Call of the cryptid: Amomongo — Long nailed ape of the Philippines

Philippines, 2008 – Villagers claimed an ape-like creature was attacking their chickens, goats and even people. Is the Amomongo real?

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Said to be a creature of Philippine folklore, the legend of the Amomongo apparently sprang into life in 2008. Reports of wild monkey attacks in La Castellana, in Negros Occidental, attracted attention by ABS-CBN News (In case you’re wondering, that’s a Filipino news outlet, not some extension of the Christian Broadcasting Network).

A wild picture was painted of an ape creature coming from the caves of Mt. Kanlaon, the most active volcano in the central Philippines, to eat animal entrails and terrorize villagers. It’s been described by the Visayan Daily Star as a “hairy creature with long nails,” which makes the creature sound a bit scarier.

It is not know for preying on humans, though it’s said to have scratched up human victims.
Looking at the June 17 2008 ABS-CBN story, it’s pretty freaky:
“Salvador Aguilar, a [La Castellana] resident, told police he was attacked by the wild monkey. He showed authorities the scratches on his face, back and hands. He said several of his neighbors also saw the monkey attacking domesticated animals.”

In response, Mayor Alberto Nicor said the creatures may be hungry:
“This is one possibility because there may be no food now in the mountain. Or it might be that ‘amomongos’ habitat has been disturbed by humans, thus, it runs wild.”

Either way, getting attacked by a “hairy creature with long nails” is no picnic. Also, what’s striking about these articles is that, quite simply, they believe the accounts. When Mayor Nicor advised villagers to put out bait to trap the creature, the Visayan Daily Star didn’t scoff. Its reporting was very matter-of-fact.  Does that make them superstitious or is there really something to these villager’s accounts?   If one takes a quick look at the Daily Star’s average, everyday stories, it doesn’t come off as tabloid nonsense or the Weekly World News.  That by itself doesn’t make the Amomongo real, but it doesn’t hurt, either.

Could the Amomongo Be Real?

There isn’t a ton of information on the Amomongo, and there are very general reasons to be skeptical of cryptid claims. The standard dismissal is, quite simply, that we shouldn’t believe everything we read. Still, the most implausible aspect is the long fingernails of the Amomongo. Most primates seem to bite their fingernails.  It also seems almost conveniently scary, as a means to build up the legend.  Nevertheless, we know people can have bizarrely long fingernails, so why not cryptids? What about dietary questions? Do any other primates eat meat? Yes! Non-human primates are known to occasionally feast on meat. So, in that regard, the Amomongo would not be absolutely unique.

I wasn’t able to find much info on primates living on or around volcanic mountains. However, animals (and humans) are known for remarkable adaptivity. For example, sharks have been seen “thriving” in an underwater volcano. It could also be true that, when push comes to shove, primates may live in and around volcanoes. After all, people live near them and seem to do just fine (until the dang things erupt).

So, regarding the Amomongo, there is an element of plausibility. I wouldn’t be content with just dismissing the stories. At the same time, the world hasn’t heard much about the Amomongo since 2008. Why is that? Its presence is sporadic at best, but who knows? Maybe they’ll come out again some day, and this time people could perhaps capture it (at least in video footage). Or maybe not.

That’s it for this Call of the Cryptid! Do you believe in the Amomongo? Let us know in the comments!