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Originally posted by ravenshadow13
reply to post by pause4thought
I think that it's highly possible that it is a caecilian. Dangerous? Dunno.
Mongolia is one of those areas where the wildlife is still being discovered, and I can see many ground-dwellers being neglected by modern taxonomy.
If there is water, there can be amphibians. If there are no predators and a great food source, there can be large amphibians.
Never stick your hand down a hole that could be occupied, kids. Not a good idea, even if the animals could he harmless. At the very least the organism would sense a disturbance or human scent later on and will abandon it's burrow. At the worst, you could be injured by something venomous and die.
Originally posted by punkinworks
I think monster quest or someother show did a really lame show on those worms and came up with NADA.
it was one of the lamest shows ive seen
Originally posted by zorgon
Mongolian Death Worm
Even looks like Tremors
The Mongolian Death Worm is a cryptid purported to exist in the Gobi Desert. It is generally considered a cryptozoological creature; one whose sightings and reports are disputed or unconfirmed.
It is described as a bright red worm with a wide body that is 0.6 to 1.5 meters (2 to 5 feet) long. In general, scientists reject the possibility that such mega-fauna cryptids exist, because of the improbably large numbers necessary to maintain a breeding population[1] and because climate and food supply issues make their survival in reported habitats unlikely.
The local name is allghoi, which means "blood filled intestine worm" because it is reported to look like the intestine of a cow. It is the subject of a number of extraordinary claims by Mongolian locals—such as the ability of the worm to spew forth sulfuric acid that, on contact, will turn anything it touches yellow and corroded (which would kill a human), and its purported ability to kill at a distance by means of electric discharge.
theunexplainedmysteries.com...
In Search of the Mongolian Death Worm
www.environmentalgraffiti.com...
[edit on 3-8-2009 by zorgon]
Originally posted by ravenshadow13
Unfortunate.
Originally posted by ravenshadow13
So now we all know for next time. Riiiiight?
Originally posted by Wildbob77
It would also make sense if they were attracted to tremors...Think about someone walking in the desert near them... Potential meal right above me.
Originally posted by zorgon
reply to post by visible_villain
I like his rec room
Flagged just for the title! ATS at its best. Here's a documentary that includes eye-witness testimony. Pretty serious stuff: YouTube Link YouTube Link
Like other living amphibians, the skin contains glands that secrete a toxin to deter predators
a good reason that they are hard to find what with the Gobi dessert being so big and all.
highly adapted for a burrowing lifestyle
source
All caecilians possess a pair of tentacles, located between their eyes and nostrils.