What does the Mokele-Mbembe have in common with  the kongamato? Both are unclassified by Western  science and unacknowledged in biology textbooks,  for they both live in the realm of cryptozoology,  and  in Africa. Both the kongamato and the Mokele-  Mbembe seem to be creatures that are supposed to  be extinct for many millions of years: dinosaurs and  pterosaurs, at least that is one popular assumption;  but some cryptozoologists do not share that opinion,  believing that some accounts of encounters in Africa  come from real animals, very much non-extinct.  The Mokele-Mbembe cryptid, according to the late  cryptozoologist  Scott Norman, lives in the Congo, in  Cameroon, and in Gabon. It has a long neck, a long  tail, and its tracks are rounded and shows that it has  three claws per foot. That suggests a sauropod  dinosaur, but one that is distincly non-extinct.  What about the  kongamato? It may be the same  flying creature that is called "Batamzinga" in Kenya or  "ropen" in Papua New Guinea. In 1956, engineer  J.P.F. Brown saw, near Lake Bangweulu, Zambia, two  creatures flying slowly and silently at 6:00 p.m. He  described a long tail and narrow head, and when one  creature opened its mouth the man noticed many  pointed teeth. That suggests a pterosaur (AKA  "pterodactyl"), also apparently non-extinct. It is  becoming more and more accepted, by some of the  cryptozoologists of the world, that the kongamato is  a valid cryptid, worthy of investigations.  The kongamato of Africa may be related to the Gitmo Pterosaur of Cuba: a strange Rhamphorhynchoid Kongamato: Africa has Cryptids Copyright 2011, 2012 Jonathan David Whitcomb, All Rights Reserved Southern Sudan, Africa Introduction to reports of living pterosaurs in Africa The origin of this word in Africa,  “kongamato,” is said to be  something like “overturner of  boats.” One cryptozoologist has  come up with the idea that some  kind of stingray may have been  the original cause of a legend.  But there is much more to it.  Although it may be possible for a  stingray fish to overturn some  small canoes in some rivers in  Africa, the origin of this word  “kongamato,” is not of primary  importance when many people in  Africa report pterosaurs or  pterosaur-like flying creatures.  For example, one eyewitness in  Sudan saw a big flying creature  sitting on the roof of a mud hut.  It soon spread its wings and flew  away, distinguishing itself as an  obvious non-stringray.  Kongamato, not fish The boy was walking from one mud-brick hut to  another, one night in 1988, carrying a tray of food  for family members. As he walked between the  huts, he noticed something on the roof of his  uncle’s hut. A creature was perched on the edge of  the roof, lit up by the nearby porth light. The  winged creature appeared to be four-to-five feet  tall, olive brown, and leathery with no feathers. A  “long bone looking thing” stuck out the back of its  head; its long tail somehow reminded the boy of  the tail of a lion; perhaps the tail was furry.  The boy froze as the creature stretched its wings  and hopped right over his head, causing him to  drop the metal tray of dishes. The creature then  flew away. This eyewitness in Sudan was sure  about the head crest and the long tail. When he  was grown to be a man, he gained access to email  service and communicated with the American  cryptozoloogist Jonathan Whitcomb.  The original version of this web page was on the old Prodigy site, before the host discontinued PWP support A Cryptid in Africa A rainstorm in Africa Rhamphorhynchoid in Sudan Sketch by Eskin Kuhn Nonfiction Cryptozoology Book, by Jonathan Whitcomb: Pterosaurs Live Pterosaurs in America, Expanded Third Edition Game Reserve in South Africa Cuba, 1971 The Gitmo Pterosaur of Cuba, like the ropen of Papua New Guinea, is not an unclassified giant bat