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| Artist's rendition of a Mongolian Death Worm Pieter0024 |
Cryptids are animals that,
like the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot, have supposedly been sighted a
significant number of times, but there is no concrete evidence of their existence. The
Mongolian Death Worm is yet another monstrous addition to this category of
mysteries. Its existence cannot be proved, which makes it equally hard to deny it.
The Mongolian Death Worm is
thought, by some, to reside in the hotter southern region of Mongolia's Gobi Desert. It reportedly lives in
the sand, where it spends ten months out of the year hibernating in burrows. It
comes out of the ground in June and July. They say you can only see it above ground when it has been raining.
Mongolian Death Worms are worm-like creatures that are as thick as a human’s arm. They can grow
to be between two and five feet long and are red, sometimes with
dark spots. Its color has been likened to that of blood or salami. Some
descriptions give the creature spike-like protrusions at both ends of its body.
It is said that there is no way of discerning which end of the creature is its
head and which its tail. It moves across the sand by rolling around or
squirming.
This creature gets its
formidable name from reports that it has the almost supernatural ability to
kill anyone that touches it. Reports say it can kill a person or
animal from a few feet away. The Mongolian Death Worm spits a
deadly corrosive toxin several feet. The toxin causes instantaneous death. Another strange and deadly weapon attributed to the Mongolian
Death Worm is an electrical charge that can work at a distance. Both of these claims are highly unlikely.
These cryptids are legendary
among the nomadic tribes of Mongolia. However,
the rest of the world only became aware of them in 1926 when Professor Roy
Chapman wrote about them in his book, “On the Trials of Ancient Man.” As is the
case with so many other cryptids, several expeditions have been sent out in
search of the creature. As of yet, no proof of the existence of the Mongolian
Death Worm has been uncovered.
It is possible that the
Mongolian Death Worm is actually a known creature that is mis-remembered or miscommunicated. Of course, it could also be real, in which case, its ability to
kill and its methods of killing have likely been exaggerated. Whatever the case
may be, believers in the existence of this creature tread carefully when
traveling in the southern Gobi Desert.
Sources
The Mongolian Death Worm,
retrieved 11/29/09, virtuescience.com/mongolian-death-worm.html
The Cryptid Zoo: Mongolian Death
Worm, retrieved 11/29/09, newanimal.org/deathworm.htm
