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Emela-ntouka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The emela-ntouka is a African legendary creatures of the mythology of the Pygmy tribes, and a cryptid said to live in Central Africa. Its name means "killer of the elephants" in the Lingala language. It is sometimes known as the "chipekwe" or "irizima" [1] [2]. A similar creature, the ngoubou, may be a variety of this, or simply another local name., but information is sparse.
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The emela-ntouka is thought to be around the size of an African Bush Elephant, slimy green, brown, or gray in colour, having a long tail similar to that of a crocodile, and with a body of similar shape and appearance to a rhinoceros, including one long horn on its snout. Keeping its massive bulky body above ground level likely requires four short, stump-like legs, and it is assumed to have a set of long, sharp teeth, as it has been reported to battle elephants and kill natives.
The structure of its horn is debated among writers on the subject. If the "horn" is ivory, then it is a tusk (tooth) and not a horn at all. Some rhinoceroses do have tusks, especially the Asiatic one-horned kinds. If it is made of bone, then this would point to a ceratopsian; this group's rostral bone is unique in the animal kingdom. Finally, the horn could be made of keratin, as are the horns of African rhinos.
Ultimately, however, debate on the creature's nature cannot be settled in the absence of a captured specimen.
This cryptid is thought to mainly inhabit the vast shallow waters in the Likouala swamp. The Emela-Notouka rarely been observed in herds or groups - they are thought to be solitary animals. Almost every theory about their identity points to their being herbivorous. Some cryptozoologists say[citation needed] that, in all likelihood, their tendency to kill elephants is an issue of food competition. It is apparently semi-amphibious. The inhabitants of the area are said to treat the creature with great fear.
The first rational explanation that jumps to mind after reading the description of the emela-ntouka is a rhinoceros, and one theory is that the emela-ntouka is a surving prehistoric giant rhinoceros that evolved to be semi-aquatic. Problems with this theory include the fact that the emela-ntouka is said to have a horn made of ivory, rather than a horn made of keratin (hair) as in the rhinoceros. Other points to contradict this theory are the reports of the emela-ntouka having a large reptilian tail, which is not a feature of any sort of known rhinoceros.
Another slightly more popular theory is that the mysterious monster is in fact a surviving ceratopsian. Proponents of this theory believe that the Congo is home to many prehistoric animals such as living dinosaurs, including the Kongamato (possibly a living pterosaur) and Mokele mbembe (perhaps a sauropod dinosaur). However, the Ceratopsia are absent from Africa's fossil record [3].