Central African legendary creatures

In several Bantu mythologies, mokele-mbembe (also written as "mokèlé-mbèmbé") is a mythical water-dwelling entity that is believed to exist in the Congo River Basin. It is variously described as a reptilian creature, a spirit, or a member of the extinct lineage of sauropods.

The Kongamato ("breaker of boats") is a cryptozoological, pterosaur-like creature reportedly seen by members of the indigenous population and researchers in the Jiwundu Swamps in the Mwinilunga district of western Zambia, Angola, and Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has been suggested that it may be a modern-day Rhamphorhynchus, an unidentified bird (such as the very large and peculiar saddle-billed stork), or a giant bat. No photographs have been taken of it. Most accounts are based on large wounds and eyewitness accounts.

The emela-ntouka is a cryptozoological animal believed to live in Central Africa. Its name means "elephant killer" in Lingala. In other languages, the animal is known as Aseka-moke, Njago-gunda, Ngamba-namae, Chipekwe, or Irizima.

An Obambou, also Obambo or Obamba, is a supernatural being belonging to tribes of Central Africa. It is depicted as evil, possessing the power to do evil and to do good if it chooses, having the ability to possess and cause sickness, or to want a home built for them. In some African tribes, an Obambou is referred to as a devil, or as the spirit of someone who was not buried correctly.

Mbielu-mbielu-mbielu ("the animal with planks growing out of its back") is a cryptozoological animal reportedly seen at the Likouala River, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

thumb|A hyena as depicted in a medieval bestiary|alt=A hyena hunches over a prone male figure on a bed or platform, biting his shoulder. The hyena is portrayed with spines along its back and tail, and with bird-like talons. In folklore, a werehyena (a neologism coined in analogy to werewolf) is a creature which can shapeshift into a hyena. The creature has origins across countless African cultures. It is also present in tales on the Arabian Peninsula. Unlike werewolves and other therianthropes, which are usually portrayed as being originally human, some werehyena lore tells of how they can als

A Simbi (also spelled Cymbee and '''Sim'bi, pl. Bisimbi or Basimbi''') is a Central African guardian spirit of the water and nature in traditional Bakongo religion, as well as in African diaspora spiritual traditions, such as Hoodoo in the southern United States and Palo in Cuba. Simbi have been historically identified as water people, or mermaids, pottery, snakes, gourds, and fire. Due to the forced removal of Bantu peoples from Africa to the Americas, the veneration of simbi exists today in countries, such as the United States, Brazil, Cuba, and Haiti.

mythical animal in the Kongo language