The Gobi gecko was a cryptid reptile reported from the Gobi Desert, in what is now China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, once between 1773 and 1777. It was reportedly seen by Yu Jin'ao, who encountered it in the Gobi in the Shanshan region whilst taking a desert walk in the night. The animal approached him, prompting him to shoot it in the chest with two arrows, killing it. Yu described it as 9'8'' (3 metres) long, bipedal, and resembling an enormous lizard or gecko.[1]
David C. Xu suggests it may have been an unknown species of lizard adapted for bipedal locomotion. A more dramatic alternate explanation put forward by Xu is that it could be a living dinosaur such as the oviraptorid Citipati or Haplocheirus. However, as Xu notes, these dinosaurs are believed to have been feathered, and may not have resembled geckos.[1]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Xu, David C. (2018) Mystery Creatures of China: The Complete Cryptozoological Guide, Coachwhip Publications, ISBN 978-1616464301