid is claimed to have been seen on a regular basis, being the most renowned. Therefore, at some stage of the year, this specimen must frequent this place, and being carnivorous, they should be easy to catch, or at least find.

I think it is more along the lines of Big bad weather pattern hits, floods ensue, someone sees a log floating past, a day or so later bodies turn up, and in a place where superstition is part of the day, they then blame the death on the Gods.

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I reckon that if it does exist then it doesn't really dwell underneath Howick Falls, rather it was just sighted there. I don't know of any other notable sightings other than the one that involves that famous picture. In addition to your theory of floating bodies and such, maybe they believed the beast to be carnivorous because of the fact that people were turning up dead during these natural events, and the fact that they blamed it on a beast that was large and looked dangerous. But again, that is if this creature exists.

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I reckon that if it does exist then it doesn't really dwell underneath Howick Falls, rather it was just sighted there.

Gidday Mate

I am pretty sure that is where they were going with:

The most renowned representative of this extremely rare species is said to dwell in the deep pools beneath South Africa's legendary Howick Falls

They are allegedly migratory, but one type is claimed to frequent this location.

I don't know of any other notable sightings other than the one that involves that famous picture. In addition to your theory of floating bodies and such, maybe they believed the beast to be carnivorous because of the fact that people were turning up dead during these natural events, and the fact that they blamed it on a beast that was large and looked dangerous. But again, that is if this creature exists.

Not only that, but after such an event, bodies are damaged, and scavengers start picking away at them. The appearance that such conditions can leave may look like some type of attack. It is a common mistake.

Cheers.

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They're probably not as ferocious as claimed and your theory does make sense, but ruling out 'carnivory' doesn't mean it doesn't exist as a large unknown form of eel.

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They're probably not as ferocious as claimed and your theory does make sense,

We can only go with the definition or we are creating new paramaters on our own. That's just not cricket ;)

Eels I have had contact with have been pretty darn vicious. I expect large ones would be rather fearless.

but ruling out 'carnivory' doesn't mean it doesn't exist as a large unknown form of eel.

I did not think I ruled out a carnivorous nature? I think that they would be, like most eels, and that would make them all the easer to obtain a specimen.

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Yeah eels are pretty vicious I gotta admit. And any attacks the Inkanyamba would've been blamed for would be attributed mostly to your theory. But it remains an interesting cryptid nonetheless. Hopefully there's more updates on it.

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Yeah eels are pretty vicious I gotta admit. And any attacks the Inkanyamba would've been blamed for would be attributed mostly to your theory. But it remains an interesting cryptid nonetheless. Hopefully there's more updates on it.

I somehow doubt new updates will come in. Maybe more old tales I suspect. But what I do find interesting is that the OP mentioned fore flippers, large, which sounds more like the legendary sea serpent, also this:

Even more intriguingly, there have been occasional (though admittedly unconfirmed) reports of two Inkanyamba engaging in vicious, aquatic battles over what one must assume is an issue of territorial supremacy.

Which reminds me of the cryptid Trunko. The tale of it on South African shores describes a great battle. Although that appears to have been a Globster, tossed in the air by whales perhaps, as was revealed in recent photographs that were previously not known to have existed.

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