The UB Post-Leading English News

Mongolian Death worm

Written by B.Narandelger
Tuesday, July 07, 2009.
There are many wonders rare animals in the Mongolian Gobi desert and for example: wild ass (Khulan), lynx, steppe fox, the mountain sheep (Argal), gazelles, ibex, snow leopard, Khavtgai (Wild camel), ancestor of the Bactrian camel, mazaalai (Gobi bear), wolf and there are a wealth of precious stones such as jasper, crystal, agate turquoise and jasper and so on. Also there is so interesting and secret an animal and it is called that “Olgoi Khorkhoi” (International means is Mongolian Death Worm) and any specialists and researches couldn’t explain it whether it is really true animal or no, until now. And the worm has been still secret. There are a few legends about the Death worm and some people have believed that Olgoi Khorkhoi is just legend for many years and but some specialists said “Olgoi khorkhoi is in Mongolian Gobi and it is true”. Many expedition and scientists used to try to find the worm and unfortunately, most of them couldn’t find the worm. Foreign and inner explorers tried to know about the worm and Roy Andrew Chapman, American explorer, wrote in his a book about this. He talked with Mongolian Prime Minister in 1926 and “The Prime wanted to catch Olgoi Khorkhoi because the worm killed his relative.” Unfortunately Roy Andrew Chapman couldn’t found the worm. Ivan Mackerle’s expedition, Czech author and journalist, has traveled two times in Mongolian Gobi to find the worm in 1990 and they couldn’t catch it. But the expedition deemed the worm is in Mongolian Gobi and it is true and they made a broadcast titled “Dangerous secret of the sand”. Also, Czech’s expedition came in Mongolian Gobi in 1996 and their research’s result became unsuccessful. Although, scientists from many counties such as Russian, France and Czech’s scientists came to find the worm in Mongolia, nobody of them could not see that worm. The most recent expedition was in 2006–2007, conducted by the reality-television series, Destination Truth. There are some legends and talks among the Gobi’s people and scientists about the death worm. The worm’s size is about 50-60cm (2-5 feet long), black or red color and it lives in desert without any water and under the sand all the time. Also it comes out from its burrow while the hottest month of the Gobi (June and July) or later rain. The worm splashes its venom to person while it appears on the surface. The death worm also kill person by ion if touch the worm. Many scientists confirm that the death worm has much bioelectricity and sometimes, it kills itself to explode, when the worm so angry. D. Tsevegmed, Mongolian Scientist, discovered that” The worm is not single and there are two kinds of death worm in the Gobi. People of near Gobi called it that “Shar Khorkhoi” (Yellow worm in English) and he listened about Shar Khorkhoi many times. For example: Many people met with the yellow worm and for example: in an event, suddenly, so many yellow worms attached to herdsman for camels and fortunately, the man could save himself from these dangerous worms”. Expeditions usually used to look for Death worm and yellow worm in Omno-Gobi Province (The South Gobi). Mongolian Gobi is translated that “Desert” and in ancient Mongolian language, the word is translated as “Hot and Dry”. The word is written that Gobi in the world’s map because Mongolian Gobi is so different than other deserts. Sometimes Mongolians called their Gobi that “Altan Gobi” (Golden Gobi). Gobi is located in the southern part of Mongolia and it covers the provinces of East Gobi, Dund Gobi (Middle Gobi), Omno-Gobi (South Gobi. Great Mongolian Gobi (the western part is located inside China, now) has forests, sands, high mountains, springs, steppe lands and rich kind of animals. The Gobi is situated over 200-1000 meters of the sea level and also radical climate. Temperature reaches +40° C in summer, and -40 in winters. Precipitation averages less than 100 mm each year, while some areas rain only once every two years. The area is usually imagined like empty desert and lifeless in many other parts of the world and but it is fallacy. It is so interesting also so secret until now. Although scientists said that the Gobi was surrounded with the sea water 40 million years ago and in other words, the Gobi was arid area and some scientists affirm that this interesting area was sea at all. Mongolians consider that there are 33 different Gobi, where sandy desert occupies only 3 percent of the total territory. One of these four Gobi, the South Gobi occupies the biggest and southern most area; belong to the territory of the Omno-Gobi Province. You can see many kinds of greenery in the Mongolian Gobi for example: trees and plants such as Khargana, tamarisk, red trees, and wild thyme. Desert is known that land of dinosaurs and Dinosaur’s bones and their petrified eggs have been preserved here until today. “Adventure” journal, which is National Geographic Society of USA, selected Mongolian Gobi by the best destination of travel and administrators of the Minister of Road and Transportation, Travel received the prize in last year. Also Mongolian Gobi has been competing in the seven wonderful of the world and in total, 261 beautiful places attended in the operation. One of two Energetic center of the world is also located in Mongolian Gobi. There are many interesting and secret wonders in Mongolian Gobi and Scientists and researchers couldn’t explain some of theme present day. Although, millions of years have passed, dinosaur’s bones and their eggs have been keeping under the soil of the Gobi. Also Gobi’s Camels so specials besides of “Olgoi Khorkhoi and Shar Khorkhoi” and it has 2 humped (Bactrian camels) and it is domesticated animal of herders. South Gobi province has a first place in Mongolian for the number of camels. There are more than 250,000 camels in Mongolia. Camel is not main means of transportation across the Gobi desert and vast steppe and but also camel’s wool is so famous in the world. Adult male camels give 18 kg of wool each year and unlike other livestock.