Mysterious Creatures : A Guide to Cryptozoology

Hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibius)
are said to hibernate in caves along the
riverbanks. If disturbed, one of them might
surprise and confuse the unwary traveler.
This might explain Ivan Sanderson’s
sighting in Mamfe Pool, Cameroon.
(8) The West African manatee (Trichechus
senegalensis) grows to about 12 feet in length
and might be mistaken for a larger animal if
encountered suddenly. It may be found in
certain rivers of the Republic of the Congo.
Sources: Abbé Proyart, Histoire de Loango,
Kakongo, et autres royaumes d’Afrique (Paris: C.
P. Berton, N. Crapart, 1776), pp. 38–39;
Wilhelm Bölsche, Drachen: Sage und
Naturwissenschaft (Stuttgart, Germany:
Franckh’sche Verlagshandlung, 1929), pp.
49–54; Leo von Boxberger, “Ein unentdecktes
Grosstierart in Innerafrika,” Die Umschau, 42
Jahr, Heft 49 (1938): 1133; Ivan T. Sanderson,
“There Could Be Dinosaurs,” Saturday Evening
Post 220 (January 3, 1948): 17, 53–56; Bernard
Heuvelmans, On the Track of Unknown Animals
(New York: Hill and Wang, 1958), pp.
461–467, 475–478; Bernard Heuvelmans, Les
derniers dragons d’Afrique (Paris: Plon, 1978),
pp. 248–261, 269–270, 299–301; Herman A.
Regusters, “Mokele-Mbembe: An Investigation
into Rumors Concerning a Strange Animal in
the Republic of the Congo, 1981,” Munger
Africana Library Notes, no. 64 (1981): 1–27;
Charles W. Weber, James W. Berry, and J.
Richard Greenwell, “Mokele-Mbembe:
Proximate Analysis of Its Supposed Food
Source,” Cryptozoology 1 (1982): 49–53; Roy P.
Mackal, J. Richard Greenwell, and M. Justin
Wilkinson, “The Search for Evidence of
Mokele-Mbembe in the People’s Republic of
the Congo,” Cryptozoology 1 (1982): 62–72;
Marcellin Agnagna, “Results of the First
Congolese Mokele-Mbembe Expedition,”
Cryptozoology 2 (1983): 103–112; Herman A.
Regusters and Kia L. Vandusen, “An Interim
Report on the Search for Mokele Mbembe,”
Pursuit, no. 72 (1985): 174–180; “Mokele-
Mbembe: New Searches, New Claims,” ISC
Newsletter 5, no. 3 (Autumn 1986): 1–7; Roy P.
Mackal, A Living Dinosaur? In Search of Mokele-
Mbembe (Leiden, the Netherlands: E. J. Brill,
348 M’(O)KE-N’BE
1987); Rory Nugent, Drums along the Congo
(Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993); Redmond
O’Hanlon, Congo Journey (London: Hamish
Hamilton, 1996); Mike Dash, “Dinosaur
Caught on Film?” Fortean Times, no. 86 (May
1996): 32–35; Adam Davies, “I Thought I Saw
a Sauropod,” Fortean Times, no. 145 (May
2001): 30–32; Karl Shuker, “Mokele-Mbembe
Goes West!” Fortean Times, no. 146 (June
2001): 20; David Woetzel, Behemoth or Bust:
An Expedition into Cameroon Investigating
Reports of a Sauropod Dinosaur, August 2001,
at http://www.genesispark.org/genpark/
expedition/report.htm; William Gibbons,
“Cameroon Field Investigation Report,”
unpublished report, 2001.
M’(o)ké-n’bé
Dinosaur-like animal of West Africa, similar to
the Mokele-Mbembe.
Etymology: Waci-Gbe (Kwa) word. Perhaps a
contraction of Mokele-mbembe.
Physical description: Size of an elephant. Gray.
Small head. Long neck. Long tail.
Behavior: Aquatic.
Distribution: Swampy western tributaries of
the Ouémé or Mekrou Rivers, Benin.
Significant sighting: Animal collector W. T.
Roth heard stories about this animal in 1959
after his Waci guides refused to cross a swamp
where it lived.
Sources: “He Have Head for Trunk,”
Pursuit, no. 9 (January 1970): 16–17; Bernard
Heuvelmans, Les derniers dragons d’Afrique
(Paris: Plon, 1978), pp. 280–282.
Momo
Hairy Biped of Missouri.
Etymology: “Missouri monster” (Mo. + monster
abbreviated), given by newspaper reporters.
Physical description: Height, 6–12 feet. Black
body-hair. Facial features obscured by hair. No
neck.
Behavior: Bipedal. Aggressive toward dogs.
Growls, gurgling sound. Pungent, fetid odor.
Tracks: Three-toed or five-toed. Hind feet,
10–12 inches long and 2–5 inches wide. Handprint,
5 inches long and curved.