Popobawa

Popobawa seen with its bat-like wings and head resting on a forest floor

Popobawa is an evil spirit (shetani) in the folklore of Zanzibar. Zanzibar is part of the United Republic of Tanzania in East Africa. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean consisting of several islands, including Zanzibar (also known as Unguja) and Pemba Islands. Recurrent episodes of Popobawa mass hysteria in Zanzibar reportedly originated on … Read more

Mngwa

The Mngwa is a big cat and is seen here lying on the grass.

The Mngwa (or Nunda) is an alleged big cat from the folklore of coastal Tanzania in East Africa. The man-eating cryptid is native to the forests of eastern Tanzania along the Indian Ocean coast. The name Mngwa is from a word meaning “mysterious creature.” The creature’s other name Nunda means the “fierce one.” (George Eberhart, … Read more

Zanzibar Leopard

Zanzibar leopard seen on a branch in the rain forest

The Zanzibar leopard was a population of leopards (Panthera pardus) native to Zanzibar Island (Unguja). Zanzibar Island is the largest single island in the Zanzibar archipelago, part of the United Republic of Tanzania. The leopards lived in the dense forests of Unguja, including the Jozani forest, now part of the Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park. … Read more

Mokele-mbembe

The Mokele-mbembe is a semi-aquatic creature seen here looking a little like a herbivore dinosaur in a swamp.

Described as a semi-aquatic creature, the Mokele-mbembe (the name translates to “one who stops the flow of rivers”) is said to inhabit the Congo River Basin. Description Scientists and explorers have been hunting beasts in Congo – without success – for centuries. The legend of the Mokele-mbembe, however, is somewhat more recent. In 1909, a … Read more

Agogwe

The Agogwe is a large ape-like creature with tan skin and is pictured in a forest of leafless trees.

The Agogwe is an alleged humanoid creature native to East Africa. It supposedly lives in the dense forests of north-central Tanzania. Reports of the Agogwe have also come from Mozambique. Alleged eyewitnesses describe the creature as hairy and bipedal. According to George Eberhart in his Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology (2002), the name (Agogwe) … Read more