Are there dinosaurs still among us?

The question of whether dinosaurs still roam this planet crops up now and then, and I myself still wonder whether about this. Take for instance the persistant rumor of dinosaurs roaming the Congo swamp, or in the native language, they call such a creature, Mokele-mbembe.

In the Congo region, there is a vast swamp, 55,000 square miles in size (142,500 sq km), called the Likouala Swamp, supposedly the largest area of marshland jungle in the world. There have been persistant tales of large beasts roaming this jungle dating back hundreds and hundreds of years. European travellers who ventured into this region heard tales from the natives who describe a monster that resembles the brontosaurus, or some other sauropod dinosaur.

Mokele-mbembe means “one who stops the flow of rivers.” It would not be hard to imagine a monster measuring over 9 meters long blocking a small river, and terrorizing the natives of that area. I would be frightened too, if I came across one.

Mokele-mbembe is said to resemble a sauropod dinosaur

But, despite alleged sightings of the monster and footprints, plus numerous expeditions, no conclusive evidence has yet been obtained of Mokele-mbembe till today. The closest footage that I know of, is that of a blurry picture taken by a Japanese expedition in 1992. The crew were flying over a lake called Lake Tele (in the Likouala region), and spotted an object swimming in the lake and leaving a V-shaped wake behind.The object swam for 15 seconds before disappearing underneath the water.

It can be argued that that object is a boat with two men rowing it, or a large hippo, or an elephant swimming, though.

Alleged photo of Mokele-mbembe swimming in Lake Tele

A 2006 expedition by Milt Macy did come across several eyewitnesses, but nothing conclusive was obtained. So did expeditions in 2008 and 2009.

One thing is for certain, the mystery of Mokele-mbembe continues to tantalize those among us who carry on the hope that perhaps, somewhere, in some remote part of the world, the descendents of dinosaurs continue to roam. Let’s hope that they don’t just roam in our imaginations only.