From the childhood was fond of books on cryptozoology, reading the Sirrusha, Nessie, Mokele-mbembe, snow man, pterodactyls Africa. I hope this article about a mysterious elephant-dinosaur Mokele-mbembe you are interested.

Shomburgk worked for Karl Hagenbach, head of the largest in the world of German company on trade in wild animals, which supplied them to the Zoological gardens, and was holding a huge zoo Stellingen near Hamburg. In 1912, after returning from Africa, Shomburgk told Hagenbeck amazing story. And they were glad, when he not only is not mocked him, but he told Schomburgk that received similar information from other sources. These messages were retold by native rumors about a hybrid of the "dragon and the elephant", which was believed to have lived in the impenetrable African swamps.

Apparently, visiting Liberia, Shomburgk never heard of that animal, but when he arrived on the shores of lake Bangweulu, on the place that seemingly ideal habitat for hippos, and asked the natives, why there is not a hippopotamus, those with business as answered that there is a good reason. They are (here we cite the book Samburga "For wild animals in the heart of Africa") "... said that in this lake live the beast, who, second in size to hippos, however, kills and eats them. On the habits he must amphibian: the beast comes out of the water, but no one has ever seen his tracks. Unfortunately, I described the story as the story and was not to conduct a further search. Later I spoke about this with Karl Hagenbeck and now convinced that the animal belonged to some varieties of dinosaurs. I stick to the opinion that, because of Hagenbeck received from other sources messages that fully coincides with my observations and information received from the natives, whom I interviewed. Hagenbeck sent to the lake Bangweulu special expedition, but unfortunately it is not even able to find this lake.

In 1913, the German government sent in Cameroon expedition under the command of captain Freyer von Stein zu Loznitza with the task to conduct a General survey of the colony (until the first world war Germany had in Africa vast colonial possessions). An official report about this expedition, still exists in the form of the manuscript contains a fairly extensive section dedicated to the unknown animal Somborska. Von Stein, of course, was very careful in the selection of the words in this part of the report wisely calling animal "a very mysterious creature", which "might exist only in the imagination of the natives," but, he added, the imagination is, "probably based on something more tangible". Information von Stein was, in his words, from "the stories of natives of the former German colonies" (Cameroon) about "being very afraid Negroes in some parts of the territory of the Congo, in the lower reaches of the Ubangi, Sangi and Ikelemba". He stressed that these stories came from "experienced guides who are not familiar with each other, but who repeated all the details completely independently of one another". The natives called it the animal mokele-mbembe, but it was impossible to say for sure whether this is the name of any specific meaning. Captain von Stein wrote: "messages, this being not live in smaller rivers such as the two Likely, and in the above-mentioned rivers, they say, there are only a few individuals. When we were in the expedition, we were told that one individual noticed on non-navigable section of the river Sanga, somewhere between the rivers of MBIA and Picunda; unfortunately, this part of the river could not be examined due to the fact that our expedition was crumpled. We also heard about some animal that live on the river Sambo. Stories natives are reduced to the following description.

The animal, as they say, has a gray-brown color, smooth skin and the size is approximately similar to the elephant, or at least, with the hippopotamus. It has a long and a very flexible neck and only one tooth, but very long. Some says it's horn. Some mentioned long muscular tail, like an alligator. They say that approaching the beast Canoeing doomed: the animal immediately attacked them and kill command, but do not eat of the body. It is the creation live in caves, washed by the river in clay banks on steep bends. In search of food it is, they say, comes out on the beach even during the day and eats only plants. A trait that is not possible to explain all the myths. Showed me his favorite plant. This is a variation of vines with large white flowers, milk-neck juice and similar to the Apple fruits. On the river Sambo showed me the lane, which in search of food paved the beast. The track was fresh and there was found and described above plants. However, there were too many paths trodden by elephants, rhinos and other large animals, and could not with any certainty to allocate the creature's trail".

It is a pity that Baron von Stein was so little time. He could look mokele-mbembe. As for the animal from the lake Bangweulu, which told Somborska, the Englishman Hughes had about it in somewhat more detail. In his book "the 28 years on lake Bangweulu" Hughes led a conversation with the son of the leader of the tribe of the animal, which is called in this country, "chipeque". The young man said proudly that his grandfather was, or at least watched the hunt for chipeque. Oral tradition was told description this hunting. It was attended by many of the best hunters, and they spent the whole day pricked chipeque his big hooks, which was used in the hunt for hippos. Chipeque describe as an animal with smooth dark skin without beards, armed with one smooth horn, as the rhinoceros, only the white and polished. It is a pity that they have not saved this horn: Hughes would have given him all that they would wish. Hughes was familiar with the Rhodesian official, who said that one night he heard a very loud splash in the lake, near which stood the camp, and in the morning he found a hitherto unheard tracks. Scientists, having listened to these stories, laughed: about any large unknown animals can speak, when everything is already open! Too many similar evidence suggests: what if in the shallow ponds and rivers of Central Africa really hides large unknown animal? Most likely, reptile.

Naturally, the next question is: could survive in Central Africa, large reptile? The answer zoologists is: if somewhere she could survive, it is only here, in Central Africa! Now what is the basis for this assertion. These dinosaurs and the other great reptiles, related to them, died out at the end of the Cretaceous period, about 60 million years ago. Hypotheses on this account there are many. Huge cemetery of dinosaurs near Tendaguru in East Africa show that in Africa there was something like that. There is no doubt that here, as elsewhere, the major forms of animals have disappeared. But the average is somewhat different story. Worldwide last 60 million years were marked by all kinds of geological changes. Small sea flooded vast areas of land, and other areas, where the sea has dried up. Arose and again disappeared passages; tectonic forces gromozdin mountains, was active volcanic activity. But Central Africa were stable geological: land mass there is exactly the same as 60 million years ago. Finally, the continents to the North and South of the fiftieth parallel in both hemispheres passed through a number of the glaciation, but, despite the fact that they had an impact on the climate between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, this impact has not led to dramatic consequences. And Central Africa are not subjected to geological disasters since the Cretaceous period, and suffered only minor changes in climate. So if one of those days and survived the great reptiles, to seek their needs in Central Africa...

To search...

And the search began. 1981. The interior of Zaire. The expedition, which was patronized oil tycoon Jack Bryant, three journalists and Roy Mackal, a biologist and Director of the University of Chicago, by coincidence another and Vice President of the International society of cryptozoology. The expedition was aimed to check visual observation 1776. The time when it was first noticed the beast, reminiscent of sauropod, herbivorous dinosaur. The locals, as we have said, call it mokele-mbembe. Sailing in a dugout canoe, cutting a path through hanging over the heads of jungle vegetation, the expedition members had penetrated far into the depths of marshy jungle. By sonar explored the waters in search of submerged under water animals. Sometimes rowing for two days in a row, to find a piece of dry ground. One day, around the river bend, Canoeing suddenly began to sway violently, as were raised on some large animals wave. The beast just plunged into the water. Expedition member Richard Grinvil, ecologist deserts and Secretary of the International society of cryptozoology, States that "former us natives started to panic". Scientists reacted to this case more calmly.

Grinvil believed that it could be Hippo, elephant and crocodile. However, he knew that hippos are not living in the marshes, elephants are not immersed in water, and crocodiles raise very little wave. A government official on matters of Zoology, who participated in the expedition - his name was Marcelin of Anania, - was so intrigued that he decided to return to this area with its own expedition. And he did so in April 1983. A few days searches yielded no fruit, but then that's what happened. Right in front of the noses of Anagni and his companions out of the water suddenly rose some kind of creature. It was a strange animal with broad back, a long neck and small head. However, as with bitterness scientist wrote, "in the tide of feeling alarmed by this sudden and unexpected appearance, I was not able to remove this animal on film".

- The visible part of the animal, " says M. Anania - approximately corresponds to our idea of a Brontosaurus. I am personally convinced that in the swampy jungles of Likouala home to at least two types of unknown animals. A few days before the arrival of our expedition in the area of the settlement Agama there was such an event. The river in a canoe floated woman. Suddenly the boat ran into an obstacle and stopped. The woman leaned on the pole, trying to push the boat with "stranded". After that powerful impetus threw the cake on the shore, and on the surface of the water there was a huge animal. About half an hour raged it, uttering terrible screams.

. In the North of the Congo came the dry season, and the river Likouala-oz-ERB shoaled so that her somewhere you could Wade across. However, in the area of happened incident depth reached 10-12 meters. It is here that the scientists have discovered a floating island, consisting of a thick layer of sand, resting on a solid bed of dead aquatic vegetation. On a perfectly flat surface traces - like in the sand slid some huge animal. The island also found flap of skin from one to fifteen centimeters in length. And one more stroke to our unfinished history. American traveler Herman of Register in the lake district of the Body've recorded the sounds of unknown animals. He handed the record scientist from California Kenneth Templin, which scraped the side of noise and compared with recordings of the voices of other animals. Templin came to the conclusion that the recorded voice belonged to the unknown till now the merits. What? ... In the mountains of Goritsa a farmer Park found a cave with ancient drawings of the Bushmen. And one figure farmer saw the picture... the Brontosaurus, creeping out of the swamp. Scientists, followed by a farmer who examined the drawings, also concluded that outlines the monster really resemble the face of this fossil reptiles. Explanations for this phenomenon has not been found yet... Two decades ago this news story, no one would take seriously. And now?