The Cryptid Zoo: Momo

The term "momo" has been applied to many types of hairy humanoid reported in or near Missouri, even when the appearance of the creature in one sighting varies considerably from the appearance of the creature belonging to a different sighting. Like the term "Bigfoot," the word "momo" has become something of a catch-all category. However, just as we can describe the classic Bigfoot, we can also describe the classic momo.

The classic momo has a more consistent appearance and was the subject of a two-week scare in 1972. It seems to be a red-eyed big hairy monster, about six feet tall, covered with black fur. It leaves tracks that have just three gigantic toes. Its face does not look like Bigfoot or other ape-men, its overall head shape is compared to a pumpkin, and its stench is so extreme that a close encounter can cause vomiting in people and dogs.

It is aggressive and predatory, sometimes seen covered with the blood of its prey or clutching a dead dog. It growls loudly, acts as if it is trying to scare people, and might be particularly upset about ceremonies related in some way to Christianity. In its general behavior and appearance, it seems to fall somewhere between werewolves and skunk-apes.

You can find out more about the Momo from the following sources:

Blackman, W. Haden. The Field Guide to North American Monsters New York: Three Rivers Press, 1998. Pages 23-25

Castile, Raymond. Momo Stalks the Midwest: Mysterious Monster Sighted in County

Clark, Jerome and Coleman, Loren. Cryptozoology A-Z. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999. Pages 169-170

Clark, Jerome. Unexplained!. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1999. Pages 471-473

Coleman, Jerry D. Strange Highways: A Guidebook to American Mysteries & the Unexplained. Alton, Illinois: Whitechapel Productions Press, 2003. Pages 9, 71, 181

Coleman, Loren. Mysterious America: The Revised Edition. New York: Paraview Press, 2001. Pages 110, 191-200, 204-205

Keel, John A. The Complete Guide to Mysterious Beings. New York: Doubleday, 1994. Pages 119, 145

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Missouri Folklore Society, The. Show-Me Sasquatch

Newton, Michael. Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology: A Global Guide to Hidden Animals and Their Pursuers. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2005. Pages 63, 198, 304, 428

Stage, William. The Missouri Momo Monster

Steiger, Brad. Out of the Dark: The Complete Guide to Beings from Beyond. New York: Kensington Books, 2001. Pages 50-52

Weidensaul, Scott. The Ghost with Trembling Wings: Science, Wishful Thinking and the Search for Lost Species. New York: North Point Press, 2002. Pages 174

Wikipedia, The. Momo