The Karkadann, or Lord of the Desert, is a mythical creature said to inhabit the grassy flatlands and deserts of India, Persia and Northern Africa. The Karkadann is said to be the size of a bull with a somewhat wolf like appearance and process two horns which protruded from atop its skull. The first horn, said to resemble an ivory spike, stuck straight up from the creature’s cranium and was said to be used as a means of gouging the Karkadann’s victims. The second horn jutted out from just above the animal’s nose and was said to be curved and bone like, this horn was reportedly used only as a means of self defense.

Although the Karkadann is thought to have been an undeniably ruthless predator it was not with out its weaknesses. It is said that a bird known as the ringdove was able to charm the Karkadann. As the legend states, the ringdove would perch upon the Karkadann’s horn and sing its song, the song would please its Karkadann host causing the creature to become calm and docile. Ancient historians who studied the Karkadann, like 4th century Greek historian Ctesias, noted that this fearsome animal so favored the song of the ringdove that it would often make its home near their nests, protecting the tiny song birds from any potential harm. Although the ringdove’s effects on the Karkadann may be purely based in myth, there are some investigators who suspect that the Karkadann its self may be based in fact.

Fossils of a very similar animal, the Elasmotherium, have been found in Eastern China and Southern Russia, causing some scientists to speculate that a population of Elasmotherium may have found there way to India, Persia and Northern Africa, though at this time there is no fossil record to back up these claims. This giant rhinoceros like creature stood roughly 6 to 7 feet high and possessed a nearly 6 foot horn atop its head and although it is thought to have gone extinct nearly 1.6 million years ago, a sighting documented by Berber Sunni Islamic Scholar Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Buttuta of a creature that resembled the Elasmotherium may indicate otherwise. Could this prehistoric giant have survived long enough into modern times to be the source of the Karkadann legend, some researchers believe so, while others believe that the Karkadann was nothing more than the misidentification of the rhinoceros.

The Evidence
The Karkadann its self is believed to be entirely based in myth, however there are some that believe that the Elasmotherium could have survived long enough to be the base for this myth. At any rate there is not physical evidence to support the existence of the Karkadann at this time.

The Sightings
In the 14th century Berber Sunni Islamic Scholar Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Buttuta documented seeing a creature in India that he referred to as a Karkadann. No other documented sightings of the Karkadann could be found at this time.

The Stats – (Where applicable)

• Classification: Hybrid / Other
• Size: 6 to 7 feet tall
• Weight: Unknown
• Diet: Carnivorous
• Location: India, Persia and Northern Africa
• Movement: Four legged walking
• Environment: Grassy flatlands and Desert