WILDEST African Cryptids

From giant spiders and snakes … to dinosaurs that time forgot … here are 13 Crazy African Cryptids

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#6 Ngoubou
Allegedly found in the savannah region of Cameroon, this creature is said to be roughly the size of an ox but is fierce enough to fight elephants for land. Ngoubou is a regional word for ‘rhino’. But this hooved animal is said to have six horns. From descriptions provided by pygmy locals, the creature sounds like it could be a surviving ceratopsian (sara-top-see-un). That was a group of beaked dinosaurs of which triceratops is likely the best known. There’s a problem with that theory, though: Ceratopsian fossils have never been found in Africa. The pygmies did note the animals had become more difficult to locate, which suggests that their population is declining. What could have happened to them?

#5 J’ba Fofi
Its name translates as ‘giant spider’, so no wonder why it’s often called the Congolese Giant Spider. They’re said to live in the forests, and resemble tarantulas with brown-colored bodies. But with a reported leg span of some 6-feet (183 cm), these arachnids have never been identified. Locals say the beasts can spin strong circular webs that extend between two trees, with a strand that stretches across game trails. They’re said to be extremely venomous and prey on birds and antelope. The earliest sightings of these cryptids occurred 1890, when they attacked an expedition in Uganda. A better known incident occurred in 1938 when a couple encountered a spider as large as a jungle cat. It blocked a trail they were driving on before scurrying away. At one time the spiders were said to be numerous. Now they’re rarely sighted, and some locals blame deforestation for their dwindling numbers.

#4 Emela-Ntouka (eh-mellon-t’ow-kah)
The name of this cryptid translates to ‘elephant killer’. There aren’t many animals alive today that can live up to that bold nickname. But this beast could be an exception since it’s said to have the approximate size of an African Bush elephant. Those critters are the world’s largest living terrestrial animals, weighing some 14,000 pounds (more than 6 metric tons) and standing over 12 feet tall (4 m). But Emela-Ntouka is said to more resemble a rhino with a massive body on stumpy legs, and a single great horn on its snout. Like some other big African cryptids, this invites some comparisons to dinosaurs, especially ceratopsians (sair-uh-top-see-uns) like Triceratops. Some cryptozoologists theorize the creature might be better defined as an aquatic rhino. However it’s defined, this is known as a ferocious animal, and will kill anything that gets in its way including elephants. These beasts allegedly live in the more remote regions of Cameroon and the Congo.




#3 The Jungle Walrus
In 1910, a big game hunter named John Alfred Jordan and his party claimed to have seen this 15-foot (4.5 m) long beast in the jungles of West Africa. It’s also known as a Dingonek (dinga-nek) but its description sounds like a mash up of several well-known animals. While this so-called walrus did indeed have tusks that measured over 3 feet long (less than 1 meter), it was covered in scales like an armadillo. This creature also had a long horn-like structure, reptilian claws, and a broad, finned tail. If that’s not enough of an animal amalgamation, natives have described it as having the physical characteristics of sea serpent, a leopard, and even a whale! Maybe it makes sense that such an a beast could take down bull hippos. By some accounts it lives in Lake VIctoria and its tributaries. If it sounds too impossible to be true, consider this: At South Africa’s Brakfontein (brak-fon-tyne) Ridge there’s a painting that depicts a creature like the Jungle Walrus, complete with a pinniped-like body and tusks.



#2 Lukwata
In the Luganda (loo-gahn-dah) language that word roughly translates to ‘sea serpent’. These cryptids are described as thick-bodied aquatic reptiles that can measure some 30 feet long (9 m). Among its more prominent physical traits, the beast is said to have a snake-like head atop a 4-foot long neck (1.2 m), and two distinct humps on its back. It’s said to reside in Uganda’s Lake Victoria where it has allegedly created whirlpools and attacked fishing boats. The earliest documented sightings date to the early 20th century when it tried to snatch a man from a steamship, so they seem to have an aggressive nature. This cryptid is often compared to the previously mentioned Dingonek. Both animals have been linked to huge lake creatures that have long been worshipped by native peoples.


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