In the folklore of Gambia, a Ninki Nanka is a dragon-like creature believed to live in swamps.
Description/Morphology
The creature is said to be extremely large (50 metres long) and very aggressive. It is described as having a horse-like face, a long body with mirror-like scales and a crest of skin on its head.
Behavior
Folk beliefs say that when you see the ninki-nanka you will die usually within a few weeks. Parents also tell their children when they get too confident and feel they can disobey and go into the swamp that they will be taken by the Ninki Nanka.
Sightings
A group of cryptozoologists from the Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) went to Gambia in the summer of 2006 (J.T. Downes Memorial Gambia Expedition 2006) to investigate the Ninki Nanka and take testimony from those who have claimed to have seen the mythical creature. Team leader Richard Freeman told the BBC, evidence so far was sketchy as most people died soon after seeing it. One interviewee who claimed to have had an encounter with a Ninki Nanka said it looked similar to an image of a Chinese dragon.
Art/Fiction
There is a song called Ninki Nanka on the album Casamance au clair de lune (1984) by the Senegalese music group Touré Kunda.