Ndendeki

Ndendeki : Giant Turtle of Central Africa.

Etymology:

Probably Lingala (Bantu) word.

Variant name:

Ndendecki.

Physical description:

Rounded shell, 12–15 feet in diameter.

Behaviour:

Aquatic. Feeds on organic matter.

Distribution:

Likouala aux Herbes River, Republic of the Congo.

Possible explanation:

The African softshell turtle (Trionyx triunguis) reaches a length of 3 feet (possibly as much as 6 feet) and has an elongated snout. It is found in ponds, lakes, and rivers from Egypt to West Africa. Allowing for witness exaggeration, older outsize specimens could account for the Ndendeki tradition, according to Marcellin Agnagna and Roy Mackal.

Source:

• Roy P. Mackal, A Living Dinosaur? In Search of Mokele-Mbembe (Leiden, the Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1987), pp. 267–272

SEE ALSO:

• Turtles
• Cryptozoology

SOURCE:

Mysterious Creatures – A Guide to Cryptozoology written by George M. Eberhart – Copyright © 2002 by George M. Eberhart