Olgoi-khorkhoi (Mongolian Death Worm)

<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Illustration by Mike Lee

The Mongolian Death Worm, according to the incredible descriptions of nomads in Mongolia, is said to live in the sands of the Gobi Desert. Recently a Czech journalist made two expeditions and recorded new sightings: the animal referred to as the olgoi-khorkoi ("intestine worm") is described as wormlike; 50 to 60 cm (about 2 feet) long, with no head; thick; dark red in color; and very feared by the natives for its ability to kill from a distance (although this detail might be mythical).

It is generally considered a cryptozoological creature because sightings and reports of the Mongolian Death Worm are disputed or unconfirmed. It has also been described as a fat, bright red worm, two to four feet long. The local name means "blood-filled intestine worm," because it is reported to look like the intestine of a cow. There are a number of extraordinary claims by Mongolian locals, such as the ability of the worm to spew forth a yellow poison that is lethal on contact, and its purported ability to kill at a distance by means of electric discharge. However, there are no known reliable sightings. The color yellow is said to attract the worm.

Many eyewitness accounts from roaming tribes in the Gobi desert all explain seeing the same type of animal. To date there has been no physical evidence recovered.

Michel Raynal has suggested that the olgoï-khorkhoï might be a highly specialized reptile, belonging to the sub-order of the amphisbaenians: these burrowing reptiles generally have no limbs, and their color is often reddish or brown. It is very difficult to distinguish the head from the tail in many amphisbaenians, some of which can reach 80 cm (2.5 feet) in length. Michel Raynal's hypothesis was already proposed as early as in 1993 by Czech cryptozoologist Jaroslav Mares.