Is the Mongolian Death-Worm a real creature or just a myth?

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The discussion centers around the enigmatic Mongolian Death-Worm, a creature that has captivated enthusiasts of cryptozoology. The thread highlights various anecdotes, including a claim from Dr. Karl Shuker about a death-worm killing an entire herd of camels in the 1960s. Some participants speculate on possible explanations for such events, suggesting that lightning strikes could account for the deaths, especially given the unique conditions of the sandy terrain. The conversation also touches on the idea that natural phenomena, like lightning, might have contributed to the myth of the death-worm, with some participants drawing parallels between the creature and fulgurites—glass formations created by lightning. The rarity of direct sightings of the death-worm leads to further speculation about its existence, with participants considering the cultural significance of such myths and the possibility of real phenomena being misinterpreted. Overall, the discussion reflects a blend of fascination, skepticism, and the exploration of how myths can arise from natural events.
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LAIR OF THE BEASTS: In Search of the Death-Worm
By: Nick Redfern
Date: Saturday, September 13, 2008


As someone who spends pretty much his entire life chasing, investigating, and writing about mysterious beasts and diabolical monsters, I have to admit that I have come across some extremely wild and far-out stories in my time – and that’s putting it mildly!

But, the one strange creature that fascinates and intrigues me perhaps more than any other, is the aptly- and intriguingly-named Mongolian Death-Worm. [continued]
http://www.mania.com/lair-beasts-search-deathworm_article_87259.html
 
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I wonder if they'd be good eating.
 
With or without spice?
 
Hmm, maybe it'd make a good lure for catching the Loch Ness Monster.
 
At least El Blanco only kills for eating, while this worm has killed an entire herd of camels just for fun.
 
I could never understand how an animal could travel through sand in a quick manner. Just watching the movie tremors is ridiculous enough for me. That is unless this death worm has tunnels that should have been found when the camels were found.
 
Dr. Karl Shuker, a British-based author and investigator of mysterious animals, says that “during the 1960s a single death worm had killed an entire herd of camels when they unsuspectingly plodded across an expanse of sand concealing one of these dreaded beasts lying beneath the surface.”

Shooting from the hip: I can easily imagine one way to account for this claim when combined with the claim of electrocution: The herd was hit by lightning. This sometimes happens to herds of cows, and the effects of a nearby strike are greatest in the presense of dielectric materials, like sand - the electric potential between the legs of the animal is maximized.

I wonder if the death-worm is known to leave a trail of glass - fulgurites?

In fact it occurs to me that fulgurites can even look like giant worms.
http://www.minresco.com/fulgurites/fulimages/tx114b.jpg
But I have never seen a red one.
http://www.minresco.com/fulgurites/fulgurites.htm
 
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Borek said:
With or without spice?

GROOOOOOAAAAAANNNNNN! :rolleyes:
Ivan Seeking said:
Another tempting anecdote: They are said to appear in conjunction with rain storms.

Oh, they mean earthworms! :biggrin:
 
  • #10
Um, er, I was thinking of lightning.
 
  • #11
Ivan Seeking said:
Um, er, I was thinking of lightning.

Or that. :rolleyes: :biggrin: That's the cool thing about mythology, at least to me (and I'd consider death-worms to fall under the category of mythology)...if you think about it long enough, you can see how natural phenomena might have gotten interpreted in such interesting ways. A streak of lightning viewed as a worm...yeah, that could make sense.
 
  • #12
Moonbear said:
Or that. :rolleyes: :biggrin: That's the cool thing about mythology, at least to me (and I'd consider death-worms to fall under the category of mythology)...if you think about it long enough, you can see how natural phenomena might have gotten interpreted in such interesting ways. A streak of lightning viewed as a worm...yeah, that could make sense.

What I find a bit interesting is that few people claim to have actually seen one. Even the anecdotes often refer to indirect evidence that might be explained in part by lightning - the ability to kill many animals with one strike, and perhaps even the wormlike structures that can be left in the sand by a lightning strike. But then there are explicit descriptions of them that would be completely inconsistent with this idea. However, it wouldn't be surprising to find that there are a couple of explanations that account for the myth.

From my point of view, what would be unusual is to have such a pervasive myth for no reason whatsoever. There should be either a strong cultural motivation, such as religion, or real phenomena that have been interpreted improperly...or there is a five foot blood-worm that spits acid and electrocutes camels. :biggrin:
 

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