Monster Island Expanded: Mokele Mbembe

Name: Mokele Mbembe
Type: Dinosaur
Species: Nigersaur
Diet: Omnivore
Discovery: 1909
Original Home: Congo
Original Habitat: River Systems
Original population: 24
Color: rough brown muddy color
Monster Island Arrival: 1998
Monster Island Habitat: River Systems, swamps
Population now: Around 100

The first mention of a dinosaur in Africa came from 1909 when an unnamed adventurer described a large reptilian beast that lurked in the Congo river which overturned canoes of tribal men. Stories of this creature had been told for many years before this and it would all compile the modern day cryptid known as the Mokele Mbembe. The beast has been known since the 1950's to the western world but nobody really knew if it actually existed until 1998 when the Second Congo War had caused the death of a herd of these creatures. 3 female Mokele mbembes where found floating down the Congo river in a blood cloud, the bodies where riddled with bullets and slash's from machetes. A large male Mokele had followed the floating bodies and any boats that they passed where attacked by the male leading to the collective death of 12 people. 

The MIP(Monster Island Project) heard of the stories coming from both sides of war effort and arrived on scene of the floating corpses near Lukolela, Africa. Large nets where placed down stream of the bodies which caught all 3 along with the live adult male. They where separated into 3 different cages on the boats and taken back to headquarters through many different transportations. Search party teams where sent back to the Congo in an attempt to find the whole species, 20 other individuals where found and transported to the same place as the lone male. Studies had been done that placed the Mokele Mbembe as a late surviving relative of the nigersaurus.

In 1999 the 20 where released into the smaller rivers, swamps and mangroves in 3 different parts of Monster Island and those in swamps have done the best but those in others have also done well. Mokele not only had adapted well to these environments but since than has spread out to the jungles and grasslands and even share their aquatic grazing areas with other aquatic creatures such as the Skull Island Arsinoitherium and the large Aquatic rodent Monstrum Caviidae. 

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Biology:

Mokele Mbembe is a modern day sauropod dinosaur that managed to survived the KT extinction 65 million years and lasted to the modern day deep in the African Jungles along with some other dinosaur species that also survived in the Congo. In that time the Mokele evolved much different from normal sauropods. Instead of 5 digit toes they have 3 claws on their front legs and elephantine back feet. They have teeth very similar to the nigersaurus which is sued to eating aquatic plants and tree leaves that hang over the water. They have a very small stumpy tail to keep them from being dragged away by strong currents. 

Similar to Brontosaurus Baxteri from Skull Island the Mokele actually gives live birth during the early spring periods, have a gestation period for 11 months. Females live in small herds of 3 with their offspring. Male mokele's live separate lives and only live with females for a short time during mating season. 

They are rarly hunted by predators but sometimes large snakes and crocodiles do try and hunt these animals. The new born Mokeles are easy targets but all females of the herd watch over the offspring which can lead to most predators being stomped to death.

Under the water these animals stand at the bottom in once place and crop the aquatic plants and when taking a breath they will stand on their blacklegs and tail in a tripod stance while in deep water.