Walking with A Dinosaur

Author: Rhianna Bogard

Dinosaurs: animals that fuel the imaginations of millions of people all around the world. The obsession with dinosaurs even inspires pop-culture with movie such as the Jurassic Park series or urban legends like the Loch Ness Monster. There is even a rumor that a dinosaur still lives in the Congo River Basin called the Mokele-Mbembe. The Mokele-Mbembe which most popularly translates from Lingala to “the one who stops the flow of the river” is a supposed sauropod (formerly known as brontosauruses) that roams Africa.

The rumored dinosaur is said to live, hunt, and reproduce in or around the Congo River Basin, more specifically Lake Tele, located in the Republic of Congo. With color ranging from a red based brown to grey, these creatures are said to be between the size of a Hippopotamus to an Elephant with a reported length of anywhere from 16 to 32 feet (5 to 10 meters). They are said to create burrows along the river bank where they would sleep, hide or raise young. According to Unexplained Mysteries the Mokele-Mbembe are quiet creatures that spend a lot of time in the water. There are reports that the Mokele-Mbembe follows a plant-based diet, however, they are extremely territorial and will kill trespassers, specifically hippopotamuses, on site.

Heavy speculation surrounds whether the Mokele-Mbembe is real especially with such lack of definitive evidence. Most believers claim that the size of the Congo River Basin, over 1.5 million miles, is the main reason for such lack of evidence. Many theories circulate about the origins of the rumor of the Mokele-Mbembe including one which states the creature is a ghost spirit. Authors of Abominable Science!: Origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and Other Famous Cryptids Daniel Loxton and Donald R. Prothero claim that the Mokele-Mbembe and the rumors surrounding it have been pushed by the wide spread popularity of dinosaurs and fanatics from the creationist movement. The large popularity of dinosaurs during the early 20th century gave life to the first wide spread rumors about the cryptid and since the hype about dinosaurs has yet to die down the rumor thrived. It still inspires people to go searching for the creature today.

The reality of an animal this size living and thriving, is that they would need a large breeding population to be sustained. Even though the Congo River Basin is huge with the numbers needed to sustain the population as well as size of the animal there is an extremely slim to none chance humans would not have found them by now. The existence and searches for this creature is heavily supported by creationist. The existence of the Mokele-Mbembe would greatly support their ideals that man walked with the dinosaurs and evolution didn’t happen. Many searches for the creature have been led by creationist and therefore may not be purely for scientific research. All in all, with no sustainable evidence of any kind, it is hard to believe the Mokele-Mbembe is out there. However, maybe just maybe there is a dinosaur hiding from the world in the vast jungle, keeping the hopes and dreams of children everywhere alive.

Work Cited      
 Loxton, Daniel, and Donald R. Prothero. “Abominable Science! : Origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and  Other Famous Cryptids.” Pp.260-295. Academic Search Premier. http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=d49e0785-932b-4535-a869d2d8a539f9e4%40sessionmgr4008&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN =619706&db=nlebk     

Corbell 2025, Lorieli.”Stevens dinosaur” Youtube.com, 2 Mar. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-0Tj1OEm8M       

“Painting of Mokele-Mbembe.” Mingren,wu. “Mokele-mbembe: A Legendary Water-Dwelling Creature of the Congo River.” Ancient Origins, 18 Feb. 2016, https://www.ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena/mokele-mbembe-legendary-water-dwelling-creature-congo-river-005375   

Unexplained Mysteries. “The Mokele Mbembe: A Real-Life Dinosaur Living in The Congo?” Youtube.com, 26 Jul 2018.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS6hsrxaZRM.     

Links for further research   
Mokele-Mbembe: the search for a living dinosaur  
https://www.livescience.com/38871-mokele-mbembe.html.     
The source is an online article which mentions the origins of the Mokele-Mbembe and provides detailed information about the modern searches for this creature 

 MOKELE MBEMBE A SHORT HISTORY. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6CatFN3mv4.   
This video provides an in-depth history of the Mokele-Mbembe.     

Mokele Mbembe!   
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=bf3a93f3-c6ac-4433-bc8abfc818614fcb%40sessionmgr102&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN= 79787557&db=aph. 
This source is an article that dives into the existence of the Mokele Mbembe.   

Burrunjor

Author: Brandon Sharpe

Many stories have been passed down through the years about a giant reptilian carnivore called the “Burrunjor.”  This is a huge walking reptile, which roams in Australia, looking for both humans and animals for food.  Some of the “Burrunjor’s” distinct characteristics, such as its short arms and its huge three-toed track, relate it to other dinosaurs like the Tyrannosaurus and the Megalania Prisca.  Another characteristic the “Burrunjor” had was a bipedal stance, which allowed the creature to run a great distance with it.  This reptile would belong to a group of dinosaurs that became extinct many years ago called the Theropods.

            The Aboriginal tribe of Australia, here “long before the coming of White Men,” believed these monsters entered came from the past though “time windows” (The Cryptozoologist).  Other views that the tribe may have on “the creation of the world” are known as the “Dreamtime” (The Cryptozoologist).  This theory could also be used to explain mysteries of other extinct animals that have been seen in other places, but have never been captured.  This tribe has passed down information of this reptile by cave drawings and oral tradition.  Because it was simply passed down orally form one generation to the next, who knows where there story could have changed.  The stories included such tales as farmers reporting their cattle as missing or being half-eaten.  Loud rumbling sounds in the distant and even personal encounters with the Burrunjor are other stories the Aboriginal tribe members can tell.  One story specifically was told by the “part-Aboriginal tracker” Johnny Mathews.  Mathews said he saw “a 25-foot tall” creature described as a Burrunjor “moving through scrub…one day in 1961” (The Cryptozoologist). 

            There are many other stories and claims that have been told regarding the Burrunjor.  One certain well-known account is from the book Out of the Dreamtime – The Search from Australasia’s Unknown Animals written by Rex and Heather Gilroy.  The Gilroy’s write about a man named Bryan Clark who was tending to a group of cattle, but got lost out in the woods.  Little to Clark’s knowledge a policeman and two Aboriginal trackers set out to find him.  Once darkness fell the three men decided they needed to set up camp, which so happened to be in the area around the “Burrunjor’s land.”  Much to the Aboriginals’ dismay the men tried to catch some sleep.  Soon the policeman’s sleep was disturbed by the yelling and screaming of the Aboriginals and he finally realized the ground was shaking.  The men quickly got their things together and ran out of the woods, never looking back.  Later, the policeman reportedly told Clark that if he ever found himself in that situation again, it was every man to his own.  No one wanted to go back in there in fear of the terrible sounds thought to come from the Burrunjor. 

Image of the Burrunjor from SyFy's Destination Truth

Works Cited

“KASAI REX, BURRUNJOR, AND MINI-T-REX: EVIDENCE OF SURVIVING CARNIVOROUS DINOSAURS? PART 2.” The Cryptozoologist. The Cryptozoologist, 30 May 2012. Web. 17 Oct 2013.

For Further Research:

Syfy

www.syfy.com/destinationtruth/creatures/burrunjor

This website gives a little bit of background information on the Burrunjor.

Truedinos

http://truedinos.webnode.com/cryptozoology/land-cryptids/

The link gives an in-depth analysis of many creatures that are believed to be extinct.  This will give a lot of accounts from the book by Rex and Heather Gilroy that was mentioned earlier.

National Geographic

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/06/aboriginal-australians/finkel-text

This link will lead you to website that will give further information on the Aboriginal people, which were one of the first to give claims on the Burrunjor.

Mokele-Mbembe

Author: Lauren Faircloth

by  Nik Petsev, 2002

Mokele-mbembe is Lingala , and can mean a variety of things. The word is commonly defined as "one that stops the flow of rivers," but can also mean "one who eats the tops of palm trees," "monstrous animal," or even "half-God, half-beast." Mokele-mbembe is also used as a generic term to refer to other animals like Emela-ntouka, Mbielu-mbielu-mbielu, and Nguma-monene. Mokele-mbembe has been described as an animal with a long neck, tail, and rounded shaped tracks with three claws. The closest known animal that has these characteristics is a Sauropod dinosaur. 

The body size of each specimen is said to be somewhere between the size of a hippopotamus and an elephant. Its length is reportedly between 16 to 32 feet (5 to 10 meters). The length of the neck, according to various descriptions, is between 5 to 10 feet (1.6 to 3.3 meters). The length of the tail is somewhere between 5 to 10 feet as well.

             The pygmies, natives of the Likouala Swamp region, report that the essential diet of Mokele-Mbembe consists primarily of the Malombo plant. Since it only eats plants, it is classified as an herbivore. The Malombo plant actually describes two plants: Landolphia mannii and Landolphia owariensis.

Mokele-mbembe lives in the pools and swamps adjacent to the rivers of the Likouala swamp region of The People's Republic of Congo on the continent of Africa. It is said to use the lakes as a crossing path to go from one river to another. Mokele-Mbembe lives underwater most of the time except when it eats or travels to other parts of the swamp. It has been reported that it does not like hippopotamuses and will kill them on sight, though it does not eat them. According to the pygmies, Hippopotamuses cannot be found where Mokele-Mbembe lives.

            Expeditions in search of the mokele-mbembe primarily began in the 1880s. In 1913, a German explorer reported stories of, what the natives called, "Mokele-mbembe," which he had heard while in the Congo. Hearing the reports, a few scientists noticed that the descriptions of the creatures made them sound much like sauropod dinosaurs. Sauropods were the giants of the dinosaurs world, averaging about 70 feet (21 meters) long and standing 12-15 feet (3.7 to 4.8 m) tall at the hips.

In 1932, a British scientist, exploring near the Likouala region where the creatures are said to live, came across some abnormally huge footprints. Later, when he went down one of the rivers in a canoe, he heard strange sounds, but did not see anything. Coincidentally, that same year the world famous zoologist and biologist, Ivan T. Sanderson, along with animal-trader Gerald Russel, were paddling up the Mainyu River in the heart of western Africa when, according to Sanderson's report:

"The most terrifying sound I have ever heard, which sounded like an on-coming earthquake or an exploding, nearby robot, suddenly greeted us from a large underwater cave."

While the water of the river was boiling and foaming directly in front of their canoe, a “darkish, shining lizard-like head” suddenly rose from the dark water. They described the head as nearly the size of the head of a fully grown hippo, which sat on a thick, swan-like neck. The enormous neck was turned towards the two men, and for just a few seconds, although it seemed like an eternity, the monster simply stared at Sanderson and Russel. Mr. Sanderson summed up his thoughts with these words:

"I don't know what we saw, but the animal, the monster, burned itself into my retinas. It looked like something that ought to have been dead millions of years ago. As a scientist, I should have been happy, of course, but this encounter was so frightening, so nasty that I never want to see it again."

 

Works Cited:

Gibbons, William J. "In Search Of the Congo Dinosaur." In Search Of the Congo Dinosaur. ICR, July 2002. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. http://www.icr.org/article/306/

"Lingala." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lingala?s=t.

"Mokele Mbembe!." Skeptic 17.3 (2012): 63. Science Reference Center. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Petsev, Nick. "Cryptids - Mokele-mbembe." Cryptozoology.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. http://www.cryptozoology.com/cryptids/mokele.php.

"Sauropod." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sauropod?o=100505.

Wilford, John Noble. "'Dinosaur' Eludes Six-Week Search in Africa." New York Times (1923-Current file): 1. Dec 10 1981. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2008). Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Links for further research:

Mokele-Mbembe: The Living Dinosaur

http://www.mokelembembe.com/

Articles and information compiled by Scott Norman

Was a Mokele-mbembe killed at Lake Tele?

http://www.anomalist.com/reports/mokele.html

An account of an encountering with a mokele-mbembe

'Mokele-Mbembe' The Last Dinosaur Documentary Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBZrZNy2LU8

A documentary of the search for Mokele-Mbembe from The History Channel

Dinosaurs on Prehistoric Island

Author: Catherine Puett 

 Dinosaurs were last seen on earth 65 million years ago. Or did they? In Papua, New Guinea an eyewitness saw a large creature that looked like dinosaur with a reptile tail and with a dog like head. Papua is a small village on a volcanic island. The village is somewhat prehistoric, but this village is also superstitious. On many counts the villagers have stated that they saw the creature or that it was coming after them so they couldn’t get a good look at them. Villagers and police have searched for this dinosaur like creature, but have had no luck finding it and taking a picture to prove it. Villagers also of this island go into the jungle searching for it to prove that they are not crazy. A newspaper from Sydney, Australia said that it could be a cryptic Iguanodon. Police stated in this newspaper that they went into the sacred jungle and found no results of a dinosaur living there. Even though the newspaper had an eyewitness there was nothing for them to do, but an iguanodon is a dinosaur that had a hard, conical spike on each thumb. 

 Even though Papua only had one eyewitness give a statement it is said that this creature is still roaming the island and the mayor thinks it would be a good tourist attraction. The Independent newspaper of Papua, New Guinea reported that a "dinosaur-like reptile" was seen on two occasions in the Lake Murray area, in Western Province (Dinosaurs..). This newspaper is from 1999 and no one in particular was willing to state exactly what the dinosaur looked like other than it was reptile like. This dinosaur is known for showing up occasionally only for the villagers. People all over the world come to Papua, New Guinea searching for this creature. Researchers are mostly the only group that is willing to go to the “sacred” island in search for the creature. Sometimes if the villagers allow them to search the Mayor of the small village will show them the bones that were found. The villagers are hoping someday that they iguanodon will be proven still alive. Also, the mayor is hoping to prove that the iguanodon is still alive so that they can get more attractions to this prehistoric island. It still has not been proven that this dinosaur does not roam this island, but it has not been proven that the dinosaur is even alive to this day.

Works cited:

Dinosaurs

. The Independent (Papua New Guinea), December 30, 1999, p. 6.

Elizabeth, Jamie. "Interesting Facts about Papua New Guinea." Helium. Helium, 21 May 2010. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. <http://www.helium.com/items/1839358-papua-new-guinea-history>.

"Iguanodon: Dinosaurs of Questionable Class." Discovery Channel. Discovery Communications, 2012. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. 

Links for Further Research:

helium

http://www.helium.com/items/1839358-papua-new-guinea-history

This website gives great facts on the island that this dinosaur was sighted on.

TrueAuthority

http://www.trueauthority.com/cryptozoology/newguineaprnt.htm

This website summarizes the witness statements that have been given in the past about the Iguanodon.

Sydney Morning Herald

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/12/1078594554726.html

The Sydney Morning Herald is a newspaper of a city near Papua that interviewed the eyewitness of the Iguanodon.