...estimated its length at about 30 feet. "Whatever it was, it definitely was not a crocodile," Mr. Ellis said. Roy P. Mackal, a University of Chicago biologist who has spent years studying reports of strange creatures in Africa, said it is...

...ignited after he read about the efforts of other scientists to find the creature -- especially those of cryptozoologist Roy P. Mackal. "The historical reports of dinosaurlike animals in central Africa convinced me that this was worth spending time...

...expeditions were launched in the 1960s and '70s, but nothing turned up. Then, in 1980 and 1981, monster-hunter Roy P. Mackal headed explorations into the Likouala and Lake Tele regions of the Congo, reputed hot spots of dinosaur sightings...