The tail of a crocodile, the body of a rhino, and the beastly strength of a dinosaur.
Both people and animals are scared of finding these three features combined in one creature – because spotting this beast means death looms around.
The emela-ntouka, also known as the elephant killer, is an animal few have seen, and even fewer have seen it and survived to tell the tale.
Has this dinosaur survived the asteroid hit, only to roam around in Africa? Or, perhaps, are we talking about a tourist trap with too much hype around it? Has science gone too far with a real-life Congolese Jurassic Park?
We’re about to find out.
What does it look like?
At 3 meters tall and 6,000 kg of weight, the emela-ntouka is a creature feared by everyone. People often describe it as massive and adept to both water and land; this creature has no issue finding its prey and violently dealing with it.
Thanks to its ivory horn, the emela-ntouka takes on elephants, rhinos, humans, trees, and every single living creature too dumb not to move from its constant warpath.
Because of its features, many wildlife enthusiasts claim talking about the emela-ntouka is the same as talking about dinosaurs.
Other people (probably those who prefer to go to the zoo than watching Jurassic park) prefer to call it a cryptid, an unknown animal whose existence is yet to be proved.
No enemy is big enough
While amateur enthusiasts and professional scientists can’t come to a consensus on how this creature looks like, there’s something everyone agrees upon: its violent nature.
The emela-ntouka is far from amicable. Most stories are of this creature roaming around the land looking for something big enough to eat, killing everything else in its path. By using its horn, the emela-ntouka pierces through elephants and any other animal, goring it to death.
And it won’t stop there: people who are unlucky enough to cross its path know better than to try anything other than fleeing, as this creature will have no issue with eating humans.
If your name means “the killer of elephants,” you’re not exactly as friendly as a golden retriever.
One way or the other, the emela-ntouka made sure to let both man and animal that it deserves its name.
Sightings of the Emela-ntouka
Multiple people from different countries have seen (or, at least, claimed to have seen) this animal.
In a book published in 1933, called Eighteen Years on Lake Bangweululu, the author talks about a beast similar to the emela-ntouka without naming it as such.
Years later, in 1954, this would-be dinosaur is named for the first time as emela-ntouka on an article. It’s also the first time someone talks about the creature’s violent nature; it’s described as willing to kill any animal that disturbs it, no matter how big.
Throughout the 1980s, two expeditions were launched to find multiple mysterious animals in Africa. After that, a book was written about the subject, called The Living Dinosaur.
Is Emela-ntouka a dinosaur?
It’s hard to determine whether the emela-ntouka is a dinosaur, a cryptid, or the blurry vision of a rhinoceros.
At this point, the evidence is neither scarce enough to deny its existence – but it’s not plenty enough to categorize this creature.
If you look at its features, we’re talking about either a dinosaur or a reptile. Perhaps, it’s the descendant of a dinosaur – something way cooler than a chicken (the infamous T-Rex descendant).
The only way to settle the matter is for someone bold (or dumb) enough to go after the creature and find out.
Where does the Emela-ntouka live?
If you want to die a gory death, you can try to hunt down the emela-ntouka somewhere in the Congo. At least, that’s where most witnesses claim this creature lives.
You can try your luck if you want to see it yourself – but you’ll have to find this beast first. Nobody really knows where its habitat is.
Only to make matters worse, other people have claimed to witness the emela-ntouka both in Cameroon and Kenya. If you didn’t pay attention in geography class, Cameroon is on the west side of Africa and Kenya on the east side. Congo is exactly in the middle.
So, that’s roughly a 3,000 km walk – and Google Maps doesn’t have a walking route available yet. Maybe that’s a sign telling you to let dinosaurs be.
Want more Emela-entouka? Check our podcast about it below!
