In the deserts of Mongolia is said to be a creature so deadly
just mentioning it's name is a taboo
spending most of it's time underground
the creature was only made known to westerners in the early 1900s
but word of it soon spread
and even the prime minister of Mongolia confirmed it's existence
some who went looking for it never returned
adding more fuel to the legend
still today many believe in the creature
especially in Mongolia
it is known as the Death Worm
and it might just be a real life monster
Mongolia is a gigantic country
stretching more than 1.5 million square kilometers
but with a population of just 3 million
it is the least densely populated country on earth
much of it's territory is simply uninhabitable
either being desertous
covered by mountains
or just helplessly isolated
for most of history these regions were not fully mapped out
since there was little reason for them to be
but going into the 20th century
science was closing in on the lesser known corners of the world
biologists were on the hunt for undiscovered species of animal
venturing deep into the Gobi desert
among them was Roy Chapman Andrews
a respected american adventurer
part of the team to first discover dinosaur eggs
he led expeditions through Asia at a time when it was dangerous to do so
and he is said to be the inspiration for Indiana Jones
when in Mongolia
locals warned him of a deadly creature that lives under the sand
cunning and quiet
you will never know if the creature is beneath you
often it would attack dogs or even horses
and when desperate humans are on the menu
unless armed and prepared we are no match for it
easily being dragged under the sand
it's appearance was like a giant worm or caterpillar
but with no head
it is bright red
and so poisonous that just touching it can cause death
some claim that just looking directly at it can be deadly
they called it the Olgoi-Khorkhoi
the large intestine worm
but when Andrews wrote about the beast for a Western audience
it came to be known as the Mongolian death worm
of course
people back home had a hard time believing such a strange creature existed
but in 1922
the Mongolian prime minister declared that it was a real animal
this alone was enough to convince many
and Cryptozoologists flooded to the Gobi desert
no one seemed able to find the Mongolian death worm for themselves
but native Mongolians believed in it whole heartedly
in more remote regions locals told horrific stories
giving eerie new details
some claimed the Mongolian death worm could spit acid
and shock it's prey like an electric eel
according to one tale the desert was once lush and green
but the worms themselves killed all other life
turning the land inhospitable
another story tells of a young boy who died after touching the worm
seeking revenge
every man in his village set out to kill the creature
heading into the desert, none of them would ever be seen again
the problem is different stories give very different descriptions
some claimed the Mongolian Death Worm is 2 meters long
while others say it's more like 20
yet since no specimen has ever been retrieved and studied
it's impossible to disprove even the most ridiculous descriptions
to be fair it's hard to find a monster that spends most of it's time underground
especially when you don't even know if they hibernate
one suggestion is that death worms don't sleep
eternally kept awake by a hunger for flesh
outside of Mongolia the death worm is generally seen as a primitive superstition
perhaps it was a fun way for parents to teach their children not to wander off into the desert
or maybe the legend began with a grain of truth that just got out of hand
there are large snakes that live in the Gobi desert
some of which deadly to humans
in the 1980s a series of experiments were done
Native Mongolians who claim to have seen the monster were shown images of a snake
many of them confirmed that the snake is the Mongolian Death Worm
however
there are many other cultures that believe in similar worm like monsters
the ancient Greeks feared the Indus Worm
a gigantic carnivorous worm inhabiting the Indus River
ten feet long and with large teeth
no animal could survive the attack
it's teeth are square and strong enough to cut through tree trunks
by day the Indus Worm hides below the water surface
but at night it emerges onto land
hunting camels, horses
or any other creature unlucky enough to be seen
South African folklore describes a similar monster known as Grootslang
another worm like beast
it lives deep within a cave
the cave is said to be rich in gold and diamonds
but anyone foolish enough to be lured into it will be eaten by Grootslang
in medieval times
reported encounters with giant worms were written about across Europe
from England, to Switzerland, to Russia
worm like monsters seem to be a recurring theme for humans
following historical records throughout the globe
so maybe the Mongolian Death Worm really is out there
hiding below the desert sand