31 Days of Monsters: Mokele-mbembe

Tropical rain forests seem to make excellent places for large creatures to hide. Maybe it's got something to do with the brush which grows so thick it can take days to hack a trail only a mile or two long. Then again, maybe it's got something to do with the weather. Nobody likes hiking in the rain after all.

Name: Mokele-mbembe

Size: It is suggested to be at least the size of an elephant, and a hint can be taken from its name which means "One who stops the flow of rivers" in the native Lingala language.

Appearance: Many descriptions describe the creature as having a huge body, long neck, and a small head, giving the animal an appearance not unlike the classic Sauropod dinosaur. Physical descriptions are also enhanced by the fact that in this case, early explorers took picture books with them to let natives point out similar creatures, and many native tribes did pick out the picture of a Sauropod as being Mokele-mbembe.

Threat: Low. Some reports blame the creature for flipping boats, but they are generally a result of the creature's passing, and not done out of any malicious nature or intent to harm, though like all animals, it can be aggressive if threatened.

This isn't an animal you're going to come across in just any river though. Reports come solely out of the depths of the Congo jungle, where the creature hides under the waters of the river, only coming out to feed on the trees which overhang the water.

Stories of the creature have been attracting attention for well over two-hundred years now, the first known record of it being in 1776 by a French missionary who discovered tracks of an unknown creature which were three feet across. In 1919, an expedition sent into Africa by the Smithsonian Institution to collect plant and animal specimens also reported giant tracks that they were unable to identify, along with roars and sounds which they could attribute to no known animal. More recently, expeditions have been done for several television shows, including Monsterquest, Destination Truth, and Beast Hunter.

While the idea of a living dinosaur is certainly an interesting and beloved one, the idea that a land-based dinosaur surviving through the ages is about as remote as it gets, especially one of this size and type. To have survived through all the various ice ages, changes in weather patterns, through the evolution of the plants it eats and the diseases to which it is exposed (to say nothing of being able to survive contact with man) are odds that would quickly make you rich in Las Vegas. Most likely, it would be a good example of convergent evolution, creating a creature which appears similar to a Sauropod, while not actually being a species of dinosaur which has survived. My guess would be that this is a creature completely unknown to science or a large species of undiscovered elephant.

The Mokele-mbembe has had a fair amount of use as a device in older movies and books. Many of which use it more as a footnote in tales of exploration in the dark jungles of Africa than as a goal in and of itself. The most well known of stories involving this particular creature is probably the 1985 film, Baby, Secret of the Lost Legend. While a good movie, it is very hard to find, as it hasn't made the jump from VHS to DVD. I do recommend it if you can find it though.

Still, wouldn't be a bad idea to keep your eyes open and watching the water if you happen to find yourself floating down the Congo river this summer.

~ Shaun

31 Days of Monsters: Oklahoma Octopus

There are basically three kinds of cryptid creatures. There are the creatures found in myth and legend. There are the animals which we know used to exist and now argue over whether or not they still do, and lastly, there are creatures which seem to pop up in places nobody would expect them to. Like an octopus in the middle of Oklahoma.

Name: Oklahoma Octopus

Size: Reports give it the size of a horse, which would easily give it an arm-span of 25-30 feet. Similar in size to some reports of the Giant Pacific Octopus which lives in Puget Sound in Washington State.

Appearance: People describe a creature with multiple long tentacles and reddish-brown in color occasionally rising to the surface, then disappearing under the water.

Threat: Medium to high. It has been reported to grab swimmers and drag them down and the lakes it is claimed to be in has continually reported increasing rates of unexplained drownings, upon which this creature is blamed.

It rather goes without saying that this creature is found in Oklahoma. Specifically, reports of attacks and sightings focus on Lakes Thunderbird, Tenkiller, and Oolagah. Which presents our first problem for the existence of this creature. All of these lakes are man-made and none are older than a hundred years. So creatures that have been there for centuries these critters aren't.

Still, there are legends of the native americans about creatures which lived in the ponds and rivers before the lakes were there, and it is certainly possible that suddenly being given a much larger area to live in with a more than abundant food supply would allow creatures which were previously minor threats and annoyances to become real monsters. That is very possible given the time frame we are currently working with.

The other problem is the water. To date, there are no known species of freshwater octopus and many experts will make a definite statement that it isn't possible. Personally, I disagree with that. Many saltwater species have made the transition to freshwater and just as many animals regularly go back and forth through estuaries and river systems. There are freshwater dolphins and jellyfish, and Bull Sharks have been seen and even caught living miles upstream in pure freshwater. So to say any animal couldn't make the transition is unnecessarily closing off avenues of the imagination. Just because we haven't found one, doesn't mean one doesn't exist.

More than likely, though, this is one that probably doesn't. What is known to be in the lake are introduced giant catfish which match the coloration of the Oklahoma Octopus. Their whiskers could very easily, in a panic, be taken for tentacles and large enough catfish are known to attack and pull down people into the depths to drown. As an introduced species with no natural predators and being fed on a constant basis by fishermen, they are also known to be able to grow to massive sizes and to be completely unafraid of humans.

As expected of a creature this recent, literature and even movies about it are extremely rare. The best I can find is an episode of the Animal Planet "found footage" series Lost Tapes. There isn't even a cheesy SyFy Original movie. Yet.

Still, you never know sometimes. 

~ Shaun

31 Days of Monsters: Mongolian Death Worm

Some people like worms, some don't. Gardeners generally like worms. Veterinarians and Doctors, not so much. They're slimy, segmented, faceless and are probably underneath you right now in the millions. Different worms live in different places though, and for that, we should probably be grateful.

Name: Mongolian Death Worm, Olgoi-Khorkoi

Size: 2 to 5 feet in length.

Appearance: A blood-red worm, its body is said to be anywhere from 15 to 24 inches around (38 to 60 cm). Some reports claim it is impossible to tell which end is the head and which is the tail, while others claim the head has a circular opening in the center, ringed with teeth.

Threat: High. As you would expect from where it lives, the Death Worm is an opportunistic feeder and is reported to take down camels, horses, and anything else that crosses its path with a combination of acid and electricity.

Fortunately, unless the illegal animal trade knows something the rest of us don't, you're only going to come across this creature deep in the depths of the Gobi desert. Not exactly the number one tourist spot in the world, even before the death worm is taken into account. One reason for the doubt as to its existence is the fact that it reportedly lives in one of the few areas of the world that are left to indigenous tribes. There are only 3 people for every square mile living in the area of the Gobi, most of which are family groups of 15 - 20 people, which means, for every family group living together, there are five square miles of empty, unwatched desert where this thing could be sunbathing for all we know.

There there are its weapons. Reportedly, the Death Worm is capable of sending out electric shocks, much like Electric Eels or Catfish. It lies in wait just under the sand for something to get too close, where it then releases the shock, stunning and sending the prey to the ground in convulsions. The effects of the shock are only temporary though, the killing stroke is when the worm then lifts itself out of the sand and sprays the pray with a powerful acid which can reach as far as three feet. Prey animals then die from a mix of the burns from the acid and exposure as their wounds prevent them from getting back up. This allows the worm to effectively eat at it's leisure.

One of the interesting things about this creature, is the amount of scientific interest in it, despite the lack of hard evidence. Most reports of sightings are anecdotal, second, third, or even fourth-hand reports from local tribesman and nomads. No actual pictures exist, only drawings on parchment and animal skins. No partial remains have been found, nor even leftovers from one of its meals, which would undoubtedly yield samples of the creature's acidic spit at the very least. Nothing has ever been found, and yet the television series Destination Truth and Beast Hunter have both mounted expeditions looking for it, as well as the Centre for Fortean Zoology and Zoological journalist Richard Freeman. You almost wonder if they know something we don't.

Despite being a fairly recent addition to the list of questionable animals created by western science, the Mongolian Death Worm has had a fair share of influence on both books and movies. It's unknown for sure, but it wouldn't be a bad assumption to make that Frank Herbert had it in mind while writing Dune. The monsters in the movie Tremors can also be attributed, at least in part, to stories of the Death Worm. It has had its own movie on the SyFy channel and even been referenced in cartoons.


So, while it's unlikely anyone reading my blog here is planning a family vacation to the Gobi, it is a good idea to keep in mind the natural world around you. In the sky, in the trees, on the ground, and especially don't forget about what's under the ground. What could be down there, right underneath your feet, right now?

~ Shaun

31 Days of Monsters: Megalania

Ah. Australia. Home of the most poisonous snakes, spiders, fish, and ants in the world. That's not how it used to be though. It used to be worse.

Name: Megalania, Giant Ripper Lizard.

Size: Estimates from remains mark the creature anywhere between 4.5 to 7 meters in length (15 to 23 feet.)

Appearance: This is effectively, a monitor lizard, similar to the Komodo Dragon and probably looks much the same, only much, much bigger.

Threat: High. This is a predator. No if's, ands, or buts. It WILL track you, catch you, kill you, and eat you.

This isn't just an animal which people have caught glimpses of, and which MIGHT be out there. We know for a fact, this creature used to be there and in fairly significant numbers. The real question is whether or not the animal is actually extinct like the Australian government would probably like us to believe. (Disclaimer: I am not a hardcore conspiracy theorist. Unless it comes to aliens and UFO's.) Though, why they would think something like this would scare people away after everything else Australia has to offer, is beyond me.

Taxonomy, the science of classifying animals, puts Megalania in the same group of animals as the Komodo Dragons, and, if this is accurate, indicates that on top of being a 30 foot long, 2-ton lizard, it was probably poisonous as well. Why a 30-foot, 2-ton lizard needs to be poisonous, I don't know.

Of all the creatures I'm going to go over this month, this one probably has the best and most direct evidence for it's existence. For a start, we know it used to exist already. We know this is a real animal. In 1979, a farmer in Central Queensland, Australia, discovered a collection of bones in a corner of his property. Upon taking them to the University of Brisbane, they were identified as Megalania bones. That was quite a find in and of itself already, but the real kicker was when the bones were dated. It was determined that the bones were actually only 300 years old! Merely the blink of an eye in geologic time and almost a thousand years after Megalania was thought to have been extinct.

In addition to fairly recent remains, footprints have been found, and sightings have even been made by respected scientists as in the case of Herpetologist Frank Gordon. There are even some aboriginal tribes who insist that even to this day, they know of, respect, and fear these monstrous creatures, claiming sounds in the jungles where they live are made by them.

Surprisingly, there aren't many stories which include the Megalania in their work, as a monster or even as a creature of interest. The Animal Planet series Lost Tapes, included an episode based on Megalania called "Devil Dragon" where we never actually see the animal, only the dumb guy who got bit being dragged off camera into the scrub. As well, the animal was featured in an episode of the History channel's Monsterquest. The sad fact of the matter is that despite Megalania's fearsome size, power, and poisonous bite, it just doesn't compare to the awe inspired by Tyrannosaurus Rex, or the small, deadly quickness of Velociraptor. While some people don't like any kind of reptile, most people aren't going to be afraid of an over-sized lizard. Even if it is the size of a bus.

So. I'm packed. Anyone else want to head down under?

~ Shaun

31 Days of Monsters: Megaconda

It's a given, that the South American rain forest is teeming with animals and plants yet to be discovered by science. Most are small, like this cricket discovered in a cave in Venezuela, which can swim and eats flesh. The idea that larger animals could be slinking through the trees, ground-litter and the murky water, is one that is easy to accept.

Name: Giant Anaconda, Megaconda, Titanoboa

Length: 40 - 60 feet

Appearance: Reports are of a common Anaconda, easily found in the amazon rain forest, but in sizes that are not accepted for the species. The common anaconda is accepted to reach lengths of up to 18 feet, far from the 40 - 60 feet claims which come out of the jungle every two to three years.

Threat: High. Snakes are known to be opportunistic carnivores, eating whatever they can swallow. The width of a human's shoulders generally impedes a large snake's ability to devour a person, though it is known through several reports that Anaconda's and even some large Boa's have attempted to eat people. A snake the size of the giant anaconda, would have no difficulty in catching, killing, and devouring a human adult whole

Sightings are mostly anecdotal, stories from native tribes and the rare glimpse of a serpent with nothing around to help judge its size accurately. The fact that these snakes are aquatic, and the murkiness of the Amazon river can make it very difficult to determine a snake's size. You may be able to see the head and ten feet clearly, but there is really no telling how much of the snake is still hidden in the water. It could be six feet, or it could be another twenty. That the issue is a matter of size of a known animal rather than a new species, coloration doesn't vary either between the common and the giant anaconda.

Outside of sightings, the only other evidence are skins, shed and whole. Shed skin can give some hints, from the size of individual scales, but shed skins are very fragile and a whole shed skin the size of a giant anaconda would be extremely difficult to find. The other option would be a real skin, but those can be lengthened out to up to 50% longer than they were in life through the tanning process. So for a real skin to be accepted to be from a giant anaconda, it would probably have to reach 60 to 80 feet long or more.

While the giant anaconda is limited to the Amazon rain forests of South America, there is a current problem in the Florida Everglades with Reticulated and Burmese Pythons. The perfect climate and the lack of any natural predators means a lot of these snakes are quickly growing to threatening sizes that, while they may not be able to devour an adult human, they could still easily kill one, and it would be very possible that smaller children could disappear, only to turn up inside a large snake.

As far as movies go, it would be remiss to discuss this monster without the movie that bears its name. Giant snakes have been a common movie monster, and have seen several incarnations, from Anacondas to Boas, Cobras and Dragons. In a few lesser movies, they even fought each other. They seem to be much less popular in books, however, being trumped by more threatening reptiles such as alligators, crocodiles and dinosaurs.

While most scientists will dismiss the idea of snakes that big, there are ones that size and larger in the fossil record, and reports of sightings continue to this day. Two facts which support the possibility of such large serpents. Snakes can continue to grow throughout their lives, based on the amount of food available, so with a constant supply of food, as is provided by farming communities in the Amazon now. Also, there is a large amount of the Amazon which remains to be explored in the current age, between 60 to 80% depending on some sources. So it's very likely there are large animals left to be discovered.

So if you travel to the Everglades or down to South America, be aware if you go swimming in the rivers. These ambush predators aren't picky about what they grab, even if they don't find out they can't eat their prey until after it's dead.

~ Shaun