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The Umguza monster or Umgusa monster was a cryptid reported from Zimbabwe's Umguza River, near the Umguza Dam, in around 1950. It was first reported by a butler at the Umgusa Yacht Club named Thompson, who claimed to have seen a glowing monster on the lake. Followed by a number of crabs, the monster crawled out of the water and onto the pier, completely covering it. A dam employee named Peter also claimed to have seen an intermittently-glowing animal crossing the lake, but this time it did not leave the water. Various other locals supposedly claimed to have seen it, but none gave a clear description.[1]
Bernard Heuvelmans observed that a luminous "monster" seen in the water could merely be an accumulation of bioluminescent microorganisms. However, there are very few bioluminescent organisms in freshwater. Heuvelmans subsequently theorised that the Umguza monster could be explained by one of the exceptions, the freshwater larvae of a species of tropical beetle, which he speculates Thompson had seen in the act of metamorphosis. However, given reports of what could be freshwater octopuses from elsewhere in Africa, and the fact that many squids and some octopuses are bioluminescent, Heuvelmans also discussed the possibility that it could have been a species of bioluminescent African freshwater cephalopod like those reported from the United States, an identity he found implausible.[1][2]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Heuvelmans, Bernard (1978) Les Derniers Dragons d'Afrique, Plon, ISBN 978-2259003872
- ↑ Coudray, Philippe (2009) Guide des Animaux Cachés, Editions du Mont, ISBN 978-2915652383