Jurassic
park is one of the most popular film franchises in recent years. These movies
putting man and dinosaur side by side with terrible consequences.
These
stories originating from a book first published by Michael Crichton.
So we have
nothing to fear, it’s all just a work of fantasy?
Well maybe
not.
Living dinosaurs have been a consistent belief
of those that follow the world of crytptids.
From living pterosaurs
to giant spider there’s is a place that has them all, and it’s no fantasy.
In his video we ask IF Papua New Guinea is the
real ‘lost world.’
Papua New
Guinea is somewhat of a lost world still vastly unexplored, its jungles hold
many a mystery.
Local tribes
still practice head hunting and rumors of cannibalism persist.
However these
natives are not the worst thing on the islands it is said there are many larger
things to fear.
The country
has a rich cryptid history but unlike many places where the stories of cryptid
creatures needs us to accept a creature that has more in common with a creation
from a fantasy novel, Papua New Guinea’s cryptids could have leapt from the
pages of a history book.
Papua New
Guinea’s cryptids seem to have a grounded origins, many being creatures that
once existed.
The first
living fossil reported in the area is The New Guinean Iguanodon, or Papuan
Iguanodon.
This living dinosaur
has been seen by many villagers, the first known sighting at Tinganavudu with other
sightings occurring near Rabul not far from the nation’s capital of Kokopo.
This
creature has been described by witnesses, they say the beast stands around 3
meters tall, has a canine shaped head with a long crocodilian tail. Its skin is
said to be reptilian and grey in colour, and it has large round body, one
witness comparing it to a 900 liter water tank.
More sighting
of the creature give it some distinctly dinosaur characteristics.
The creature
was spotted in an area to the west of the island this witness saying the beast
was as large as truck again mentioning the big dog like head, a long neck and
long tail, the animal was lizard like in appearance.
However it walked on its hind legs. These hind
legs were said to be very thick, and elephant like. whereas the front limbs
were much smaller and not used for walking.
The animal
had large eyes and long sharp teeth protruding from its mouth in the same way the
teeth of an alligator do. One very interesting feature was the patterning of its
scales, these formed large triangles running down the creatures back.
These description had people comparing this creature with the
extinct dinosaur Iguanodon.
This species was very prolific and fossils have been found
over much of the planet.
Its theorized lifestyle would also be suited to Papua New
Guinea as it is thought that the herbivore preferred marshes and swamps, an
environment easily found on the island today.
But it doesn’t stop there, this place has probably more
reported dinosaur sightings than any other location on the planet.
Pterosaurs
have reportedly been seen soaring in the island skies.
This flying
cryptid is known as a Ropen, Duwas, Indava, or Seklo-bali.
The creature
matches the appearance of the long extinct flying reptile.
The
observation of strange lights in the night sky are said to be the Ropen, this
leading some to think they have a kind of bioluminescence.
The purpose
of which, is not known.
The native
tribes fear these creatures telling tales of how the Ropen will snatch up a man
carrying him off to the caves in which they roost and his doom.
These
ancient long thought extinct animals are not the only cryptid reptiles said to
roam these lands.
There is
also Parker's snake.
Described as
a serpent measuring over 6 feet in length the snake is said to be highly
venomous. The tribe’s people report this animal as having smooth scales with
large ventral scales on its underside.
They can be
found in fresh water streams and swamps but are said to be extremely rare.
Maybe this is
a fresh water species related to The Belcher sea snake, one of the most
poisonous animals in our oceans.
Yet another mysterious
reptile is a large species of monitor which is said to be semiaquatic and
another which is said to be up to 20ft long and live amongst the trees.
Once again
we see these animals reflected in fact, with the giant lizard Megalania once
inhabiting Australia, a land not far from Papua New Guinea.
These
cryptid sightings are not just limited to reptiles or possible dinosaurs,
another extinct creature from Australasia is also said to be seen.
The Thylacine or ‘the Tasmanian tiger as it’s more
commonly known’ being reported
this along
with an unknown type rhino.
Local
legends say there is large pig like creature living in the jungles and that
this creature has long horn growing from its nose.
There is
some evidence as dung heaps and rhino sounds have been heard and seen often by
native peoples.
Other pig
like creatures are said to stalk the jungles.
The Papuan
Devil-Pig or Gazeka, is said to resemble a tapir or giant sloth, having a long,
proboscis-like snout, it is said to be very dangerous disemboweling those that
are unfortunate to stumble upon this beast.
One idea is
that this could be yet another living fossil or a living relative to the giant
ground sloth, an animal which are thought to have gone extinct around 9 to 10
thousand years ago.
Others claim
it to be a living Diprotodon a species of giant marsupial, related to the
wombat, from Australia.
More types
of cryptid have been seen in this land that time forgot, giant birds and huge
spiders both hunt in the deepest jungles and marshes.
Local legends
speak of an eagle so big it is said that they can catch and fly away with a
dugong in their claws.
A dugong or
sea cow is no small animal, so you can imagine the size this bird would need to
be in order to lift such a weight.
And what may
be the most terrifying of all, especially for those arachnophobes out there, a
spider measuring the size of a family dog.
This spider
hiding in a web nest waiting to ambush unsuspecting passersby.
I think we can
agree that this country certainly has its share of cryptids, but they have a
grounding in real biology.
There is nothing too fantastical about them, especially
when we compare them to cryptids such as dragons, fairies or creatures that
comprise of elements from many different species.
Could this
largely unexplored land still hide creatures yet to be discovered by science?
Could those
creatures be animals we thought lost to history?
Let me know your
thoughts in the comments below.
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