For years, there have been rumors of something unusual lurking in the deepest and most inaccessible parts of the Congo Basin. Descriptions vary but it is commonly known as Mokele-mbembe: “river-blocker”.
It is difficult to conclude that this strange thing is a specific creature, so many local Aboriginal people believe it to be a spirit. According to many descriptions, although it is about the size of an elephant.
Those who have seen Mokele-mbembe describe it as a four-legged creature with smooth skin and an unusually long neck with a tooth or horn on its head. In general, it resembles dinosaurs, and many people think that they are in fact a remnant of dinosaurs living in the jungle.
In fact, these opinions are all very irrational and the possibility of existence is extremely low, if not completely zero. But is there something beyond our understanding in this remote place? Is this creature something science doesn’t know yet?
Rumors aside, the existence of such a creature would require humanity to rethink its understanding of evolution. In fact, there are species more ancient than dinosaurs that still exist today
Species older than the dinosaurs have survived to this day (the spring crocodile) but all large sauropods, long-necked herbivores similar in appearance to the Mokele-mbembe, have been extinct for millions of years. However, carnivorous dinosaurs and long-necked dinosaurs were completely extinct on our planet.
Mokele-mbembe is thought to be a snake-like creature with a long neck and tail that occurs in Lake Tele. Although it is a herbivore, it often makes a terrifying roar when someone approaches. Some say Mokele-mbembe has a horn used to kill elephants.
Mokele-mbembe are depicted as aquatic, spending most of their time in the water. In most reported sightings, only its head and neck can be seen, while the rest of its body is submerged underwater in a manner similar to the Lock Ness Monster.
When it is observed outside of water, it usually eats plants and fruits, which then quickly return to the water. Such observations usually occur around dusk, and it is speculated that the animals prefer to wait for the heat of the day to cool down in the rivers.
For years, Western explorers have been haunted by the prospect that they will discover a mysterious creature unknown to science. To this day, more than 50 expeditions have reached the Likouala swamps of the Congo, but there is still no evidence of the existence of the beast. Except for the record of a claw-shaped footprint of a French missionary in 1776 and many others after.
In fact, the stories of Mokele-mbembe’s existence around the Congo Basin begin in the late 18th century. That’s when a French missionary claimed to have discovered a giant creature. He said that the giant creature had claw footprints about 3 feet long (about 1 meter).
But it was not until 1909 that Mokele-mbembe really became famous. Around this time, German hunter Carl Hagenbeck added in his autobiography that a naturalist had told him about a local dinosaur. He described it as resembling a long-necked dinosaur that lived in North America about 150 million years ago.
Over the next century, many expeditions to the Congo basin were made in search of Mokele-mbembe. All have failed, and so far no adventurer has gotten a glimpse of this mysterious monster.
Bill Laurence – James Cook University professor, Australia, conservative biologist and rainforest expert – puts the Mokele-mbembe beast in the same category as the Loch Ness sea monster and insists science is still discovering There are more and more strange creatures on the planet, so it is not possible to confirm that Mokele-mbembe does not exist.
The Likouala Wetlands in the northeastern region of the Congolese capital Brazzaville are said to have a lot of hidden potential. The Congolese government says 80% of the 66,000 square kilometer area is uncharted and the Congo rainforest is the second largest in the world.
But the local tribe people still claim that they have seen this monster. Did they only tell explorers what they wanted to hear? Or did they know something that the others didn’t?
The Congo Basin covers an area of about 1.5 million square miles (3.9 million square kilometers) in central Africa, twice the size of Alaska or six times the size of Texas. Much of this land is unexplored and impassable. If dinosaurs still exist somewhere on this planet, then the Congo is one of the most likely locations.
Almost all mainstream science has concluded that this story is a legend. Some African tribes also regard the creature as a form of ghost, a spirit rather than a living animal.