Post Revamp: Nguma-Monene

The Nguma-Monene is a reptilian cryptid of the Congo.  Unlike the Mokele-Mbembe and other local beasts, it's generally not confused for a dinosaur.  instead, this beast is said to be a gigantic snake or monitor lizard.  The Nguma-Monene has been sighted several times since the 1960s-- sometimes by reliable eyewitnesses.  The local tribes are also familiar with it, and seem somewhat afraid of the beast.  According to some sources, discussions of the monster are taboo.

The Nguma-Monene shares much with other Congolese cryptids.  It hates hippos, for one, and is said to kill them on sight.  This same trait is ascribed to the Mokele-Mbembe, and sometimes to the Emela-Ntouka.  Also notable is the Nguma-Monene's aquatic lifestyle.  This cryptid has never been sighted out of the water, making it difficult to physically describe.  At the very least, we can say this:  it's big.  A commonly-cited figure is thirty feet, but the animal may be even larger.  This measurement comes from a witness who only saw the beast's tail.

The other distinguishing trait of the Nguma-Monene is the spiky ridge on its back.  In this it resembles Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu-- through the two animals are clearly different.  Nguma-Monene is long and thin; the other cryptid has a more standard quadrupedal body.  For this reason, it is often argued that Mbielu-Mbielu-Mbielu is a crocodile, while Nguma-Monene is a snake.

This is a fairly solid theory-- many huge snakes are semi-aquatic.  Take the anaconda for example.  At thirty feet in length, it's the world's longest reptile-- and it spends much of its time in the water.  Of course, anacondas only live in South America, but Africa has plenty of similar creatures.  The twenty-foot African rock python is a great swimmer-- perhaps the Nguma-Monene is a similar species.

Another possibility is that this creature is a monitor lizard.  These animals are also African natives-- and are also fond of the water.  I've heard it said that Nguma-Monene must be a monitor-- because snakes don't have spiky ridges on their backs.  Of course, neither do most monitor lizards, and for that reason I think snakes are a better candidate.  Monitor lizards don't grow nearly large enough to pass for this cryptid.

Read more about the Nguma-Monene:
http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/11/reposting-congo-dragons-and-colossal.html
http://carnivoraforum.com/topic/9740968/1/
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