The forest: The Mokele-mbembe's sanctuary is in one of the last unexplored areas on the planet: the Congo Basin. Given that this region is the second largest tropical forest in the world, expansive as half of Europe and terribly hostile to humans-there are no less than 15 species of venomous snakes, elephants and gorillas, not including insects-this forest is still full of mysteries. Scientists say that half of the species that live and die every day in this ocean of trees are unknown. Despite the rampant deforestation and poaching, this forest is still largely intact. Many of the 10,000 plant species that comprise it have only barely evolved, if at all, since the Cretaceous Period. This tropical forest undoubtedly feeds many hypotheses about the prospect of a dinosaur in this area.
The legend: The name Mokele-mbembe describes a large animal with semi-aquatic habits, supposedly living in Central Africa. In Lingala, this name means, 'One that stops the flow of rivers.' The Mokele-mbembe is known to the Western world thanks to the numerous testimonies from Pygmy and Bantu tribes collected over centuries by missionaries and explorers of Central Africa. Its appearance is reptilian; it has a slender neck, scales on its back and clawed feet. It is fifteen meters long, and its weight is comparable to that of an elephant. Some think it is a
large, unknown reptile, while others consider the Mokele-mbembe to be a dinosaur. Over the years, numerous expeditions have embarked on a search for the creature without ever bringing back sufficient scientific evidence to identify the species.