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Old October 23rd, 2013 #14
Fred Streed
Holy Order of Cosmonauts
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,136
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex Linder View Post
cryptid

In cryptozoology and sometimes in cryptobotany, a cryptid (from the Greek κρύπτω, krypto, meaning "hide") is a creature or plant whose existence has been suggested but is not recognized by scientific consensus.[1] Well known examples include the Yeti in the Himalayas, the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland, Sasquatch in North America, and Chupacabra in Latin America.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptid
My favorite cryptid is the Mongolian Death Worm. These bad boys live in the Gobi Desert, burrowed down in the sand. They only come out after a rain and only during the months of July and August. They are anywhere from 18" long to over 5 feet, depending on the quantity and potency of the fermented yak milk the local drank before the sighting.

The worms can kill a couple of different ways. They can spray an acid or poison on the victim which kills instantly. The acid/poison is said to be very corrosive to metal. It can also electrocute its victims at a distance of several yards by zapping them with a high voltage discharge. The worm has a fondness for the color yellow, although how it detects yellow items is somewhat of a mystery, since it is reported to have no eyes. But one is advised to avoid yellow if wandering about in the remote regions of the Gobi.

No westerner has ever seen one despite several expeditions in search of the worms. The local Mongols, however, see them all the time. Just about any of them you talk to will know of someone seeing one, usually a friend of a friend or a deceased relative.

Anyone thinking of going to Mongolia in search of the Death Worm should be well prepared for difficult and primitive local conditions, most of which are caused by or made worse by the extreme drunkenness of most of the population. Several years ago two American big game hunters, Larry Kelly (inventor of the Mag na Port recoil reduction system), and J.D. Jones of SSK Hand Cannon fame, were suckered into paying the big bucks for a safari in Mongolia. J. D. Jones is a no-bullshit kind of guy who tells it like it is. He wrote up the hunt in some gun magazine. He reported that the entire country, from young kids to old Grandpa, was drunk every day, all day. Jones also reported that a propensity for thievery was a universal trait amongst Mongolians, from government officials on down.

At the airport on their way out of Mongolia one of them suggested to some Chinese official that they line up and machine gun the entire drunken worthless lot of Mongols. As far as I know the suggestion did not shock or offend the Chink official.

Mongolian_death_worm Mongolian_death_worm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by For Understanding
I even agree with some of your points, Fred. God did regret making mankind (Genesis 6). You just kicked both God's and my ass. Congratulations.

Last edited by Fred Streed; October 23rd, 2013 at 03:52 PM. Reason: Added link