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Illustration of a Postosuchus

The gbahali is a large amphibious reptile cryptid that supposedly live in the rivers of Liberia (Africa) .

Description

The gbahali is described as being like a crocodile or monitor lizard, but much larger (up to 25 or 30 ft long). It has an armored back with three rows of serrations running down it, a powerful tail, and a short snout with many large teeth. It is known to be an ambush predator, carrying its prey underwater to drown before coming on shore to eat it.

Behavior

John-Mark Sheppard traveled to a village deep in the forest where fishermen used to actually catch these animals.

"They would use nets and shotguns to kill them, before butchering them and selling the meat in local markets. They told me that they used to have a skull of the animal in the village, but it was destroyed along with everything else when rebels set fire to the village. When I showed the villagers a picture of a Postosuchus taken off the internet, they all agreed that that is how the head and body of the gbahali looks, although the legs are semi-erect like a crocodile."

Sightings

The river in which these creatures are said to live is very remote, passing through large areas of uninhabited forest. They are said to mainly be seen during the rainy season, when they travel upstream to look for food. They are greatly feared by the local population, because they have been known to kill people.

As recently as this November 2007, someone was attacked and killed by a large unknown animal near a village called Gelema, on that river. The United Nations police went to investigate, and found out that only the man’s head and a few body parts were left on the river bank. In this same village, the town meeting house was built according to the length of a gbahali that was killed there in years gone by.

Theories

Liberia is actually home to several species of crocodile.

  • The West African Dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspas)
  • The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)
  • The African Sharp Nosed crocodile also known as the African gavial (Crocodylus cataphractus)

Other candidates include terrestrial crocodilian dinosaurs like the Postosuchus or the recently extinct mekosuchine crocodilians of Australia and Oceania.