Comments on: In Search of African Dragons

By: cryptolover

cryptolover — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 04:49:55 +0000

I would like to do this more then anything and I would not be surprized if such a creature is real some parts of the earth have stayed the same for ions and a creature such as this in isolated area would be possible I hope so to see the look on some skeptics faces would be the best reward a crypto researcher could ever get except for finding it i some times wonder if we are doing more harm than good as we find these creatures one by one we now have more people wanting research on them which disturbs there habitat bounties in the past for species such as the great auk wiped them out because all the scientest wanted a speciman i think a law should be passed by all nations and call it the cryptos-law were when a new species is discovered it is given a 100 mile minimum radius and further if it is a animal that would need a large range to hunt and thrive minimum radius will be protected from any future forrest development this bill would allow full protection and a grant to study the creature find out how many as best as possible their food and other valid info to make the proper choice on how best to protect it anyone whether it be private or corparate or government all must obey this law this then would help save the animal you could have a amount of forrest given to protect it and if it is owned allready private the law forces private owners to sell it back to the government and fair market value thats what I would like to see

By: TerraTerror

TerraTerror — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 22:40:10 +0000

Oh my gosh! I’m so excited!

By: corax

corax — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 08:20:26 +0000

I suppose ‘remote’ is a relative thing - but unless there is more than one Bungalow Beach in Gambia, this is very much a part of the tourist area. Try Googling it - you will find plenty of hits telling you about the hotels there.

I found calling it remote somewhat amusing and I guess that either the source of that phrase didn’t know the area at all, or else that the view was taken that from a ‘western’ viewpoint west Africa in general is remote.

By: PhilinFL

PhilinFL — Sat, 10 Jun 2006 19:25:08 +0000

Is Bungalow Beach “remote” or is it one of the most popular tourist destinations in Gambia? Can it be both?

By: nightfyre

nightfyre — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 23:49:54 +0000

From the illustration provided, this cryptid could be a Mosasaur or a similar ancient aquatic species.

By: cor2879

cor2879 — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 21:31:02 +0000

Hey I am a Computer Expert if anyone else is planning to go on any African Cryptid expeditions…

By: SheliakBob

SheliakBob — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 19:21:21 +0000

That logo would look sweet on a T-Shirt. I think I want one…

By: jayman

jayman — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 13:28:17 +0000

Yes, one of the primitive whales could match the description of the carcass, based on published reconstructions of their probable appearance.
I think another possibility to be considered is one of the extinct marine crocodiles. They were completely aquatic and had paddle-shaped limbs.

By: corax

corax — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 09:35:29 +0000

I have thought for a few years that the sketches of the Gambian sea creature look rather like reconstructions of protocetids and (to a lesser degree) remingtonocetids.

These supposedly primitive whales (having read a lot of the published material on them I am not completely convinced they are actually connected with whales - the main points in common seem to be related to the inner ear, dentition and being aquatic) seem to be somewhat crocodile-like and aquatic.

The location where ‘it’ was found is in one of the main tourist areas of Gambia - the beach is lovely, the bird watching superb (that was the main reason I was there) and the people wonderful (the don’t call it the ‘Smiling Coast’ for nothing!). I hope that the body was well buried, since it does occur to me that given the proximity of several major hotels and lots of tourists as well as local fishermen, the possibility that it has been disturbed is significant.

I was a bit puzzled about the timing of the visit. Unless my memory is playing tricks they are going in the rainy season (I think that is June/July to August/September) - which means its hot with high humidity, lots of mosquitoes (and hence malaria) and generally less pleasant. The Gambian climate during November to January is wonderful. Other than cheaper accomodation why have they picked the rainy season.

I would love the creature to prove to be an extant protocetid/remingtonocetid as the additional information would allow the actual status of these forms to be tested.

I would also encourage anyone anyone to visit Gambia - it is an excellent location for a holiday, and since their peanut industry collapsed (I am told largely as a result of US economic policy) tourism is about all they have. Everyone there seems to speak English well - so you don’t have to learn any Wolof or Mandinka.

By: MountDesertIslander

MountDesertIslander — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 03:57:07 +0000

When is the last time that an expedition like this one came back a success? I mean by actually confirming the object of their quest.

The celocanthe search maybe?