History Main / MokeleMbembe

* In addition to the mokele-mbembe, cryptozoological folklore populates the Congolese jungles with a number of other beings said to resemble dinosaurs, such as the emela-ntouka, said to resemble a one-horned ceratopsid, and the mbielu-mbielu-mbielu, said to resemble a stegosaur. The kongamato is often said to resemble the flying non-dinosaurian pterosaurs, but most descriptions of the monster suggest that it's actually supposed to be [[BatOutOfHell a giant bat]], a saddle-billed stork, or even a freshwater stingray.

In the 1990s the Mokele-mbembe was arguably as popular a cryptid as Bigfoot and various lake monsters but, in the current day, its popularity and credibility have waned considerably. The colonialist history of the reports, sightings of even olden days being frequently conflated with other seemingly unrelated water monsters like the Dingonek, lack of sightings, and implausibility of an animal so large going undiscovered in the range it is have all taken their toll on credibility. The Congo was seen as mysterious, prehistoric place in the 1920s but a century later the region, its life, and its people are very well known and studied. Knowledge of the fossil record has also grown exponentially, and the implausibility of Sauropods going over 66 million years without leaving so much as a trace despite being one of the most readily fossilizing dinosaurs is another factor. For these and other reasons, virtually all scientists are unconvinced of this animal's existence, usually pointing to indigenous beliefs on aquatic deities and spirits. However, stories of the beast as a living sauropod are still pretty popular with creationists, and missionaries today continue to organize expeditions to search for the Mokele-Mbembe.

In the 1990s the Mokele-mbembe was arguably as popular a cryptid as Bigfoot and various lake monsters but, in the current day, its popularity and credibility have waned considerably. The colonialist history of the reports, sightings of even olden days being frequently conflated with other seemingly unrelated water monsters like the Dingonek, lack of sightings, and implausibility of an animal so large going undiscovered in the range it is have all taken their toll on credibility. The Congo was seen as mysterious, prehistoric place in the 1920s but a century later the region, its life, and its people are very well known and studied. Knowledge of the fossil record has also grown exponentially, and the implausibility of Sauropods going over 66 million years without leaving so much as a trace despite being one of the most readily fossilizing dinosaurs is another factor. For these and other reasons, virtually all scientists are unconvinced of this animal's existence, usually pointing to indigenous beliefs on aquatic deities and spirits.

* ''LightNovel/GoblinSlayer'': A mokele-mbembe, resembling a sauropod with pink-purple plates running down its neck and spine, is encountered living in the rivers around the elf kingdom. It's stated to actually be [[OurHydrasAreDifferent young hydra; the extra heads have yet to grow and will come with age]].