October 14, 2012 23:23
Young biologist from the University of Missouri, Stephen McCullough soon go with a group of like-minded people to remote African jungle «to document the flora and fauna of the unknown.» Members of the «first in the XXI century expedition to the unexplored corners of the Republic of Congo,» have decided to explore the region, which has long been known as a habitat mysterious mokele-mbembe.
«Hunters in the Dinosaurs» will help the latest technology
As it may seem strange, but, really, even today, there are quite large areas of Africa, which can hide very real prehistoric dinosaurs.
These areas are the tropical equatorial forest. Roads and civilized infrastructure here, which makes it impossible in these locations systematically scientific expeditions. However, evidence of encounters with mysterious creatures here comes more than enough.
«We have received numerous reports of witnesses that in the jungles of the Congo were seen spiders the size of a large dog and a dinosaur — says Steven. — However, in his first expedition, we may not find itself mokele-mbembe, but we believe that for three months shall detect significant traces of its habitat in the region. «
McCullough, who has extensive experience of expeditions to the jungles of Brazil, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, said that all groups before departing in the impenetrable forests of the Congo in search mokele-mbembe, came back with virtually no «weight of evidence».
In his case, however, the success of the company is to bring the enthusiasm of his supporters, including entirely hunters, trackers and experts in survival, and the latest technology to help where others have failed.
In addition, he is going to use «tracking relic animals satellite pictures, cameras, thermal cameras and sonar to search the murky water.
«Whoever partition off his body for the river»
The first reports of Congolese monster belong to 1776, when a «lost world» is back Proyyar French abbot. During his journey, he wrote a story about a local oddity — a hybrid elephant, hippo and a lion, a giraffe with a neck and tail of a large snake.
According to Abbe, the mokele-mbembe smooth gray-brown skin, short and thick legs with huge paws. His tracks resemble elephant tracks, but they are clearly visible imprints claws. The monster is very long neck and a small flattened head. Body length of at least 12 meters, and weight presumably from 10 to 15 tons.
In translation the word «mokele-mbembe» has two explanations: «He who eats the tops of palm trees» and more common, «the one who blocks a river for his body.»
Intrigued by tales Proyyara in the Congo jungle rushed dozens of adventurers, but they usually come back with nothing.
In our time, in 1981, Professor, University of Chicago, Roy Makkel evidence gathered dozens of local residents about the monster, who dwells in the body of the lake, which is located in the northeast of the country.
Make its way to the giant reservoir had through thorny bushes and swampy marshes that extend for tens of kilometers. Sometimes the day Makkela group held no more than 10 kilometers.
Here’s what I wrote about this expedition journal «Equinox»: «In November 1981, far upriver Likvala-oz-Erb among impenetrable tropical forests and swamps two large pies quietly slipped on the water surface of the river. On the nose the first sitting Makkel Roy, and he was succeeded by a group of Congolese and American scientists under armed guard and a dozen African Pygmy as interpreters.
Squad rounded a bend in the river, and suddenly there was a terrible sinking into the water lapping the huge creatures. The resulting high, up to one-foot wave struck on the cake. Pygmies in terror cried mokele-mbembe! .. mokele-mbembe! ..
Only the threat of losing charge made death frightened natives podgresti closer to the spot where he was a beast. Alas! In the water, nothing was out of sight. «
Fear was Pygmies, apparently, is substantiated. They unanimously asserted that this giant in anger turns pies, flailing his powerful tail, killing all those who are in them.
«One of the locals, the hunter Nicolas Mondongo told Makkelu that once about seven in the morning he used to hunt monkeys on the banks Likvala-oz-Erb. At only thirteen yards away from the river suddenly rose enormous creature. At the point the river was only three feet deep. Mondongo good look at the monster. Neck and his head was a length of six feet, with a thickness of a human thigh
Aborigines were assured that they know eight seats, home monsters. They also reported that in 1959 killed one of mokele-mbembe.
In anger mokele-mbembe scary
Makkelu but no luck. Researchers have spoiled relations with the locals, and soon left, and not finishing their work. A couple of months in the Congo has arrived next expedition of California under the leadership of Herman Regastersa.
«We have seen mokele-mbembe a few times. Externally it is very similar to those of extinct creatures, the image can be found in every textbook of zoology: massive body, thin neck, topped with a small head, a thick sinuous tail. The length of the giant at least 11 meters, «- described traveler mysterious creatures dwelling in Lake Tele. In addition, the expedition was able to record on tape the roar of the creature.
Regasters handed record of California scientist Kenneth Templin, who likened it to a voice recording of other animals. As a result, Templin concluded that taped the roar belonged essentially unknown to science.
In April 1983, in search of mokele-mbembe has gone local team led by the Congolese zoologist Marcellin Anyang.
A villager Boigny hunter William Ekenge zoologist told that three years ago he personally encountered the monster, which was in very excited. Within hours mokele-mbembe turned his clods and rattled broken trees on the Cape. Ekenge watched the animal for a long time — it has to rest on the surface of the river after the devastating work.
May 1 Marcellin Anyang with local people came ashore Lake Tele. Suddenly, one of the natives cried, «Look there!»
Zoologist froze in surprise: about 300 meters from the shore above the water rose a snake-like head on a long neck. Zoologist thought being heard them, because by not looking around, it was slowly sinking into the water.
Not bring into focus camera lens, Anyang hands trembling with excitement began to catch viewfinder object. «I do not see, I still started shooting — recalled a scientist, but then, realizing that the film was over, was just seen in kinoobektiv.»
The researcher clearly considered black, shining in the sun head, brown front neck, smooth and shiny, and his eyes, oblong-oval, like a crocodile, and a broad strong back up to three meters.
Reptile slowly immersed in water. Neck sticking out of the water about a meter. And this, no doubt, was not the whole neck. Immersing the body in water, the animal for a few minutes to treat people.
After returning home from an expedition in an interview with Tass Anyang said: «Yes, indeed, I was fortunate enough for about 20 minutes to watch mokele-mbembe. What can I say? The visible part of the animal roughly corresponds to our idea of a prehistoric monster. However, its scientific classification requires, of course, the more detailed and accurate data. After all, we can talk about any animal that is simply unknown to science.
Incidentally, in the river-lake-Likvala Erb apparently inhabits another unidentified creature. A few days before the arrival of the expedition in the village Edzhama was such an event.
The river in canoe floating woman. Suddenly pie encountered an obstacle and stopped. Woman beat on the pole, trying to push the canoe afloat. After this powerful puffed pie directly on the shore and in the water there was a huge animal. About half an hour it raged in the water spewing from the mouth of heartbreaking cries. «
Relic of the Cretaceous period
The temptation to find a living dinosaur led into the next decade at least six more missions to go to the Congolese jungle. In 1997, as part of one of them was a zoologist James Powell and already familiar Professor Roy Makkel.
Being in a tribe of pygmies Apulia-Kono, Powell showed different patterns wizard tribe of prehistoric animals. Among dinosaurs sorcerer is not «recognized» no lizard, except Diplodocus, looking at the image which immediately announced that it mokele-mbembe.
Pygmies also told the scientists that mokele-mbembe — pretty aggressive creature that can easily kill a man, but never eat the bodies of their victims.
To stay in the tribe a few days, Powell and Makkel headed upstream Lokorro, where, according to the natives, and lived mostly ancient creatures.
After a few days of travel, the expedition reached the city Inongo, which is located on the banks of a large and very deep lake Mont Ndombe. Here from the locals, they have learned that mokele-mbembe in the lake there are a few favorite places.
One is a small but fairly deep lagoon in the north of the lake, where fishermen once set a trap for the beast. A small entrance to the bay, they blocked the logs with pointed ends, hoping mokele-mbembe stumble on them.
It just happened. After several futile attempts to get out of the water lake monster ran straight and hit a sharp pins. Overjoyed incredible catch, fishermen butchered his carcass and returned to mining in their village. However, anyone who ate meat mokele-mbembe, soon died of poisoning. Since then, local residents have decided to leave the ancient animals alone.
Powell and Makkel small seaplane flew over the lake Mont Ndombe within two weeks. In the end they almost desperate to meet a prehistoric creature.
«A video camera to work without interruption for several days, was turned off, and photographic lay and did God knows where — says Powell. — We watched indifferently become painfully familiar waters of the lake, which is already beginning to hate. But suddenly in the water head appeared out of the blue, a long flexible neck, and then the back is a mysterious animal. «James, it’s a dinosaur! Dinosaur! — I cried Makkel. — Behold! Look! «But I’m without all eyes. After all, in front of us was a relic of the Cretaceous era, prehistoric animal, the subject of our years of research and a long search. «
Then Powell realized in horror that the camera does not work. He rushed to her, turned and started to shoot, but, unfortunately, the Lake Monster has already begun to be submerged. However it was in the camera lens for about 30 seconds. «
Scientists after the incident a few weeks spent on the shores of the lake, but mokele-mbembe longer appeared …
Dinosaurs do not want to die
Famous zoologist Yablokov once wrote that to preserve any large vertebrate for at least ten generations need the so-called minimum population size.
It can not be less than a few hundred head of animals. Only if animals can avoid the harmful effects of inbreeding and survive drastic changes in abundance — «waves of life.»
However, contrary to Yablokov, doctor of geological-mineralogical sciences Eliseev believes that the descendants of prehistoric dinosaurs in the African jungle are still living. The question arises: how they managed to survive to the present day?
As experts say, the last dinosaurs otbrodili the green meadows of the European continent 65-70 million years ago, when the mass cooling. But in Africa, climate and landscape over the past millions of years, have not changed, they have remained the same as in the Late Cretaceous period.
That is why scientists believe that remaining after the great extinction of the dinosaurs continued to live here, though the number of animals in the herd steadily declined. Now they are very few, and they are much crushed.
Late brontosaurs were 27-30 meters long and weighed 31-35 tons. Dimensions mokele-mbembe than halved its ancestors. Such animals is easier to survive — they need less plant food. But now, perhaps, they count their last days.
By the way, even if the team Stephen McCullough, with the story of where we started our story really found in the jungles of the Congo mokele-mbembe, to convince the majority of the «cabinet» of scientists is unlikely.
According to cryptozoologists, they believe only the «material evidence.» No photos, videos and stories of eyewitnesses and casts of tracks will not be able to convince them that the dinosaurs, despite their «effort» does not want to die …