Mysterious Creatures : A Guide to Cryptozoology

“pierces through snares.” Long, strong tail “like
a cedar.”
Behavior: Herbivorous. Hearty drinker (“can
draw up Jordan into his mouth”).
Habitat: Forested rivers or swamps.
Possible explanations:
(1) A surviving sauropod dinosaur similar to
the Mokele-Mbembe of Central Africa, suggested
by Roy Mackal.
(2) The Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)
was first advocated by Samuel
Bochart in 1663. Its small tail is a problem,
but it is amphibious, robust, and herbivorous.
(3) The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)
has a strong tail, but it is a carnivore.
(4) The African elephant (Loxodonta
africana) has been suggested by Georg Kaspar
Kirchmayer and Sylvia K. Sikes.
Sources: Bibl e, Ol d Testament (Job 40:15–
24); Samuel Bochart, Hierozoicon, sive,
bipartitum opus De animalibus Sacrae Scripturae
(London: John Martin and Jacob Al l estry,
1663), vol . 2, chap. 15; Edmund Gol dsmid, ed.,
Un-natural History, or Myths of Ancient Science:
Being a Collection of Curious Tracts on the Basilisk,
Unicorn, Phoenix, Behemoth or Leviathan,
Dragon, Giant Spider, Tarantula, Chameleons,
Satyrs, Homines Caudati, &e. (Edinburgh:
Edmund Gol dsmid, 1886); Marvin H. Pope,
ed., Job (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubl eday, 1965),
p. 266; Roy P. Mackal , A Living Dinosaur? In
Search of Mokele-Mbembe (Leiden, the
Netherl ands: E. J. Bril l , 1987), pp. 5–7.
Beithir
Large water Snake of Scotland.
Etymology: Gaelic and Irish, “serpent,”
“beast,” or “bear,” often with a supernatural
connotation.
Physical description: Length, 9–10 feet.
Behavior: Active in summer.
Habitat: Lakes, caves.
Distribution: Around Loch a’ Mhuillidh,
Highland, Scotland.
Possible explanations:
(1) The Grass snake (Natrix natrix) is a
greenish-olive snake with a yellowish collar
around the neck. It occasionally grows up to
44 BEITHIR
6 feet 6 inches long in Southern Europe, but
in England and Wales, it generally attains a
length of only 5 feet 9 inches. It likely inhabited
the lowlands of Scotland at one
time. It favors areas near lakes or streams.
(2) The European eel (Anguilla anguilla)
rarely grows longer than 4 feet. The fishes
spawn in the Atlantic Ocean, and the larvae
transform into elvers on their migration
route to freshwater streams and rivers in
Europe, where they live for many years.
Sources: John Gregorson Campbel l ,
Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of
Scotland (Gl asgow, Scotl and: J. MacLehose and
Sons, 1900), pp. 223–224; Karl Shuker,
“Sideshow,” Strange Magazine, no. 15 (Spring
1995): 32.
Bennu Bird
The sacred Bird of Egypt that escorted souls to
heaven. Found in texts of the Fifth Dynasty of
the Old Kingdom (2498–2345 b.c.). It was a
symbol of Osiris and resurrection and thus a
possible source for the Greek Phoenix.
Etymology: The ancient Egyptian bn.w or
benu, for both “purple heron” and “date palm.”
Physical description: Giant, heronlike bird.
Taller than a man. White plumage. Twin red
and gold plumes (or tufts) on head. Pointed bill.
Slender, curved neck. Long tail feathers. Long
legs.
Behavior: Gregarious.
Distribution: Egypt; Arabia.
Significant sightings: A large stork or heron is
shown on a painted bas-relief on the inner wall
of a tomb of an officer in the household of
Pharaoh Khufu (2589–2566 b.c.), the builder
of the Great Pyramid.
Enormous, conical bird nests, about 15 feet
tall, were discovered along the coast of the Gulf
of Suez, Egypt, by James Burton around 1822.
The local Arabs told him they were built by a
large, storklike bird that lived in the area until
recently.
Possible explanations:
(1) The Gray heron (Ardea cinerea) is 3 feet
2 inches long and gray, with a black shoulder
patch and black crest. It often stands