Kongamoto - African Pterodactyl

Kongamoto is a reported pterodactyl-like cryptid living in semitropical regions of Africa, particularly in Zambia, the Congo, and Angola. Kongamato roughly means; ‘over-turner of boats’. The creature is so named because the locals who cross the swampy areas where Kongamato resides report that it causes disturbances on the surface of the water which in turn causes their boats to overturn, allowing Kongamato the opportunity to feed on the drowning tribesmen.

It is typically described as either red or black in color, with a wingspan of 4 to 7 feet. A huge lizard with leathery wings, long-toothed beak and an overall stature of an overgrown bat that feeds on flesh. Also referred as a nocturnal being.

There are reports of a similar creature from Angola, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Tanzania and Kenya. The kongamato may be related to what is called a "flying snake" in Namibia.

The Kongamato has been seen by African natives and European explorers for some time, and almost all of the accounts say it is a reddish-blackish creature resembling a pterosaur. Some other people have come back with large, deep wounds that they claim to be from the Kongamato. Eyewitness accounts say the creature has teeth, leathery wings, a beak, and claws. Some British scientists and explorers have shown natives drawings of a pterosaur, and the natives were said to have a terrified reaction. Skeptics of the creature claim the Kongamato is a hoax or a misidentification of a huge bat or a large stork. However, believers think that the beast has never been caught on film because as it supposedly lives in the thick vegetation of African swamps, there is not a good way to get a clear photo or film.

Since the Kongamato was supposed to come up from underwater and upset canoes, the suggestion has also been made that the name originally referred to a freshwater stingray.

The possibility of a pterodactyl-like creature still living among us is both exciting and terrifying. Maybe Kongamato is the last species of pterodactyl alive, or maybe it’s a creature fueled by deep folklore and legends that keeps people aware of their surroundings at night. I guess time will tell.