In Mongolia, they are trying to unravel the origin of the mysterious traces that periodically appear on the shores of the local lake Khyargas-Nuur. A group of Russian researchers visited the reservoir last summer. According to them, the footprints may belong to a large prehistoric reptile that has existed on earth since the preglacial period.
The first time large traces on the banks of the Khyargas-Nuur were discovered in the mid-80s by members of the Soviet-Mongolian geological expedition. Later, geologists camped there several more times and each time saw several groups of relatively fresh footprints stretching 1.5 kilometers out of the water, as if several giant reptiles crawled out of the lake and even lay on the sand for some time.
The suggestion that these tracks belonged to an animal living on land, or were left by humans, were rejected. As well as the fact that they cannot be formed by waves or wind. On top of all the speculation and speculation, one night the vacationing geologists heard a roar emanating from the middle of the lake.
This summer, the lake was visited by a group of amateur researchers led by the writer and public figure Igor Grishin. The Russians have armed themselves with good equipment, including the latest model echo sounders.
According to Grishin, with their help, it was possible to fix the same tracks at the bottom of the lake as on land. According to the researchers, they belong to several individuals of different sizes, or are left by different parts of the body of the same animal.
In addition, on the shore, the pathfinders saw furrows resembling traces of stones, which could be moved by animals. Having rummaged in the literature, they found out that the inhabitants of ancient reservoirs, for example, plesiosaurs, swallowed stones, without them they could not digest food.
Promotional video:
Earlier, in 2010, in addition to footprints of different sizes, researchers also found bones that, according to them, cannot belong to any other animal in Mongolia. “Quite often we caught fish with canine teeth. But it is known that only one species of fish lives in this lake - the Altai Osman, which has no teeth,”says Grishin.
According to researchers, the owner of the Khyargas-Nuur may be a giant ancient reptile. This is a relict animal that has remained on the earth since the preglacial period, says Valery Nikolayev, a researcher at the Valdai National Park, a zoologist. According to him, in the southern parts of the planet, including Central Asia, not everything has been glaciated. Scientists consider the Mongolian lakes in this area to be part of the ancient Pleistocene sea, and the fish, the very Altai Osman that the mysterious reptile can feed on, is a relict species.
****
Can these traces be associated with the legendary Mongolian worm olgoi-khorhoi? Although he is rumored to live in the Gobi Desert, the likelihood that he can appear in other uninhabited places is quite high. Especially where the soil is moist and soft enough, like on the shore of a lake.
