Mokele-mbembe: The Legendary Cryptid of the Congo

Origins and Folklore of Mokele-mbembe

The legend of Mokele-mbembe has deep roots in Central African folklore, especially among the indigenous tribes of the Congo Basin. These people have described encounters with a large, mysterious creature for generations. According to tribal stories, Mokele-mbembe is a massive, plant-eating animal that dwells in the rivers and swamps, occasionally surfacing but mainly staying hidden beneath the water.

Tribal accounts paint Mokele-mbembe as a peaceful creature but warn that it can be territorial and dangerous when approached. Stories tell of it overturning canoes and disturbing fishermen who get too close, lending an air of caution to the animal's mystique. These legends continue to hold strong cultural significance, and many locals still believe that Mokele-mbembe is more than mere myth (and honestly, who are we to decide what is real and not in other people's culture?). 

Descriptions of Mokele-mbembe

Eyewitness accounts from both locals and foreign explorers/colonial travellers vary, but there are common physical traits that appear across descriptions. The creature is said to be roughly the size of an elephant, with a bulky, rounded body, a long neck, and a thick, muscular tail resembling that of a crocodile. Its legs are described as stocky and powerful, and some reports claim it has three to five claws on each foot. A quite close description of another beloved cryptid: Loch Ness.

Though the descriptions align closely with the physical features of sauropod dinosaurs, such as Apatosaurus and Diplodocus, there are also notable differences.

Unlike traditional depictions of sauropods, Mokele-mbembe is generally said to be semi-aquatic, living in rivers and swampy areas rather than being a land-dwelling creature. This blend of attributes has fueled speculation that if Mokele-mbembe is real, it could belong to a previously undiscovered species adapted to the unique environment of the Congo Basin.

Sightings and Reports

The first Western reports of Mokele-mbembe date back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, during the European colonial era, when westerners went venturing into the Congo Basin, with or without common sense and decent human values.

In 1776, French colonial-missionary Abbé Lievain Bonaventure reported local accounts of a "creature of immense size" in the jungles near Lake Tele, a swampy area in what is now the Republic of Congo.  Tales of mysterious animals like Mokele-mbembe, often described as saurian-like or large unidentified creatures, are not uncommon in the folklore of Central Africa. Over the years, locals have recounted sightings of large, smooth-skinned, four-legged animals with long necks, thought to prey on sizeable animals in the dense African forests. They have just not called it "dinosaur-like".

It wasn’t until Mokele-mbembe stories gained wider attention that people outside the region (read: Europeans and Americans) began interpreting these descriptions as similar to dinosaur-like forms. 

Reports of dinosaur-like creatures in Africa generated significant media interest in the early 1910s, with newspapers across Europe and North America publishing numerous stories on the phenomenon. I do argue that the Mokele-mbembe and other cryptids like it, is not the actual "phenomenon". The Westerners overwhelming interest with reading and writing about it, is the phenomenon itself.  At the time, Western Europe and the Americas were experiencing a cultural fascination with dinosaurs, particularly with the popular image of the Brontosaurus. This trend may have influenced both the nature of the reported sightings and the inclination of newspapers to suggest the creature was a sauropod.

The stories of Mokele-mbemde gained further traction in 1913 when German colonial Captain Freiherr von Stein zu Lausnitz (that was a frikking long name to type...) reported about stories of an enormous reptile alleged to live in the jungles. Stein chose his words carefully in his report, aware that his account might seem unbelievable to outsiders. Despite this, he found the stories credible. He trusted local guides and independent sources that shared similar accounts with him, each including consistent details that strengthened his belief in the tales’ reliability.

Throughout the 20th century, various expeditions—some more scientifically credible than others—set out to search for Mokele-mbembe or to gather eyewitness accounts. Notably, in 1980 and again in 1981, explorer Henry Powell and Roy Mackal traveled to the Congo Basin, interviewing local residents who claimed to have seen the creature. Although they found no physical proof, Powell and Mackal argued that the consistency in eyewitness descriptions lent credibility to the creature’s possible existence.

In 1980, an expedition led by American Dr. Roy Mackal (same dude as above) and Congolese biologist Marcellin Agnagna focused on the Lake Tele region to search for Mokele-mbembe. Mackal, a former University of Chicago professor, was a respected figure in the cryptozoology community, and his search brought international attention to the legend. Although the team did not capture direct evidence of the creature, they did hear unsettling sounds and discovered large, unidentifiable tracks near the water’s edge. Local villagers also claimed to have seen Mokele-mbembe during Mackal's expedition, intensifying curiosity and hope that a significant discovery was near.

In 2001, the BBC series Congo aired a segment featuring a group interview with the Biaka-people who, when shown an illustrated wildlife manual, identified Mokele-mbembe as resembling a rhinoceros. Interestingly, neither species of African rhinoceros is currently found in the Congo Basin, suggesting that Mokele-mbembe stories could blend myth with folk memory from a time when rhinoceroses were present in the region.

In 2016, a South African documentary team embarked on a four-week expedition in the Likuoala swamps, documenting their search for Mokele-mbembe for Discovery Africa. During their journey through Aka-villages, they gathered accounts of the creature, noting the challenge in discerning Mokele-mbembe’s physical existence from its mythic status. While some locals believed the creature still roamed, others claimed it had died at least a decade earlier.

Two years later, in 2018, Danish Adam Christoffer Knuth, accompanied by a Danish Radio film crew and a DNA scientist, ventured to Lake Tele in search of Mokele-mbembe. Although they did not encounter the elusive creature, their expedition led to the discovery of a new species of green algae (always something, I guess...)

Numerous expeditions has followed, including searches by Japanese filmmakers, British researchers, and Congolese scientists. Despite advances in technology, like sonar and infrared cameras, all of these expeditions faced major obstacles, primarily due to the region's impenetrable swamps, oppressive heat, and wildlife risks. None of these expeditions yielded conclusive evidence, but the efforts succeeded in keeping the legend of Mokele-mbembe alive.

Scientific Explanations and Skepticism

Mainstream scientists have typically approached the Mokele-mbembe phenomenon with skepticism, citing several possible explanations for the creature’s sightings and stories. One prominent theory is that Mokele-mbembe could be a misidentified known animal. Given the description of a large, water-dwelling creature, some biologists suggest that local sightings may be crocodiles, monitor lizards, or even elephants seen from an unusual angle. Hippos, which are native to the region, could also be mistaken for Mokele-mbembe, as they often emerge from water with only parts of their head or back visible, creating an illusion of something larger and more mysterious.

Some researchers propose that Mokele-mbembe may be a culturally significant mythical animal rather than an actual biological species. Additionally, many skeptics point out that the Congo Basin’s ecosystem would make it challenging for a large, undetected creature to survive. Sauropod-like dinosaurs would require a vast amount of vegetation, a difficulty considering the lack of sufficient evidence of such a creature’s environmental impact (like nesting sites, bones, or scat).

The absence of physical evidence and inconsistent eyewitness accounts have led most scientists and historians to doubt Mokele-mbembe's existence. The prevailing theory is that the creature may be a legend derived from memories of the black rhinoceros, once common in Central Africa where Mokele-mbembe stories began. 

Real or not real, the cryptid has left an undeniable impact on both local and international culture. Internationally, Mokele-mbembe has sparked interest in the field of cryptozoology and inspired numerous documentaries, books, and even movies.

While the scientific community has yet to produce definitive evidence of Mokele-mbembe’s existence, the legend continues to endure, fueled by stories, exploration, and the deep-rooted human desire to believe in the unknown. 

The search for Mokele-mbembe is as much about exploring our connection to nature’s mysteries as it is about discovering a creature hidden in the Congo Basin’s depths.