Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology

Kongamato

Kongamatos are large pterosaur-like cryptids living in semitropical regions of Africa, particularly in Zambia, the Congo, and Angola. Its name means 'breaker of boats' or 'overturner of boats', as the kongamatos are said to have capsized the canoes of natives and attacked people who ventured too close to the nearby rivers. The accounts told of these creatures are similar to the ones that describe the ropen of Papua New Guinea, as well as with several other creatures. There are several historic reports of European explorers being attacked by large winged creatures, and quite often people were reported to have received wounds from the kongamatos. It is interesting to note that a good portion of modern kongamato sightings happen in a prime birdwatching site and yet birdwatchers never report anything, indicating that Kongamato may in fact be a case of mistaken identity.

Frank Melland, in his 1923 book In Witchbound Africa, describes it as living along certain rivers, and very dangerous, often attacking small boats, and anybody who disturbed the creature. They are typically described as either red or black in color, with a wingspan of 4 to 7 feet. Members of the local Kaonde tribe identified it as similar to a pterosaur after being shown a picture from Melland's book collection.

In 1956 an engineer, J.P.F. Brown, allegedly saw the creature at Fort Rosebery near Lake Bangweulu in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). It was about 6:00 p.m. when he saw two creatures flying slowly and silently directly overhead. He observed that they looked prehistoric. He estimated a wingspan of about 3 to 3 1⁄2 feet and a beak-to-tail length of about 4 1⁄2 feet. It reportedly had a long thin tail, and a narrow head which he likened to an elongated snout of a dog.

The following year, at a hospital at Fort Rosebery, a patient came in with a severe wound in his chest, claiming that a large bird-like creature had attacked him in the Bangweulu Swamps. When asked to draw the creature, he allegedly drew a creature resembling a pterosaur. This drawing does not appear to have survived to the present.

It is curious to note that the area concerned is advertised as a prime birdwatching site. This shows this area is a popular area for birds.

There are reports of similar creatures from Angola, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of 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 pterosaurs, 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. Also, very few people know of this creature's supposed existence, and in the region it supposedly lives in, most people don't have cameras.

Since the kongamato was supposed to come up from underwater and upset canoes, the suggestion has been made that the name originally referred to a freshwater stingray. The reason for lack of sightings and film may also be explained by the creature's alleged nocturnal lifestyle.