A group of English scientists are combing the Gobi Desert in
search of the legendary Mongolian Death Worm, also known as
the Allghoi khorkhoi. Nomads in the area claim that the
Death Worm can spit yellow saliva that works like powerful
acid, and that it generates electrical discharges powerful
enough to kill a camel.
The expedition, being sponsored by the
British Centre for Fortean
Zoology, is led by Richard Freeman, who comments in a press
release:
?I don?t think that it?s a worm at all. True worms need
moisture. I think it is a limbless, burrowing reptile,
probably a giant member of a group of reptiles known as
amphisbaenas or worm lizards." "These are a primitive
group of
poorly studied animals" Freeman continued. "They are not
snakes or lizards but
are related to both. I think the Death Worm is a giant
member of this group.?
As of May 7, 2005, the researchers offered the following update:
"We have found ourselves in the Little Gobi and heading so
far south that we were only 30 miles away from the Chinese
border. Unfortunately, still no Deathworm, but we have
visited an area where a Deathworm was seen only three years
ago, so we feel we are on the right track because all of the
reports we have heard so far are at least 30 years old."
The photo shows the area where the Deathworm was last seen
three years ago.
To keep up with the expedition,
click here.
Is this a legend?--or are the Deathworm and other cryptids
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