Post by MoMo on Mar 10, 2012 23:29:30 GMT -6
Mongolian Death Worm
Grouping: Cryptid
Sub grouping: Inverterbrate
First reported: 1926
Country: Mongolia
Region: Gobi Desert
Habitat: Desert
The Mongolian death worm (Mongolian: îëãîé-õîðõîé, olgoi-khorkhoi, "large intestine worm") is a creature purported to exist in the Gobi Desert. It is generally considered a cryptozoological creature (cryptid): one whose sightings and reports are disputed or unconfirmed.
It is described as a bright red worm with a wide body that is 2 to 5 feet (0.6 to 1.5 m) long.
The worm is the subject of a number of extraordinary claims by Mongolian locals - such as the ability of the worm to spew forth sulfuric acid that, on contact, will turn anything it touches yellow and corroded (and which would kill a human), as well as its purported ability to kill at a distance by means of electric discharge.
Though natives of the Gobi have long told tales of the olgoi-khorkhoi, the creature first came to Western attention as a result of Professor Roy Chapman Andrews's 1926 book On the Trail of Ancient Man. The US paleontologist was not convinced by the tales of the monster that he heard at a gathering of Mongolian officials: "None of those present ever had seen the creature, but they all firmly believed in its existence and described it minutely."
Etymology
The Mongolian name is îëãîé-õîðõîé (olgoi-khorkhoi) where olgoi means large intestine and khorkhoi means worm, so the full name means "intestine worm". The anglicized spelling of the name sometimes appears as allghoi khorkhoi, allerghoi horhai, or olgoj chorchoj. The name refers to the worm's alleged appearance.
Appearance
The olgoi-khorkhoi is said to resemble a cow's intestine. It is reported to be red in color, and is sometimes described as having darker spots or blotches. Sometimes it is said to have spiked projections at both ends. The worms are purportedly between 2 and 5 feet long, and thick-bodied. They are believed to somewhat resemble polychaetes, in many respects, looking much like a land-dwelling Bobbit worm.
Roy Chapman Andrews (an American explorer, adventurer and naturalist who became the director of the American Museum of Natural History), in his book «On the Trail of Ancient Man» (1926) cites Mongolian Prime Minister Damdinbazar who described (1922) the worm allergorhai-horhai:
«It is shaped like a sausage about two feet long, has no head nor leg and it is so poisonous that merely to touch it means instant death. It lives in the most desolate parts of the Gobi Desert…»
In 1932 Andrews published this information again in the "The New Conquest of Central Asia" book, adding: «It is reported to live in the most arid, sandy regions of the western Gobi». Andrews didn't believe in this animal's reality.
Czech explorer Ivan Mackerle described the animal from second-hand reports as: "Sausage-like worm over half a meter (20 inches) long, and thick as a man's arm, resembling the intestine of cattle. Its tail is short, as [if] it were cut off, but not tapered. It is difficult to tell its head from its tail because it has no visible eyes, nostrils or mouth but may have them on some occasions. Its colour is dark red, like blood or salami..."
Habitat and behavior
The worm is said to inhabit the southern Gobi Desert. The Mongolians say that the olgoi-khorkhoi can kill at a distance, either by spraying an acid-like substance or by using an electrical discharge. They say that the worm lives underground, hibernating most of the year except for when it becomes active in June and July. It is reported that this animal is mostly seen on the surface when it rains and the ground is wet.
The Mongolians also believe that touching any part of the worm will cause instant death. Its venom supposedly corrodes metal and local folklore tells of a predilection for the color yellow. The worm is also said to have a preference for local parasitic plants such as the goyo.
Mentions, investigations
British zoologist Karl Shuker brought the animal back to the general attention of the English-speaking public in his 1996 book The Unexplained, followed a year later by his Fortean Studies paper on this subject, which was reprinted in The Beasts That Hide from Man in which it was hypothesized that the death worm was an Amphisbaenid.
Loren Coleman included this animal in Cryptozoology A to Z.[6]
A joint expedition in 2005 by the Centre for Fortean Zoology and E-Mongol[clarification needed] investigated new reports and sighting of the creature. They found no evidence of its existence, but could not rule out that it might live deep in the Gobi Desert along the prohibited areas of the Mongolian–Chinese border.
In 2005, zoological journalist Richard Freeman mounted an expedition to hunt for the death worm but came up empty-handed. Freeman's conclusion was that the tales of the worm had to be apocryphal, and that reported sightings likely involved non-poisonous burrowing reptiles.
Reality-television series, Destination Truth conducted an expedition in 2006–2007.
A New Zealand television entertainment reporter, David Farrier of TV3 News took part in an expedition in August 2009 but came up empty-handed as well, although managing to make a 90-minute documentary about his trip.He conducted interviews with locals claiming to have seen the worm and mentioned on his website that the sightings peaked in the 1950s.
Grouping: Cryptid
Sub grouping: Inverterbrate
First reported: 1926
Country: Mongolia
Region: Gobi Desert
Habitat: Desert
The Mongolian death worm (Mongolian: îëãîé-õîðõîé, olgoi-khorkhoi, "large intestine worm") is a creature purported to exist in the Gobi Desert. It is generally considered a cryptozoological creature (cryptid): one whose sightings and reports are disputed or unconfirmed.
It is described as a bright red worm with a wide body that is 2 to 5 feet (0.6 to 1.5 m) long.
The worm is the subject of a number of extraordinary claims by Mongolian locals - such as the ability of the worm to spew forth sulfuric acid that, on contact, will turn anything it touches yellow and corroded (and which would kill a human), as well as its purported ability to kill at a distance by means of electric discharge.
Though natives of the Gobi have long told tales of the olgoi-khorkhoi, the creature first came to Western attention as a result of Professor Roy Chapman Andrews's 1926 book On the Trail of Ancient Man. The US paleontologist was not convinced by the tales of the monster that he heard at a gathering of Mongolian officials: "None of those present ever had seen the creature, but they all firmly believed in its existence and described it minutely."
Etymology
The Mongolian name is îëãîé-õîðõîé (olgoi-khorkhoi) where olgoi means large intestine and khorkhoi means worm, so the full name means "intestine worm". The anglicized spelling of the name sometimes appears as allghoi khorkhoi, allerghoi horhai, or olgoj chorchoj. The name refers to the worm's alleged appearance.
Appearance
The olgoi-khorkhoi is said to resemble a cow's intestine. It is reported to be red in color, and is sometimes described as having darker spots or blotches. Sometimes it is said to have spiked projections at both ends. The worms are purportedly between 2 and 5 feet long, and thick-bodied. They are believed to somewhat resemble polychaetes, in many respects, looking much like a land-dwelling Bobbit worm.
Roy Chapman Andrews (an American explorer, adventurer and naturalist who became the director of the American Museum of Natural History), in his book «On the Trail of Ancient Man» (1926) cites Mongolian Prime Minister Damdinbazar who described (1922) the worm allergorhai-horhai:
«It is shaped like a sausage about two feet long, has no head nor leg and it is so poisonous that merely to touch it means instant death. It lives in the most desolate parts of the Gobi Desert…»
In 1932 Andrews published this information again in the "The New Conquest of Central Asia" book, adding: «It is reported to live in the most arid, sandy regions of the western Gobi». Andrews didn't believe in this animal's reality.
Czech explorer Ivan Mackerle described the animal from second-hand reports as: "Sausage-like worm over half a meter (20 inches) long, and thick as a man's arm, resembling the intestine of cattle. Its tail is short, as [if] it were cut off, but not tapered. It is difficult to tell its head from its tail because it has no visible eyes, nostrils or mouth but may have them on some occasions. Its colour is dark red, like blood or salami..."
Habitat and behavior
The worm is said to inhabit the southern Gobi Desert. The Mongolians say that the olgoi-khorkhoi can kill at a distance, either by spraying an acid-like substance or by using an electrical discharge. They say that the worm lives underground, hibernating most of the year except for when it becomes active in June and July. It is reported that this animal is mostly seen on the surface when it rains and the ground is wet.
The Mongolians also believe that touching any part of the worm will cause instant death. Its venom supposedly corrodes metal and local folklore tells of a predilection for the color yellow. The worm is also said to have a preference for local parasitic plants such as the goyo.
Mentions, investigations
British zoologist Karl Shuker brought the animal back to the general attention of the English-speaking public in his 1996 book The Unexplained, followed a year later by his Fortean Studies paper on this subject, which was reprinted in The Beasts That Hide from Man in which it was hypothesized that the death worm was an Amphisbaenid.
Loren Coleman included this animal in Cryptozoology A to Z.[6]
A joint expedition in 2005 by the Centre for Fortean Zoology and E-Mongol[clarification needed] investigated new reports and sighting of the creature. They found no evidence of its existence, but could not rule out that it might live deep in the Gobi Desert along the prohibited areas of the Mongolian–Chinese border.
In 2005, zoological journalist Richard Freeman mounted an expedition to hunt for the death worm but came up empty-handed. Freeman's conclusion was that the tales of the worm had to be apocryphal, and that reported sightings likely involved non-poisonous burrowing reptiles.
Reality-television series, Destination Truth conducted an expedition in 2006–2007.
A New Zealand television entertainment reporter, David Farrier of TV3 News took part in an expedition in August 2009 but came up empty-handed as well, although managing to make a 90-minute documentary about his trip.He conducted interviews with locals claiming to have seen the worm and mentioned on his website that the sightings peaked in the 1950s.
