Actually, in 1909, Carl Hagenbeck wrote of a "huge monster, half elephant, half dragon" in the Congo swamps.
As early as 1901, the Smithsonian institute bore interest in and knowledge of Mokele-Mbembe. The institute went so far as to offer a bounty of three million dollars for an example of the animal, dead or alive.
The N'Gournie river, Ubangi river, Northern Likauala-aux-Herbes river, Lake Tebeki and Lake Tele are suspected habitats, as they are home to many large caves, some stretching as long as sixty miles.
Locals report an herbivorous diet, consisting of only two plants, Landolphia owariensis and Landolphia mannii. Both are varieties of the Malombo plant.
Mokele-Mbembe is Lingala, meaning "One that stops the flow of rivers." The term is also used generically for other animals such as: Emila-ntouka, Mbielu-mbielu-mbielu and Nguma-monene.
More adventurous reports state that Mokele-Mbembe will overturn boats and kill the occupants by biting them and hitting them with its tail. This also seems to be its behavior towards hippopotami, and no hippopotami are found in the areas where Mokele-Mbembe sightings are reported.
Expeditions seem to occur in pairs, with an average interval of three years. Bill Gibbons and Roy Mackal are regular offenders, suggesting that climate patterns or finances might have some connection to the exercise of this fantasic insanity.