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Skarbog — Mamlambo design 1
Published: 2010-06-06 18:44:49 +0000 UTC; Views: 5594; Favourites: 92; Downloads: 366
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Description
MamlamboA very interesting cryptid. this is the first version of how i think i see this creature.
The plan is to make a large painting about this cryptid in a storm in the water in african settings. But than i have to think a lot more about the creature itself.
i love the horsehead part, often described as bulky. so the decision to make the head more horselike than snakelike was easily made.
There was not much to find about the colours. so i think i will make it a bit exotic, but not to much.
and I am not sure whether to add hair or fins on the neck or not. or make it a bit more fishlike. Maybe make it more scaled like a carp.
short description: (fishlike creature with horsehead)
bulky (horse)head, 4 stumpy legs, about 20 meters in length, fishtail, brainsucking&eye eating watercreature that appears mostly during stormy weather.
what do you think?? i would really appreciate some input.
- how do you like the shape
- is his anatomy believable
- does it need hair somewhere ? or fins.
- do you have additional information about Mamlambo? i would love to hear it.
The mamlambo is a cryptid which supposedly lives in the Mzintlava River near Mount Ayliff in South Africa. It is also known as "the brain sucker" and has been reported to have killed at least 7-9 people who crossed the Mzintlava River but there is no evidence as to if they were killed by this creature. It is unknown what type of animal Mamlambo is, or if it is an actual animal. Villagers of the area claim that is has the torso of a horse and the lower body of a fish, as well as the neck of a snake. According to legend, the Mamlambo often appears during lightning storms (it is said that the Mamlambo may be attracted to lightning).
this is a beast from Xhosa tribal mythology which is said to live in rivers and, if caught, provide great wealth.
info found here cryptozoology and [link]
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Comments: 11
I've never seen or heard anything about Malambo's before but I can definately say it's awsome!
The shape is perfect. The anatomy reminds me of an early evolutionary stage of one of your other pictures and it's totally believable. It doesn't need anything else added to it in my opinion.
Nice one!
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I think a mane (or even some subtle crocodilian spikes) would be great, but then I always put extra hair and feathers and fins on everything just because that's the fun part to draw.
I agree that the fins could stand a bit of a more intimidating look, the tiny vestigial claws at the end of big awkward flippers sort of make me think of a Snorlax's paw. 
It's a hunter and a river-dweller - rather than the lean fins of a blue whale, perhaps you might want the shorter, wider flippers of a more active carnivore like an orca or seal? To me it sounds rather like an ambush predator, in which case hiding, close-combat agility and speed bursts would probably take priority over long-distance swimming in its design. I imagine it would have a thick, muscular tail to propel it forward; a strong, longish neck like you've given it to take a quick but devastating bite and then retreat; the ample ribcage it has seems appropriate as it may need to hold its breath and then lunge out suddenly (I assume it's an air-breather given the nostrils and mammalian features?); wide, paddle-like flippers (keep the claws if you like, maybe a big "thumb" claw like the Jurassic Park velociraptors) with heavy muscle attachments to help it maneuver rapidly; and a sort of "river camo" coloration (muddy greens, blacks, browns, white or pale areas to simulate dappled light) to blend in while it patiently waits for the chaos of a storm to strike.
That said, you may have a completely different vision of how this creature lives and behaves, in which case please disregard the ramble. 
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I would shorten the legs just a tad (i like the claws its a nice touch 
All i can find on Mamlambo is that it's a river goddess in the Zulu Pantheon and it is said "to have a hypnotic gaze. It is also able to come out of the water, using that ability to capture prey that isn't close to the water's edge. Furthermore, it supposedly glows in the dark, emitting an eerie green light."
"In the tribal mythology of South Africa's Xhosa people, the mamlambo is a giant river snake which brings good fortune to he who owns it, and is used by witch doctors to get revenge on their enemies. The tribal stories describe mamlambo as a big snake with a large bulky head."
both from same source [link]
I hope this helps!
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A very interesting interpretation of this creature. First of all I have to write that I love the soft shading of this image 
Its body shape needs getting used to that is why it hard to write if it is believable or not (+ I do not know much about water creatures and what kind of body elements bring advantage).
Somehow I have the feeling the anatomy would look more balanced if its nick would be longer.
I prefer it without hair or with sea weed-like hair.
Sorry, I have no info about the Mamlambo. I did not know it "exists" until I saw your work in my in-box today 
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- I'm not sure whether it'd be comfortable for the creature to suck brain. It has a head of the horse, therefore, it hasn't predatory teeth.
- I think that legs sould be shorter. They look weird to me: there're claws. What's their purpose? If they're needed, I think that more noticeable joints are needed too: the claws look innocent on those fin-alike fat legs. The claws on its hind limbs look the most senseless.
- I don't think that a horse's neck would be comfortable for hunting and living in water.
- I associate horse-alike heads with Chinese dragons. Therefore, I think the creature would look better with whiskers and some hair on its back.
- I've learned that the creature is African only from the text. Some exotic things, which will show the monster's origins, are necessary.
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- how do you like the shape
IN general, its ok! Teally! JUst, no offense or whatever:
You should keep more to a 'whale' fin anatomy as to put the claws on. If you see the bone structure of a sea mammal fin, its like a weird hand, more separated the claws than in your picture.
- is his anatomy believable
More or less. The theigh-stomach part needs a bit more defining, but for a first draw its ok =3
- does it need hair somewhere ? or fins.
Well, you already have the leg-fins, so I'd only say that giving the Mmbl a bit more 'dressing' as such: [link] or [link] type of thing, since tit looks...I dunno, a bit bald XD OR you could put a regular dorsal fin, aswell =3
- do you have additional information about Mamlambo? i would love to hear it.
Nah, I know as much as you =3
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