Bizarre Accounts of Living Dinosaurs- Africa

[rashore]

Quote

One of the most mysterious types of cryptid creatures is that of what are called living dinosaurs, said to be relic populations of those enormous lumbering lizards that once thunderously crashed over the face of our planet with ponderous might. While most may assume that these creatures went extinct eons ago, it is surprising how many reports there are of actual dinosaurs still alive and roaming about in the most isolated parts of our planet as they did millions of years ago. One place that has proven to be a veritable Lost World of supposed living dinosaurs is the dark continent of Africa, and here in the remote unexplored jungles dinosaurs still allegedly reign supreme as if they were never gone at all.

https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2018/12/bizarre-accounts-of-mysterious-living-dinosaurs-of-africa/

 

[zep73]

This is speculation and hearsay from a biased source.

[Susanc241]

A breeding colony (gene pool) would have to be big to ensure a lineage up to today and wouldn’t be able to evade discovery.  Unless you are talking about shrew sized dinosaurs.  They might just stay under the radar.

[Robotic Jew]

Most of them are in the US government.

[+OverSword]

1 hour ago, seanjo said:

Pretty sure all of Africa is pretty much inhabited and explored and is no longer the "dark continent"...

Really?  Population density map of the entire continent

[Earl.Of.Trumps]

Come  on, @seanjo,   All OverSword pointed out was that your notion of Africa being pretty much inhabited is not exactly true

New species are found frequently. If this were to be the case here, it's no real shocker.

Edited December 13, 2018 by Earl.Of.Trumps

[Imaginarynumber1]

I'm sure that primate species would have thrived in the jungles and savannas of Africa as well as they did to evolve into us while competing with ****ing dinosaurs. Godamn crypto idiots.

[Guyver]

For people who are familiar with cryptozoology, the mokele mbembe is well known.  There is plenty of information available on this particular cryptid, for those who are interested in learning more about it.  

[+OverSword]

1 hour ago, OverSword said:

Pretty sure all of Africa is pretty much inhabited

Who said anything about dinosaurs?

[Commander CMG]

1 hour ago, OverSword said:

Really?  Population density map of the entire continent

I have spent a lot of time in Africa, and I mean way under the canopy, the majority of indigenous people that live off the beaten track, live on the river systems for access to the water. When you are actually there, you would believe almost anything could exist here even though you know different. 

I know that I have left footprints in places that no one will ever tread. 

[Carnoferox]

The mokele mbembe and other African "living dinosaurs" are largely based on outdated depictions of dinosaurs. Here's a much better article on the subject.

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/misreading-the-mokele-mbembe-the-mokele-mbembe-part-1/

[Commander CMG]

2 minutes ago, Carnoferox said:

The mokele mbembe and other African "living dinosaurs" are largely based on outdated depictions of dinosaurs. Here's a much better article on the subject.

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/misreading-the-mokele-mbembe-the-mokele-mbembe-part-1/

I have a lot of respect for your knowledge on all things dinosaury (I know that's not a real word) before someone points that out. 

Do you believe any dino exists today, in the skies, oceans, jungles etc??   

[Carnoferox]

4 minutes ago, Iilaa'mpuul'xem said:

I have a lot of respect for your knowledge on all things dinosaury (I know that's not a real word) before someone points that out. 

Do you believe any dino exists today, in the skies, oceans, jungles etc??   

I do not believe that any non-avialan dinosaurs exist today. I have never found a single report that suggests otherwise.

[Timothy]

46 minutes ago, Guyver said:

For people who are familiar with cryptozoology, the mokele mbembe is well known.  There is plenty of information available on this particular cryptid, for those who are interested in learning more about it.  

It’s pretty much just another Nessie.

Although elephants don’t swim in Loch Ness often...

I’ve seen nothing convincing of this cryptid. 

[Earl.Of.Trumps]

1 hour ago, Carnoferox said:

I do not believe that any non-avialan dinosaurs exist today. I have never found a single report that suggests otherwise.

And I do understand that "testimony of natives" is not what you consider a "report", however, "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence".

Where I live, the wild turkey was thought to have gone extinct a century ago. Then many years later, an emboldened group of these creatures was found in the swamps, ironically, within 3 miles of a wildlife preserve office. There were hundreds of them in that sighting. who knows how many more lie deep in the outback?! What we "know" based on our own observations is not a reliable way to judge all that is.

Just as an aside, over 80% of all species on this planet have yet to be discovered.

It's still an open question, as far as I'm concerned. we shouldn't always come to the same negative conclusion about what natives say just because we ourselves did not witness it.

[Carnoferox]

8 minutes ago, Earl.Of.Trumps said:

And I do understand that "testimony of natives" is not what you consider a "report", however, "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence".

Where I live, the wild turkey was thought to have gone extinct a century ago. Then many years later, an emboldened group of these creatures was found in the swamps, ironically, within 3 miles of a wildlife preserve office. There were hundreds of them in that sighting. who knows how many more lie deep in the outback?! What we "know" based on our own observations is not a reliable way to judge all that is.

Just as an aside, over 80% of all species on this planet have yet to be discovered.

It's still an open question, as far as I'm concerned. we shouldn't always come to the same negative conclusion about what natives say just because we ourselves did not witness it.

None of that provides any support for living African dinosaurs. The reports of natives are interpreted through a western lens which is biased by iconic yet inaccurate dinosaur artwork.

[Earl.Of.Trumps]

30 minutes ago, Carnoferox said:

None of that provides any support for living African dinosaurs.

fully aware, mon amis

30 minutes ago, Carnoferox said:

The reports of natives are interpreted through a western lens which is biased by iconic yet inaccurate dinosaur artwork.

ahhhh, we don't know all that.

[Carnoferox]

6 minutes ago, Earl.Of.Trumps said:

ahhhh, we don't know all that.

You may not, but anyone aware of the history of paleoart (Knight, Burian, and all that) certainly knows.

[oldrover]

I think it's true. I think that there's loads of them there, standing in swamps. And when they hear someone coming they duck down a bit so only the tops of their heads are showing. That's why we don't hear more about them. 

[Guyver]

8 hours ago, Timothy said:

It’s pretty much just another Nessie.

Although elephants don’t swim in Loch Ness often...

I’ve seen nothing convincing of this cryptid. 

Sure.....I understand that.  I just find some of the accounts of the phenomenon pretty interesting.  I consider it extremely unlikely myself, but if the tracks described are accurate, and if in fact people have actually seen something like what they claim...then that’s pretty fascinating.  

Of course, tracks can be easily confused under the right conditions and eyewitness testimony is not considered reliable enough to convince people of things....so it’s just another unknown situation.  But it certainly makes for one hell of an adventure for the people who are willing to go into the field looking to investigate it.  I wouldn’t want to go deep in the Congo now, and I don’t even think I would have wanted to when I was young, personally.  

[rashore]

6 hours ago, Carnoferox said:

None of that provides any support for living African dinosaurs. The reports of natives are interpreted through a western lens which is biased by iconic yet inaccurate dinosaur artwork.

Hehehehe, I did post a cryptid story in the cryptid section for a reason... legends can be fun and interesting even if the critters themselves don’t exist. But I do like to post stuff that isn’t so much of Western lores sometimes because we often get so much of that already around here. 

So since you do know a bit about Dino’s... are any of the beasts in the article descriptive of something the did once live in those areas? Did any of them actually have a head the size of a hippo? While I’m doubtful of large to gigantic Dino cryptids wandering around Africa.... I am of the notion the legends spawned from something. Perhaps finding fossils, and supposing from there. 

I think living Dino’s may be a bit of Kraken syndrome in their retelling over the years too. What can be a real animal like a squid, but a rather large one that with the retelling becomes a Kraken. We see this sometimes when wolves, crocodiles and alligators, snakes, and even the occasional bull of extra large stature becoming legendary.

[Carnoferox]

5 minutes ago, rashore said:

Hehehehe, I did post a cryptid story in the cryptid section for a reason... legends can be fun and interesting even if the critters themselves don’t exist. But I do like to post stuff that isn’t so much of Western lores sometimes because we often get so much of that already around here. 

So since you do know a bit about Dino’s... are any of the beasts in the article descriptive of something the did once live in those areas? Did any of them actually have a head the size of a hippo? While I’m doubtful of large to gigantic Dino cryptids wandering around Africa.... I am of the notion the legends spawned from something. Perhaps finding fossils, and supposing from there. 

I think living Dino’s may be a bit of Kraken syndrome in their retelling over the years too. What can be a real animal like a squid, but a rather large one that with the retelling becomes a Kraken. We see this sometimes when wolves, crocodiles and alligators, snakes, and even the occasional bull of extra large stature becoming legendary.

The mokele mbembe, at least the modern conception of it, is definitely inspired by old paleoart of tail-dragging, swamp-dwelling sauropods. The emela ntouka on the other hand is more similar to a rhino than any dinosaur. Crocodilians and monitor lizards were also likely the basis for some stories. Dinosaur fossils are exceedingly rare in central Africa, so I don't think a geomythological explanation would account for much. 

[+Hammerclaw]

Here there be dinosaurs, eh? There would have to be a genetically viable breeding population and there would be hatchlings and juveniles, running around all over the place, not to mention the radically different atmospheric composition of today.

[rashore]

1 hour ago, Carnoferox said:

The mokele mbembe, at least the modern conception of it, is definitely inspired by old paleoart of tail-dragging, swamp-dwelling sauropods. The emela ntouka on the other hand is more similar to a rhino than any dinosaur. Crocodilians and monitor lizards were also likely the basis for some stories. Dinosaur fossils are exceedingly rare in central Africa, so I don't think a geomythological explanation would account for much. 

Excellent. Now you got me scrambling to look up the regions of the legends compared to central Africa and what geomythoogial  means.

something to mull over coffee in the morning.

[Carnoferox]

4 minutes ago, rashore said:

Excellent. Now you got me scrambling to look up the regions of the legends compared to central Africa and what geomythoogial  means.

something to mull over coffee in the morning.

Geomythology is another rabbit hole entirely. I recommend the works of Adrienne Mayor, but take her conclusions with a grain of salt.