Mongolian Death Worms
The world is full of mysterious creatures that are both extraordinary and terrifying. But, are humans aware of all of them? Enter the cryptid: an animal that has reported sightings and notoriety, but no (or not a lot of) concrete proof. One such creature is the Mongolian Deathworm, a cryptid that supposedly exists in the vast Gobi Desert of Mongolia. Despite the numerous expeditions and investigations conducted by everyone from academics to amateurs, there remains concrete evidence to support the existence of this elusive creature. So, what is the Mongolian Deathworm, and why do people think it just might exist?
The Mongolian Deathworm is said to resemble a large, fat worm with a length of 2-5 feet. It reportedly has a bright red coloration, crocodile-like skin, and venom that can kill a person instantly. Additionally, the creature can generate electricity, which it uses to stun its prey. Many people believe that this creature inhabits the Gobi Desert, an area infamous for its harsh climatic conditions and relentless sandstorms. And, conveniently, a place that has large areas that people largely don’t spend a huge amount of time exploring.
One thing that surprises me about actually digging into this legend is the fact that the form is only 2-5 feet. I feel like I’ve heard swirlings of Mongolian death worms since I was little but I always pictured them to be like the giant worms for Dune, not something with a slightly more manageable size. That being said, this size does make their existence seem a little more possible and a little less fantastical.
Allegedly, tales of the Mongolian deathworm date back centuries; however, the first known written reference in English to the creature didn’t come until 1926. The creature was mentioned in the book On the Trail of Ancient Man by American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews. Andrews wrote of second-hand accounts of the monster that he heard from Mongolian officials, who detailed its appearance and behavior.
However the rumors and stories of the Mongolian deathworm continued to swirl and captivate the interests of people throughout the world. One of those people was Ivan Mackerle, a Czech cryptozoologist, who led small groups of people into the Gobi Desert in 1990 and 1992 to search for the Mongolian Deathworm. Because he had read Dune by Frank Herbert, he thought perhaps he could get the Mongolian death worm to surface by creating rhythmic thumping. To draw out the worms, he constructed a motor-driven “thumper” and used small explosions to try to locate the elusive creature. Alas, nothing out of the ordinary rose from the depths of the desert.
Many skeptics argue that the Mongolian Deathworm is simply a mythological creature; however, believers refute these claims, pointing to numerous sightings by the local population as well as other compelling evidence. Some have suggested that the worm could be a related species to the longhorn beetle, which is known for its defensive abilities. Interestingly enough, In 1983, a specimen of Tartar sand boa was shown to locals who claimed to have seen the Mongolian death worm and they confirmed that it was the same animal. This has led some to speculate that sightings of the Mongolian death worm may be misidentifications of known species, or new types of known animals that haven’t been documented yet.
Thanks to Cristina for the blogstonishing suggestion!
This is an image for the article about the Allghoi Khorkhoi. The original uploader was Pieter0024 at English Wikipedia. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 1.0 Generic license.
