Nandi Bear
Encyclopedia
The Nandi Bear, also known as Ngoloko is a cryptid
, or unconfirmed animal, reported to live in Africa
. It takes its name from the Nandi people
who live in western Kenya
, near where the Nandi Bear is reported as living.
Frank W. Lane wrote, "What the Abominable Snowman
is to Asia
, or the great Sea Serpent
is to the ocean
s, the Nandi Bear
is to Africa. It is one of the most notorious of those legendary beast
s which have, so far, eluded capture and the collector's rifle."
. Some have speculated that Nandi Bears are in fact a misidentified hyena (or an unrecognized hyena subspecies).
Other than the extinct
Atlas Bear
, no bear
s are known to be native to Africa, besides those of the prehistoric genera Agriotherium
and Indarctos
, which died out 4.4 million years ago. Karl Shuker
states that a surviving short-faced hyaena
Pachycrocuta brevirostris would "explain these cases very satisfactorily." Louis Leakey
suggested that Nandi Bear descriptions matched that of the extinct Chalicotherium
, though chalicotheres were herbivores.
The Nandi people call it Kerit. Local legend holds that it only eats the brain of its victims. Nandi Bears were regularly reported in Kenya throughout the 19th century and early 20th century. Bernard Heuvelmans
's On the Track of Unknown Animals and Karl Shuker's In Search of Prehistoric Survivors provide the most extensive chronicles of Nandi bear sightings in print.
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Cryptid
In cryptozoology and sometimes in cryptobotany, a cryptid is a creature or plant whose existence has been suggested but is unrecognized by scientific consensus and often regarded as highly unlikely. Famous examples include the Yeti in the Himalayas and the Loch Ness Monster in...
, or unconfirmed animal, reported to live in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. It takes its name from the Nandi people
Nandi people
The Nandi people are a number of Kenyan tribes living in the highland areas of the Nandi Hills in Rift Valley Province who speak the Nandi languages. They are a sub-group of the Kalenjin people....
who live in western Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, near where the Nandi Bear is reported as living.
Frank W. Lane wrote, "What the Abominable Snowman
Yeti
The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology...
is to Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, or the great Sea Serpent
Sea serpent
A sea serpent or sea dragon is a type of sea monster either wholly or partly serpentine.Sightings of sea serpents have been reported for hundreds of years, and continue to be claimed today. Cryptozoologist Bruce Champagne identified more than 1,200 purported sea serpent sightings...
is to the ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
s, the Nandi Bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
is to Africa. It is one of the most notorious of those legendary beast
Legendary creature
A legendary creature is a mythological or folkloric creature.-Origin:Some mythical creatures have their origin in traditional mythology and have been believed to be real creatures, for example the dragon, the unicorn, and griffin...
s which have, so far, eluded capture and the collector's rifle."
Description
Descriptions of the Nandi Bear are of a ferocious, powerfully built carnivore with high front shoulders (over four feet tall) and a sloping back; somewhat similar to a hyenaHyena
Hyenas or Hyaenas are the animals of the family Hyaenidae of suborder feliforms of the Carnivora. It is the fourth smallest biological family in the Carnivora , and one of the smallest in the mammalia...
. Some have speculated that Nandi Bears are in fact a misidentified hyena (or an unrecognized hyena subspecies).
Other than the extinct
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
Atlas Bear
Atlas Bear
The Atlas Bear is an extinct subspecies of the Brown Bear, which is sometimes classified as a distinct species.-Range and description:...
, no bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
s are known to be native to Africa, besides those of the prehistoric genera Agriotherium
Agriotherium
Agriotherium is an extinct genus of Ursidae of the Miocene through Pleistocene epochs, endemic to North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia living from ~13.6–2.5 Ma, existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:...
and Indarctos
Indarctos
Indarctos is a genus of mammals of the family Ursidae endemic to North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia during the Miocene, living from ~11.1—5.3 Ma, existing for approximately ....
, which died out 4.4 million years ago. Karl Shuker
Karl Shuker
Karl P. N. Shuker is a British zoologist, cryptozoologist, and author living in the West Midlands, England. He works as a full-time freelance zoological consultant, media consultant, and noted author specializing in cryptozoology.- Career :...
states that a surviving short-faced hyaena
Hyaena
For the Siouxsie and the Banshees album, see Hyæna.For the group of animals commonly known as "hyaena", see Hyena.Hyaena is a genus comprising two of the living species of hyenas: the striped hyena from western Asia and northern Africa and the brown hyena from southern Africa...
Pachycrocuta brevirostris would "explain these cases very satisfactorily." Louis Leakey
Louis Leakey
Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey was a British archaeologist and naturalist whose work was important in establishing human evolutionary development in Africa. He also played a major role in creating organizations for future research in Africa and for protecting wildlife there...
suggested that Nandi Bear descriptions matched that of the extinct Chalicotherium
Chalicothere
Chalicotheres were a group of herbivorous, odd-toed ungulate mammals spread throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa during the Early Eocene to Early Pleistocene subepochs living from 55.8 mya—781,000 years ago, existing for approximately .They evolved around 40 million years ago from...
, though chalicotheres were herbivores.
The Nandi people call it Kerit. Local legend holds that it only eats the brain of its victims. Nandi Bears were regularly reported in Kenya throughout the 19th century and early 20th century. Bernard Heuvelmans
Bernard Heuvelmans
Bernard Heuvelmans was a Belgian-French scientist, explorer, researcher, and a writer probably best known as "the father of cryptozoology"...
's On the Track of Unknown Animals and Karl Shuker's In Search of Prehistoric Survivors provide the most extensive chronicles of Nandi bear sightings in print.
External links
- The Nandi Bear: Ferocious killer from the past, by Matthew J. Eaton
- The Cryptid Zoo: Nandi Bear
- PDF about Hyaena brevirostris
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