What is mokele-mbembe?
Mokele-mbembe is a cryptid said to live in the rivers and lakes of the swamplands of the Likouala region in the Republic of the Congo, central Africa. Its name is said to mean something like “one who stops the flow of rivers” in the local language. It is described as a large animal with a long neck and tail, and has been rumored to be a surviving sauropod, a long-necked plant-eating dinosaur.
Expeditions and sightings
In the 20th century, Western explorers and researchers began visiting the area, and in the 1980s in particular several expeditions searched around Lake Tele. In 1988 a team from the Waseda University Exploration Club in Japan also traveled there.
What is mokele-mbembe really?
No conclusive photographs or specimens have been obtained, and it is thought to be an elephant, a hippopotamus, a large crocodile, or a being from local folklore. The difficulty of investigating deep in the tropical rainforest is one reason the mystery remains.
