Trithemius
July 15th, 2007, 07:51 AM
This is great. A case of a cryptozoological creature proven to actually exist. For years there were stories of giant lion-eating apes in the Bili region of the Congo. Scientists thought they were just a legend until evidence started turning up. Now the chimps have been found and are being studied.
Here's (http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?p=2330573&highlight=apes#post2330573) an earlier thread about the subject that has a few links to earlier articles.
And here's (http://environment.guardian.co.uk/conservation/story/0%2C%2C2126328%2C00.html) the link to the newest article.
Their location at the centre of one of the bloodiest conflicts on the planet, the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has meant that the mystery apes have been little studied by western scientists. Reaching the region means negotiating the shifting fortunes of warring rebel factions, and the heart of the animals' range is deep in impenetrable forest.
But despite the difficulties, a handful of scientists have succeeded in studying the animals. Early speculation that the apes may be some yeti-like new species or a chimp/gorilla hybrid proved unfounded, but the truth has turned out to be in many ways even more fascinating. They are actually a population of super-sized chimps with a unique culture - and it seems, a taste for big cat flesh.
And my favorite quote from one of the older articles:
Most scientists agree that these creatures are no more than over-active imaginations or the product of science fiction. There are no convincing photographs, no DNA samples, no documented sightings.
Here's (http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?p=2330573&highlight=apes#post2330573) an earlier thread about the subject that has a few links to earlier articles.
And here's (http://environment.guardian.co.uk/conservation/story/0%2C%2C2126328%2C00.html) the link to the newest article.
Their location at the centre of one of the bloodiest conflicts on the planet, the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has meant that the mystery apes have been little studied by western scientists. Reaching the region means negotiating the shifting fortunes of warring rebel factions, and the heart of the animals' range is deep in impenetrable forest.
But despite the difficulties, a handful of scientists have succeeded in studying the animals. Early speculation that the apes may be some yeti-like new species or a chimp/gorilla hybrid proved unfounded, but the truth has turned out to be in many ways even more fascinating. They are actually a population of super-sized chimps with a unique culture - and it seems, a taste for big cat flesh.
And my favorite quote from one of the older articles:
Most scientists agree that these creatures are no more than over-active imaginations or the product of science fiction. There are no convincing photographs, no DNA samples, no documented sightings.