I did not succeed in shooting a nsanga, but on the island of Mbawala I came by some strips of its skin. In the swamp lives the nsanga, much feared by the natives, a degenerate saurian which one might well confuse with the crocodile were it not that its skin has no scales and its toes are armed with claws. The crocodile is found only in very isolated specimens in Lake Bangweulu, except in the mouths of the large rivers at the north. But since there were too many tracks of elephants, hippos, and other large mammals it was impossible to make out a particular spoor with any amount of certainty.Īccording to German adventurer Lt. The path was fresh and there were plants of the described type nearby. At the Ssombo River I was shown a path said to have been made by this animal in order to get at its food. The preferred plant was shown to me, it is a kind of liana with large white blossoms, with a milky sap and apple-like fruits. This feature disagrees with a possible explanation as a myth. It is said to climb the shores even at daytime in search of food its diet is said to be entirely vegetable. The creature is said to live in the caves that have been washed out by the river in the clay of its shores at sharp bends. Canoes coming near it are said to be doomed the animal is said to attack the vessels at once and to kill the crews but without eating the bodies. A few spoke about a long, muscular tail like that of an alligator. It is said to have a long and very flexible neck and only one tooth but a very long one some say it is a horn. The animal is said to be of a brownish-gray color with a smooth skin, its size is approximately that of an elephant at least that of a hippopotamus. Though von Stein's report was never formally published, Ley quoted von Stein as writing: Nonetheless, von Stein thought the tales were credible: trusted native guides had related the tales to him, and the stories were related to him by independent sources, yet featured many of the same details. According to Ley, "von Stein worded his report with utmost caution," knowing it might be seen as unbelievable. He heard stories of an enormous reptile called "Mokele-mbembe" alleged to live in the jungles, and included a description in his official report. Von Stein was ordered to conduct a survey of German colonies in what is now Cameroon in 1913. The first report of the mokele-mbembe comes from German Captain Ludwig Freiherr von Stein zu Lausnitz, as described by Willy Ley in the book The Lungfish and the Unicorn (1941). Historian Edward Guimont has argued that the mokele-mbembe myth grows out of earlier pseudohistorical claims about Great Zimbabwe, and in turn influenced the later reptilian conspiracy theory. Most mainstream experts believe mokele-mbembe, as reported by Congolese natives, was probably inspired by the black rhinoceros, which once thrived in the region. Additionally, Prothero observes that "The only people looking for mokele-mbembe are creationist ministers, not wildlife biologists." is part of the effort by creationists to overthrow the theory of evolution and teaching of science by any means possible". Paleontologist Donald Prothero remarks that "the quest for Mokele-Mbembe. In the early to mid 20th century, the entity would become a point of focus among adherents of cryptozoology and young Earth creationism, resulting in numerous expeditions led by cryptozoologists and/or funded by young Earth creationists and other groups with the objective to find evidence that invalidates or contradicts the scientific consensus regarding evolution. Descriptions vary widely among those who claim to have seen the creature, but it is often described as a large quadrupedal herbivore with smooth skin, a long neck and a single tooth or horn. Mokele-mbembe (also written as " Mokèlé-mbèmbé"), Lingala for "one who stops the flow of rivers", is a water-dwelling entity that supposedly lives in the Congo River Basin, sometimes described as a living creature, sometimes as a spirit. Drawing of Mokele-mbembe reflecting its supposed resemblance with the extinct sauropods
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