The Congo

Is it possible for dinosaur-like creatures to be living in the congo?

I dont see why it couldn't be possible since the Congo tropical forest of the Congo Basin is second in size only to the Amazon, covering 700,000 square miles. It just massive and not very easily explored.

But the Key is (Dinosaur-like) creatures. The chances that you are going to find some surving dinosaur are low IMHO. Even if some survived the mass extinction they would have gone through 65 million years of evolution and could be very different from what we call dinosaurs.

I think you would be far more likley to find something like a giant Monitor Lizard then a dinosaur. Heck a 5.5m long 400kg lizard lived along side early humans in Australia Megalania AKA giant ripper lizard. That thing would be very dinosaur-like, really for all intensive purposes that thing was a livig breathing dragon.

[edit on 28-11-2005 by ShadowXIX]

You are referring, of course, to Mokele-mbembe, a creature with the reported characteristics of a sauropod dinosaur which is supposed to inhabit the area surrounding Lac Télé in the Likouala Swamp region of the People's Republic of the Congo.

Reports of Mokele-mbembe supposedly go back to 1776, when French missionaries to the region reported finding large and unusual tracks in the ground. The tracks were approximately three feet in circumference and spaced seven feet apart, approximating the size of an elephant. Unlike an elephant, however, these tracks bore the imprints of claws. One of the missionaries later reported observing a strange-looking creature eating vegetation. This early report is similar in description to later reports from numerous expeditions to the area, although actual sightings of Mokele-mbembe have been rare indeed.

Later expeditions encountered indigenous stories of a large and mysterious creature which inhabited the waters of Lac Télé. The creature was described as being somewhere between a hippopotamus and an elephant in size, but with a great long neck. Reports have also told of the animal possessing a long tail, a frill around its neck and a single tooth which may be a horn. The creature was said to live predominantly in the water and was thought to be fiercely territorial. It was believed that Mokele-mbembe would kill or drive off any hippopotamuses which strayed into its territory and would even attack the canoes of the inhabitants of the region, overturning them and then killing the occupants, though never eating them. The name Mokele-mbembe is frequently held to mean "one who stops the flow of rivers" and represents both Mokele-mebembe's great size and penchant for the water.

A number of expeditions have attempted, over many decades, to find some evidence of the existence of Mokele-mbembe but, apart from some blurry and indistinct video footage and photographs, no evidence has been forthcoming. In 1932, famous biologist and cryptozoologist Ivan T. Sanderson was reported to have sighted the creature, declaring it to have a lrage head atop a graceful neck as it arose from the water. Sanderson also noted the terror that accompanied his sighting, stating that

I don't know what we saw, but the animal, the monster, burned itself into my retinas. It looked like something that ought to have been dead millions of years ago. As a scientist, I should have been happy, of course, but this encounter was so frightening, so nasty that I never want to see it again.

Reference

Later expeditions enjoyed varying success. Some claimed to have seen Mokele-mbembe directly, others heard strange cries or were told tales of the creatures by the indigenous peoples of the region, and some expeditions met with disaster. This site has a good summary of these expeditions if you care to read about their exploits and findings.

In 1992, a Japanese expedition claimed to have filmed video footage of a large creature swimming through the waters of Lac Télé:



However, the footage is blurry and indistinct. Whether it shows the Mokele-mbembe or simply people travelling in a canoe remains the subject of debate.

The tale of Mokele-mbembe is a fascinating one for all cryptozoologists. It contains many of the aspects that made Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World so popular - dense jungles, unexplored regions of the Earth, mysterious creatures thought long extinct and just a hint of danger. With so much of our planet now explored and documented, it is refreshing to believe that there may still be areas in which unknown and mysterious creatures still dwell, shielded from the eyes of science by impassable and inhospitable terrain.

However, it is unlikely that Mokele-mbembe represents a genuine, remnant sauropod. As ShadowXIX has wisely pointed out, 65 million years of evolution would likely result in a surviving sauropod population or lone animal looking far different than its prehistoric ancestors. That being said, it is true that some animals, such as crocodiles, sharks and jellyfish, have changed little over many millions of years, so we must at least be prepared to entertain the possibility. I am convinced that, with the aid of modern technology, a dedicated expedition could determine the facts of this mystery one way or the other. However, until such an expedition is mounted, we are forced to rely on the word of those who have undertaken lesser expeditions in the past. Eyewitness accounts are notoriously unreliable, however, and no physical evidence has ever been forthcoming. This is particularly odd given the number of expeditions who reported finding tracks or footprints. You would think that at least one of these expeditions would have remembered to bring along tools for casting plaster molds. I am also reluctant to put too much faith in the accounts of the indigenous inhabitants. Not out of lack of repspect for their knowledge, but more out of a realisation that, after many decades of Westerners coming to their region looking for Mokele-mbembe, maybe they simply tell searchers what they know they wish to hear.

So, mnmcandiez, I hope this has helped you somewhat. You may also find the following links useful in finding more information about Mokele-mbembe:

Mokele-mbembe: The Living Dinosaur!

True Authority - Cryptozoology

Mokele Mbembe from Answers.com

ATS Thread - Mokele-mbembe (Dinosaur in Africa) by Trustnone

[edit on 28/11/05 by Jeremiah25]

Originally posted by Jeremiah25
. That being said, it is true that some animals, such as crocodiles, sharks and jellyfish, have changed little over many millions of years, so we must at least be prepared to entertain the possibility

That is a excellent point some animals havent changed much over much longer times then 65 million years. When you look at something like a Horseshoe crab its really like looking at a living fossil little has changed. I have to say the basic Sauropod body design didnt change very much over many millions of years in the fossil record they pretty much just got bigger.

We have found large undiscovered animal in much smaller jungles not too long ago. For example the new species of deer found in Vietnam. The congo is just so much more massive and most expeditions only cover a rather modest amount of linear miles into the jungle. If you cover say 20 linear miles you could miss alot in a 20 square mile area.

Yeah, but how possible actually is this.
Dinosaurs were wiped out, what would be the chances of one still being alive?

I'd like dinosaurs to still exist. I doubt it....it's just illogical.