The Dingonek is said to be a walrus-like creature found in the parts of Africa; Kenya in particular. John Alfred Jordan, an explorer, claimed to have shot at this unidentified creature in the River Maggori in Kenya in 1907 (some reports say 1909). Jordan claimed this scale-covered creature was 18 feet (6 metres) long and had reptilian claws, a spotted back, a long tail, and a big head out of which grew large, curved, walrus-like tusks. Locals of the area also describe it as having a scorpion-like tail and that it would kill any hippos, crocodiles, or fishermen that happened to wander into its territory.
There is what is said to be a first hand account from Edgar Beecher Bronson in his 1910 book. :
‘Nights about the camp fires with Jordan were never dull. Some incident of the day or turn of the talk always served to start him on some stirring tale of weird bush happenings. That night he was particularly interesting, notwithstanding a heavy electrical storm was on and we were tightly shut in my tent, with no light but the dull flicker of our pipes. “Wonder how long it will be before the last of all the strange animal and reptilian types native to Africa have been taken and classified?” he mused. “What do you mean?” I asked.
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New expedition to seek out Mokele Mbembe
Stephen McCullah is leading an expedition to the jungles of Africa in search of a living dinosaur.
Naming their trip the “Newmac Expedition” McCullah and his colleagues are hoping to discover a plethora of new flora and fauna as they search for evidence of the legendary creature along the Congo river. A fundraising campaign with a goal of $27,000 has been initiated to secure funds for the trip which is scheduled to begin on June 26th.
“We are in the process of looking at live methods for capture of large animals,” said McCullah. “We will be attempting to bring a tranquilizer rifle, but there are many issues and unknowns we will have to overcome to subdue an animal like Mokèlé-mbèmbé with a tranquilizer gun.”
Congo River Africa - No less than 40 percent of the entire world oxygen production comes from the tropical forests in the Congo river area. Besides these, the area also is an incredible source of fresh fruits, minerals and unique plants that are used all over the world in different industries.
Full Story:
Jurassic Lark? Expedition to Seek Living Dinosaurs in Africa
A young Missouri man has turned to the Internet in search of investors for his expedition into the remote jungles of Africa seeking to document undiscovered flora and fauna. That is not so unusual, but one of the creatures he hopes to find is: a living dinosaur.
The region Stephen McCullah, the organizer of the expedition, has chosen to explore is the reputed home of the Mokèlé-mbèmbé, a dinosaur-like creature said to be up to 35 feet long (11 meters), with brownish-gray skin and a long, flexible neck. Many locals believe that it lives in the caves it digs in riverbanks, and that the beast feeds on elephants, hippos and crocodiles.
McCullah posted his pitch on Kickstarter.com asking for $27,000 in donations so that he and his friends can launch the Newmac Expedition, “one of the first expeditions in this century with the goal of categorizing plant and animal species in the vastly unexplored Republic of the Congo.” The preliminary four-man venture is slated to launch June 26.
Though the team members largely lack formal education in biology or zoology, they “anticipate discovering hundreds of new insect, plant and fish species during the course of our research. There is also the legitimate hope of discovering many reptile and mammalian species. We have received reports…in the region of eyewitnesses seeing canine-sized tarantulas, large river dwelling sauropods, and a species of man-eating fish,” McCullah wrote on the website.
Never mind dinosaurs, which have been extinct for millions of years, for a moment. Finding a spider the size of a dog would be remarkable enough, as the largest-known tarantula, the Goliath birdeater, lives in South America and has a leg span of “only” a foot.
When asked if he really expected to discover monster tarantulas and dinosaurs, McCullah told Life’s Little Mysteries, “We don’t necessarily expect to find concrete evidence of Mokèlé-mbèmbé (or any other creatures claimed to have been seen in the region) on the first expedition, but we believe there’s a good chance during that initial three months that we will find hard evidence of its presence in the area if it is there.”
Even if McCullah’s team finds that evidence, most cryptozoologists (those who search for unknown or hidden animals) believe that only a live or dead specimen would convince mainstream scientists that animals such as Bigfoot or Mokèlé-mbèmbé exist — the blurry photos and videos, footprints and eyewitness reports that make up the vast majority of the evidence for these creatures are simply not enough. McCullah and his team will need specialized equipment to capture these animals — and a living dinosaur would require a pretty big net.
“We are in the process of looking at live methods for capture of large animals,” McCullah said. “We will be attempting to bring a tranquilizer rifle, but there are many issues and unknowns we will have to overcome to subdue an animal like Mokèlé-mbèmbé with a tranquilizer gun.”In his Kickstarter pitch, McCullahnoted that there have been several previous expeditions to the Congolese jungles in search of large unknown animals (including Mokèlé-mbèmbé), and yet they all failed to find good evidence. He believes that his group’s youth and enthusiasm will help them succeed where others have failed. The arsenal of cutting-edge technology they plan to bring should help as well: “We will be utilizing satellite images, trail cameras, a Thermal camera to track animals, and sonar to search through the murky waters.”
In the past 20 years, massive deforestation, poaching, mining and road construction affected more than 1.3 million square kilometers, which represents around a third from the forest’s entire surface. According to a recent study by a team of British scientists, if the current ignorance continues, by 2040 another third part of the forest will definitely disappear and this will lead to terrible effects on the local and global climate. Many endangered animals live there but are threatened by deforestation.
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Alleged encounter with a giant snake in Katanga 1959
This image has surfaced on a few websites over the years and is one of my all-time favourite monster snake photos and was taken by a passenger on a plane flown by a WWII pilot upon returning back to their Congo base from a mission.
The Story
Tales about enormous snakes are very frequent throughout the tropical regions of the world.
Sensationalist news, sometimes anchored on dubious witnesses and unclear photos, appear frequently in South American and African newspapers.
These assertions, however, aren’t viable in an encounter chronicled in 1959 by a helicopter pilot flying in the Congo region.
Col. Remy van Lierde (14 August 1915–8 June 1990) was a Belgian pilot who served during World War II in the Belgian and British Air Forces, shooting down six enemy aircraft and 44 V-1 flying bombs, and achieving the RAF rank of Squadron Leader. In 1958 he became one of the first Belgians to break the sound barrier while test flying a Hawker Hunter at Dunsfold Aerodrome in England. As Lt. Colonel Van Lierde he was made Deputy Chief of Staff to the Ministre of Defense in 1954. Van Lierde is considered a hero of World War II and a flying ace.
In 1959, as full Colonel, he commanded the air base at Kamina in the Belgian Congo. While there, in the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while returning from a mission by helicopter, he encountered a Giant Congo Snake emerging from a hole as he flew over the forests, describing the snake as being close to 50 feet (about 15 meters) in length, earning its place among the largest snakes ever reported.
Upon the incredible discovery, he then turned around and made several passes over the snake at a lower altitude in order to allow another person on board to photograph the creature.
Van Lierde claims that as he flew lower for a closer inspection, the snake rose up approximately 10 feet, giving the impression it would have attacked the helicopter if it had been within striking range.
“I feel and I’m convinced if I had been in its range it would have struck at me”, Col. Lierde confessed.
He later described the giant snake as having a dark shade of green and brown with a white coloured belly and claimed the snake’s head was 3 feet wide, and that the jaws were of a triangular shape.
The Colonel has a wiki page that touches upon the account.
Van Lierde is considered a reliable eyewitness and his testimony is convincing. His depiction is very realistic and familiar to snake experts.
On an episode of Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World entitled “Dragons, Dinosaurs and Giant Snakes”, Van Lierde claimed, “It could have easily eaten up a man.” Watch the clip.
Multiple experts and zoologists analyzed several of his pictures of the ‘Giant Congo Snake’ and have verified them as authentic. They verified the size of the serpent by comparison analysis to the ground features around the snake.
According to Col. Lierde’s report, when he lowered the helicopter for a closer look the snake raised up 10 feet and looked as if it would strike at the helicopter if they flew any closer, but he was able to get a good view of the colouring which leads many people to believe it could have been an Anaconda.
More on Anacondas
Anacondas which are probably most clostly related to the Titanaboa (giant prehistoric snake believed to be extinct but might be similiar to the snake in the photo) have been documented to raise up 6 to 7 feet to strike at people.
The name anacondas refers to a whole genus of Boa constrictor snakes which kill their prey by squeezing them to death. Although no one is sure how big anacondas can get, most scientists believe that the largest are 25 feet long or even longer and there are many accounts of other giant snake encounters.
The Anaconda is considered the biggest snake in the world and can weigh 550 pounds or more, but will usually top out at a few hundred pounds. These snakes can measure more than 12 inches in diameter. The female typically outweighs the males. The Green Anaconda is dark green in color with black oval patches on its back. This drab pattern blends the snake in well with the wet, dense vegetations of its habitat.
The Anaconda come equipped with a large head and a thick neck. Its eyes and nostrils are positioned on the top of the head, enabling the Anaconda to breathe and to see its prey while its stocky body lays submerged under water. The extremely muscular Anaconda is a constrictor and is not poisonous; however, it still has teeth and powerful jaws that it utilizes to clench onto its prey. It grabs its victim and pulls it underwater, drowning the prey.
Anaconda or aquatic boas can be categories as four different species. They are green anaconda, the yellow anaconda, the Dark-Spotted anaconda or Deschauense’s Anaconda (Eunectes deschauenseei) , and the Bolivian Anaconda (Eunectes beniensis).
There are two possible origins for the word “anaconda”. It is perhaps an alteration of the Sinhalese word “henakanday,” meaning “thunder snake,” or alternatively, the Tamil word “anaikondran,” which means “elephant killer.”
Related posts:
Sucuri Gigante
http://cryptidchronicles.tumblr.com/post/13031133281/sucuriju-giant-snake
Giant Anacondas Lurk Near The Amazon River
http://cryptidchronicles.tumblr.com/post/12732373273/anaconda-in-amazon
Underwater, face to face with a peaceful anaconda
http://cryptidchronicles.tumblr.com/post/13031277649/underwater-anaconda
Further reading: Giant Anaconda and Other Cryptids
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Recently a team of explorers and film makers returned from their expedition to the Peruvian Amazon in search of the giant anaconda and repeatedly came across stories and eye-witness accounts of the Yacumama.
They decided to systematically interview every tribe they met in the jungle to see if the descriptions varied. Not only did every report corroborate the other but they also supported the data and theories of Mike & Greg Warner and the Yacumama (Black Boa). The photographs, locations, size, habitat and morphology of the Yacumama are all publicly available at http://www.bigsnakes.net
The Warners intend to prove the existence of the Yacumama (mother of the waters) through scientific best practise during their ground expedition in the dry season.
Mike & Greg Warner
Warner Amazon Expedition, 2011
It sounds like an Indiana Jones adventure. After 23 years of research including the detailed study of ancient art, cultures spanning 3000 years and three continents to the latest in satellite imaging technology, a father and son make an extraordinary trip deep into the heart of the Peruvian Amazon to confirm their theories that this is where a giant anaconda with a difference lives.
But that’s precisely what Mike Warner (73) and his son Greg (44) have done, seeking evidence that this was the home of the Yacumama and actually capturing a picture of the creature. A leviathan of the jungle, which reports say reaches 40 metres in length and two metres in diameter, it dwarfs any snake known to science.
This anaconda is not green but dark brown and is known by the locals as the ‘black boa’ or ‘Yacumama’.
“Yacumama is translated as Mother of the Water and reports of this giant snake abound throughout the Amazon basin and history.”
Mike, who is partially sighted, has spent 23 years researching the beast but it was only six months ago when his son discovered his research documents and they decided to take part in the incredble journey.
Cryptozooologist Mike of Hillhall spent his life savings setting up the expedition with Greg to find out more about the snake, which reports say can engorge water then shoot a monkey out of a tree like a water canon.
The team spent 12 days in March using the latest satellite equipment to take images of the huge reptile and were able to officially announce the discovery on May 2.
The explorers were dogged by hazardous weather conditions in the middle of the rainy season but eventually managed to take off by hydroplane from the Amazon River on day five of the expedition.
“Despite being buffeted by a freak storm we managed several flyovers at an average altitude of 400 feet recording video footage from two cameras at either side to the rear of the aircraft and Greg, located in the front with the pilot, taking around 300 still photographs” said Mike who had his 73rd birthday while in Peru.
After an exhausting 12 days in the jungle and a 30 hour trip back home the father and son team were finally able to examine their photo evidence in more detail, over 700 photos and five hours of video
“The data is immense and will take months to fully appreciate but already it supports our theories of ‘channels’ created by these giants as they make their way through the dense jungle knocking down trees 90 feet tall, but more importantly we managed to catch one of these reclusive giants on camera as it made its way through one of its watery channels.”
It was Colonel Percy Fawcett, who was commissioned by the Royal Geographical Society of London in 1906 to map an area of the Peruvian Amazon in a dispute over rubber production who, after an encounter with a giant anaconda, first documented large ‘trails 6 feet wide’ or what are now called ‘channels’.
And according to Greg it was the link made between his account and the evidence of large irregular ‘channels’ at the site they visited that led to the discovery.
They have now shared their findings with the Peruvian government, the National Geographic Society in Washington and Queens University in Belfast.
The team will now spend months analysing the footage and plan to return to same location in October to get thermal imagery which will help find the numbers of anacondas. This time they hope to bring with them a television crew.
Greg concluded: “The real hero is my father. It must be incredible to have spent 23 years researching this and then to succeed in an expedition where others had failed.”
There was an amazing postscript to their trip when an anaconda, believed to be the one they located in March, is thought to have been responsbile for smashing the house of an elderly couple in a small village in Peru earlier this week.
The Dingonek
![Underwater, face to face with a peaceful anacondaPhoto: © Daniel De Granville, 2010Giant anacondaReports of giant anacondas date back as far as the discovery of South America when sightings of anacondas upwards of 50 meters (150 feet) began to circulate amongst colonists and the topic has been a subject of debate ever since among cryptozoologists and zoologists.Anacondas can grow to sizes of 6 metres (20 ft) and beyond, and 150 kilograms (23 stone or approx, 330 lbs.) in weight. Although some python species can grow longer, the anaconda, particularly the Green Anaconda, is the second heaviest and largest in terms of diameter of all snakes, and it is the second biggest extant snake in the world right behind the Reticulated Python. The lengthiest reputably-measured and confirmed anacondas are about 7.5 meters (25 feet) long. Lengths of 50-60 feet have been reported for this species but such extremes lack verification and too add lack of large prey to support a super-large snake. The two only real reliable claims that can be found describe measured anacondas ranging from 26-32 feet although these remain unverified.HistoryThe first recorded sightings of giant anacondas were from the time of the discovery of South America, when early European explorers entered the dense jungles there and claimed to have seen giant snakes measuring up to 18 metres (59 ft) long. Natives also reported seeing anacondas upwards of 10.5 metres (34 ft)[5] to 18 metres (59 ft). Anacondas above 7 metres (23 ft) in length are rare; the Wildlife Conservation Society has, since the early 20th century, offered a large cash reward (currently worth US$50,000) for live delivery of any snake of 9 metres (30 ft) or more in length, but the prize has never been claimed despite the numerous sightings of giant anacondas. In a survey of 780 wild anacondas in Venezuela, the largest captured was 5 metres (16 ft) long, far short of the length required. A specimen measured in 1944 exceeded this size when a petroleum expedition in Colombia claimed to have measured an anaconda which was 11.4 metres (37 ft) in length, but its claim has never been proven. Scientist Vincent Roth also claimed to have shot and killed a 10.3 metres (34 ft) specimen, but like most other claims it lacks sound evidence. Another claim of an extraordinarily large anaconda was made by adventurer Percy Fawcett. During his 1906 expedition, Fawcett wrote that he had shot an anaconda that measured some 19 metres (62 ft) from nose to tail. Once published, Fawcett’s account was widely ridiculed. Decades later, Belgian cryptozoologist Bernard Heuvelmans came to Fawcett’s defence, arguing that Fawcett’s writing was generally honest and reliable.Historian Mike Dash writes of claims of still larger anacondas, alleged to be as long as 45 metres (148 ft), with some of the sightings supported with photos (although those photos lack scale). Dash notes that if reports of a 18 metres (59 ft) anaconda strains credulity, then a 120 feet (37 m) long specimen is generally regarded as an outright impossibility.In fictionPerhaps the most well-known and defining portrayal of giant anaconda in popular fiction is the 1997 film Anaconda, which featured a giant anaconda hunting and killing several crew members from National Geographic, and its sequel Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid. Another two sequels, Anaconda 3: Offspring and Anacondas: Trail of Blood, were produced as made-for-television movies in 2008.In documentariesIt was featured in an episode of Lost Tapes called “Megaconda”. This term was continually used in the official website. During an expedition in the Peruvian Amazon in 2009, a Belfast father and his son claim to have captured a giant Anaconda on camera. See also Titanoboa GigantophisFrom WikipediaFurther Reading:
Boss Snakes: Stories and Sightings of Giant Snakes in North America
Tales of Giant Snakes: A Historical Natural History of Anacondas and Pythons
Giant Anaconda and Other Cryptids: Fact or Fiction?](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_luxiyyhSnk1r6ti0go1_500.jpg)
Underwater, face to face with a peaceful anaconda
Photo: © Daniel De Granville, 2010
Giant anaconda
Reports of giant anacondas date back as far as the discovery of South America when sightings of anacondas upwards of 50 meters (150 feet) began to circulate amongst colonists and the topic has been a subject of debate ever since among cryptozoologists and zoologists.
Anacondas can grow to sizes of 6 metres (20 ft) and beyond, and 150 kilograms (23 stone or approx, 330 lbs.) in weight. Although some python species can grow longer, the anaconda, particularly the Green Anaconda, is the second heaviest and largest in terms of diameter of all snakes, and it is the second biggest extant snake in the world right behind the Reticulated Python. The lengthiest reputably-measured and confirmed anacondas are about 7.5 meters (25 feet) long.
Lengths of 50-60 feet have been reported for this species but such extremes lack verification and too add lack of large prey to support a super-large snake. The two only real reliable claims that can be found describe measured anacondas ranging from 26-32 feet although these remain unverified.
History
The first recorded sightings of giant anacondas were from the time of the discovery of South America, when early European explorers entered the dense jungles there and claimed to have seen giant snakes measuring up to 18 metres (59 ft) long. Natives also reported seeing anacondas upwards of 10.5 metres (34 ft)[5] to 18 metres (59 ft). Anacondas above 7 metres (23 ft) in length are rare; the Wildlife Conservation Society has, since the early 20th century, offered a large cash reward (currently worth US$50,000) for live delivery of any snake of 9 metres (30 ft) or more in length, but the prize has never been claimed despite the numerous sightings of giant anacondas. In a survey of 780 wild anacondas in Venezuela, the largest captured was 5 metres (16 ft) long, far short of the length required. A specimen measured in 1944 exceeded this size when a petroleum expedition in Colombia claimed to have measured an anaconda which was 11.4 metres (37 ft) in length, but its claim has never been proven. Scientist Vincent Roth also claimed to have shot and killed a 10.3 metres (34 ft) specimen, but like most other claims it lacks sound evidence. Another claim of an extraordinarily large anaconda was made by adventurer Percy Fawcett. During his 1906 expedition, Fawcett wrote that he had shot an anaconda that measured some 19 metres (62 ft) from nose to tail. Once published, Fawcett’s account was widely ridiculed. Decades later, Belgian cryptozoologist Bernard Heuvelmans came to Fawcett’s defence, arguing that Fawcett’s writing was generally honest and reliable.
Historian Mike Dash writes of claims of still larger anacondas, alleged to be as long as 45 metres (148 ft), with some of the sightings supported with photos (although those photos lack scale). Dash notes that if reports of a 18 metres (59 ft) anaconda strains credulity, then a 120 feet (37 m) long specimen is generally regarded as an outright impossibility.
In fiction
Perhaps the most well-known and defining portrayal of giant anaconda in popular fiction is the 1997 film Anaconda, which featured a giant anaconda hunting and killing several crew members from National Geographic, and its sequel Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid. Another two sequels, Anaconda 3: Offspring and Anacondas: Trail of Blood, were produced as made-for-television movies in 2008.
In documentaries
It was featured in an episode of Lost Tapes called “Megaconda”. This term was continually used in the official website. During an expedition in the Peruvian Amazon in 2009, a Belfast father and his son claim to have captured a giant Anaconda on camera.
See also
Titanoboa
Gigantophis
From Wikipedia
Further Reading:
Boss Snakes: Stories and Sightings of Giant Snakes in North America
Tales of Giant Snakes: A Historical Natural History of Anacondas and Pythons
Giant Anaconda and Other Cryptids: Fact or Fiction?
The Island of Java, formed mostly as the result of volcanic activity, is the worlds 13th largest island, and the 5th largest island of Indonesia. Java is one of the most densely populated regions on earth and with a population of roughly 124 million is also the most populated island in the world. It is because of this overpopulation that the rainforests of Java have all but disappeared in recent times, the Gunung Halimun National Park is one of the last remaining stretches of lowland forest on the island. What remains Java’s once great rain forests supports a wide array of wildlife including over 23 mammal species, over 200 bird species, over 500 forms of plant life and according to the native population of the forests is the home to a large unidentified winged creature known as the Ahool.
The Ahool, named after its call, a long ahOOOooool, is said to be a bat like creature, and is described as the size of a one year old child with a gigantic wing span of roughly 12 feet. It is reported to be covered in short, dark grey fur, have large, black eyes, flattened forearms supporting its leathery wings and a monkey like head, with a flattish, man like face. It has been seen squatting on the forest floor, at which times its wings are closed, pressed against the Ahool’s body, its feet appearing to point backwards. It is thought that the Ahool is a nocturnal creature, spending its days concealed in caves located behind or beneath waterfalls; its nights spent skimming across rivers in search of large fish upon which it feeds.
One account of the Ahool occurred in 1925 when naturalist Dr. Ernest Bartels, son of noted ornithologist M.E.G. Bartels, was exploring a waterfall on the slopes of the Salek Mountains when a giant unknown bat, the Ahool, few directly over his head. Two years later in 1927, around 11:30 pm, Dr. Ernest Bartels encountered the Ahool again, this time he was laying in bed, inside his thatched house close to the Tjidjenkol River in western Java, listening to the sounds of the jungle when he suddenly heard a very different sound coming from almost directly over his hut, this loud and clear cry seemed to utter, A Hool!
Grabbing his torch Dr. Bartels ran out of his hut in the direction the sound seemed to be heading. Less than 20 seconds later he heard it again, a final A Hool! which floated back towards him from a considerable distance downstream. As he would recall many years later, he was transfixed on the sound, not because he did not know what produced it but rather because he did, the Ahool.
At one time, Bartels had suggested that perhaps the creature was not a bat, but some type of bird, possibly a very large owl, but this theory did not sit well with others and was greeted with passionate denials by his friends, who assured him in no uncertain terms that they were more than capable of distinguishing a bat from a bird.
Bartels accounts of the Ahool were passed down to cryptozoologist Ivan T. Sanderson by Bernard Heuvelmans, and after much research Sanderson concluded that the Ahool is a form of unclassified bat. Sanderson took special interest in the Ahool because he too had met with such a creature, but not in Java, his encounter took place in the Assumbo Mountains of Cameroon, in western Africa. Sanderson thought that the Ahool could be an Oriental form of the giant bat like creature he witnessed in Africa; this creature was known by the African natives as the Kongamato.
Some researchers have suggested that the Ahool may be a surviving population of pterosaur, a flying reptile thought to have gone extinct around the time of the dinosaurs, some 65 million years ago. Indeed the description of the Ahool does match what we currently know about pterosaur species, including large forearms supporting leathery wings. The majority of investigators seem to agree however that the Ahool is more than likely a form of unknown giant bat, looking to the creatures reported facial features as evidence against the flying reptile theory. A third, less popular theory, also based on the reported facial features of the Ahool is that this beast may be the worlds first reported case of a flying primate.
Regardless of which theory you may subscribe to it may only be a matter of time before we find out exactly what the Ahool is. With the continued destruction of Java’s rainforests the Ahool’s habitat continues to shrink which may lead to more encounters with the creature by modern man as we encroach further on its home. Unfortunately the destruction of the Ahool’s home may also lead to its extinction before we even get a chance to fully understand its identity.
The Evidence
There is currently no physical evidence to suggest the existence of a creature like the Ahool living in the rainforests of Java.
The Sightings
In 1925, naturalist Dr. Ernest Bartels, son of noted ornithologist M.E.G. Bartels, was exploring a waterfall on the slopes of the Salek Mountains when a giant unknown bat, the Ahool, few directly over his head.
In 1927, around 11:30 pm, Dr. Ernest Bartels encountered the Ahool again. Bartels was laying in bed, inside his thatched house close to the Tjidjenkol River in western Java, listening to the sounds of the jungle Bartels suddenly heard a very different sound coming from almost directly over his hut, this loud and clear cry seemed to utter, A Hool!
From Wiki:
The ahool is a flying cryptid, supposedly a giant bat, or by other accounts, a living pterosaur or flying primate.
Like many cryptids, it is not well documented, and little reliable information - and in this case, no material evidence - exists. Named for its distinctive call A-hool (other sources render it ahOOOooool), it is said to live in the deepest rainforests of Java.
It is described as having a monkey/ape-like head with large dark eyes, large claws on its forearms (approximately the size of an infant), and a body covered in gray fur. Possibly the most intriguing and astounding feature is that it is said to have a wingspan of 3 m (10 ft). This is almost twice as long as the largest (known) bat in the world, the common flying fox.
According to Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark, it was first described by Dr. Ernest Bartels.
Bartels published regular accounts of his work while exploring the Salak Mountains on the island of Java.
One speculation on its existence by the cryptozoologist Ivan T. Sanderson is that it might be a relative of Kongamato in Africa. Others have suggested it were a living fossil pterosaur, on account of its supposedly leathery wings. As is known today, most pterosaurs seem to have had wings that were covered with a downy fluff to prevent heat loss; this may or may not have been necessary in a tropical environment depending on these animals’ metabolism. On the other hand, there might be an entirely mundane explanation:
Two large earless owls exist on Java, the Spotted Wood-owl (Strix seloputo) and the Javan Wood-owl (Strix (leptogrammica) bartelsi). They are intermediate in size between the Spotted Owl of North America or the Tawny Owl of Eurasia, and an eagle owl (horned owl), being 40–50 cm (16–20 in) long and with a wingspan of perhaps 1.20 meters (4 ft). Despite this discrepancy, wingspans are usually overestimated[verification needed]in flying animals not held in hand (see also Thunderbird), especially by frightened observers.
Size nonwithstanding, the Javan or Bartels’s Wood-owl seems an especially promising candidate to resolve the ahool enigma: it has a conspicuous flat “face” with large dark eyes exaggerated by black rings of feathers and a beak that protrudes but little, and it appears greyish-brown when seen from below. Its call is characteristic, a single shout, given intermittently, and sounding like HOOOH!
Like most large owls, it is highly territorial in breeding season and will frighten away intruders by mock attacks from above and behind. Its flight, being an owl, is nearly completely silent, so that the victim of such sweeps usually becomes aware of the owl when it is homes in snarling and with outstretched talons (held at “breast” height to the observer), and would just have time to duck away. The Javan Wood-owl is a decidedly rare and elusive bird not often observed even by ornithologists, and hides during day. It is found in remote montane forest at altitudes of probably around 1,000-1,500 meters, and does not tolerate well human encroachment, logging and other disturbances.
From its appearance and behavior, the Javan Wood-owl matches the characteristics of the ahool surprisingly well, despite the cryptid at first glance giving the impression of a mammal. Observer error due to the circumstances of being dive-bombed in a remote gloomy forest by a fierce snarling and clawing bird may well account for the apparent discrepancies. Notwithstanding, the wood-owls of Java are not generally mentioned in cryptozoological discussions of the ahool, and most authors of cryptozoologial works seem to be entirely unaware of the birds’ existence.
Be that as it may, it is not resolved how well the owls are known to locals, especially the local name - if any - and whether they are present in locations of ahool reports would seem to be highly relevant.
