The Congo basin, made up of several countries in western Africa, is one of the most dangerous and inhospitable places in the world.  Also referred to as the “Heart of Darkness,” the region has a long history of horrors linked to violent tribal warfare, the ivory trade, and a host of beasties that slither, claw and bite.  Not surprising, the Congo oozes with legends of human-hunting cannibals and mysterious creatures, some of which have been hard to disprove due to the near-impenetrable jungles that seem unwilling to give up their secrets.

One such legendary monster is the KONGAMATO.  Described as a huge, flying animal that resembles a prehistoric pterodactyl or giant bat, it is alleged to live near the Jiundu swamps of the Congo.  Kongamato (meaning “breaker of boats”) first came to the attention of the western world when a writer and traveler by the name of Frank Melland told of the creature in his book Witchbound Africa in 1923.  He claimed it to be a featherless, smooth-skinned animal with a beak full of teeth and a staggering 4-foot to 7-foot wingspan!  As the story goes, when Melland showed natives a picture of a pterodactyl, they immediately identified it as Kongamato.  This is somewhat of an eerie notion since the natives would not have had prior knowledge of such dinosaur-age birds.

(KONGAMATO by Eerie Eric)

Occasional reports of the monster continued to surface until the most wide-spread account hit the news in 1956 when engineer J. P. F. Brown claimed to have seen two prehistoric-like flying animals near Northern Rhodesia (now called Zambia).  The wingspan was estimated to be nearly 4 feet in length with a long narrow tail and dog-like muzzle or beak which included a mouthful of sharp teeth.  This spawned even more sighting reports which seemed to indicate that at least some kind of unknown  bird or bat could be living in the area.  According to Dr. J. Blake-Thompson, the natives of the Awemba tribe told of “huge flying creatures resembling rats that would attack humans.”  But this was hard to verify since they reportedly lived high in the cliffs around the Zambezi River, which was near impossible to reach.

In modern times, scientists and researchers such as Roy Mackal (a University of Chicago biologist) and Ivan T. Sanderson (a famous cryptozoologist) have organized expeditions into the inhospitable jungles in search of the Kongamato.  The result was a chilling account by the reputable Sanderson and his partner Gerald Russell who both came into close contact with the creature as it dove toward their boat as they crossed a river.  They saw it again later, describing it as a “black, sharp-toothed animal.”  When Sanderson asked the natives about what he might have seen, they excitedly yelled out “Olitiau!” and fled in terror, taking only their guns while leaving their valuables behind.

(Popular interpretation by William M. Rebsamen)

The idea of living monsters – and to be specific, a living dinosaur! – is no doubt intriguing, but is this really possible?  Cryptozoologists will point to the famous case of the coelacanth, a prehistoric fish who first swam the oceans 350 million years ago.  Until 1938, scientists held firm in their belief that the coelacanth went extinct around 65 million years ago along with the rest of the dinosaurs.  But that proved to be wrong when a living specimen was reeled in by fishermen near South Africa.  It seemed impossible, but the prehistoric fish did indeed survive!  So why not one that flies?  If there was ever a place that could hold such a secret, it would be the Congo.  It is one of the only places on earth where the climate and geography have remained the same since the age of dinosaurs.  Crocodiles, ancient beasts that coexisted with flying reptiles, still swim the rivers there so why not the flying reptiles themselves?  It’s a stretch, but not impossible as shown by other cases such as the Komodo Dragon, another throw-back that was once only a legend.

Modern theories as to the true identity of Kongamato are more practical, yet just as cool.   Perhaps not a pterosaur, but more likely a type of large hammerhead bat or some other yet-unknown species of bat.  If your standard one-foot horror movie bat is still good for a few chills, imagine a monster bat with a 7-foot wingspan bearing down on some hapless victim with a mouth full of bloody teeth!  It would not be the first deadly creature from the Congo to make its way into a film.  Lest we not forget 1995’s aptly titled Congo, which is perhaps more of a monstrosity in regards to the movie than the creatures it features.  In this adaptation of the [superior] novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, a group of treasure seekers encounters a group of murderous gorillas, resulting in bloodshed and high adventure.  Apes, snakes or living dinosaurs, the Congo is a setting that surely breeds danger.

As for Kongamato, I’ve always liked this beastie, not only for the catchy name which rolls off the tongue, but also because there’s something inherently cool about flying reptiles and giant bats.  One of the most memorable scenes from the classic 1966 Hammer production One Million Years B.C. has to be when the pterodactyl swoops down and plucks Raquel Welch from the beach.  Seeing this as a kid, it forever cemented my affection for such creatures.

Whether or not the modern-day Kongamato really exists – or ever existed – we may never know.  But either way, it’s an intriguing tale of a bizarre monster come to life.

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SELECTED SOURCES:

Unexplained! – Jerome Clark ©1999 Visible Ink Press
Cryptozoology A to Z – Loren Coleman & Jerome Clark ©1999 Fireside
www.cryptozoology.com – ©2010 Cryptozoology.com